The UW Collaborative Language Program (CLP) currently offers courses in Arabic, Chinese, French, German,
Japanese, and Russian. A minimum of four semesters of each of these languages is offered. Some campuses offer more semesters of language with sufficient enrollment.
Instructional Models
CLP employs a variety of blended models for learning languages. Some models combine classroom-based interactive two-way videoconferencing (ITV) and today’s emerging technology tools for a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning. Some courses are taught 3-4 days per week in a traditional classroom setting that has been modified for ITV while others only physically meet 1-2 days per week. Still others are fully online with a live synchronous session and/or a local discussion section. We believe in flexible learning to meet the needs of today’s students. We integrate the most current technologies for helping students become proficient in the language they are studying. Through the use of this technology, UW Faculty work closely with students locally and on receiving campuses. Native-speaking facilitators aid students at receiving sites by attending all synchronous sessions, holding regular office hours, and engaging students in cultural experiences. The use of facilitators helps ensure the success of our program on receiving campuses.
Our blended (hybrid) learning environment integrates a variety of Internet-based technologies as well. We use a web-based course management system to provide structure and tools such as collaborative documents, voice technology, interactive learning objects, and webcams for further supporting the development of language proficiency.
CLP courses average over 70% retention from semester to semester, higher than the national average for many languages. Data since our program’s inception maintain the following:
- Students at the receiving site do as well or better than their peers at the origination site.
- Students in our distance courses are doing as well as students taking a comparable course in a non-distance class setting.
- CLP has grown from serving 98 students in 7 courses to serving over 300 students in 15 courses per semester.