Date/Time
Date(s) - 02/26/2026
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Location
4010 JFSB
Category(ies)
Nieves Knapp, Teaching Professor of Spanish, will join the Humanities Center this week on Thursday, February 26th at 3:30 pm in 4010 JFSB. Her presentation will examine the unique enrollment patterns in BYU’s Spanish program and explore strategies for bridging the gap between beginner and advanced courses to strengthen foundational language learning and support student proficiency across all levels. We hope you’ll join us. Refreshments will be served.
Title: Bridging proficiency in the Spanish program at BYU
If we had to draw a picture to represent the student enrollment in most world language programs in the USA, it would look like a trapezoid, with a wider base and a decreasing surface as it reaches the top we call graduation. However, our language programs at BYU might be better represented as a Christmas tree with a chopped top, or the trapezoid sitting on a small square base. This is due to the large number of returned missionaries and their excellent linguistic abilities. However, that base made up by the lower-level courses is crucial because it provides the foundation that many students need to reach the major and minor, or simply to improve their linguistic abilities. Because of these unique circumstances, there are challenges to strengthen that base. This presentation will focus on some of the circumstances and strategies used to bridge proficiency between the beginner and advanced courses in the Spanish program at BYU.
About our presenter:
Nieves Pérez Knapp received her PhD in 2003 and is a Teaching Professor of Spanish Language and Culture. Besides her work in undergraduate and graduate Spanish classes at BYU, she teaches and trains pre-service and in-service Spanish teachers, as well as supervises student instructors. Nieves has presented at numerous professional conferences at the state, regional and national level, has published several articles in professional journals, and co-authored textbooks to teach Spanish and Portuguese for Spanish speakers. Currently, she is working on a textbook for Spanish students moving towards advanced proficiency and another focused on developing conversational strategies, as well as co-authoring a manuscript with her Portuguese pedagogy colleagues. Nieves has also received teaching excellence awards at the university, state, and regional levels.
