1. Immersion and Continuity: A Blended Model for College-Level Introductory Language Courses
Italian 101-102, 2007-2009

Mark Lewis and Daria Valentini
Objectives Method Results
 Enable students to succeed with 33% reduction  Research compares blended format for Intro- Outcomes
in seat time ductory Italian (50 mins. twice weekly f2f + un-  Grades for Blended (ave. over two years)
limited asynchronous online) with traditional
 Make effective use of f2f class time to improve format (50 mins. thrice weekly with limited  Assignments – 90.2%
communicative competence, and shift a larger web-enhanced component)  Tests – 91.0%
portion of comprehension and review of struc-  Course – 90.7%
ture to online environment  Course design was streamlined by assigning dy-
namically released interactive exercises twice  Grades for F2F (ave. over two years)
 Increase the frequency of interactive assign- weekly. This content provided a concentrated
ment due dates, and provide rich and rapid amount of interactive learning and practice us-  Assignments – 89.9%
feedback on each one ing “Quia”, the online lab manual to accompany  Tests – 89.9%
a major textbook, Prego! 7th edition (McGraw  Course – 87.4%
 Create a preferred overall language learning ex- Hill, 2007)
perience
 Variables that were consistent between the two
Student Attitudes toward Blended Course
delivery models include: same course duration Percentage of students who agreed with the fol-
and enrollment, same textbook, same material lowing:
covered in the same amount of time, same quiz-
zes and exams administered
86% - I learned the same as (43%) or more
 Two different instructors taught these cours-
than (43%) in a traditional format.
es at two different colleges in MA (Regis and
71% - I was better able to understand ideas
Stonehill), working to ensure consistency
and concepts in this course.
71% - I gained confidence in my ability to
 Four semesters of teaching were studied
learn difficult subject matter.
78% - I learned at my own pace and was en-
Blended Learning Model
couraged to spend more time on task.
Mon. 50 min. Class  Online 78% - I was better able to visualize ideas and
Tues. Online concepts taught in this course.
Wed. 50 min. Class  Online 100% - The instructor gave clear explanations
of what was expected in a blended
Thur. - Sun. Online course.