Overview
- Instructor: Dr. Alla Kourova
- Instructional Designer: Shelly Wyatt
- College/Department: CAH, Modern Languages and Literatures
- Course Number & Title: RUS1121: Elementary Russian I, RUS1120: Russian Language and Culture, RUS2201: Intermediate Russian Language and Culture
Dr. Alla Kourova sought to increase students’ active learning using digital technology. Her primary focus was to create a digital repository based on her 2018 Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad program “Building Bridges with Language and Culture in Russia.” This collection of images and videos exposes students to historical landmarks and cultural icons in a new blended format in online content, interactive widgets, and quizzes.
She applied images and Materia activities to increase student exposure to elements of Russian life such as history and culture. Scaffolding this learning structure allowed students to build upon preconceived notions of a country in which they often know very little and increase their understanding of Russia, its language, and its people.
The integration of new activities, identifying content, and incorporating online assessments transformed the fully face-to-face courses to mixed mode by using active learning strategies. These courses transformed the student experience by promoting cross-cultural exchange through “connecting classrooms,” an opportunity where UCF students can practice the Russian language with a digital pen-pal in Russia to share and practice language skills.
The Digital Learning Course Redesign Initiative was and still is a unique help to all the faculty who do not understand how to teach foreign language online.