Indicative examples of assessment tasks will be available on iLearn.

Learning and Teaching Strategy

Students will be required to engage in ongoing revision of previously presented material and prepare for each class by familiarizing themselves with new content. The on-line resources on iLearn are available at all times, before and after class, for the entire duration of the session.

Quizzes and tests (see "Assessment Tasks") must be prepared for through ongoing self-assessment and teamwork, and assiduous attendance of all classes. This is particularly important in the case of foreign language learning, as face-to-face communication is essential for progress to be made.

NOTE: FRN119 is a general education unit designed to introduce beginners or near-beginners to the spoken forms of the language through gradual exposure to a series of real-life situations. As such, this unit cannot be taken concurrently with other language units in French, nor can it be taken by students who have already completed other units in French at university level. Students who have had significant exposure to French at either pre-HSC or HSC level or equivalent are not permitted to enrol either. Significant exposure is defined as exposure exceeding more than 1 year. Finally, students with no formal qualifications in French but native speaker or near-native speaker competence are also excluded from enrolling.

Classes

Each weekly class consists of one block of 2 hours. There are several timeslots available, but room capacity is limited, so some timeslots may fill up and become unavailable. Arrangements to facilitate class swaps will be put in place in week 1. For more information and for the latest updates on offerings, see the official University timetable on https://timetables.mq.edu.au. Please enrol and register for your preferred timeslot on eStudent. Oral tests will be conducted during class time. There will be no regular classes in weeks when oral tests are held. Online quizzes will have to be sat outside of class time.

Class attendance is strongly recommended as the participation mark will depend on in class participation and preparation for class. Consequently, students are responsible for the following:

• Consistent target language use: speaking only in French in class unless otherwise instructed
• Completing homework tasks set by the instructor
• Participating actively in both large and small group activities
• Evidence of preparation for class through contributing, specific examples, demonstrating understanding of course content
• Structured engagement with content including evidence of revision/ organisation of notes/ continuous self-directed learning
• Promotion of a positive learning environment, including:
  • mobile device etiquette (targeted and appropriate use for learning purposes as instructed by staff)
  • respectful treatment of peers/ instructor (e.g. not listening while peers are learning/ engaging with instructor)
  • appropriate class behaviour to foster student learning, avoiding: tardiness; leaving class without being excused; erratic attendance disrupting classroom community.  

Students absent due to illness or other valid reasons should notify their tutor and provide relevant justification (e.g. a medical certificate) within 5 working days of the first day of absence via Ask.mq.edu.au.

Required and Recommended Text and/or Materials

The unit materials consist of an extensive series of on-line resources available via iLearn. The audio materials are an essential adjunct to the course as they will help you develop both oral (speaking and pronunciation) and aural (listening) skills. These take some time to acquire, so listen to the materials as often as possible and expose yourself to other sources of French (such as movies, French news on SBS television, conversation with fellow students) whenever you can.

Technologies Used and Required

Online Unit 

Login is via: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/ 

Is my unit in iLearn?: http://help.ilearn.mq.edu.au/unitsonline/ to check when your online unit will become available.

Technology

Students are required to have regular access to a computer and the internet. Mobile devices alone are not sufficient.

For students attending classes on campus we strongly encourage that you bring along your own laptop computer, ready to work with activities in your online unit. The preferred operating system is Windows 10.

Students are required to access the online unit in iLearn by the end of Week 1 and follow any relevant instructions and links for downloads that may be required. If applicable, students are required to download the relevant language package prior to Week 2.

Please contact your course convenor before the end of Week 1 if you do not have a suitable laptop (or tablet) for in-class use.

· For central technical support go to: 

http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

· For student quick guides on the use of iLearn go to: 

http://mq.edu.au/iLearn/student_info/guides.htm

Standard requirements apply. Students must have regular computer and internet access to interact with the teaching materials on iLearn. Computing skills required for this unit are limited to familiarity with the use of internet resources. Please use Firefox rather than any other browsers, several of which have known problems with respect to media files (audio and video). No permission to resit quizzes will be granted on the basis of the use of an inappropriate browser during an earlier attempt.

You must ensure that the equipment and the connection you use are both reliable and powerful. An Ethernet wired connection is recommended and is generally more robust than a wireless hook-up. When working from home or from a private residence, please use the best equipment available, refrain from using your network for any other purpose while doing work for this unit and arrange for others sharing your network not to take up any of your bandwidth as this will compromise the quality of your own connection. Students whose facilities do not meet our requirements are urged to use campus facilities instead.

IT and iLearn assistance is available via the iLearn login page or by clicking on the words "Help me" under the iLearn logo at the top right hand side of every iLearn window.

Please note that replies to e-mails will be automatically directed to the account they were sent from. All new threads will be sent to your University account. You are encouraged to use the University account rather than any private e-mail account you may already have, and you must access your University e-mail account at least once a week - and preferably more often.

Please refer to the iLearn materials, which closely reflect the unit schedule.