Language Placement
GENERAL INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS
ONLINE LANGUAGE PLACEMENT INDICATOR
Students are urged to take this language indicator within 2 weeks after
making the decision to come to Moravian College
The ultimate deadline is MAY 31
ATTENTION! Students with disabilities who might require extra time on the placement indicator should contact Elaine Mara at 610-861-1510 or marae@moravian.edu.
The purpose of the Foreign Language Placement Indicator
The purpose of the placement indicator is to determine the appropriate level in which you should be placed or in which you should continue your study of French, German or Spanish at the college level. The results will be available for you to discuss with your academic advisor when you register for courses prior to your first semester at Moravian College.
Who MUST complete this online Language Placement Indicator
- Students who wish to continue their study of French, German or Spanish at the college level
Who SHOULD NOT complete this Language Placement Indicator
- Students who have never taken any foreign language and need to fulfill the F3 language requirement at Moravian College. These students will be automatically placed in any 100-level language of their choice: Arabic, French, German, Italian, Latin or Spanish
- Students who plan to continue their study of Arabic, Italian or Latin. No online Language Placement Indicator is available for these three languages. These students must talk to their academic advisor and/or contact the chair of the Foreign Language Department (see contact information below)
- International students. The F3 language requirement for international students will be waived. However, we encourage students to take foreign language at the college level.
- Students who took no language in high school because of disability issues.
- Honors and Advanced Placement who have taken Spanish in high school
- Spanish Heritage Speakers
Who SHOULD complete a brief oral interview during May Registration
- Honors (H) and Advanced Placement (AP) students who have taken Spanish in high school DO NOT have to complete the Language Placement Indicator. These students will be automatically placed in Spanish 120. However, they MUST complete a short interview during May Registration. This interview will help determine if Spanish 120 is the appropriate level for them. Spanish 120 is specially designed for H and AP students who have taken Spanish in high school and it will fulfill the F3 language requirement. Interviewers: Dr. Carmen Ferrero and/or Dr. Nilsa Lasso-von Lang.
- Spanish Heritage Speakers DO NOT have to complete the Language Placement Indicator. However, they MUST complete an oral interview in Spanish. This short interview will help determine if Spanish 125 is the appropriate college level course for them. This course is specially designed for heritage speaker students and will fulfill the F3 language requirement. NOTE: Heritage speakers may be individuals who were born and raised in the United States or any other English-speaking country and grew up speaking Spanish at home. Spanish-speaking students who are foreign-born may also be classified as heritage speakers. Interviewers: Dr. Nilsa Lasso-von Lang and/or Dr. Carmen Ferrero.
Language Indicator Screening - General Directions
Consider completing this Language Placement Indicator at your school, local library, or in your home. It is recommended that you use a high speed internet connection.
Recommendations:
- On a PC, use Firefox or Internet Explorer 9.0. (Older versions of IE are to be avoided because of formatting issues)
- On a Mac, use Firefox or Safari (Latest versions) (Some text may appear larger or smaller using older versions of Firefox, but this is a random occurrence and has nothing to do with correct or incorrect answers)
The Language Indicator is a 35-minute timed exercise. The system will allow one attempt per question or statement. Questions will be displayed one at a time. Once a question has been completed, advance to the next question by selecting the chevron, (see example). Chevrons are located on the right side of the question. Use either the top or bottom chevron to advance to the next question.
You will not be able to backtrack to correct an answer. If you do not know an answer, select: “I don’t know” and proceed to the next question. Questions that are left un-answered will be scored as incorrect.
As you progress, you can see how much time has elapsed. You will also be warned prior to the expiration of the Indicator’s time limit.
Should you get dropped off of the Indicator or exit the Indicator prematurely, the exercise will be saved as if it were complete. Contact Leah Holmes at (610) 861-1697, E-mail: leah.holmes@moravian.edu to have the exercise reopened. NOTE: questions that had been answered previously will reappear, but the answers that were given on the first submission will be used to calculate the final score.
At the end of the exercise, you will get feedback as to how well you did. You will be able to see your total score. Please print and save your results for your personal records.
What is NOT allowed during the time you are completing it
- No dictionaries of any type
- No e-translators or any similar electronic devices
- No textbooks
- No help from anyone else
- No browsing on the net
- No notes or any other type of language-related aid.
It is to your benefit to complete this assignment on your own. Be honest!
The department of Foreign Languages reserves the right to move students one level up or down,
if the results do not reflect the actual language level
To complete the online French, German or Spanish Placement Indicator, please connect to: https://blackboard.moravian.edu/webapps/login/
On Blackboard, please do the following:
- Log in (Use your Moravian College username and password)
- Go to “Course Search” and type French or German or Spanish, depending on the language indicator you are completing.
- Enroll
- Click on the language indicator and begin
- Print and save your results for your records
Contact Information:
Dr. James Skalnik
Assistant Dean for Academic Advising
Academic Affairs Office
Monocacy Hall, Room 203,
(610) 861-1435
skalnik@moravian.edu
Dr. Jean-Pierre Lalande, Chair
Department of Foreign Languages, Comenius 103,
(610) 861-1399
Email: lalandejp@moravian.edu
Dr. Nilsa Lasso-von Lang
Associate Professor of Spanish
Department of Foreign Languages, Comenius 408,
(610) 861-1393
E-mail: nilsa@moravian.edu