NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE

COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Course title: Beginning Spanish I

Course prefix, number, and section number: Span 1411.0311

Semester/Year of course: Summer 2026

Semester start and end dates: June 1, 2026 – July 1, 2026

Modality (face to face/synchronous or asynchronous online/hybrid): Online asynchronous Semester credit hours: 4

Course description: Basic Spanish language skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing within a cultural framework. Students will acquire the vocabulary and grammatical structures necessary to communicate and comprehend at the beginner level.

Course prerequisites: None

Required course materials: Access to a computer compatible with Canvas, reliable internet, and access to a webcam and microphone in order to record audio and video for homework assignments. For online classes, your system needs to be compatible with the free Respondus Lockdown Browser and Monitor available for free download. All other instructional materials are available for free on our Canvas site.

Name of instructor: Lidia Aguirre

E-mail address: laguirre@nctc.edu

Office hours for students: Tuesdays and Thursdays 10 a.m.–12 p.m. Please send me a message if you want to make an appointment at a different time. Office hours are times when you usually can get hold of me quickly online by sending me a message. We can also jump on a Webex call. These are times for tutoring or asking questions.

SYLLABUS CHANGE DISCLAIMER

The faculty member reserves the right to make changes to this published syllabus if it is in the best interest of the educational development of this class. Any such changes will be announced as soon as possible in person and/or writing.

SUMMARY OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

List of graded assignments:

Tarea y asistencia 15%

Examen oral 20%

Proyecto cultural (4^th credit hour) 15%

Exámenes escritos (2) 50%

Final grade scale:

At the end of the semester, I apply standard rounding to everyone. An 89.44 will remain a B, but an 89.45 will round up to an A.

90-100% A

80-89% B

70-79% C

60-69% D

0-59% F

Late work policy:

In general, no late work is awarded credit. However, if you have a situation that merits an exception, contact your instructor to arrange a reasonable solution. Nevertheless, there is a grace period for weeks 1–3 allowing you to turn in the previous week’s work through Monday at midnight. In other words, Week 1’s work can be turned in through the following Monday at midnight and still receive full credit. Please note: There will be no grace period during the last week of class.

SEE CANVAS FOR THE COMPLETE COURSE CALENDAR, OUTLINE, DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF GRADED WORK, AND OTHER RELATED MATERIAL.

COURSE POLICIES

Academic Integrity Policy:

Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, academic falsification, intellectual property dishonesty, academic dishonesty facilitation and collusion.  Consequences for academic dishonesty may include:

1) The student will receive a grade of "0" on the assignment.

2) A "Scholastic Dishonesty Report Form" will be submitted regarding the incident.

3) Student may be dropped from the course with a failing grade (letter grade of “F”).

Misrepresenting language abilities falls under scholastic dishonesty. Work must be written in the student’s words with their personal vocabulary. Work that seems inconsistent or suspicious will trigger a meeting with the instructor. No new work will be graded until the student meets with their instructor to discuss the questionable work. If the student has not met with the instructor after two weeks (10 business days), subsequent work will earn automatic 0s.

AI Writing and Acceptable Use: 

Submitting work generated by ChatGPT or any other AI language tool on assignments is considered academic dishonesty, even if cited as a source. 

Generally speaking, students are not authorized to use artificial intelligence and related products like large language model applications to produce work for this class EXCEPT on assignments that the instructor has identified and for which the student will have received significant guidance on the appropriate use of such technologies. Students should not, however, construe this limited use as permission to use these technologies in any other facet of their coursework. Students who submit AI-generated content as original work will be subject to the same disciplinary actions listed above in the college’s academic integrity policy. 

Attendance Policy:

Even though this is an online class, it is not self-paced. You should plan to log into Canvas several times a week and do the assigned work. Language cannot be learned in big chunks. It must be learned in small bits with frequent review of the previously covered material in order to be acquired.

Attendance is tracked via the asistencia and examen activities. If you miss 4 of them, you are at risk of being withdrawn from the course.

Withdrawal Policy:

A student may withdraw from a course on or after the official date of record. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate and complete a Withdrawal Request Form. Students who do not attend class prior to the date of record will be dropped. 

Last day to withdraw from the course with a “W” is: June 22, 2026

Student Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

1. Engage in conversations using level-appropriate grammatical structures including narrating events that take place in the present and producing questions and responses on a variety of topics dealing with everyday life.

2. Demonstrate understanding of level-appropriate spoken Spanish.

3. Write simple sentences and organize them into short paragraphs.

4. Read and comprehend level-appropriate texts.

5. Identify and discuss traditions, customs and values of the Hispanic world.

6. Compare and contrast the traditions, customs and values of the Hispanic world with characteristics of their own culture.

Core Objectives:

Critical Thinking Skills (CT) – to include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of information

Communication Skills (COM) – to include effective development, interpretation, and expression of ideas through written, oral, and visual communication

Social Responsibility (SR) – to include intercultural competency, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities

Personal Responsibility (PR) – to include the ability to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making

COLLEGE POLICIES

STUDENT HANDBOOK

Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the Student Handbook.

ADA STATEMENT

NCTC will adhere to all applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Office for Students with Disabilities to arrange appropriate accommodations. See the OSD Syllabus Addendum. 

STUDENT SERVICES

NCTC provides a multitude of services and resources to support students. See the Student Services Syllabus Addendum for a listing of those departments and links to their sites.

QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS

The student should contact the instructor to deal with any questions, concerns, or complaints specific to the class. If the student and faculty are not able to resolve the issue, the student may contact the chair or coordinator of the division. If the student remains unsatisfied, the student may proceed to contact the instructional dean.

Name of Chair/Coordinator: Justin B. Hawkins
Office Location: Corinth 234
Telephone number: (940) 498-6275
E-mail address: jbhawkins@nctc.edu

Name of Instructional Dean: Mary Martinson
Office Location: Gainesville 1403
Telephone number: (940) 668-4209, ext 4377
E-mail address: mmartinson@nctc.edu