Seton Hill’s new collaboration with the Online World Language Institute of the Center for Advancing Partnerships in Education (CAPE) allows Seton Hill students to take Arabic, Chinese, Japanese or Russian online. The three-credit courses satisfy core language requirements, and Seton Hill students can register for the classes just as they would for any other SHU course. Interactive software allows students to participate in the class – comprised of students from a variety of universities – through both audio and video.

Dr. Michele Chossat, associate professor of French, recently audited the Arabic course. Her thoughts on the experience are presented below.

Online Elementary Arabic Language and Culture Course: A Positive Experience
Fall 2007

Taking an online course can be a difficult decision, especially for students who do not enjoy technology very much. How about if you really want to take a course that is not offered on campus but is available online? An option would be to drive to Pittsburgh twice a week and take the course there from another university. But what about learning the same material from the comfort of your home or from campus? Without having to deal with the drive, traffic, parking, and fatigue?

This is what the CAPE partnership has made possible for Seton Hill students. Four less commonly-taught languages are now offered for SHU credit: Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian. After debating whether I could afford a heavy teaching load and taking an online class at the same time this semester, I just could not resist – with the thought that I could always drop the course if it did not work out for me. How glad I am that I tried!

The class is fun and has ten students only. We meet four times a week at 8 a.m. until 9:15. The language instructor, a native speaker from Egypt, can give us full attention. She is very patient and calls on us. I can hear her as well as the other students from other American campuses. We can also see her thanks to her video camera. We can read on the screen just as on a regular board. We also write on it with a mouse, point, etc. We can ask questions with the microphone or the chat capability. It does work!

After a few weeks, I can however see two minor drawbacks with an online language course. Technology problems that sometimes arise can be a bit frustrating when working from your home. Sometimes the connection is lost for seconds or a few minutes – in any case nothing that I am not able to fix. Fortunately, the connection is excellent most of the time. Also, because we are on different campuses, students are not able to meet in groups for in-class practice or to review the material. Unless you can convince a friend to take the course too, you must be sure to be able to work independently. A language instructor myself, I do not see this as a problem, since I can work both ways: in groups or alone. Discipline is always a positive factor, no matter the field or the task.

In conclusion, what a wonderful resource and what an opportunity! I of course strongly encourage students to have the same positive experience, and choose from the four languages cited above. Any of these languages will open a whole world of knowledge and cultural understanding. They can also prove an excellent asset at the time of job hunting.