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IN 1982 the Department of Modern Languages at Central Missouri State University (CMSU) began to offer on a regular basis a summer study program at the University of Bourgogne in Dijon, France. During July and August of each year the University of Bourgogne International Summer School for Foreigners offers classes in French language, civilization, and literature in four-week, six-week, and eight-week sessions. 1 Courses are available on all levels. Three-hour morning sessions stress traditional grammar study, and two-hour afternoon sessions provide creative approaches to language learning (e.g., writing original skits, going on visits in the community, hearing talks by local resource people). Classes are taught by native speakers, many of whom have special training in teaching French as a foreign language. CMSU students attend both sessions, in addition to special meetings with a member of the CMSU French staff. This faculty member serves as program director for CMSU and makes all academic and travel arrangements for the stay in Dijon. The CMSU program uses the four-week option, for which students are awarded six semester credits. This paper considers methods used in the CMSU program to develop student skills outside the classroom per se and procedures for evaluating student work.
Small-group work, always a reliable teaching method, has proved particularly useful in the study-abroad setting. After being divided according to level, students meet with the program director for an hour once a week (beginning-level students meet twice a week). During this time, intermediate and advanced students are asked to talk about what they have been doing in class, where they plan to travel over the weekend, and any interesting experiences they have had since the last meeting. The program director attempts to avoid the setting of a formal classroom by creating an atmosphere of a few good friends sitting together and having a free-flowing and relaxed conversation. Unfortunately, many of our students feel overwhelmed and intimidated by the other foreign students in Dijon. These students, who come from all over the world, generally have excellent skills in English. For them, and for many of the British students also, French is a third or fourth language. As a result, our students feel inhibited in speaking French with many of their classmates. But in the more secure company of other CMSU group members, they lose some of their reticence. And, for most of them, the confidence they gain in this situation transfers to other situations. The students are aware, of course, that they are being graded on their participation during these sessions. Certainly, the grade is part of the motivation to talk. The director tries to deemphasize this aspect of the session, however, by making notes on student work after the meeting.
The small-group sessions also provide an opportunity to combine language training and the development of cultural awareness through discussions about the life-styles of the French and other Europeans. The CMSU program does not offer formal weekend excursions (see Goldin 641 and Williamson 13 for ideas), but students are individually given suggestions and advice on travel possibilities. Since most of the students spend at least one weekend in Germany or Switzerland, the discussions turn naturally to comparisons between the French and their neighbors, as well as to the French versus the Americans. Student observations lead to the introduction of vocabulary relating to areas such as recreational activities, food, and business.
Skills in the written language are also practiced intensively. Students who are at a second-semester college level or higher are required to keep a daily journal in French, in which they recount class events and experiences they have had in Dijon and on weekend trips. The journal is submitted every two or three days. Students are urged to look at the corrections and discuss them with the program director. A letter grade is assigned to this work, and notes are maintained regarding the most significant categories of errors. As the summer term progresses, students are expected to work on problem areas, and the standards for a particular grade increase.
The beginning students are drilled orally on the grammar points that they have covered in class. In addition, they are given written assignments in both French and English. The French assignments, at first, are to answer a few short questions. The student is asked later to write original sentences and finally to write a paragraph along the lines of the journal prepared by the intermediate and advanced students. Assignments are returned as soon as possible, with appropriate comments. Beginning students are also asked to keep a daily journal in English. This is a proper procedure, for writing the journal helps the students put their activities into perspective and, as on the higher levels, provides a basis for discussing aspects of French life-styles.
While much is accomplished during the small-group work, students put their language skills to the greatest practical test and gain the most confidence during the multitude of informal and unexpected situations that occur daily. Therefore students are encouraged to avail themselves as much as possible of these opportunities. Three types of experience are particularly fruitful: spontaneous conversation, contacts with the local community, and independent travel.
Spontaneous conversations take place in a number of ways. Because students tend to be a bit reticent about using the foreign language when they first arrive, the program director starts short conversations in French with them. By limiting the conversations to vocabulary and topics that students can easily handle, the director helps them build confidence. This sort of conversation occurs naturally at mealtime and as students go to class. The “pledge technique” of speaking only French has been avoided, since for many students it sets up an unnecessary frustration. Rather, the spontaneous use of French encourages students to respond in kind.
Virtually every day, the students have a multiplicity of contacts with the local community, mostly revolving around necessities: the bank, the post office, a street vendor selling quiche. Students learn quickly from their mistakes. One can also incorporate the “culturally unique resources” (Goldin 642) of the local community into homework assignments. Students can be asked to interview merchants, teachers, and others and to write reports on the interviews as part of their daily journals. This type of assignment has been very successful. The people of Dijon have shown patience and warmth in helping students with these assignments.
Independent travel provides a third opportunity for spontaneous and practical use of the foreign language. On the weekends, students invariably leave Dijon for other areas of France and for neighboring countries. Their many experiences build confidence and, as noted earlier, offer an excellent point of departure for cultural discussions and grammatical and lexical practice during the small-group discussions. In addition, this experience can offer a surprising linguistic event: for example, one student found French a far more successful means of communication than English in dealing with a Milan hotel clerk.
One of the most difficult aspects of developing a foreign study program is establishing a balanced and accurate grading system. Improvement in both oral and written skills in and out of the classroom must be considered. By relying on a combination of measurement tools, however, one can formulate a fair grade.
Students generally show most improvement in oral ability. Thus progress in this area is considered foremost in assigning a course grade. Before departure, the program director conducts an oral interview with each student. Students are told that there is no passing or failing grade on this activity. The purpose of the interview is simply to give the program director a better understanding of their levels of ability at the start of the trip and to help the program director in evaluating their progress while abroad.
The various skill-building techniques discussed earlier serve as a basis for determining the course grade. Improvement in oral ability can be noted in the small-group sessions, while written work can be judged by the daily journal. The final exam is both oral and written. For intermediate and advanced students, the oral section is a short interview. The question for the essay, given in advance, deals with an aspect of cultural differences or stereotypes. Giving the question in advance has resulted in much more thoughtful answers. The written exam is graded both for content and grammar. Beginning students are given a combination written and oral final exam on grammar items. Different ideas on stereotypes and lifestyles are summarized during the last beginning-level group session, as this discussion helps all students put the summer into perspective.
The largest stumbling block in determining a course grade is deciding what importance to give to the grades students receive in class. Classroom instructors compose a grade (based on 20) for each student and send the grade with a one- or two-sentence comment to the course coordinators. The coordinators meet with the CMSU program director and discuss the grades. Unfortunately, the information provided precludes having a very detailed conversation. Thus the program director attempts to speak with each teacher. These comments are compared with results of the small-group work, the daily journal, and the final exam. Generally, these grades are in harmony.
The student participating in a study-abroad program needs guidance and encouragement to reap the maximum benefit from this experience. Classroom activities need to be reinforced and supplemented. The techniques outlined in this analysis—small-group work, a daily journal, and language experiences outside the classroom—have proved successful in achieving these goals. Grading students can be difficult. The program director needs to be flexible in determining a way to evaluate the available data. Ultimately, every program director must develop a system that takes into account the previous language training of the students and the structure of the program in the host country. It is my hope that these suggestions will serve as a starting point for others preparing their first study-abroad programs.
The author is Associate Professor of Modern Languages at Central Missouri State University and has served three times as Director of the CMSU Summer Program in France. The article is based on a paper delivered at the Central States Conference, 3–5 April 1986, in Milwaukee.
1 Additional information about the summer program at the University of Bourgogne may be obtained by writing to Cours internationaux d'été, Université de Bourgogne, 36, rue Chabot-Charny, 21000 Dijon, France.
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© 1987 by the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages. All Rights Reserved.
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