Expansion of NSU Spanish Programs Approved
Northeastern State University’s Department of Languages and Literature recently gained approval for the expansion of both its Spanish Education and Spanish program to the -Broken Arrow campus. This expansion was approved by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the regents of the Regional University System of Oklahoma in summer 2013.
The Spanish program is part of the College of Liberal Arts and offers a Bachelor of Arts degree, a Bachelor of Arts in Education degree and a minor in Spanish. With the expansion, upper-level courses on the Broken Arrow campus will be available to students transferring in from state colleges with equivalents for NSU’s elementary and intermediate courses. The entire Spanish curriculum, from elementary through the advanced courses will continue to be available on the Tahlequah campus.
“We are excited that we’re now able also to serve those living in the Tulsa metro area who would like to study the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures on an advanced level, “ said Donna Shelton, Spanish professor. “Proficiency in the language and cultural awareness are of great benefit to professionals in many fields. The state of Oklahoma has a shortage of world language teachers, and we hope that expanding our Spanish Education program to the Broken Arrow campus will make a career in teaching the language a reality for those who have been unable to commute to the -Tahlequah campus or to another institution.”
One of the unique aspects of the two programs is that the upper-level curriculum consists entirely of blended courses that combine students on the two campuses, currently through NSU’s or interactive television, to support the synchronous communication of the students and instructor at both campuses. Each class meets one day a week for 75 minutes and the students complete other work online. With the expansion of the program to the branch campus, instructors hope to be able to utilize classrooms equipped with a new web conferencing system in the near future.
Updated 12-03-2013
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