Though at a distance, all courses have a "face-to-face" aspect. Using computers and webcams in synchronous online lessons, allows for the active participation of students and interaction with the teachers.
Students can also study at their own pace, through additional lessons and materials available online (asynchronous learning).
Each student can personalize his/her learning path choosing from an array of language, conversation, culture, specialist or advanced course options.
The courses include:
- daily contact between students and teachers
- constant monitoring and support of students by the teacher
- collaborative learning through interactive tools (chats, forums, etc.)
Institutions, associations and companies can request customized courses, with the duration and content tailored to their needs.
Italian Language Courses
Conforming to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), courses are divided into elementary (A1-A2), intermediate (B1-B2) and advanced (C1-C2) levels. Each level is further divided into 3 progressive levels.
The month-long classes are activated with a minimum of 5 students and a maximum of 12 students to maximize participation.
At the end of a course, after passing a final examination, students can enroll in the next level course.
Weekly schedule
| Lessons | Synchronous hours | Asynchronous guided learning hours |
|---|---|---|
| Basic competences | 5 | 2 |
| Practice | 4 | 2 |
| Phonetics | 1 | 1 |
| Total hours per week | 10 | 5 |
Synchronous lessons last 2 hours and take place every day from Monday to Friday.
Each synchronous lesson lasts 50 minutes.
Timetable of synchronous lessons
Students will be provided with the final timetable once assigned to a class, taking into account the different time zones, where possible.
Please consider that all lesson times are shown in local Italian time and that they may be subject to variations.
| Students connecting from Eastern or European countries | Students connecting from Western or European countries | |
|---|---|---|
| All levels ( A, B, C) |
from Monday to Friday 9:00 - 9:50 10:00 - 10:50* |
|
| Levels A and B | from Monday to Friday 15:00 - 15:50 16:00 - 16:50 |
|
| Level C |
from Monday to Friday |
* On Thursdays C2 level lessons will end at 11:50.
** On Mondays C2 level lessons will start at 17:00.
Entrance test
Applicants must take an entrance test in order to be admitted to the course.
The test is compulsory for all levels and takes place within two days before the beginning of the course (see (course calendar).
Course fees
The registration fee for every course is 300 euros.
Certificate of attendance
The courses end with a final assessment test. Upon student's request, and only after verification by the secretary's office of the regularity of attendance at the course (at least 70% of lessons), a certificate of attendance can be issued.
Certificate of proficiency in Italian language
Students can obtain the certificate of proficiency in Italian only upon completion of the 3 progressive stages of each level.
| A1 | A2 | B1 | B2 | C1 | C2 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1.1 | A1.2 | A1.3 | A2.1 | A2.2 | A2.3 | B1.1 | B1.2 | B1.3 | B2.1 | B2.2 | B2.3 | C1.1 | C1.2 | C1.3 | C2.1 | C2.2 | C2.3 |
At C1 and C2 level courses students can obtain the certificate of proficiency in Italian only if they attend 3 language courses until the completion of the level as well as 2 cultural courses for at least 3 months.
| C1 | C2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1.1 | C1.2 | C1.3 | C2.1 | C2.2 | C2.3 |
| 2 Culture Courses | |||||
Students can choose among the Italian culture courses offered.
The final exam will verify the linguistic and cultural skills and competences acquired during the course.
Admission to the tests and final exams
At the end of each language course and after passing a final assessment test, students will be able to enroll in the next course.
In order to be admitted to the monthly tests or to the final exams, students must attend at least 70% of the course.
Course Calendar
| Course Dates 2020 | Entry Test |
|---|---|
| April 22 - May 20 | April 20 - 21 |
| May 25 - June 19 | May 21 - 22 |
| June 24 - Juny 22 | June 22 - 23 |
| July 27 - August 21 | July 16 - 17 |
| August 26 - September 23 | August 17 - 18 |
| September 28 - October 23 | September 17 - 18 |
| October 28 - November 25 | October 19 - 20 |
| November 30 - December 22 | November 19 - 20 |
Class Holidays
| May 1 |
| June 2 |
| August 15 |
| November 1 |
| December 8 |
| December 24 - January 1 (Christmas Holidays) |
Technical requirements
- Operating systems: MS Windows (XP or later), Linux, Mac OS X.
- Browser: Chrome (recommended), Mozilla Firefox (recommended), Safari, Opera. For any browser you must enable cookies and Javascript.
- Hardware: audio microphone and webcam. We recommend headphones with built-in microphone.
Once registered the student will receive an email address through which he or she can join the virtual classes of the courses.