Expectations – What do I already know?
I think the course will be good as it is produced by RAI – a prestigious Italian broadcasting group, but at the same time I am not a strong believer in language learning with computers only, as a lot of the learning of a language is done by observing visual cues and pronunciation must be very clear for the learner to be able to interpret words and imitate the tone quality and accent to produce an authentic sound when speaking.
Written Italian also may be difficult to teach over the internet as no personalisation of content can occur. Learners may be left with gaps in their knowledge, as mistakes may not be corrected in a way that allows learners to fully understand what they did incorrectly.
Pronunciation will also go uncorrected and learners may also be at risk of skipping over questions or topics that they find too difficult.
The course also may get a little tedious after two hours or more as most of the format of lessons will be the same and learners may get bored if the level is too easy or frustrated if the level is too hard. Starting at an advanced level without an indication of what the expectations of an advanced students’ knowledge makes it difficult for learners to form expectations that are positive.
