Time Commitment Required

Except for the time saved by not having to commute to the college, Internet classes require at least the same amount of time as on-campus classes.

• Beginning French I and II are four-credit classes and require 4 hours and 30 minutes of class time per week plus time for homework. Expect to spend at least 8 hours a week on the beginner level classes.
• Intermediate French I & II are three-credit classes and require 2 hours and 40 minutes of class time per week plus homework. Expect to spend at least 6-7 hours per week on the intermediate level classes.
• For all courses, assignments are due every Monday before midnight. Quizzes and tests are due every Tuesday before midnight.
  

Level of Difficulty

The distance learning format (studying a foreign language online without the physical presence of an instructor) is VERY challenging and not for everybody.

• You need to be a self-motivated and very organized student who works well independently and respects deadlines. You will need to organize your time and work on your assignments during several sessions over the course of the week preceding the deadline.
• Attempting to do everything at once on Monday night right before the assignment is due will result in frustration, fatigue and failure. This approach leads to poor retention of the material and disappointing grades.
  

• Students tend to take on too much! In addition to taking several courses (online or traditional), many students also have to juggle work and family responsibilities. Don't take on too much! Learning a foreign language is different from other college classes because it's not enough to study, you also need to practice and review. In other words, you are expected to remember and produce what we learned in Chapter 1, even though we have moved on to Chapter 4.
• Sometimes students are not prepared for the course. If you did not get at least a grade of B in the prerequisite, please do NOT attempt to continue studying a foreign language in this format. You first need to repeat the prerequisite—preferably in a traditional classroom setting—before you can take the next level online.
• Another difficulty some students encounter and underestimate is a lack of understanding of ENGLISH grammar. If you are still struggling with your own language, you should wait until you have successfully completed ENGL 1301 before you start learning a foreign language.
• As mentioned above, procrastination is not a good approach to learning a foreign language. If you tend to do your work at the last minute, you should not take a DL French course. These courses were NOT designed to be completed during a couple of hours right before the deadline. Each weekly assignment is meant to be completed in several shorter session over the course of one week.
• Buy iLrn Center access promptly on the first day of the semester when you can be sure that the course will not be canceled due to low enrollment.
• The course starts on day 1 of the semester and the first assignment is due by the beginning of the second week.
• Communicate with your instructor! If you do not let me know what kind of problems you are encountering (as a student, but also sometimes on a personal level), I cannot help you. You need to e-mail me right away! If you feel that e-mail is not sufficient, you may schedule a Skype conference with me.