Increased Enrollments article
Welsh, Kristen
welsh at HWS.EDU
Thu Nov 15 17:22:12 UTC 2007
Posted for my colleague, David Galloway; I should note that I've been
the "other half" of the Learning Community for the past two years,
teaching Russian 101, and that David's note expresses my views, as well.
--Kristen Welsh, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
David's message:
I'd like to address the question of Russian enrollments from more of a
programmatic point of view.
Speaking only from personal experience, advertising and the profile of
the
program only affects courses in culture, not language. (There may be a
small trickle-down effect when students first take a culture course, and
then try the language, but it's neither significant nor predictable.)
For
several years we put major effort into advertising, staffing tables at
open
houses and registration, and so on--with poor results for language.
Culture
courses have boomed, however. But our majors (area studies/language and
culture) require either two or four years of language, respectively, so
we
have to get students into those courses.
Our current solution, which seems to be working well, is to offer a
first-year seminar (required for all incoming students) which is part of
a
"learning community"--which means that any student who chooses our
seminar
must register for Russian 101 (students with prior knowledge are
excluded).
Though the administration was initially concerned that there might not
be
enough students who want to do this, for two years we've had no trouble
filling the course. The advantages are several: we have a guaranteed
Rus
101 class of 12-14 students each year, we accrue good-citizen credit for
supporting the first-year curriculum, and we catch the students as they
enter. It was our belief--now confirmed--that there are students who
want
to take Russian language, but if you find them as sophomores, it's often
too
late. Apropos of recent posts, I should say that we don't advertise the
seminar with anything which addresses outcomes or career paths--it's
pure
culture (in this case, Russian folklore).
The obvious question is, how many continue? Of the 15 students in 101
(including three students who are not in the seminar), 9-10 are
continuing
to 102 (last year we had 12 in 102). This is not huge, but for an
institution our size (2000 students) without any language requirement,
it
represents a dramatic improvement. Too often over the last decade we
have
had language courses of four or fewer, which tends to attract unwelcome
scrutiny. This arrangement also opens up the possibility of interesting
linkages between the two courses, which are encouraged as part of the
first-year experience. The lesson for us seems to be that if you subject
the
students to a semester of language, getting them through those first
(sometimes painful) couple months, a good number will continue, often
surprising themselves with how interested they've become in the field.
We do offer an additional carrot--with a catch. Students can go on a
10-day
trip to Moscow and St. P in May with us if they pass 101 and take 102
(spring). This non-credit trip is not sponsored by the institution, so
students pay their own way.
I'd be interested to know if anyone has tried or is trying something
similar.
DJG
______________________________
David J. Galloway
Assistant Professor
Russian Area Studies Program
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Geneva, New York 14456-3397
Phone: (315) 781-3790
Fax: (315) 781-3822
Email: galloway at hws.edu
http://academic.hws.edu/russian/
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