Dígame Summer Spanish Immersion Program
Name: Jessica Ho
School: Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, Class of 2023
Mentor: Ana Esteban, MD, MEd, CI
Abstract
Dígame is an 8-week long Spanish language intensive for medical students between their first and second year. The program objectives are to 1) cultivate an understanding of how Spanish is used in clinical contexts; 2) improve participants’ speaking, comprehension, and writing skills; 3) situate language use in broader sociocultural dynamics; and 4) engage in critical, intersectional dialogue on issues of equity and justice. Participants were sorted into one of three Spanish proficiency levels, and the program consisted of a one-hour class for each level that met four days a week. The course curricula were divided into weeklong themed modules that included opportunities to learn vocabulary and grammar as well as to apply that knowledge in practical scenarios. There was also time at the end of class for unstructured conversation. Via a mixed methods pedagogical approach, the Friday popular education series covered a range of topics from Dominican history to data disaggregation. Post-program, we emailed a survey to all participants, which included a language assessment designed by Dr. Esteban and questions about the online format and utility of and experience with both the language classes and the Friday popular education series. As of this submission, we have achieved over a 50 percent response rate and are conducting some preliminary analyses. The transition to remote programming definitely presented some challenges; however, a cursory examination of the feedback suggests a strong desire to retain some of the online platform for content delivery going forward and that such a program is valuable and effective. There is always room for growth, though, mostly with class structure and other logistics.