The UT beginner French language curriculum, composed of an open access online French textbook and a website counterpart, will undergo significant updates for the first time since its launch in 2004.
The update, announced Nov. 3, will overhaul the grammar and vocabulary content in the online Français Interactif textbook, add new videos and move the online textbook, called Tex’s French Grammar, to Pressbooks, a publishing site for open educational resources. The update focuses on modern language needs and aims to reflect the cultural diversity of French speakers.
“The goal is making sure we have an innovative product for students that’s free,” said Morgane Haesen, an assistant French professor of instruction leading the update. “We wanted to be sustainable. We wanted (it) to be there for years to come.”
The update is a collaboration between the Department of French and Italian and the Center for Open Educational Resources and Language Learning. Haesen said the update will focus on offering students more up-to-date content.
“Students don’t really care about the word ‘payphone’ in French anymore,” Haesen said. “So, we’ve updated the vocabulary list.”
Ashton Carter, a doctoral candidate in French linguistics who contributed to the update, said she is looking forward to including many types of French speakers.
“In this new project, it’s (about) making sure that what we’re teaching these students is culturally relevant to the French-speaking world, not just … metropolitan France,” Carter said. “It’s (focusing on) everywhere where they speak French, how those people look, their vocabulary and what they value.”
Rachael Gilg, a web designer for the center, said hosting Tex’s French Grammar on Pressbooks will make it easier for faculty to make revisions in the online textbook.
“We want to keep (the curriculum) updated, but (the textbook) needed to move to a different platform,” Gilg said. “After 20 years, there’s issues. The original Tex’s French Grammar doesn’t work on a mobile device, so, now it will, after the update.”
In 2024, the lower division French language team wanted to update the curriculum by adopting a commercial textbook, Haesen said. However, the update failed due to technical issues.
“It was an absolute disaster,” said Nancy Guilloteau, French language program director. “The students were unable to access any of the activities.”
For Haesen and Gilg, the curriculum update falls in line with the center’s mission of providing educators open and accessible resources.
“Offering this textbook and this all-encompassing curriculum, we’re committed to that,” Haesen said. “It’s important to us, in this day and age, to be able to say (that students) don’t have the burden of having to buy a commercial textbook. College is stressful enough without having to worry about that.”
