John Pirone

A very valuable life experience having a deaf professor. There were a lot of quizzes and worksheets to do on canvas and I did a little worse than I thought but regardless full immersion is always a fun time.

This course is definitely intensive, but honestly it is mainly based on effort. It was hard in the sense that there was a lot of homework/worksheets, practice problems, quizzes, video-recordings, and comprehension exams for each unit. There are only three Units for the month, and although it requires you to sit down for hours to finish it, there is much learning being done. I don’t think that the excessive homework and exams were for nothing, if anything I believe that it really reinforced everything we were taught in lecture. Everything was due weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but you have to do homework daily to ensure that you will finish it on time. Because it would then be very difficult to cram and receive high scores on the quizzes and homework. The exams that were based on the unit and the self-recorded videos felt fair. You do have to put intentional effort in practicing before recording because he grades based on effort. He would occasionally take a point off for incorrect signs but overall you should be okay if you just take the time to double-check your signing. I think that this course might not be as enjoyable if you are taking it to just receive a language credit. I believe that you have to really have an interest in learning it for beyond that reason, and then the course would be/feel much more doable. As for Professor Pirone’s character, I would say he is a very kind, accommodating, and understanding professor. He wants to help you and maximize your learning in 4 weeks. He has 1:1 feedback sessions on Zoom that are optional to sign up for and he will tell you what he notices are your weaknesses and how you can improve. I thought this was very nice for him to arrange. Overall this course was a great experience despite the intense workload.

This course is definitely intensive, but honestly it is mainly based on effort. It was hard in the sense that there was a lot of homework/worksheets, practice problems, quizzes, video-recordings, and comprehension exams for each unit. There are only three Units for the month, and although it requires you to sit down for hours to fini …Read more

This ASL course has been overwhelmingly frustrating and, honestly, the worst J-term I’ve ever taken. The volume of assignments, quizzes, and required videos is extremely high for such a short term, leaving very little time to actually absorb, practice, and memorize the material in a meaningful way. Instead of supporting language learning, the pace feels rushed and stressful, making it difficult to retain signs or build confidence in comprehension. While I understand that J-term courses are intensive by nature, this class prioritizes constant assessment over learning, which has made the experience more exhausting than educational.

This ASL course has been overwhelmingly frustrating and, honestly, the worst J-term I’ve ever taken. The volume of assignments, quizzes, and required videos is extremely high for such a short term, leaving very little time to actually absorb, practice, and memorize the material in a meaningful way. Instead of supporting language lear …Read more