The 2022-23 school year is now in its second quarter, with most of the students who enrolled in the fall quarter continuing in the winter in perfect alignment with last year’s enrollment. Our total number of students so far is coincidentally the same as last year, confirming attraction for our program and excellent retention. Students’ satisfaction is high, as confirmed by the positive evaluations we received at the end of fall quarter. Among others are:
“This has been the best program I have tried”.
“I have learned much in just 3 months and I am so excited to keep progressing”.
“I feel like I have learned more in this format than others I have taken”.
Students praise our instructors:
“Francesca is a very good teacher. She is approachable, well-organized, explains concepts clearly, maintained a good pace in class and made herself available to students who needed extra help. Her sense of humor and gentle teaching style created a classroom environment conducive to learning. She was familiar with Canvas and always posted our lessons in a timely manner. She is also proficient with Zoom and expertly navigates the environment.”
“Damiano is really patient and works with us when we are struggling to find the right conjugation and tense. Excellent Instructor!”
“Both Roberta and Giorgio are skilled, sensitive and encouraging teachers. I was very fortunate to have been one of the other pupils.”
“Teaching ability and attitude seem excellent.”
“Laura is a great teacher. She was patient and greatly helped us. I improved my pronunciation by listening to her and her corrections always challenged me in a good way.”
To the question, “How would you rate your experience with Canvas?” 45.5 percent responded very satisfied, 45.5 % satisfied, 9.1 % neutral and 0% dissatisfied or very dissatisfied.
This is very encouraging since we are only at the beginning of the second year of Canvas implementation during which we have had to create not only the entire structure but also all the administrative and pedagogical content. The goal of the second year is to refine the content with a clearer distinction between core material and supplementary material, verify existing pages and links for accuracy, and create new ones as needed.
Instructors are getting more and more familiar with the platform and determining the best practices for its use in a language course.
A student wrote: “I use all the material and especially like the option to check our answers – it helps me see, before a class, what I need to practice more. It helps me to be prepared before class.”
From two other students: “I liked the after-class activities we did to reinforce what we
learned in class.” “Organizational structure for each session (what to do before, etc.) is great. “
The online option continues to be a favorite by students:
“I would definitely continue to enroll if there was an option for on-line in the future. I love it!”
“I can only enroll online because I live too far to commute! I did “attend” some virtual Dante monthly meetings when they were virtual.”
“The convenience of online courses cannot be beat. I honestly do not think I would physically attend a class held at the same time and with the same frequency.”
“Online – it makes it easier for me because I travel 3-4 days a week for work. I can take my learning material and computer anywhere!”
Thanks to the online environment, our mission of promoting the Italian language and culture locally has the potential to reach a larger community beyond the State of Washington. We already have some students connecting from other states such as one from Oregon this quarter, and we want everyone to know of this possibility to take Dante courses within and out of state and take advantage of it. We also want to reach those who wish to learn Italian but for whom online is the best option. This is the true spirit of the Dante Alighieri Society of Washington: open to everybody the door to all things Italian.
According to our latest survey, 63.6% of students choose to learn Italian because it improves the functionality of my brain, 45.5 % because I have relative in Italy, 45.5% because I am planning a trip to Italy, 36.4% because it is a beautiful language, 27.3 % because I am interested in Italian language and culture and 27.3% because I am working towards PLIDA Italian certification exam. The linguistic skills acquired from our courses will allow students to take the PLIDA exam and obtain a certification (also required in order to obtain Italian citizenship) that is valid and recognized around the world.
Since 2011, we have been authorized to conduct the PLIDA exams in person here in Seattle under my coordination and with an approved examination board. We are pleased to announce that just a few days ago, we signed a new agreement with the Società Dante Alighieri in Rome which grants us the use of the new PLIDA logo which, starting January 31, 2023, will recognized the PLIDA centers around the world. Visit our website for all the information about PLIDA, including the date for the next session open to everyone, not only students, on June 21st .