LOCK HAVEN, Pa.— The introduction of a stacked method of instruction at Lock Haven campus inspired by Bloomsburg’s language teaching has disturbed the learning experience among students enrolled in Professor Enrique Herrera’s Intermediate and Elementary Spanish II courses.
Kat Allen, a junior English major taking her last credit of a foreign language class, Intermediate Spanish II, criticized the combined teaching approach compared to her experience in three other courses with Herrera, expressing dissatisfaction with its lack of focus and learning difficulties. Allen found balancing lectures and worksheets for two proficiency levels simultaneously challenging and described the method as “cheap,” advocating for a return to the traditional one-course-at-a-time model.
“I was completely blindsided of the untraditional class structure prior to enrolling through Banner, until the first day of class when Herrera explained the set-up of a two-course form of teaching style,” said Allen.
Sophomore Dan Stoner, a Media and Journalism major, shared insights on the adjustments made in his Elementary Spanish II class. In the face of initial hurdles, Stoner praised Herrera’s proactive approach, which involved reorganizing the class timetable to cater to both Intermediate and Elementary Spanish II students, all while maintaining advocacy for a traditional course structure.
Stoner explained, “Instead of two classes scheduled from 2 to 3:15 p.m. in Raub building room 421, Herrera arranged with higher administration for Intermediate Spanish II to meet from 2 to 2:45 p.m., followed by Elementary Spanish II from 2:45 to 3:30 p.m.”
In an email exchange with Herrera, who has been instructing Spanish courses at Lock Haven for 24 years and is the only face-to-face instructor on campus besides Professor Eduardo Valerio, who teaches remotely, was approached for an interview, but politely declined to comment.
In his response, Herrera acknowledged his ongoing adaptation to the new stacked course method of instruction, which draws inspiration from Bloomsburg University’s language classes. This teaching approach has been in practice for approximately seven years and has since been implemented at Lock Haven and Mansfield universities post-merger.
Mykola Polyuha, chairperson of the Languages and Cultures Department and professor at Bloomsburg, candidly acknowledged that while the method of implementing stacked courses isn’t “ideal” for either students or faculty, it’s a necessary response to the stringent class size-to-professor ratio mandated by the PASSHE system.
According to Polyuha, the PASSHE system requires at least 21 to 24 students per instructor, any course with low enrollment risks cancellation by higher administration. Polyuha admitted it took him 3 years to adjust to this teaching style, and still sees changes in every class each teaches, but has developed a better strategy to ensure students’ needs are met. He emphasized that despite its drawbacks, stacked courses offer students the opportunity to enroll promptly and sidestep delays in their college journey, thus ensuring timely graduation.
Both Allen and Stoner are Lock Haven students pursuing degrees in the Bachelor of Arts College: Arts, Social Sci & Humanities. The programs require students to take four foreign language courses, a total of 12 credits.
