I often field inquiries about the difference between face-to-face and online Spanish classes. Here is an overview of what you can expect in each delivery method:
Face-to-Face
Regular and prompt attendance is required. A structured environment is provided.
Students interact with each other and with the instructor in real time, in person.
Students receive instant feedback from instructor and can have questions answered in class (and usually right before and right after too).
Instructors create their own daily lesson plans that reflect their individual teaching style.
Homework serves to reinforce what is presented in class and gives students the opportunity to further practice what they do in the classroom.
Oral exams are proctored face-to-face either in pairs or one-on-one with the instructor.
Online
Although there are weekly due dates for assignments, students have flexibility as to where and when they can complete them over the course of a week. They must be available to connect online with a partner, however, to complete paired speaking exercises.
Students receive instruction primarily through the online textbook.
Students communicate with each other through paired speaking exercises and Blackboard discussions.
Feedback, while not immediate, can be more personalized and focused because it is given one-to-one rather than in the presence of an entire class.
Students may contact the instructor by email, phone or visiting him or her in office hours.
Students submit their oral exams via Blackboard. Written exams are taken at a testing center.
Students must earn at least 60% on each exam (written and oral components combined) to continue in the course.
