This one-credit activity allows partnerships of two students to exchange conversation in two different languages they wish to share and learn. The activity is graded as Pass/No Credit and will not affect a student’s GPA.
Students are partnered to exchange conversation in both languages with one of their peers once a week for an hour at a regular time period that fits their schedule. Language Exchange partners meet three times throughout the semester with a supervisor who validates the Exchange. Students record short entries after each partner meeting noting the linguistic skills practiced and the cultural elements and topics discussed.
At the end of the course, pairs produce a five-minute video presenting their exchange and highlighting all the fun they've had! All student-partners who successfully complete the Language Exchange will be validated by their supervisor to receive one credit and a Pass grade at the end of the term. No incomplete exchange will be validated for credit, regardless of the reason why the exchange could not be completed.
Requirements for completion:
- One scheduled orientation on the second Friday of the semester.
- 12 weekly one-hour pair meetings
- Weekly progress reports after each pair meeting
- At least three pair/supervisor meetings
- One five-minute final video
Sign up!
Students can sign up to be paired with a language exchange partner at this link.
Signing up for the language exchange does not automatically mean that you will be able to register and participate.
Pairs are matched by languages of interest and proficiency levels. Since many factors go into the pairing process, not all students who sign up will be matched with a partner and be able to register for the activity. The sign-up/registration process is as follows:
- Students sign up and indicate the languages they can share and the languages they are interested in learning, providing their proficiency levels in all selected languages. In order to share a language, a student must have proficiency at intermediate or above. See a guide to language proficiency levels below.
- Proficiency levels are confirmed through either Rutgers coursework or placement.
- Based on the information entered by each student, potential pairs are identified, and students are contacted individually with a special permission number to register for the activity.
- Once both language exchange partners have registered for the exchange, the partnership is confirmed, and the students will be sent their partner's contact information and additional information about the language exchange.
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