Syllabus
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The document provides details about the structure and methodology of an online language learning course. It estimates the course will take between 60-90 hours to complete. Students will take a placement test to determine their level and have up to 12 months to finish. The course consists of sequential units that include exercises, dialogues, and tests to check progress. It is recommended students participate in weekly speaking practice sessions in virtual classrooms or with a tutor. Various supplemental materials like an audiobook, forums, and apps are also available to support student learning.
Syllabus
- 1. Curriculum Duration of the course The recommended minimum of hours to pass the course successfully is estimated between 60 and 90 hours. The amount of hours may vary depending on the student. Although students generally need more hours, especially if they participate in one of the weekly speaking practices suggested in the curriculum. The student can do lessons and revise the course for as long as they need to for the duration of the course. Level Test At the beginning of the course, the student will take an online written placement test to see what level they should be enrolled in, this level is based on their grammar, writing and understanding skills. End of the course and final evaluation The course end date is set by the customer and always with a duration of not more than twelve months. The student will be evaluated at the end of the course. For up to 12 months after completing the course, students can continue practicing, reviewing and enjoying all resources but their grades will not be altered. Our tutors will continue being available to a student but any correction or attendance will not be registered after the end date of the course. Structure of the course The different units repeat the same structure in every course: Units of linguistic immersion The course is sequentially structured. It is recommended to do the course step by step following the sequenced units but it can be done in the order one wants to do it. Progress Test About every 5 units there´s an exercise assignment to check the learning progress. After these exercises, it is recommended to do a speaking practice. Speaking practice It is recommended to participate in a study group or a conversation class at least once a week. There are two different types of practice available for the students: the virtual classroom Study Group where one can talk to other students and the Let’s Talk classes to converse with a native English speaking tutor. Units Writing and Speaking Lab Throughout the course students will find units called “Writing and Speaking Lab” which include dialogues with a free form writing and speaking part. These
- 2. exercises will be corrected by the tutors and sent to the students with personalized comments and feedback. Dialogues and typical situations The units include dialogues and typical situations so that students can practice structures that will be useful for the practice of the target language. These are audio recordings recorded in the native countries and spoken by native speakers. Dexway channel and Karaoke Through the dexway channel there is audiovisual material provided so that learning a language will be entertaining. It even has a karaoke mode that includes current songs to practice in a fun and entertaining way and hear the vocabulary and structures used in different ways. Final exercise of the course At the end of the course there will be a final test. If students do not feel confident about taking the test yet, they can go back and revise the course completely or in parts to better prepare for the test. English course The English course has two versions: British English and American English. The student has to choose the one he or she wants to get enrolled onto. The placement test will be for the version chosen by the student, as well as the partial and final tests. But throughout the course, students can switch back and forth between the two dialects to gain confidence speaking with various English language speakers. APP Tablet, dual use If students have a tablet PC like an iPad or Android device, all the same options and functions are available here as on their PC. Students can use both their tablet and PC, all progress is saved in the course and not on individual portals. Although one should take into account that evaluation or exercises done on a tablet must be carried out when there is an Internet connection on that device. It is recommended to use a Wifi connection to install the units. Course methodology Units The initial units of each course are designed to get the student involved in the course in an easy way. Although they learn new vocabulary at all times, the course grows with the student’s progress and especially the Writing and Speaking Lab where the student should be prepared and able to structure their reply and express themselves in free dialogues. Let’s Talk classes and Study Group make it much easier to complete the Writing and Speaking Labs because students have already practiced speaking. The course is incrementally structured. We recommend doing it unit by unit although students can choose to do it for skills or competencies. This is the most advisable way when students want to revise the previous units improving only those skills that the they want to enhance.
- 3. Please remember that not all parts of the course are designed to be evaluated. In many cases the student does practices only in the beginning without being evaluated. The course shows in open access mode for competencies what parts are being evaluated. Speaking practice It is generally recommended to participate at least once a week in one of the two speaking practice activities available for the students: in a virtual classroom Study Group or in a Let’s Talk class. Virtual Classrooms Study Group These rooms are there to practice speaking with other students. There are two types of study groups available; programmed by the tutors or student initiated. Weekly programmed by the teacher This allows conversation practice between students. These Study Groups are convoked by the tutors. The tutors will invite students weekly via email on a certain day and time to participate. Our system automatically does an association of the students as they access the room, and groups together students when they enter into a Study Group. The levels or criteria of association of the students for each proposed practice are determined by the teacher for each session. If the student wishes to remain anonymous, they do not need to activate their webcam, no photo of them is required and an avatar can be customized and chosen in place of a photo. Tutors are responsible for attending and supervising the success and the smooth running of the Study Group session. Student initiated In addition to the Study Group sessions that are set up by the tutors with a certain date, time and topic of conversation, the student can get in touch with other students as often as he or she wants. In these cases they have to wait for another student requesting contact. The system will notify when to start the conversation. In this case the tutor can supervise sporadically or randomly the meetings. But in any case they should not stay in the room more than 5 minutes. As mentioned above, when a student enters into a study group, they will be matched up with other online students in Study Group. Let’s Talk classes There are conversational classes Let’s Talk with native tutors available for students upon availability. Students can view class times and topics on the platform and enrol into the class. If the student wishes to remain anonymous, they do not need to activate their webcam, no photo of them is required and an avatar can be customized and chosen in place of a photo.
- 4. Let’s Talk classes are limited to a maximum of six students per class, are available at different times of the day and for the students of a course or level. The times for these unlimited classes vary and are set up according to the usual time when the students work on the units of the course. Let’s Talk Supplementary Service There is the option of subscribing for both individual and groups, scheduled during the course. These classes are set at the start of the course with days and times and are integrated into the curriculum so that it will be compulsory for a certain number of practice hours that will help set the work pace and ensure the progress of the course. At the beginning of the course, the student and the teacher agree on the dates and times for the practice sessions and it is then programmed into the platform where the student can see for what part of the curriculum the practice sessions are programmed. If the student wishes to remain anonymous, they do not need to activate their webcam, no photo of them is required and an avatar can be customized and chosen in place of a photo. Manual for the grammar of the course There is the complete course guide available at the start of the units on the student website. Students can also get only the part of the manual for a specific unit they are working on when logged into that unit. Audiobook in MP3 As a supplement, there is an audiobook available on the dexway Community website, with sound in MP3 format for the whole course. APP Vocabulary If students have an iPhone/Android device, they can download the vocabulary application to practice vocabulary on their phone. Dexway Community Forum Take advantage of the community by participating in the forums. Every week we add a new topic! APP Facebook If a student is a Facebook user, they can invite people from the community using video conferences and digital whiteboard to practice the language they are learning. Magazine
- 5. From the course, students can access our magazine which has interesting articles about various topics tailored to the student´s level. Remember… Online dictionary Place the cursor on a word in the course and students will see the explanation in the dictionary. Assistance of doubts and inquiries The course has a contact section for support, questions and inquiries that is available on the website and in the units. Students can contact a tutor in the target language of the course, be attended by text and voice (*in case of an inquiry in the mother tongue of the student the reply could take 24 hours), or by virtual classroom one2one, with only one click they will be attended by a tutor in the target language of the course. (*The maximum time for assisting a one2one inquiry is 5 minutes. For inquiries of more than 5 minutes an email text/voice should be used.) For any ongoing operating or technical issues, we recommend sending an email, and not one2one assistance, students can write in their mother tongue or their target language.