Resources at the LARC Language Labs for the Arabic Programs

The LARC Language labs at SDSU are at the intersection of a federally funded program to promote foreign language learning, and the foreign language programs at SDSU. This intersection in the heart of cosmopolitan San Diego results in valuable resource for students of the 17 plus foreign languages taught at SDSU. There are two fully equipped labs maintained by a full-time technician, with rich media archives. In addition to the 60 student stations, equipped with cameras, quality headsets and a high-speed Internet connection, there are servers, a recording studio and a video-editing facility. In our newly equipped Mac lab there are 30 dual boot iMacs. These are used by over 400 ASL students to record videos. The stations are also equipped to automatically record Skype calls, which we use to record conversations between our students and students at universities abroad, as well as for oral assessment where a conversation between students is demanded. We have professional software that students use to record themselves individually. They then upload their files to our .ftp server for the instructors to access. We also have additional assessment software to measure oral proficiency. Finally, SDSU is subscribed to Horizon/Wimba so that students can record onto their Blackboard sites with one click.

Specifically for the Arabic program, the LARC language labs have 22 copies of the language learning software Tell Me More for all levels. This software teaches the four language skills but has an especially effective speech recognition component for teaching pronunciation and oral skills. Over the past half decade, LARC has developed a national Internet-based test to measure advanced level of proficiency in Arabic according to ACTFL OPI guidelines. Material for a wide range of Arabic courses is being developed using print, audio and video media. Some examples of the work can be seen at the publically accessible Digital Media Archive (http://larcdma.sdsu.edu). LARC has also launched a Moodle site, maintained on our servers, which has numerous sections for Arabic (http://larc.sdsu.edu/moodleLARC). The use of this open-source course management system allows courses to be taught to target audiences that include students who are not registered for credit-bearing courses at SDSU, for example participants from other universities, domestically and abroad. The language pages at the LARC labs, with restricted access, also have a constantly updated Arabic homepage. In the labs, students can type in Arabic on all student stations; there are also six stations with Arabic keyboards.

As part of the ongoing upgrade of LARC lab facilities, our Iraqi course takes place in a high-tech classroom with a state-of-the-art smartboard, desktop computers on each of the oval group tables, and 16 laptops for individual class members. Meanwhile, we have now purchased and installed RAID servers with two terabytes of hard-disk space to maintain the large number of WWW services provided.
The Language Acquisition Resource Center has been located at SDSU since the late 80’s. Originally one of three national language resource centers, it is now one of 15 and specializes in assessment, helping distinguished speakers of languages and developing materials and lessons for critical, less commonly taught languages. The national Title VI center and the College of Arts and Letters work together to support the language programs at SDSU, as seen, for example, in the assignment of nine graduate assistants to language faculty, coordinated by the national center but funded by the College. National workshops are held throughout the academic year and in the summer. The outreach program impacts K-16 foreign language teachers and programs throughout the state of California. It has started up after school programs in a number of less commonly taught languages, including Arabic. The board of advisers for LARC brings together leading administrators, policy makers and educators in the field of foreign language teaching from across the nation. Finally, foreign language instructors at all levels are assisted in utilizing the LARC resources to enhance their instruction with technology. Our powerful online survey tool, for example, was used recently by the CATESOL conference with over 2,000 participants.

The LARC labs are visited by over 7,000 open-study students during a term. This is in addition to over 100 orientations and classroom visits for language practice and assessment, as well as the scheduling of regularly held classes. The labs are also easily converted to studios for screening of films and student presentations. The LARC labs are truly laboratories, where innovation is the key to advancing language learning through technology.