Em Casalena
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Champagne Chinese Lessons on a Beer Budget! 5 Affordable Mandarin MOOCs
There’s nothing like getting a sweet bargain.
Don’t you just want to brag to all your friends when you find that perfect trendy sweater for half off?
Can you ever resist slapping a coupon on the table when it’s time for the check?
Of course, the more valuable your purchase, the better your bargain.
And what’s more valuable to Chinese learners than expert-taught, university-level language courses?
You can get them affordably (sometimes even for free!) with Mandarin MOOCs.
MOOC sounds like a weird alien word, or maybe something a pissed off cow would yell—but it stands for Massive Open Online Course. It refers to an online course that anyone can sign up for, often provided by universities and other educational institutions.
They come with their own schedules and guidelines, but generally speaking, you’ll be communicating with professors and classmates just like you would in a regular online college course. We’ll show you five great options that Mandarin learners can start exploring today!
Be warned: MOOCs are intensive. If you’re looking for a more casual online Chinese course, then a MOOC may not be for you. These types of classes are ideal for beginner, intermediate or advanced Chinese learners who want to do some serious work to kick their language skills up a level.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
The Benefits of Taking a Mandarin MOOC
- Many of them are free or low-cost. MOOCs vary widely, but for the most part they tend to be less expensive than a traditional college course, especially from a university.
- MOOCs are excellent alternatives to traditional college online classes. Because of the open nature of MOOCs, you usually don’t have to jump through hoops to be able to take the class. Rarely are application forms, placement tests or credit requirements ever needed to join a MOOC.
- Because there are more students and teachers involved, tutoring and peer support are much more readily available. Say goodbye to being in the dark! Think of a MOOC as a more “communal” form of the typical online college course.
- MOOCs are fun to take. Learn Chinese at every level towards travel-ready fluency while meeting networking connections and fellow Chinese learners? Sign me up.
- There’s no pressure when it comes to grades or failing. Those who enroll in MOOCs generally do so for the knowledge. In this case, one would enroll in a MOOC for its reputation as a great tool for learning Chinese. If you want or need college credits, then maybe a traditional college course would be preferable (although some of the courses below do have academic credit options).
Bring the Classroom to You: The 5 Best MOOCs for Mandarin Learners
Peking University: Intermediate Chinese Grammar
This 12-week course from Peking University is fantastic for intermediate and advanced learners to perfect their Chinese grammar. Students should already have a hefty stockpile of Chinese vocabulary and should be comfortable with course content delivered in Chinese.
What’s taught:
- Complex Chinese grammar concepts
- Syntax, semantics and pragmatics in Chinese
- Ways to improve reading, writing, speaking and even translating with quickness and fluency
Shanghai Jiao Tong University: Chinese for Beginners
Shanghai Jiao Tong University is a revered school that offers in-depth MOOCs for learning Mandarin Chinese. Their beginner course is heavy on the details.
This five-week course focuses on getting you ready for basic real-life situations in Chinese. You can expect to learn 150 words by the end of the course, and can earn a certificate of completion. If you prefer to learn by example and want to focus on verbal proficiency in Chinese, then this MOOC may be worth checking out.
What’s taught:
- 150 words
- 20 language concepts
- Real-life conversational tutoring
You’ll have access to lesson materials as soon as you enroll, but you’ll need to wait for the next formal class session (offered regularly) to take advantage of teacher support and peer reviews.
This course is offered through another well-known MOOC platform called Coursera.
What’s great about Coursera are the virtual classroom tools like interactive textbooks, subtitles in dozens of languages and more. Coursera classes, which are provided by major educational institutions, are also easily accessible on mobile devices so you can truly learn anywhere. There are a number of Chinese courses for beginners, HSK prep and more.
Tsinghua University: Start Talking with 1.3 Billion People
Another fantastic self-paced course in Chinese would definitely be this introductory language course from Tsinghua University.
This class is split into themes including dialogue, Chinese characters, listening comprehension, music and a nice wrap-up section called Tea Time. It’s especially designed for students interested in learning Mandarin for business or academic purposes.
What’s taught:
- Colloquial Chinese vocabulary
- Practical Mandarin expressions with context
- Listening skills for added fluency
- Some basic Chinese characters
- Resources for following this course alone
As we mentioned, this course is self-paced so you can enroll at any time. Oh, did we mention that it’s free as well? You can add a certificate of completion for a $49 fee if you please.
World Mentoring Academy: Mandarin Chinese
Don’t be put off by the World Mentoring Academy website, which frankly looks a bit fishy at first glance. In reality, this MOOC collective offers inexpensive or free courses for those planning on going to college to help round out their skills beforehand. Additionally, this particular course is recommended for diplomats or government employees that travel to Mandarin-speaking countries.
New York University’s School of Professional Studies accepts this course in the form of credits, but other universities may not. Google+ Hangouts are used for student-teacher interactions.
What’s taught:
- Formal and informal speaking
- Mandarin Chinese basics of writing, reading and speaking
- College credit prep resources
- Vocabulary
- Info on life in China
World Mentoring Academy: Mandarin Chinese MIT
So what’s the difference between the regular World Mentoring Academy Mandarin Chinese course and the MIT variety?
This course is a bit more intensive and condenses the four-semester pace of a typical two-year college program. This course is meant to get beginners up to an HSK 3 level of speaking, understanding, reading and writing in Chinese.
There are also various cultural learning sections and a crash course on how to properly (and quickly) learn a language.
What’s taught:
- Basics of reading, writing and speaking in Mandarin Chinese at a high-speed level
- Chinese culture and history
How cool are MOOCs? If you’re passionate about learning functional Chinese and don’t really care about getting a piece of paper that says you did it, MOOCs can be a great option. Plus, they’re steadily growing and expanding. What do you have to lose?
And One More Thing...
If you want to continue learning Chinese with interactive and authentic Chinese content, then you'll love FluentU.
FluentU naturally eases you into learning Chinese language. Native Chinese content comes within reach, and you'll learn Chinese as it's spoken in real life.
FluentU has a wide range of contemporary videos—like dramas, TV shows, commercials and music videos.
FluentU brings these native Chinese videos within reach via interactive captions. You can tap on any word to instantly look it up. All words have carefully written definitions and examples that will help you understand how a word is used. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.
FluentU's Learn Mode turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you're learning.
The best part is that FluentU always keeps track of your vocabulary. It customizes quizzes to focus on areas that need attention and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a 100% personalized experience.
Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
