Students

SLAX1010 – I Spanish Studies 1

2026 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor
Consuelo Martinez Reyes
consuelo.martinezreyes@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
25WW, C341
Mondays, 1-2pm
Tutor
Laura Sanchez Santos
laura.sanchezsantos@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
25WW Building C, Third floor
By appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit is for students who have never studied Spanish before. Students who have studied Spanish or had some informal exposure to the language through family, friends or travel should contact the unit convenor before enrolling in this unit. The course follows a communicative approach and is designed to develop skills in listening comprehension and speaking, but similarly promotes proficiency in reading and writing in order to cultivate the competencies and guidelines established by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The unit aims to prepare students to, among others: introduce themselves and others, ask and answer questions about personal details, understand and use everyday expressions, and interact in simple ways with native speakers of Spanish. All enrolment queries should be directed to Open Universities Australia (OUA): see www.open.edu.au

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Develop elementary level skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking in the Spanish language.
  • ULO2: Identify, describe and evaluate a few aspects of Spanish-speaking cultures and societies.
  • ULO3: Identify, evaluate and deploy the grammatical structures of Spanish at elementary level.
  • ULO4: Apply relevant language conventions to create meaningful intercultural encounters.
  • ULO5: Demonstrate an awareness of some language and language use in both Spanish and English.

General Assessment Information

Rubrics and indicative samples are provided in iLearn as additional guidance on standards of achievement for different assessment types.

Submission of most tasks is via iLearn and the Top Hat (ebook) platform. All assessment tasks are compulsory and must be submitted on time. Assignment tasks handed in early will not be marked and returned before the due date.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Quizzes 50% No 15/3, 5/4, 17/5 and 7/6 at 11:59pm Individual No Open
Workbook 25% No 15/3, 5/4, 17/5 and 7/6 at 11:59pm Individual No Open
Oral/audiovisual 25% No 5/4 and 7/6 at 11:59pm Individual No Observed

Quizzes

Assessment Type 1: Problem-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 22 hours
Due: 15/3, 5/4, 17/5 and 7/6 at 11:59pm
Weighting: 50%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open

Quizzes which may include short and medium length answers and writing skills. 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Develop elementary level skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking in the Spanish language.
  • Identify, evaluate and deploy the grammatical structures of Spanish at elementary level.
  • Demonstrate an awareness of some language and language use in both Spanish and English.

Workbook

Assessment Type 1: Problem-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 15/3, 5/4, 17/5 and 7/6 at 11:59pm
Weighting: 25%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open

Students complete grammar exercises on their online workbook progressively throughout the semester.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Develop elementary level skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking in the Spanish language.
  • Identify, describe and evaluate a few aspects of Spanish-speaking cultures and societies.
  • Identify, evaluate and deploy the grammatical structures of Spanish at elementary level.
  • Demonstrate an awareness of some language and language use in both Spanish and English.

Oral/audiovisual

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 5/4 and 7/6 at 11:59pm
Weighting: 25%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed

Oral and audiovisual tasks assessing skills acquired, including prepared and spontaneous components. 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Develop elementary level skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking in the Spanish language.
  • Identify, describe and evaluate a few aspects of Spanish-speaking cultures and societies.
  • Identify, evaluate and deploy the grammatical structures of Spanish at elementary level.
  • Apply relevant language conventions to create meaningful intercultural encounters.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • Academic Success for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

Delivery: Online

Required resources:

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

E-book: Explorando, accessed through the Top Hat online platform. Price of the e-book varies depending on length of access purchased. A link and instructions to buy the e-book will be available on iLearn. Similarly, students who enrol early may receive an email invitation directly from Top Hat to buy Explorando. Explorando can be accessed for free while at the Macquarie University library. Note that the website will ask to access your location in order to verify it. Login is via: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/ or https://tophat.com/

Technology

  • Computer and internet access are essential for this unit. Basic computer skills and skills in word processing are also a requirement. Students are required to have regular access to a computer and the internet. Mobile devices alone are not sufficient. Information about IT used at Macquarie University is available at  http://students.mq.edu.au/it_services/  

Unit Requirements and Expectations  

  • You should spend an average of 12 hours per week on this unit. This includes attending / listening to practicals and tutorials, ebook reading and exercise completion as detailed in iLearn, participating in Ilearn discussion forums and preparing assessments.  
  • Internal students are expected to attend all seminar or tutorial sessions, and external students are expected to make significant contributions to on-line activities.  
  • In most cases students are required to attempt and submit all major assessment tasks in order to pass the unit.  

Submitting Assessment Tasks  

  • Most assessment tasks are to be submitted, marked and returned electronically.  This will happen through the unit iLearn site and the ebook Top Hat website.   
  • All assessments in this unit are time sensitive as they follow a progressive content schedule, which means you need to master a skill in order to move on to the next. Therefore, late penalties are not an option for any of our tasks. Because of this, we provide ample time frames for task completion and situations in which students can prove the inability to complete tasks within those long timeframes are rare. This means that Special Considerations are also rare and usually only approved in situations of prolonged health issues, which require documentation. Because students have at least three days (and up to a month) for completing these progressive tasks, technological issues are also rarely awarded Special Consideration, since students should aim to complete their assessments with ample time in case of technological issues. Special Consideration will not be granted by unit conveners or tutors, but must be lodged through https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration  

Unit Schedule

TENTATIVE schedule of topics discussed per week, as named on Echo360 videos.

This is aimed to help guide online students as well as to guide on campus students who’ve missed a class.

Week 1

V1 – Intro to unit

Help! I don’t know grammar

V2 – Saludos y despedidas

V3 – El alfabeto

V4 – Más abecedario y los números

Week 2

V5 – Pronombres de sujeto y Tú vs. Usted

V6 – Llamarse y Ser

V7 – El género

Week 3 – Students are assessed on Chapter 1 by the end of the week

V8 – Artículos definidos - indefinidos

V9 – Número (singular – plural)

V10 – Repaso Capítulo 1

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Week 4

V11 – Nacionalidades

V12 – Profesiones

V13 – La familia

V14 – Descripciones físicas

V15 – Descripción de personalidad

Week 5

V16 – Verbos que terminan en -ar

V17 – Días, meses, tener

V18 – La hora

V19 – Las asignaturas y “¿A qué hora…?”

V20 – Preguntas interrogativas

Week 6 – Students assessed on Chapters 2 + 3 by the end of the week

V21 – Ir a + lugar / acción

V22 – Números del 100 en Adelante

V23 – Tener, venir, tener que

V24 – Hay que vs. Tener que

V25 – Estar vs. Ser

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Week 7

V26 – Repaso de Estar vs. Ser

V27 – El verbo Gustar

V28 – Dis/agreeing and Dis/likes

V29 – Verbs similar to Gustar

Week 8

V30 – Conjugación de -ar, -er, -ir

V31 – Posesivos

V32 – Comparaciones

Week 9

V33 – Repaso de la familia

V34 – Repaso de ser y estar

V35 – Lugares en la ciudad

V36 – Ser, estar, haber y tener

Week 10 – Students assessed on Chapters 4 + 5 by the end of the week

V37 – Preposiciones de lugar

V38 – Superlativos

V39 – Demostrativos

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Week 11

V40 – Repaso de gustar y verbos similares

V41 – La comida 1

V42 – La comida 2

V43 – La comida 3

Week 12

V44 – Adjetivos que termiann en -mente

V45 – Tener + expresiones comida

V46 – Verbos irregulars en ‘yo’

V47 – Verbos con cambio de raíz

Week 13 – Students assessed on Chapter 6 by the end of the week

 

Assessments Summary

Week 3:

Chapter 1

Week 6:

Chapters 2 + 3

Week 10:

Chapters 4 + 5

Week 13:

Chapter 6

Weight %

Quiz 1

Quiz 2

Quiz 3

Quiz 4

50%

Workbook 1

Workbook 2

Workbook 3

Workbook 4

25%

The student workbook has 6 chapters with 4 closing dates throughout semester.

The workbook (Logbook) mark is based on the five highest scoring chapters.

 

Oral 1

 

Oral 2

25%

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Academic Success

Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2026.03 of the Handbook