Benvenuti e Benvenute! (Welcome!) In this language course you will learn the four basic skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) in the context of major themes in Italian culture. By the end of the course you will be able to describe people, events and situations, both in the present and the past, and you will have acquired the necessary vocabulary to communicate about everyday situations. This course offers a variety of tools to help you learn “ la lingua del sì ” in different ways: Situational videos (called Ciak! , which means “clapperboard” in Italian): you will follow eight Italian students in their daily lives and interactions on our campus. What a great way to learn authentic conversational Italian! Downloadable Podcasts: become a participant in each Ciak! video and practice Italian when and where you want on your portable device! Grammar charts, with or without audio files: study and review grammar through concise, clear and downloadable pdf files, and practice pronunciation with our embedded audio files. Short video lessons: as if in a real classroom, learn each new topic with the instructor’s direct guidance. Video interviews: learn from various native speakers as they talk about different aspects of Italian culture. Short “ Letture ” (readings): practice reading comprehension while learning about Italian culture. Discussion board: your chance to communicate (in Italian!) with other students on a variety of suggested topics. Ready to test your skills? Practice and review with a variety of self-correcting activities. Italian culture is also an integral part of this course. Through our interviews and readings you will learn about: daily life in a small hill town in Northern Italy; major differences between Italian and American universities; Italian films that won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film; summer vacations in Italy; Italian cuisine. Whether you are a traditional, visual or auditory learner, you will find the tools that best fit your unique way to learn a foreign language. After completing this course, continue learning Italian with Italian Language and Culture: Intermediate and Italian Language and Culture: Advanced. Buon divertimento!
An excellent online course offered by edX: how it works
edX courses consist of weekly learning sequences. Each learning sequence is composed of short videos interspersed with interactive learning exercises, where students can immediately practise the concepts from the videos. The courses often include tutorial videos that are similar to small on-campus discussion groups, an online textbook, and an online discussion forum where students can post and review questions and comments to each other and teaching assistants. Where applicable, online laboratories are incorporated into the course.
edX offers certificates of successful completion and some courses are credit-eligible. Whether or not a college or university offers credit for an online course is within the sole discretion of the school. edX offers a variety of ways to take courses, including verified courses where students have the option to audit the course (no cost) or to work toward an edX Verified Certificate (fees vary by course). edX also offers XSeries Certificates for completion of a bundled set of two to seven verified courses in a single subject (cost varies depending on the courses).
An edX learning programme under Other Experiences