EAST LANSING, Mich. – Say the word “hybrid” and what may come to mind first is an environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient car.

But for students at Michigan State University, it means an innovative blend of traditional classroom instruction and online learning that is changing the way they acquire proficiency in reading, writing and speaking a foreign language.

Students in an upper-level German course co-taught by doctoral student Angelika Kraemer, for example, are using blogs, wikis, podcasts, chats and interactive comprehension activities to improve their understanding of the language.

The course, GRM 455, offered by the Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian and African Languages, focuses on German fairy tales and explores how the stories have been used to communicate social and psychological experiences and to institutionalize culture, values and taste.

“One of the major benefits of implementing technology in language learning is that the students have more diverse opportunities to use the language,” said Kraemer, whose dissertation examines how students in upper-level German literature and culture courses can benefit from supplementary online practice in language skills.

Students write blogs in German to respond to assigned readings and class discussions and participate in a group wiki that focuses on related topics. Kraemer records course readings and makes them available as podcasts on Angel, an online course management system on campus. Students are also required to chat with their classmates on Angel at least three times during the semester.

“I believe that a hybrid course that combines extensive Internet applications and in-class discussion promotes the movement in higher education toward the future in technology and globalization,” said Precious Paul, a junior majoring in political science and international studies, who is taking the course. “I absolutely love the structure of German 455 because it does just that, and I believe I’m learning a lot more because of it.”

Many of the electronic tools used in MSU language courses, including GRM 455, have been developed by experts in second-language studies in the Center for Language Education and Research (CLEAR).

A CLEAR program called “Conversations” allows teachers to record questions that can be accessed by students anywhere and anytime they’re online. SMILE (Server-Managed Interactive Language Exercises) is a program that enables instructors to create a set of online questions that tests students’ comprehension of any language and content area, including vocabulary and grammar, and then to provide instant feedback. A new program allows students to create their own “mashup,” a Web application that combines data from more than one source – including video, audio, text and SMILE exercises – into a single integrated language learning tool.

Several trends are coming together to create demand for language courses at MSU and elsewhere, a demand that hybrid courses can help satisfy, said Karin Wurst, dean of the MSU College of Arts and Letters.

“First, of course, is MSU’s effort to create a truly internationalized experience for students in all programs, which is generating a strong interest in and demand for language and culture courses,” she said.

Language faculty in the College of Arts and Letters are studying the benefits of hybrid courses with an eye to expanding offerings over the next two years.

“In my experience,” said Kraemer, “hybrid courses enable students to make meaningful connections with other students and encourage self-directed learning, critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, time management and computer skills. It’s a new and exciting direction for language learning and teaching.”

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Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.