Browsing by Author "Roberts, Nicole"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Assessing value and effectiveness of study abroad and exchange programmes in foreign language degree programmes at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus
    (2015-07-15) Roberts, Nicole
    As study abroad efforts take on increased importance globally, it is vital that we use the resources of the academy to research the impact and effectiveness of these programmes (Lederman, 2007). For this paper, action research was used to assess all aspects of the varied exchange (EXC) programmes and study abroad (SA) programmes that exist at The University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine Campus. Data were collected from among students in the French and Spanish programmes. While many students lauded the broad intentions of the programmes, it was found that the impact of these international experiences on student learning has not to date been assessed with an aim to making interventions in the varied programmes. The study seeks to assess the academic benefit of the programmes while at the same time assess the value-added aspects of the programmes. As Vande Berg indicates, to simply send students to a location abroad for academic study is not sufficient toward facilitating the larger goal of creating effective global citizenship. Findings from this research lend empirical support to the notion that study abroad and exchange programmes at all levels facilitate the creation of global citizens. Additionally, it must be noted that it is not enough to send students to study abroad without intentional pedagogy focused on outcomes of intercultural effectiveness.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Discovering Resemblances: Language and Identity in Caribbean Poetry
    (Delaware Review of Latin American Studies, 2004-08-15) Roberts, Nicole
    “Hispanic” is an identification generally accepted in the Caribbean by both black and white residents of the islands. Examination of poems by several black Caribbean poets (the Puerto Ricans Mayra Santos Febres and Magaly Quiñones, the Dominicans Sherezada [Chiqui] Vicioso and Blas Jiménez, and the Cuban Escilia Saldaña) reveals how they use Spanish to communicate the life experience unique to black bearers of the cultural term “Hispanic.”
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Exploring foreign language (Spanish) teaching best practice in online delivery of the Reading Comprehension and Writing Module at the UWI, St. Augustine
    (2015-07-15) Arrieta Castillo, Carolina; Corredor Sánchez, Suly; Palma Rojas, Paola; Roberts, Nicole
    Reading Comprehension and Writing are skills that are taught as one of three modules in the Spanish Level 1 degree programme at The University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine. Historically, this language course has been taught as face-to-face. At UWI, the Spanish Section decided that we could no longer ignore the extensive changes to literacy taking place in a digital world of information and communication. Moreover, we felt that we had precious little research on which we could fall back, both to inform our understanding of the use of online modalities in foreign language teaching as well as to theorise on the impact of online delivery on foreign language courses. After an impact and assessment study in 2013, the Spanish Section of the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics decided to begin teaching this two-hour module of the course SPAN 1001 - Spanish Language IA in the online mode in the 2014-2015 academic year. This paper seeks to provide an evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of the virtual mode of delivery through a reflection on one semester's work in the programme. It examines the format used and the perceptions of both students and lecturers with respect to workload, motivation, and flexibility. Among its recommendations, the paper suggests that this online module is necessary both for increasing the technological literacy of students in the Spanish programme and for raising the level of competitiveness of students of Spanish graduating from the UWI.