Spanish 1003 - Beginning Spanish/English Faculty Reflection
A Language Bridge Across the Atlantic
In the spring of 2025, two of my Spanish 1003 sections completed a language exchange via a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) partnership. Having completed a year of study in the first-year Spanish program, this exchange was an opportunity to apply their language skills to conversations with students studying English at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) in Spain. The experience proved incredibly beneficial for both parties, and we are excited to expand it for this coming year.
The exchange consisted of three 30-minute online conversations carried out between small groups of DU and UIB students, with half conducted in English and half in Spanish. Our students prepared questions about their partners’ interests and culture, while UIB students used the conversations to inform a creative project presenting the daily life of American college students. After making initial contact via email, students scheduled each conversation according to their own availability.
After each conversation, DU students completed a reflection on what they learned. The positive feedback from these reflections indicated that they enjoyed getting to know students who were not only in the same stage of life, but also facing similar challenges in the process of learning a foreign language. Many students said they would continue contact with their new friends via platforms such as WhatsApp or Instagram, and that they were excited to have a contact for future visits to Spain.
Self-confidence in their speaking abilities also soared. Each year, students completing DU’s first-year Spanish program self-evaluate whether they have reached target benchmarks across a variety of skills. In each of the previous 4 years, the number of students evaluating themselves as having reached our program’s goals for speaking proficiency has remained constant at 90% (+/- 1%). In the sections completing the COIL exchange, this number leapt to 100%.
Students faced two principal areas of difficulty with the initiative. First, the 8-hour time difference made scheduling difficult, but this also led to increased cultural knowledge as DU students learned that the window of overlap was wider than expected due to differing Spanish norms on dinner and bedtime. Second, the UIB instructors who agreed to participate in the exchange were teaching more advanced English courses, meaning their students had much higher capabilities than DU’s beginners. As evidenced by the numerical data above, however, this imbalance did not negatively affect DU confidence in their speaking ability; quite the opposite. Moreover, the advanced English level of UIB students allowed for more sophisticated conversations regarding cultural differences, politics, etc. than would have been possible if both groups were limited to the relatively basic questions typical of novice learners.
I visited the UIB instructors in person this summer after the conclusion of the initiative, where we debriefed the process and agreed to expand it for the coming year. This meeting prompted a spontaneous invitation to a nearby village to experience a spectacular local tradition and meet the instructors’ families. This cultural and personal connection exemplifies exactly the learning experience which makes COIL projects so special, as a school assignment becomes an opportunity for a lifelong memory. We are thrilled to continue offering such an opportunity to our future students.