This study reports on how a heterogeneous mixed-ability large class (63 students) turned into a cohesive and functioning class. To promote learner autonomy, students were made responsible to identify their own needs and objectives. The participants of this study consisted of undergraduate chemistry students who had taken the English for General…

Problems encountered by one small liberal arts college foreign language department in gaining and maintaining academic acceptance and support for business/foreign language courses are discussed. The initial challenge was to persuade the administration of the suitability of specialized business courses in a subject field (languages) viewed largely…

Failures and successes in teaching commercial foreign languages will speak for themselves. However, the profession must not foster exaggerated expectations of mastery in such a broad field, but must state honestly and realistically, with clear limits, what the commercial language course's goals are. In a college course enrolling somewhat…

The restructuring of the Romance language program at Howard University to improve oral proficiency involved modification of goals, syllabi, classroom activities, and testing. Goals were adapted to American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)/Educational Testing Service (ETS) guidelines for oral proficiency. Assessment of French…

This brief report summarizes a longer document with the same title. The report discusses the response of colleges and universities in the United States to the needs of graduate students to become equipped to make personal and and public policy decisions as citizens of an international society. It notes that curriculum changes in higher education…

This report discusses the response of colleges and universities in the United States to the need of graduate students to become equipped to make personal and public policy decisions as citizens of an international society. Curriculum changes are showing a tightening of foreign language standards in schools of higher education and, throughout the…

The report details a project at the University of Iowa to introduce significant cultural materials into French and German second language courses through multimedia instruction. Project accomplishments include: development of cultural fluency objectives for intermediate-level language programs; development of multimedia interactions for teaching…

Recommendations for strengthening the international perspective of the undergraduate curriculum at colleges and universities are offered, and reasons for internationalizing the curriculum are considered, based on changes throughout the world and America's role in it. Attention is focused on the reform of existing programs and the introduction of…