This August, a team of three Boise State instructors (Mariah Devereux Herbeck and Amber Hoye, Project Co-Directors, and Brittney Gehrig, French lecturer) and three Idaho K-12 instructors (Emily Blackburn, Madelynn Ruther and Sharon Westbrook) published the first of four French open educational resource textbooks, titled “FI: An Interactive Workbook for French 101.” Available as a complete curriculum, the team not only revised and remixed an existing open educational resource text, but also created significant ancillary materials including assessments, task-based activities, cultural reflections, slide decks and embedded authentic materials.
The group prioritized eliminating student materials cost and incorporating inclusive and multicultural representation. The team expanded the original source (Francais interactif) by presenting content from the Francophone world (not just France) and by localizing the materials with pictures of Boise State, Boise and Idaho as well. A curricular redesign for French 102 is in process this fall, building on the materials they have already created for French 101, and the group plans to continue the curriculum redesign through French 202. The team plans to disseminate these offerings with Boise State concurrent enrollment instructors, the Idaho community of French teachers and teachers across the United States.
The team would like to extend a sincere thank you for the financial support they’ve received from campus partners including Boise State Concurrent Enrollment, The Center for Teaching and Learning and the Department of World Languages. The group was awarded a Boise State INFUSE grant for their work with French 102.
View the “FI: An Interactive Workbook for French 101” textbook.