The Department of French and Italian offers to a select group of advanced French undergraduate students the opportunity to serve as conversation group leaders. As Undergraduate Teaching Interns (UTINs), these advanced undergraduates receive one credit for FRIT-X 471 and are trained by either the Coordinator of Language Instruction, Dr. Kelly Sax, or by the Director of Undergraduate Studies in French, Professor Barbara Vance.

Each conversation group leader organizes and carries out activities for a small group of basic language students from FRIT-F 115, F150, F200, F250, and F265; these basic language students receive one credit for FRIT-F 152, F202, or F252 as an accompanying credit to their regular language class.

Participation in conversation groups is optional but offers an important enrichment opportunity for group members to improve their fluency in French. UTINs, for their part, gain initial experience in pedagogy and improve their own French proficiency by preparing vocabulary and background for the discussions.

All students (group leaders and group members) are graded on a Pass/Fail basis by the faculty instructor. Grades for group members are based on attendance, participation, and submission of weekly reports. UTINs pass if they demonstrate the expected level of responsibility and creativity as well as appropriately sophisticated written reflection on their own and their students’ pedagogical experience.

Undergraduate Teaching Interns (UTINs) are group leaders for French conversation groups. To prepare for this responsibility, they must:

• Undergo pedagogical and general training
• Plan and carry out conversation activities for a one-hour meeting each week, with the help of resources provided by the faculty instructor
• Record group members’ attendance scrupulously and report absences to faculty instructor
• Submit a weekly description on Canvas of group conversation topics and activities, along with self-evaluation for that week
• Group members also submit a weekly statement of motivations, fears, expectations, progress, and self-evaluation; this report is assessed by the faculty instructor
• Submit an end-of-semester report assessing the entire experience
• Complete Indiana University’s online training modules for FERPA and Sexual Misconduct Reporting

Enrollment in FRIT-X 471 is by permission only. Interested students should contact the instructor of record for the course via email to discuss their eligibility and gain the online permission if appropriate.