Developing a heritage language class

Students who speak Spanish fluently but who learned the language informally, perhaps at home, will soon have an opportunity to increase their competency and improve their writing skills in a course being developed by Sophia López-López, assistant professor of Spanish.

Spanish for Heritage Speakers (SPAN 308) will help students gain a formal understanding of the language and contribute to higher overall academic success. Lopez-Lopez’s work is supported by a WSU Smith Teaching and Learning Grant.

Established through the Samuel H. and Patricia W. Smith Teaching and Learning Endowment, the grant program began in 2000 when WSU President Smith retired.

The 2022 applications addressed WSU’s commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA), and focused on specific areas that improve student learning through innovative evidence-based activities and practices.

Projects funded by Smith grants “impact the student success and academic progress of hundreds of WSU students,” said William Davis, interim vice provost for academic engagement and student achievement.

Read about all five of the 2022 Smith Teaching Learning Grant recipients at WSU Insider.

By Beverly Makhani, Division of Academic Engagement and Student Achievement