Nature of the proposed project

This project is envisioned as a series of multimedia lessons, coordinated web sites, and teaching enhancements which can serve as models for more effective instruction in the humanities. The lessons can be "shocked" and posted at a web site for dissemination to all the members of our consortium.

Specifically, I propose to develop materials to be used in conjunction with a course taught at almost every college in the United States: a survey course in Spanish literature. This course is usually the "make-or-break" course for most prospective Spanish minors and majors. The side- by-side translations and interactive activities provided through this project will be useful not only to students of modern languages but also to students of literature and culture in general. They can serve as creative models for courses in English, classical languages, history, philosophy, music, and other fields as well, as can be seen from the model about Santa Teresa, below.

To assure sufficient time for experimenting with various lesson formats, having students and colleagues participate in evaluating the lessons both during and after development, and revising the project materials before disseminating them, I will focus on the first phase of the survey course: the major literary works of medieval Spain. Concentrating the scope in this way will also allow me to focus on the part of the course with which students need the most help. Effective models developed for the first part can then serve as the groundwork not only for the remainder of the course but also for other courses in Spanish and other courses in related fields.

Need for this project

Unfortunately, textbooks available for the survey of Spanish literature course are typically "traditional" in nature. Some web sites are available, but most developers are coordinating them with civilization courses, which are usually more advanced than the survey course. In addition to web sites, I will provide interactive multimedia lessons and presentations that will personalize the material and make it more meaningful to students. These materials will focus on the key people who shaped Spanish literature and on the major characters portrayed in it.

While the project materials will include on-line help for translating difficult words and for grammar points, I intend to be much more creative and produce innovative multimedia materials and interactive lessons involving web sites to enliven the reading selections, engage students in "chats" with literary characters of about the same age as our students, let students vicariously visit regions where famous stories take place, hear poetry recited with musical accompaniment, see video clips from films that have been produced about the literary works, travel through time to investigate the lives of authors, and so forth.

For example, I would like to let them see a map of Spain and click on the area where Santa Teresa de Avila lived (to stimulate touch as well as sight), have the computer zoom in on Avila and show scenes of the medieval walled city where Santa Teresa grew up and have it play organ music or chants from her day, let students hear her mystical poetry being recited as they see it on the screen and can access a translation of it (hearing and sight), have them "interview" this woman who was proclaimed a "Doctor of the Church" by the Roman Catholic Church only a few decades ago. Then, to tie the material to the classroom, I would like to have students collaborate in collaborative groups to imitate her style and write a mystical poem or have them write and essay to evaluate and appreciate the dangerous situation she confronted as a reformer in a church controlled by men who were sometimes wealthy and corrupt as well as spiritually and politically powerful.

For several years, colleagues at various institutions and I have discussed the need for such materials, especially since they can interest and excite students who might otherwise decide not to continue their study of Spanish, they can help students appreciate another culture more fully by bringing it to life for them, and they can (through carefully designed exercises in which students have to communicate what they have learned and relate it to their lives) help students build on the language skills they began to develop in previous courses.

How this technology project will enhance teaching and learning

For years, I have wanted to undertake this project, but have not had the time and resources. Now, however, I will be on sabbatical and can use the teaching materials that I have gradually accumulated. Receiving support for this project will enable me to produce lessons that can benefit not only my students but students at other institutions in the consortium as well. Rather than having to try to bring the literature to life by moving maps, CD players, videos and the like to class, I will be able to let students engage the material more directly via the technology available in our language laboratory and then spend more time in class in helping students understand passages they found difficult, in having students play roles, in having them express and defend their opinions, etc.

Students have remarked that I have a talent for relating literature to life and for making it interesting for them. In class, I often add humorous anecdotes, provide unique insights, have students compare and contrast works, and ask them to write about a character that they particularly disliked, and so forth. By stimulating as many of their senses as possible and involving them emotionally them, I try to make the material more memorable and meaningful for them.

Ability of applicant to successfully complete the project

My training and experience have prepared me for this project, since I am a specialist in Peninsular Literature, have produced commercially available computer software, have served as the Software Review Editor for the national Spanish journal Hispania, have taught the survey course on numerous occasions during my more than twenty years of teaching experience, have done extensive and continuing research in the latest developments in pedagogy, and have led technology workshops (in 1992 and 1996) in modern languages for the consortium.

Both my written and spoken Spanish are of near-native quality, and I have access to colleagues both in the United States and in Spanish-speaking countries who can proofread my work and suggest revisions. In the spring of 1998, I will be on sabbatical. During that time, I propose to produce materials for approximately the first half of the survey course.

Resources Available to the applicant

I already have unlimited access to the software and hardware needed for this project, and I use the web frequently. I will be using one of 200 MHz Gateway Destination machines in the Department of Modern Languages. The machine is networked, equipped with several authoring and presentation programs, and linked to the worldwide web. At Millsaps, I will also be able to draw on the technical expertise of Dr. Purser, who has led numerous consortium-wide workshops, and the help of a technically-adept student assistant, who is already assisting me in experiments with lesson formats.

Evaluation

Performance assessment, i.e., evaluating the ability of students to apply and use what they have learned, will receive major emphasis and will be incorporated into the materials in this project. The use of the Destination machine, which has a 32" display screen and stereo speakers, is conducive to evaluation of the model lessons by small groups of students and colleagues in the humanities.

After lessons are developed, they will be assessed by students and teachers using an evaluation checklist that will include a section for written comments. After considering the insights gained from these evaluations, I will revise the lessons. These instructional materials will be used in the survey course that I teach at Millsaps. Before mid-semester and towards the end of the course, students taking the class will be asked to evaluate the lessons by using an evaluation checklist and comment sheet similar to the one employed when the lessons were being developed.

Dissemination

Besides planning to shock the model lessons and make them available on the web, I will give a demonstration at the language/technology workshop at Millsaps this summer, will demonstrate the model lessons for colleagues at Millsaps in the fall, and plan to give a presentation about this project at a national conference. In addition, I will submit an article describing the development process, the evaluations and the instructional value of the model lessons, and ways these materials can be adapted for use by others in the humanities. I will also be glad to travel to other institutions to demonstrate the project materials.

Time Lines

This project is proposed for the spring and summer of 1998, but it is an integral part of my on- going research and scholarly development.

November and December, 1997 -- finish revising the course outline and complete web searches for Spanish sites, including materials available from the government of Spain

January, 1998 -- Review the experiments I have already started on creative approaches for presenting the materials and engaging students, then compile the materials

February, 1998 -- complete the first model lessons relating to Medieval Spain

March, 1998 -- ask for feedback from students and colleagues and then revise the initial lessons

April, 1998 -- develop lessons for the remainder of the medieval period and ask for feedback from students and colleagues

Early May, 1998 -- test all materials to be sure that they function smoothly, proofread all sections, and begin compiling a teacher's guide with suggestions for using these and similar materials with a course

Late May, 1998 -- present materials during the modern language/technology workshop at Millsaps and ask for critical evaluation by the workshop participants

June and July, 1998 -- compose an article relating how these materials were developed and how they can be used as models for other disciplines

August, 1998 -- complete preparations to integrate these materials with my classroom teaching at Millsaps, then prepare the finalized version of the models to be shocked and distribute them via the web

September, 1998 -- demonstrate the completed project for colleagues at Millsaps

In the future, I will continue to work on this project until I have completed materials that will cover the span of the entire survey course. I anticipate finishing them by the end of the summer of 1999. I plan, however, begin using the model lessons as soon as they are completed.