This fall, Professor Jennifer Wooten is pioneering the integration of artificial intelligence into her fully asynchronous SPN 1130 course, the first of its kind for lower-division Spanish students at UF. Designed to equip students with 21st century skills, this innovative approach brings language learning into the digital age by allowing students to engage with Spanish on their own schedules and at their own pace.
In her course, Wooten uses AI to support students’ development through interactive and personalized activities in each unit. The AI tools provide a range of learning experiences, from metalinguistic tasks to role-playing and vocabulary building. Students utilize AI for tasks such as reading comprehension, designing images, playing language games, composing real-world texts, and engaging in spoken Spanish practice. This dynamic use of AI tools enables immediate feedback, helping students refine their skills and set future learning goals. Importantly, students also learn to adapt when AI doesn’t meet their expectations, developing critical digital literacy skills in the process.
Students are encouraged to reflect after each AI-supported activity, considering what they have learned about language and culture, as well as effective AI usage. Through this process, Professor Wooten aims to empower students to become lifelong Spanish learners, equipped with the tools and competencies to use AI effectively in their personal and professional lives.
Wooten has also collaborated with UF’s Center for Instructional Technology and Training to create AI-integrated activities, a project documented in a recent article with Laura Jervis. Additionally, she produced a podcast using NotebookLM to discuss the role of 21st century skills and AI in her course. The podcast, available on YouTube, offers further insight into her approach and the potential of AI in language learning.
Student feedback has highlighted the positive impact of AI on language acquisition. Deanna McRae, one of Wooten’s students, shared, “AI has been a very useful tool in practicing key components of learning another language that are otherwise nearly impossible to do in remote, online contexts. For example, in SPN1130 I have used AI to perform and receive feedback on verbal conversational skills, reading comprehension skills, and formal writing skills. It cannot be underestimated how impactful having immediate, personalized practice and feedback is for this course.”
Through these innovations, Wooten is setting a new standard for online language learning, making Spanish more accessible and engaging for students at UF.