Luxi Posted May 30, 2017 at 10:06 AM Report Share Posted May 30, 2017 at 10:06 AM The Moocs (massive open online courses) platform Coursera is now offering 2 specializations for beginners preparing for the HSK exams 1 to 3. One is by Jiao Tong University: Learn Mandarin Chinese Specialization The other by Beijing University: Chinese HSK Test Preparation Specialization They both have published full details of the courses content, class structure and objectives. Both offer a 7 days free trial with access to all the online material, giving students a good chance to 'see and try before you buy', a must, since both Institutions appear to cover the same ground. You will have to register with Coursera to be able to try, Coursera's specializations are not free. The price quoted to students from Britain is £39 per month (with access to all the material), but registering for individual courses may be cheaper, and the courses may offer a Free Audit option, this used to be a standard but now it's up to the individual course organizer. There's a possibility to get financial aid from Coursera. You'll get all the information when you register with the platform. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
艾墨本 Posted May 30, 2017 at 10:53 AM Report Share Posted May 30, 2017 at 10:53 AM Great news! I hope the opportunity to study HSK online inspires more people to study Chinese. The world needs more people that can access China's content directly and see for themselves the kind of place it is (as opposed to filtered through the news and anecdotal stories). 47 minutes ago, Luxi said: he courses may offer a Free Audit option, this used to be a standard but now it's up to the individual course organizer While I'm disappointed to hear this change, I'm not surprised and does make sense. I hope institutions make the "right" choice and continue offering the opportunity to learn for the sake of learning for free. More learning will just make the world a better place. More money on the other hand... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luxi Posted May 30, 2017 at 11:06 AM Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2017 at 11:06 AM I just checked now on these courses, all the individual courses in the 2 specializations still have a free Audit option, good news! Students will have to enroll in each individual course, rather than in the Specialization. In some cases, access to the assignments and peer-reviewed practice may actually be worth paying the extra, especially for those preparing for the exams on their own. All these platforms seem to be slowly going towards offering valid academic certificates. Some unis already offer Master degrees via Moocs, not cheap, but much cheaper and more accessible than the Campus option. With these Chinese HSK 'specializations', they may be considering a fully on-line HSK test and certificate, at least at the lower levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
艾墨本 Posted May 30, 2017 at 11:24 AM Report Share Posted May 30, 2017 at 11:24 AM 13 minutes ago, Luxi said: Some unis already offer Master degrees via Moocs, not cheap, but much cheaper and more accessible than the Campus option. Perhaps, but the difficult of keeping up motivation during a MOOC-based degree is very difficult. Graduation rates from online programs are also very low, like 10%. I'm looking at you University of Phoenix. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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