Official Course Language

American Sign Language (with some English supporting documents & readings)

• The expectation for the Visual Gestural Communication (VGC) course - students are required to use gestures in the VGC program.

Prerequisites

1. Every transfer student and new student with ASL knowledge: is required to take the ASL Placement Test  ASAP.
2. Test your ACC Online Readiness: Take these self-assessments to help determine if the online learning environment is right for you.
3. Grades: To be eligible for enrollment in this VGC course, you must have a grade of C or better in SLNG 1402 (ASL 2).

​​​​Technology Requirements/Skills

• High speed Internet access to ACC Gmail, ACC course Learning Management System (Blackboard, Canvas or Google Classroom) and course related materials. Internet recommended download/upload speed 20 Mbps or better (you can test your internet speed: www.speedtest.net by Ookla).
• Laptop or desktop computer with camera (required). Smartphones and/or tablets may be insufficient especially for quizzes/exams.
• Chrome browser (strongly recommended) or similar

Minimum Technical Skills

Measure your technology skills and find tutorials to develop, review, or renew those skills in the Technical Skills Checklist. As part of your online experience, you can expect to utilize a variety of technology mediums as part of your curriculum:

• Communicate via email including sending attachments
• Able to take a screenshot
• Able to record your video assignments and exams
• Navigate the World Wide Web using a Web browser such as Google Chrome
• Use office applications such as Microsoft Office (or similar) to create documents
• Be willing to learn how to communicate using a discussion board and upload assignments to a classroom website
• Be comfortable uploading and downloading saved files
• Have easy access to the high-speed Internet
• Can navigate TRUE+WAY ASL eWorkbook and Blackboard or other learning management systems.

Required Texts/Materials

1. ACC course Blackboard - https://acconline.austincc.edu (Use your ACCeID to login)
2. Register with canvas.instructure.com (get the link from your professor via your course Blackboard)
3. Lecture Videos and Slides (on blackboard)

Course outline

Week 1

Introduction/Gesture Name

Why VGC?

What is Gesture?

Gesture Taboos

Facial Expressions

Week 2

Handshapes

Colors/textures/patterns

Referencing/Indexing

Space/spatial language

Sizes

Week 3 

Basic shapes/combined/3D

Surroundings

People

Week 4

Calendar

Time

Plurality

Money/counting

Measurement

Word problem

Week 5

Camera angles/shifting perceptions

Creative/one picture story

Storyboard

Storytelling/presentation

Special effects (cinematic)

Week 6

Dialogue/situation

Facts/rules

Test to gesture

Week 7

ASL to Gesture

Gesture to ASL

Week 8

Group Debate

Final Exam

Course Learning Outcomes:

1. To analyze and connect the relationship between gestures and signs.
2. To become aware of the cultural implications of using inappropriate gestures in unfamiliar cultural etiquettes in diverse countries and customs.
3. To develop and incorporate basic gestural handshapes creating visual-spatial formation.
4. To develop basic knowledge in gestures.
5. To develop basic skills in transferring from gestures to signs.
6. To become more comfortable in using gestures & depictions to communicate.

Student Learning Outcomes:

After this course, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate comprehension of simple conversations by producing appropriate responses to gestured questions.
2. Demonstrate the ability to describe surroundings and appearance of objects.
3. Demonstrate the ability to use facial expressions to describe varying degrees of emotions.
4. Demonstrate the ability to use shifting perspectives to identify various viewing angles.
5. Demonstrate the ability to present a story/presentation through gestures.
6. Demonstrate and develop the ability to retell situations in gestures.
7. Demonstrate the ability to infuse gestures into signs.
8. Demonstrate the ability to maintain a dialogue between two or more people using gestures.
9. Demonstrate the ability to describe various sizes and shapes of objects.