Flagship program visits have helped the Tech Center better understand the particular needs associated with each Flagship language and how technology might help meet those needs. In the specific context of Arabic Flagships, students have expressed the need for more exposure to the Moroccan dialect to prepare for their study abroad and Capstone year experience in Morocco. In an effort to help the Tech Center and the Arabic Flagship Program at the University of Arizona identify linguistic, cultural, and instructional resources needed for Flagship students before their first study abroad or before their capstone year in Morocco, needs assessments were conducted with key stakeholders, including members of the Arabic Council, and students, teachers and coordinators in the Arabic Flagship programs. The needs assessments identified seven major themes: family life, school life, relationships, transportation, daily needs, professional, and safety. Topics, scenarios, and situations related to each theme were also identified, along with other important input regarding preferred delivery format, key learner characteristics, and program requirements.

The instructional design of the course was elicited from the rich pedagogical experience and content knowledge of the course authors and the instructional technology expertise of the Tech Center team. Through various meetings and discussions, the Tech Center assisted in the conceptualization of the main components and finalization of the technology integration plan for the course. In particular, the course development team decided to leverage existing authentic target language video materials “in the wild” and build the instructional content, activities, and assessments around them. The course authors devoted considerable time in searching, curating, and examining the authentic Darija content in various formats (TV shows, documentaries, movies, etc.) from the Internet, and created notes and exercises based on specifically selected clips. To enhance students’ learning experience and optimize interactivity in the course, the Tech Center utilized H5P, the interactive content authoring tool, to create interactive videos, presentations, and activities based on the selected authentic video materials. Moodle is used as the Learning Management System to host and deliver the course content, and provide learner analytics.

This course was created with support from The Language Flagship Technology Innovation Center. The development of this course was funded under a grant from the Institute of International Education (IIE), acting as the administrative agent of the Defense Language and National Security Education Office (DLNSEO) for The Language Flagship.

The Language Flagship is a national initiative to change the way Americans learn languages through a groundbreaking approach to language education through a network of programs at institutions of higher education across the United States. The Language Flagship graduates students who will take their place among the next generation of global professionals, commanding a superior level of proficiency in one of ten languages critical to U.S. national security and economic competitiveness.

This website has been developed and is maintained by The Language Flagship Technology Innovation Center. The content of this website and of the Moroccan Arabic Course do not necessarily reflect the position of policy of the U.S. government. No official government endorsement should be inferred.