XuetangX moocs

[Luxi]

 

 

XuetangX is China's moocs platform. It was started by Tsinghua University in partnership with edX, and follows the edX format which you might know from Harvard's ChinaX series and other moocs. Although only 3 years old, it already boasts over 5 million students and, in many ways, seems to have surpassed its parent edX in content and scope, especially after a recent revamp.

 

https://www.class-central.com/report/xuetangx/

 

Registration in XuetangX is open to all. I registered from the UK in 2014 without any problems...other than the fact that everything is in Chinese  - I confess to have turned to Google Translate for help.

 

One can go the informal self-study route (自主模式), or, presumably (though I'm not familiar with this) venture into the Study Certificate option. From what I've seen, the assignments and requirements for a certificate are much more demanding than any mooc I've seen in other platforms, not surprisingly XuetangX moocs can be used as credit towards a University degree in China.

 

The 自主模式 is easy-going and one can enjoy the lectures and discussions at one's own pace and lurking in the background, or abandon without being noticed if it turns too difficult to follow. Several moocs still lack the "自主模式' button but they offer the option to register for the classes only, which amounts to the same thing. 

 

There are hundreds of courses on all subjects and to suit all tastes and more keep on being added. Here are the current History and Literature courses.  It is a great resource to study both the subject of the mooc from a top expert in the field, as well as Chinese.

 

http://www.xuetangx.com/courses?credential=0&page_type=0&cid=130&process=0&org=0&course_mode=0

 

http://www.xuetangx.com/courses?credential=0&page_type=0&cid=129&process=0&org=0&course_mode=0

 

Lectures, assignments and discussions are all in Chinese, therefore a fairly advanced level is required, HSK6 most probably. However, at least in the new courses the video lectures now have Chinese subtitles (simplified characters), which should enable people in an upper intermediate level.   

A tip:  placing the subtitles on the side of the screen allows one to copy the lot and paste it onto a text document, which can be manipulated to study the text and learn the unfamiliar characters.. 

 

I just started 中国古代礼义文明（上), by Professor Peng Lin, the same one who taught the courses on Chinese Archaeological and Historical Relics in edX the last 2 years, he's a truly wonderful and very knowledgeable teacher. 

 

Edited to add the link to Prof. Peng Lin's mooc, and mention that I just found a mooc on wine appreciation in English (with Chinese subs)  

http://www.xuetangx.com/courses/course-v1:AdelaideX+Wine101x+sp/about

[vellocet]

This would be great if anyone knew what a moocs was.

[Shelley]

Massive open online courses.

[Luxi]

Vellocet, MOOCs are university courses, usually a few weeks in duration, given entirely on-line and open to anyone who wants to enroll. All you need is an internet connection.

 

These are often free, though some are paid, and others offer a free audit only option but require a fee to issue an optional certificate of completion. There are hundreds of MOOCs on all kinds of subjects and from numerous universities around the world, most are in English. This page  may give you an idea and several links to explore.

 

A good example is Harvard University's ChinaX series of modules on Chinese history and civilization, that you may have seen mentioned in these forums. Now running as 'self-paced' modules in case anyone is interested.