Spanish 101

Modesto Junior College

16-Week Online Class with Professor Bryson Adams

Please view this short video to get started.

¡Bienvenidos!

Welcome! I'm Bryson Adams and I'll be your online instructor for Spanish 101. I like to think of language learning like traveling. We're heading out on a journey that is exciting, but also maybe something you're a little nervous about. That's ok! I'm like your "tour guide" for the course. I'm here to help you overcome any challenges, and to make sure you safely reach your destination. So, please take a moment to view this 2-mintue video and learn a little bit about me. - ¡Hasta pronto!


About the Course

This is a fully online class that follows a weekly schedule and includes meaningful interaction with your classmates and with me several times each week. Here are a few details to keep in mind:

  • This is a 16-week course organized into one-week modules that open each Monday morning.

  • This class does not meet regularly in Zoom. Most of your learning will be asynchronous in Canvas.

  • You will learn in a community with your peers. This is not a self-paced course.

  • We will use a web-based eBook to access the majority of our online learning activities.

  • Assignments will always be due two times each week: Wednesdays and Sundays by 11:59 p.m.

  • Since this is a 5-unit class, it is designed to take about 15 hours per week.

My Teaching Philosophy

It’s helpful to think of my teaching philosophy along the same lines as our travel theme for the course. When traveling, there are always multiple paths that lead to the final destination. That’s part of what makes traveling so exciting…we get to choose the path that is best for us. Learning is no different. We all learn in unique ways, and I design my online courses to provide students with a range of avenues for understanding new information and making sense of ideas. When traveling, there are also bumps in the road, unexpected challenges, and sometimes we even make the wrong turn. That's ok! When students make a wrong turn, I provide "GPS driving directions" to get you back on the right road and reroute you to the destination. That means I reframe mistakes as a source of information about what needs adjusting in order to get you back on the right track. My role as your instructor is to help all my students reach their final destination while improving learning along the way.

Learning to surf on Costa Rica's breathtaking Pacific Coast.

Guide Book

To make sure students have a positive and successful learning experience, I’ve designed my course like the ultimate travel guide book. A good travel guide provides directions on how to get to where you’re going, the right maps, the perfects stops along the way, guidelines to keep you safe, and special travel tips to help you maximize your experience. With that in mind, here are a few key guidelines for this course:

Travel Itinerary

When traveling, it's important to know where you are going, when you will get there, and what the stops are along the way. I've designed the best itinerary for this course, with everything neatly organized and scheduled to help eliminate any confusion and make your experience that much easier.

Travel Regulations

My Course Policies are kind of like Travel Regulations. They are designed for a reason and put in place to help travelers have a safe experience, while also making sure travel is fair for everyone. I want the learning experience to be safe for you and fair for the entire class.

Travel Tips

It's important to have expert travel tips that help make sure you get the most ouf of your experience and avoid any unnecessary bumps in the road. I provide students with tools, resources, and support throughout the course to make sure everyone has a meaningful learning experience.

Horseback riding through an organic coffee farm in Nicaragua's cloud forest.

Your Tour Guide

My goal is for you to successfully complete this course! After all, what kind of a tour guide doesn't make sure their travelers have a postive experiencie and make it to the final destination? So, here are a few details about me and my credentials as your guide. I'm a teacher at heart and have been working the in field of education since 2001. Online teaching is a perfect fit for me, and I'm a certified online instructor. I have studied, worked, and lived throughout the Spanish-speaking world and love traveling and learning about new cultures. My travel experiences inspire my teaching principles and add depth to my instructional design. I'm a bit of an adventure junkie, and it's safe to say my curiosity has gotten the best of me more than once!

Contact Information

I'm usually pretty quick with replies, and generally get back to you within a day. If you contact me Monday-Friday, I will respond within 24 hours. I will also reply during weekends, but I might be a little bit slower. I'm also happy to arrange times to meet individually in Zoom.

Exploring the famous 13th century Alhambra castle and palaces in Southern Spain.