Dr. Robert SandersFirst-Year Spanish Redesign

Working with Commercial Software

Dr. Robert Sanders

Commercial Software

WebCT Workbook to Accompany Dos mundos

~500 quizzes, ~5 questions each

Text, Audio, and Video presentations

Multiple-choice, Cloze, Short-answer and Open- ended responses

Dr. Robert Sanders

Problems

Content was ancillary, not primary.

Content was a copy of the paper workbook.

Response formats for short answers unclear.

Automated grading of short answers was draconian.

Open-ended answers caused teachers more work.

Dr. Robert Sanders

Solutions

Eliminate open-ended questions; use compositions.

Embed practice questions with answer hints.

Expand answer-base exponentially:award partial credit

focus on the essential

grade like a teacher

Dr. Robert Sanders

ResultsWebCT Workbook to Accompany Dos mundos, 6th

Edition

480 quizzes, all graded automatically and logically

95 quizzes of core vocabulary (1500 items)

1500 printable flashcards, w/ over 500 images

Practice activities for all short-answer quizzes

Contains the Complete Instructor’s Resource Kit.

Contains digital copies of all transparencies.

Embedded instructions with screenshots:posting syllabi managing chapter assignmentsviewing and downloading grades

Dr. Robert Sanders

Results, continued

Highest student satisfaction in 5 years

~450 hours labor saved per term

~$11,250 savings per term

But that labor is reinvested for ~$45,000 in savings.