Open for all MSU Denver Students
If you are interested in studying a language not currently taught at MSU Denver (Spanish, Japanese, French, German, Italian, or Chinese), this program is for you.
The Directed Independent Language Studies (DILS) program matches self-motivated MSU Denver students who want to learn a Less Commonly Taught Language, not currently offered at MSU Denver, with partners who speak the language in independent study sessions. The goals for learning the target language are personalized, and the coaching sessions are organized primarily around active conversation exchange.
If you are interested in studying a language not currently taught at MSU Denver (Spanish, Japanese, French, German, Italian, or Chinese), this program is for you.
What does that mean? In its most basic form, this program does not award academic credit and is therefore, free.
Although, typically non-credit bearing, students can earn Independent Study credit. Contact the DILS Coordinator to learn more.
MSU Denver Department of World Languages provides materials textbooks that may be borrowed and language lab use on campus.
Interaction should be conducted in the target language. At the first session the coach can provide learners with a few utterances expressing basic directives on how to ask simple questions, in order to avoid the use of English. If students ask questions in English, coaches will reply in the target language. From the beginning, students should get in the habit of using the target language.
Grammatical or linguistic explanations will be limited to a minimum. Students are responsible for studying grammar on their own. Practice sessions are for language use, not for language explanation. If it is absolutely necessary, coaches can give explanations during the last 10 minutes of the session.
Coaches prepare for each session by being sufficiently familiar with the materials used by the student(s), and will focus primarily on the features in the text that include an interactive use of vocabulary and structures.
A session is intended for intensive practice. The use of props, role-play, and other activities can be incorporated to give the students the opportunity to contextualize the language features they are studying.
Faulty pronunciation will be corrected.
Language partners do not read from a text, but rather speak in a conversational manner, at their normal rate. In every session students should try to contribute at least 60% to 70% of the speaking.
Additional recourses may be added to the basic text/audio/multimedia once students have assimilated the required materials.
Absences are not allowed. If the students need to be absent from a session, they may do so only with special permission. If a student is absent more than once a week, coaches must inform the DILS Director right away. It is the student’s responsibility to remain current with the materials.
Deadlines
Interview: Students will be informed as to the status of their applications within two to four weeks after the application filing deadline, and may at that time be invited for an interview.
Acceptance: DILS program staff will research the languages of the strongest applications to determine the availability of the appropriate instructional materials, language partner and examiner. Students’ final acceptance will depend on the availability of these components.
Students will meet their native speaker Language Partners at Orientation to set up a lesson schedule/time