The Foreign Language Department of Butte College offers a variety of courses in several different languages with instruction rooted in grammar, vocabulary and culture to enhance students’ global perspective. Students can acquire foreign language communication skills through courses that are transferable and applicable to the AA degree in Language Arts. They are also applicable to Certificates of Completion such as the Peace and Global Studies Certificate. Additionally, of course these classes serve as the basis and foundation for learning a foreign language, an essential skill in practically any profession or occupation. The department strives to meet the needs of a wide variety of students and is therefore committed to a flexible, expanding curriculum, including study abroad. Upon successful completion of a course in Foreign Languages, the student is able to demonstrate an awareness of the ways in which people of that culture respond to each other and the world around them, and also demonstrate an ability to communicate orally as well as in writing in the target language.
The Department of Foreign Languages offers courses in Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, and Latin; by offering a diverse array of languages this department expands its educational range and maintains its integrity. Faculty members continually respond to the call for innovative, creative approaches, especially in times of budgetary constraints and limited resources. The department is determined to meet community needs and interests. In addition to university-bound students, the courses appeal to travelers, professionals such as health-care and social service providers, teachers, business professionals, heritage speakers and life-long learners wishing to achieve fluency and a deeper cultural awareness of their neighbors. In addition to the courses offered at Butte, there is interest in expanding our international programs to offer total immersion experiences. Interdisciplinary approaches have also been implemented, especially in the study abroad programs. In the SU 2006 we offered Integrated Studies in Costa Rica, incorporating the Spanish language, psychology, history and service learning. In the FA 2007 we offered our first semester abroad program in Costa Rica, also integrating several disciplines. In SU 2008 we offered a three week program in Italy, with three units of Italian language and three units of humanities. In SP 2011 the department took 24 students to study in Costa Rica. This program integrated Peace and Global Studies with Total Immersion Spanish. In spite of severe budget cuts to the Study Abroad program at Butte College, the self-sustaining Costa Rica program has remained viable and has grown in popularity. Unfortunately the program for SU 2012 was cancelled due to low enrollment but the most recent programs in SP/SU 2013, 2014 and 2015 were successfully completed with about 18 students each. The program for 2016 was cancelled before the application deadline. This hasty administrative decision was a significant set back. Fortunately, measures were taken this year to ensure program success in SU 2017. Dean Cen’s staunch support over the years has resulted in a surge of positive energy and enthusiasm among participating faculty, staff and students. Now with Dean Monlux supporting study abroad, we are confident this program will continue to be a success. With the Spanish ADT now in officially in the catalogue, our current curriculum projects focus on the development and addition of heritage speaker classes and composition, grammar and culture courses. Another project related to the Spanish ADT is the semester-long total immersion program, in which students will complete the equivalent of 3 semesters of Spanish at Butte College. Successful students in the immersion program would then be encouraged to continue their studies by participating in the Study Abroad program in Costa Rica. These integrated projects are meant to create more cohesion in the course offerings in Spanish with the purpose of providing a clear and effective educational pathway. Students would greatly benefit from completing this intentional sequence of courses/programs that will combine instructional diversity with unique and dynamic learning environments. The department continues to be involved in the project with Hanban Institute in China which brings Chinese instructors to Butte College. Chinese is one of the most important languages in today’s world, and we have continued to offer it at Butte starting again this fall 2017 semester. In addition to Justin Wentzell (French and Spanish) and Ileana Gantt (Spanish) the instructors for Spring 2018 are: Kerstin Grothe (German) Cameron Mortimer (German) Danielle DiPietro (Italian) Daniel Griggs (Latin) Huyiang Tan (Japanese) Tomoko Lance (Japanese) Maria Shahid (Spanish) Gema Haraughty (Spanish) Guy Bordoli (Spanish) Jeanna Hill (Spanish) Australia Duran-Roach (Spanish) Roberto Mazariegos (Spanish) Jiayu Yang (Chinese) There are seven languages involved and the Chair must rely on the expertise of part-time instructors to collaborate in curriculum development and review, textbook selection and many other aspects of planning and decision making. In an effort to establish collaboration and cohesiveness, there are frequent department meetings, an annual retreat and generally good communication among department members. As noted by many people on our campus, the foreign language faculty have a unique bond, excellent collegiality and common goals. This is the result of team-work between Justin Wentzell and Ileana Gantt in providing leadership, mentoring and guidance while fostering the unique characteristics of each faculty member and each language. We're very fortunate to have Wendy Bocast as our secretary and Carrie Monlux as our dean, along with her secretary Janet Palermo.
Across our 7 foreign languages offered at Butte, there is a resounding theme that students who complete homework, regularly prepare for class, and participate actively in class have a strong correlation with success on quizzes, exams, and other forms of assessment. Specifically, students in language classes struggle with listening comprehension and oral production. To improve students' success in these areas we continue to integrate gramatical content into culturally meaniful contexts. As a department, the faculty have strategized to implement more assignments and practices measuring competency in these problem areas. Most instructors have seen a marked improvement since the implementation of audio/video practices coupled with oral assessments. Our strategy is to continue to prioritize the oral/aural components of language learning in the course materials and assessments, in order to continue to foment success in the adquisition of these skills.
The institutionalization of the Spanish ADT (which is currently the only degree issued by the Foreign Languages Department) does not yet have any student achievement data associated with it. In order to ensure a high success rate, this department plans to develop Heritage Speaker classes in Spanish, and add to the overall course offerings (up to 4 new sections per year) thereby also contributing to the College's need to increase campus-wide FTES in a balanced way. Due to the nature of this strategic direction to improve student achievement standards, this department is requesting another full time hire to specifically address these needed courses for our college.
The Foreign Language Department is contributing to Distance Education through our continued offering of online courses in Latin (first and second semester), and hopefully in German come the fall 2018 semester. This department also contributes to the college's goals concerning Tranfer by offering the Spanish ADT, effective since fall 2017.
- We continue to implement and measure Learning Outcomes through Deep Dive reports and SLO alignments to class assignments.
We collaborate with institutions of higher education to ensure that programs are relevant and meeting current needs. For example, we have worked with the academic counselors to enable AP students to be awarded credit for our lower division courses.
Enforcing prerequisites as approved through the curriculum process.
Communicating Guided Pathways and prerequisite changes effectively to students.
Supporting faculty to help students progress toward achieving their goals, through training and assisting them in course development and material selection.
We continue to support the use of personal technology and support faculty to effectively access and use technology as part of their instruction and communication with students and each other.
Since our last Program Review was so recently completed, to date there have only been a couple of changes made to fulfill recommendations: 1) We have reinstituted the Spanish and Italian Conversation classes. 2) We have improved our use of the language computer classes by adding online course work with the adoption of a very robust online textbook in both Spanish and French, which utilizes the technology in the mediated classroom.
We are still patiently waiting for the request for 2 new hires to be addressed. Our current full-time faculty are at a desperate low totaling only 2 instructors, which makes the managing of instructors in 7 languages as well as the completion of administrative responsibilities very difficult to fulfill.
As an emerging Hispanic Serving Institution, Butte College desperately needs to offer Heritage Speaker classes for our growing Latino population who are among the students needing additional resources according to the Equity Panel. Among various other ongoing strategic directions we have concerning SLO assessments and supporting student success, these courses are at the top of our priority list so we can best assist our Hispanic population in their educational goals. In order for the Foreign Languages Department to fulfill their contribution to the needed rise in campus wide FTES, this department will need to add 2-4 classes (per year), which would most logically be the aforementioned lacking Heritage Speaker classes. The only way that these new courses can be developed and offered is through the support of an additional Full-time Instructor of Spanish.
Strategy 1 - Support Intermediate Level Classes
Fortify the Foreign Languages Department by ensuring the consistent offering of intermediate level courses; by avoiding the cancellation of said courses.
The department is particularly concerned with providing transfer students the foreign language classes required, especially the Spanish students who are pursuing the ADT. Since some UC’s and other universities require four semesters and many students seek proficiency beyond the first year of study the department has focused on strengthening and expanding the intermediate level courses by maintaining a sufficient enrollment in the third and fourth semester courses.
Strategy 2 - AA in Foreign Languages
Develop an AA or Certificate in Foreign Languages.
There is a movement on the Butte College campus and throughout the CCC system to develop AA-T's, following the Transfer Model Curricula provided by the state. Several disciplines have accomplished this significant goal and the Foreign Languages Department is currently offering the ADT in Spanish. This department would love to follow then with an AA in Foreign Languages, although a timeline for such a project is hard to determine due to the slow process of curriculum approval coupled with the utter dearth of Full-time faculty to develop such a program. The current 2 full-time faculty count on the support of the dean, secretaries and associate faculty which often is not sufficient to accomplish various tasks quickly.
Offering both degrees would further enhance the purpose of the department: to provide excellent foreign language education that results in a degree AND guaranteed CSU transfer students a place at a university. It is logical to assume that the institution of another degree program would also improve enrollment and therefore FTE, since students would then be attracted to the study of foreign languages by having a clear path to follow with an end goal in mind.
With the current emphasis at the community colleges on “globalization” and a multicultural content in the classroom, foreign language departments are prepared to play a unique role and should be encouraged to expand offerings rather than cut back. It is our hope to have the administrative support necessary to achieve these important goals.
Strategy 3 - Comprehensive Spanish Immersion Program
Spanish immersion at Butte integrated with study abroad program.
The benefits of studying abroad are extensively documented. Total immersion in a new language and culture is absolutely the best way for students to gain fluency and confidence communicating in the target language. Contingent on receiving additional full-time positions and stipends, we intend to develop a Spanish immersion program on the home campus and abroad. Students who develop a linguistic base in Spanish prior to traveling abroad will be equipped with greater communicative skills in the target language, thereby facilitating more meaningful interactions with the culture where that language is spoken. By the development of a Spanish immersion program at Butte’s campus, degree seeking students will have the opportunity to earn 3 semesters worth of Spanish courses in a single semester which will fast track them to a completion oriented educational pathway. Also students participating in both programs (i.e., the home campus immersion and the study abroad) will increase numbers of enrollment and this will provide a unique learning experience through diversified instruction in dynamic learning enviroments. In addition, the experience provides opportunities to develop a "global" perspective; to "connect the dots" between the lifestyle we choose in the United States and the consequences and/or impact on other peoples across the globe. Students who participate in study abroad are positively affected in many ways; they often refer to the experience as "life-changing." Their minds and hearts are opened; they gain compassion and understanding; their future often appears as a clearer path, with well-defined goals and they often express that they have discovered their purpose and found their voice.
Strategy 4 - Full Time Hires
This department requires 2 new full-time instructors: 1) Full-time Spanish Instructor with a specialty in Heritage Speaker course development and instruction 2) Full-time Foreign Language Instructor of at least 2 languages. These qualified instructors would enrich the current programs this department offers and assist in its development of new degrees/certificiates.
At this time of change and challenge in the California Community College system the Foreign Language Department at Butte College represents an area of study essential to the College’s Mission and the Student Equity Plan. Clearly, the need for additional full-time faculty is more urgent than ever in this department. The only two full-time instructors are overburdened with responsiblities such as: managing and guiding 12-15 associate faculty members who teach a wide variety of languages, completing and staying current with ever-increasing work tasks aimed to fulfill various contractual obligations (relating to SLO reporting, Unit Plans, Program and Curriculum Review), as well as creating new programs and classes to successfully develop the AA or Certificate in Foreign Languages. Foreign Language faculty are also having difficulty maintaining the only study abroad program offered at Butte College since 2006 due to a severe lack of monetary support.
As an emerging Hispanic Serving Institution, Butte College critically needs a new Spanish instructor with extensive experience in Heritage Speaker course development and instruction. As an HSI, our college must provide unique services and curricula specifically designed to foster the success of our growing Hispanic population, who are also prioritized on the Equity panel. The Spanish department now offers an ADT yet still lacks courses designed specifically for the growing number of heritage speakers on our campus. The development and implementation of these courses are essential to the integrity of the ADT. Heritage Speaker courses address a wide variety of students, mostly Latinos, who intend to pursue the ADT in Spanish.
In order for the Foreign Languages Department to fulfill their contribution to the needed rise in campus wide FTES, this department will need to add 2-4 classes (per year), which would most logically be the aforementioned lacking Heritage Speaker classes. The only way that these new courses can be developed and offered is through the support of an additional Full-time Instructor of Spanish.
Additional full-time faculty members would fill a crucial role, providing increased assistance and leadership to maintain our programs, complete administrative work in a timely manner, and to continue to grow and develop our department through the realization of our future goals.
Strategy 5 - Development of Heritage Speaker Classes (in Spanish)
These classes would be designed to more adequately serve our growing Latino population who are heritage speakers of Spanish. Given the fact that Butte College has a large Spanish-speaking population, the Foreign Languages Department would strategically develop specific course material for the unique linguistic competence of this group. These courses would not need to start with the teaching of the alphabet and basic greetings (necessary for non-native speakers though completely unnecessary for Spanish-speaking students), but rather would emphasize particular grammar and vocabulary items that are problematic for hertiage speakers who already command the language communicatively but not academically.
Foreign language classes have traditionally been just that: i.e., classes that teach with the purpose of providing the means for the acquisition of a foreign language. However, for our bilingual Latino population, Spanish is not a foreign language and therefore if Butte College is interested in serving these students as an HSI, then it is necessary to provide Spanish classes to this population that are designed for them. Of course, there is a very different approach that is necessary to teach a Spanish speaker about grammar, vocabulary, culture, etc., compared to what is necessary to foment second language acquisition in non-speakers of Spanish. There is a parallel comparison that could be made between the English classes we, as a college, offer to our native English speakers and our ESL classes which are meant for non-native speakers. Of course it would seem ridiculous to reduce the course offerings in English for our native English speakers to only ESL classes - since these classes are not designed to improve their particular linguistic competence levels. The same could be said of our Spanish-speaking Latinos taking our current Spanish classes. Frankly, this is a well-known fact among Foreign Languages Departments in colleges and universities throughout the state. In this way, Butte College is rather behind in updating its course offerings in Spanish to meet this obvious need to support the Latinos, who also happen to be a targeted group on the equity panel needing further resources. Unfortunately, the scope of this department’s aspirations far exceeds its administrative support. With only 2 full time faculty who are already working over full time to maintain their current obligations, it is unreasonable to assume they could expand the department’s offerings without another Full-time instructor of Spanish. In this particular case, expansion, in the way of developing and maintaining heritage speaker classes, is really a matter staying current with the needs of our students, especially those who are underrepresented and under supported.
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| Original Priority | Program, Unit, Area | Resource Type | Account Number | Object Code | One Time Augment | Ongoing Augment |
| Description | Supporting Rationale | Potential Alternative Funding Sources | Prioritization Criteria | |||
| 1 | Spanish, Foreign Languages | Personnel | 11-000-613-1-110500 | 51110 | $0.00 | $109,877.00 |
| Full Time Spanish Instructor (with emphasis in Heritage Speaker instruction) | A full-time instructor is needed for the development and continued offering of Spanish Heritage Speaker classes as well as other Spanish classes in general. Also, such an instructor is needed to ensure that the Foreign Languages Department is able to fulfill their contribution to the college's goal of increased FTES by offering 2-4 more sections per academic year. This instructor will provide leadership, vitality and innovation in the important development of foreign language class offerings at Butte College. |
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| 2 | Foreign Languages | Personnel | $0.00 | $109,877.00 | ||
| Full-time instructor (multiple languages) | This instructor is need to provide additional support to the various languages offered through this department. There are 5 languages currently taught entirely by associate faculty. A full-time instructor who is able to teach Japanese (our second most popular FL class offered) and (at least) one other language is needed for leadership, vitality and innovation in the important development of the foreign language programs at Butte College. |
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| 3 | Foreign Languages | Personnel | $0.00 | $13,000.00 | ||
| Stipend for Instructors in study abroad programs | The study abroad program has received no funding or monetary support from the administration. Each year the program has suffered reductions in terms of opportunities offered to the students due to increasing costs and no budget to supplement expenses. Airfare has almost doubled since the program's inception. Additionally, the program will cease to exist if there remains no financial support from the administration to the faculty who have to up-root their lives in California in order to be fully present and guide our students abroad. When the study abroad program began, it was sufficient for the faculty involved to depend on their needs being met through a portion of the program fees charged to the students. However, considering the effects of a staggering economy and inflation additional funding is required. Through administrative support in the form of a stipend to the responsible faculty, it will be possible to provide the program to students at a more affordable rate. This stipend would also help cover costs to the instructors who face maintaining living expenses in both countries while they are traveling and caring for Butte's students. Annual funding in the form of an on-going budget has become necessary to ensure that this program will continue to be offered. |
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| 4 | Spanish - Foreign Languages Department | Operating Expenses | $0.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Re-assign time for full-time faculty | In order for the only 2 full time foreign languages faculty to develop these much needed Heritage Speaker courses, said faculty require a compensation of time. It is not possible for them to add the task of research, course development and implementation on to their already overextended range of responsibilities. |
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