IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR WLL’S LfA FALL 2020 PLANS
Dear students,
Welcome (back) to BU! We are excited to see you in our language courses this fall. This fall, Boston University will offer most of its classes in a blended or hybrid format called Learn from Anywhere (LfA). LfA courses combine in-person and remote learning to allow students to take their classes on campus or remotely, as their circumstances allow. Here is some information about how we will be teaching our introductory and intermediate language classes (language courses numbered L_ 111-216) this fall. Please check back here in the coming weeks for further updates.
Hearing the sounds of a language and seeing precisely how speakers’ mouths move is crucial for introductory and intermediate language study; masks and social distancing can garble pronunciation and impede group work, the lifeblood of our language courses. Therefore, all modern language courses numbered 111-216 will meet on Zoom for the bulk of their regular daily class sessions. Our classes will also have several in-person elements scheduled throughout the semester that complement these remote sessions. These elements will be an integral part of the course for those opting for in-person instruction; those participating remotely will have remote alternatives. Because our courses integrate in-person and remote elements in keeping with LfA, BU considers these language courses hybrid (not online).
The regular MWF class sessions (or in a few cases TR sessions) will meet on Zoom, not in the classroom. You may participate in them from your home or dorm room or from any quiet place (as long as you are allowed to speak there). If your MWF course has a Tuesday or Thursday hour, it will be taught remotely, in most cases asynchronously. (“Asynchronous remote” instruction means that day’s class will consist of an hour’s worth of work that you can complete anytime before the next class meeting.) The in-person elements of our courses will be described in the course syllabi.
We are eager to welcome you (or welcome you back) to BU this fall, and we will update this message with additional details in the next few weeks. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your Language Coordinator if you have questions about the class format, placement, or any other aspect of your language study.