American Sign Language classes at MTSU move to cyberspace this summer

(Photos courtesy of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)

MTSU’s American Sign Language courses will continue this summer through digital technology.

The Center for Accelerated Language Acquisition, or CALA, will use a videoconferencing platform called Jitsi to conduct two separate sections of classes from 1 to 2:30 p.m. June 15-19 and from 1 to 2:30 p.m. June 22-26.

Jitsi will enable the instructor and participants to see each other and interact with each other in real time during the classes. MTSU wordmark

The classes will include games and other hands-on activities dealing with greetings, numbers, colors, body parts, the alphabet and elements of everyday conversation.

Class fees are $100 for MTSU and high school students; $115 for MTSU faculty, staff and alumni; and $130 for members of the general public.

Early registration is advised since each class must be capped at 30 participants.

To register, go to https://tinyurl.com/ybvd3t9w. For more information, contact Brian Roberts, associate director of CALA, at brian.roberts@mtsu.edu or acceleratedacquisition@gmail.com.

— Gina Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)

American Sign Language instructor Haley Jensen offers some ASL instruction in a fall 2018 class offered by MTSU’s Center for Accelerated Language Acquisition as students watch and listen. CALA is offering an ASL Part 1 and Part 2 course this spring. (Photo by Enrique Geronimo/MTSU Sidelines)

In this fall 2018 file photo, American Sign Language instructor Haley Jensen offers some ASL instruction in a class on-campus offered by MTSU’s Center for Accelerated Language Acquisition as students watch and listen. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, CALA has moved upcoming June 2020 course to videoconferencing only. (File photo by Enrique Geronimo/MTSU Sidelines)