How to Use the ACCUPLACER TUTORING System

How to Use the ACCUPLACER TUTORING SystemThe ACCUPLACER TUTORING SYSTEM consists of two parts; the TUTORIALS which train your students to use the ACCUPLACER and the PLATFORM which provide access to the TUTORIALS. The platform is a place where you can post and distribute all your classes, you can also host and provide resources that can help you organize, schedule and manage your classes. The platform also allows for the distribution of resources and the provision of the software, which in turn allows you to keep an eye on how well your students are doing.The two parts of the ACCUPLACER provide you with an opportunity to manage the tutoring sessions. The instructional workbook that comes with the ACCUPLACER is divided into three sections - Time management, Study skills and Learning attitudes. Each section has two chapters that cover a different aspect of the course. The study guide, which is an interactive training program, enables you to assess your students and gets your students to learn and apply what they have learned in their regular classes.The ACCUPLACER system was designed with ease of use and accessibility in mind. It requires minimal maintenance and helps you in providing classes which can be done at your own convenience. The ACCUPLACER TUTORIALS includes both instructional and teaching material and practice tests that help you assess the students' knowledge level. A variety of topics from which you can choose are covered by the ACCUPLACER, including: early childhood education, independent living, and learning disabilities.Online tutoring has really taken off. With the growing popularity of online classes and online learning, many schools and universities have started to offer online learning courses. The ACCUPLACER also lets you offer classes that are entirely online. The ACCUPLACER system is now being used by some institutions such as a college or university, which has made it possible for them to offer their online programs and classes.If you have to set up an online classroom then you need to make sure that the platform is secure. This is particularly important when you have students who may access the internet. The website should be password protected and have a firewall in place so that any students who access the internet can be identified.To avoid detection of inappropriate behaviour by students, you need to get access to a student ID card so that you can monitor the classroom monitors. In order to maintain control over the student usage, you need to provide a name tag so that any students can be identified. These ID cards can be obtained from the vendor who provides the ACCUPLACER.ACCUPLACER TUTORING gives you the opportunity to manage the entire class, you can also post the schedules to help you determine how students are progressing with the classes. The ACCUPLACER system is secure, well structured and it gives you the opportunity to set up your own course which can be delivered at your own convenience. You can keep y ourself updated about the progress of your students and can then provide them with the resources that they need to do well.

3 Common Back-to-School Issuesand How to Address Them

3 Common Back-to-School Issuesâ€"and How to Address Them For many elementary school students, the start of the school year is an exciting time to reconnect with friends and teachers, and to resume learning. Yet, after a long summer off, the exciting return to school is also a time when many classroom issues emerge. If you dont address these challenges early on, its possible theyll become more challenging to your student as time goes on. So its helpful to help them as soon as you can. If your elementary school student is having a hard time getting into the swing of a new year, read on. Here are three common back-to-school issues and advice on how to address them. Back-to-school issue #1: Forming few friendships The classroom is a wonderful place to make friends. However, for some students, making friends can be tricky. Students who are shy or who have just moved to a new school district might struggle to make friends in what can sometimes seem like a sea of strangers. If your student is struggling to make friends, you might notice that he or she doesnt ask to visit other childrens homes or to bring other children over. Your students teacher may mention to you that they notice your student doesnt interact much with his or her classmates, or you may observe as much when you pick your student up from school or the bus. Encouragebut dont forceyour student to form friendships. You can encourage healthy friendships by being a good model for friendly social behavior and reinforcing when your child takes interest in his or her peers. You can also set up playdates with parents you know. [RELATED: Tips for Helping Children Change Schools] Back-to-school issue #2: Struggling with academics Some grade jumps in elementary school seem larger than others. For example, an elementary student can expect more homework in fifth grade than in fourth grade. Academics slowly grow more rigorous over the elementary school years, and it becomes increasingly common for some students to fall behind. Your elementary school student might be struggling with academics if he or she tries to avoid doing homework, or comes home with poor grades. Chances are, your students teacher will notify you when he or she notices your child has fallen behind. To help your student keep up, positively reinforce studying for quizzes and tests, and doing homework. Praise your student when he or she gets good grades, and encourage him or her to continue working to improve if his or her grades are not where they should be. If your student is having a hard time keeping up, talk to your students teacher. He or she may recommend a screening for a learning difference, or recommend a private tutor. [RELATED: 3 Benefits of Tutoring for Students With Learning Differences] Back-to-school issue #3: Displaying boredom While some students struggle to keep up in the classroom, others are so far ahead that they become easily bored and under-stimulated by classroom activities. When students become bored, their effort levels may drop. They may even become distracting in the classroom by acting out. You may notice your student is bored if he or she only talks negatively about school. Your childs teacher may also tell you that he or she is distracting other students. If your student is breezing through his or her academic work, you may want to chat with his or her teacher to see if your child can be given advanced work. Adding extracurricular activities can also make school seem less boring, and can give your student new skills and the chance to make new friends. Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.

Acing the MCAT - Test Day, Here You Come

Acing the MCAT - Test Day, Here You Come MCAT Medical School Admissions The day has finally come and now all those hours spent nose to page are going to pay off. But how do we minimize stress and anxiety in order to maximize all of the time we spent in preparation. This post is intended to give you an overview on what to expect on test day. Because being prepared for what you will encounter, in addition to content, will help reduce stress and help you achieve your target score. The regulations surrounding the testing environment can accelerate the already growing butterfly swarm forming in the pits of the students on test day. Here are the things to expect and ways to overcome and challenge they pose. First, if you haven’t taken a COMPUTER BASED practice test do so immediately. The AAMC practice tests are obviously highly recommended as they are written in the same style, with the same amount of passages and by the people who write the actual MCAT. All MCATs are now computer based, an understanding and familiarity with the tools you are provided on the computer is essential to achieving your target score. Next, you need an understanding or familiarity with both your test center and the protocols for checking in on the day of your MCAT. Despite the fact that every test center is different you can use these general guidelines and tips to help with the stress the test center. If you have been forced to go outside of your area to take the test we recommend visiting your site before taking your test. With all you have on your mind directions to your test center is one thing you shouldn’t have to worry about. When you do get into your test center, preferably 15 minutes early, understand you will be put in a room with other, nervous students. Putting in your headphones and listening to music can help you focus on your test and not the mountain of nervous energy in the room. When you are called to your testing room you will first be fingerprinted. No you will not have your background checked, but every time you leave the room you will have your print taken on the way out and the way in. Sub sequently, you will be asked to put everything you have with you in a locker. Keep only your I.D., which will be used to get in and out of the test room. The proctor will then check all of your pockets to make sure. You cannot bring any phones, food, phones, books, purses, hats or into the testing room. O.K., test time. You will be in a room with 10-20 students in individual computer cubicles. You will be given 2 pencils a stack of scratch paper and possibly earplugs. Some people like earplugs when taking tests to eliminate background noise, some don’t. Go with what you’re comfortable with, but know that the proctor will stagger start times for the test so people will be getting up intermittently throughout the test. Next, go through the tutorial. For those prepared students who have taken AAMC computer based practice exams, this may seem unnecessary but if your computer has something wrong with it from a sticky key to a broken mouse it is better to catch it here than during the physical sciences section. First up is the Physical Sciences section, 70 minutes, 52 questions, 13 discrete questions and 7 passages. Afterwards, you will be given a 10-minute break. During your break eat something, drink something and go to the bathroom. The test is 5 hours long! Snacks to keep your energy up, fluids to keep you hydrated and frequent bathroom visits will keep your question-answering mind firing. Then comes Verbal Reasoning, 60 minutes, 40 questions, 7 passages, followed by another break. The writing sample is next, 2 essays 30 minuets each. Again during the writing sample knowing what word processing functions that are available on the actual MCAT will give you an advantage, so take those practice tests. Finally, you have the Biological Sciences section, 70 min, 52 questions, 13 discrete questions and 7 passages. And then it’s time to relax, at least until your applications are due… For more information on taking the MCAT and rules and regulations surrounding the test visit https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/

Silent Letters Pronunciation Made Easy

Silent Letters Pronunciation Made Easy English is semi-phonetic, which means that the way a word is spelled can give clues to its pronunciation but can also be quite misleading. Often, the pronunciation of a word can be very different to what you might predict based on its spelling. One way English is semi-phonetic is the use of silent letters. Silent B We never pronounced the b in crumb. We stopped pronouncing the b in thumb and dumb before the Modern period. limb crumb dumbplumbercomb bomb thumbclimb tomb debt debtor doubt doubtful subtlesubtleness Silent D handkerchief Wednesday sandwich handsome Silent E atehope drive gave write sitehidebite The e is silent but it has an effect on the preceding vowel GH as F (not silent but weird) roughtoughlaughenoughcoughcloughdraught Silent K We stopped pronouncing the k at the beginning of words in the 17th century. knifekneeknowknockknowledgeknead Silent M The silentmin the Greek wordmnemonicwas never pronounced in English. mnemonic Silent N Then in words like autumn and column have never been pronounced in English, but reflect the original French spelling. autumnhymncolumnsolemn Silent P Thep in pneumonia has never been pronounced in English. However, thep in words likepsyche and psychologywere pronounced by educated people until the 18th century. psychiatristpneumoniapneumaticpsychotherapypsychoticpsychologistpseudonym Silent T Thet afters orf and beforeen stopped being pronounced in the Early Modern period. Thetat the end of words likerapport, gourmet,andballet reflect the French spelling and pronunciation. castlesoftenhastenfastenlistenoftenChristmaswhistlethistlebustlewrestlerapportgourmetballet Silent C musclescissorsascentmiscellaneousfascinatescenario Silent G The silentg after a vowel and before anm or ann comes from the French and Latin spellings of these words. They were never pronounced in English. champagneforeignsignfeigndesignaligncognacgnatgnaw Silent GH boughtthoughtdroughtthoroughboroughdaughterlightmightsighrightfightweighweight Silent H By the end of the 19th century, the only words in which it was permissible to drop thehand not be considered a defect of pronunciation were the loan wordshonest,honour,heir, andhour. Words likeherb,humour, andhumblecan be heard pronounced with a silenthdepending on the region in American English. honesthonourheirhourwhatwhenwherewhetherwhy Silent L We stopped pronouncing the L after a and before f, v, or k after the Middle English period. calmhalfwalkwouldshouldcouldcalfsalmonyolkchalkbalm Silent S islandisleislet Silent U guessguidanceguitarguestguildguard Silent W The w before r was no longer pronounced after the mid-16th century. The w after s in sword stopped being pronounced after the mid-17th century. wrapwritewrongwringwreckwrestlewristwhowhomwholewhoevertwoswordanswer The history of silent letters provided above comes fromWhy is English Like That? by Norbert Schmitt and Richard Marsden. If you are interested, you can buy it here. The two vowels illustration was drawn for me byNerio Byung Hyun Son in 2016. Learn to pronounce words with silent letters using text-to-speech The Easy Way to Learn to Pronounce Silent Letters Learning Activity Instructions:Try to pronounce the words listed above. Use the text-to-speech widget on theVirtualWritingTutor.comto check the pronunciation of the words you are not sure of. Please follow and like us:

Irvine Tutoring Five Ways to Get Your Kid to Love Reading

Irvine Tutoring Five Ways to Get Your Kid to Love Reading Tips from an Irvine English Tutor: Five ways to get your kid to love reading Reading is such an integral part of a young child’s ongoing education, and they will do better in nearly every academic subject if they love reading from an early age. Unfortunately, reading is one of the most difficult academic tasks a young child will face and sometimes the frustration leads them to dislike the activity altogether. Luckily, there are tons of ways to get your kid to love reading during that crucial period when they decide whether or not they are going to love school or hate it our private Irvine . 1. A picture is worth 1,000 words When your kids start reading, they might have trouble picturing whats going on in their mind. At the beginning having lots of pictures to look at will help them visualize whats happening with the characters and the setting so they can understand the general plot and the point of the story. Once kids can create their moving picture in their imagination, they can get away from illustrations, but its an important part of learning to read. 2. A topic they enjoy A lot of academic reading covers information that young kids arent necessarily super interested in and so they start to view reading as something negative. Once kids are older theyll have to learn to push through to complete homework and study for exams but, when theyre little, its important that they’re reading about a topic they enjoy. If they like superheroes they can, read about Batman, if they like baseball or unicorns they should read about that. In the beginning, its not about what theyre reading but that theyre reading about something they love (READ: 5 Tips to Encourage Your Child to Read). 3. A hero to root for Little kids love to be able to look up to a hero or heroine that can swoop in and save the day. A lot of books for young readers have a sympathetic and heroic main character that the reader can root for throughout the story. A hero isnt always a superhero, rather they might be a little boy in a neighborhood similar to the one the reader lives in, or they might be a talking bunny living on a farm. Its just important that the main character is sympathetic and easy to relate to. 4. Tackle reading in small amounts Another thing that can put kids off reading when theyre young is being forced to tackle this difficult new skill for long periods of time. If theyre struggling with sounding out words, sitting down for an hour might be entirely overwhelming. In the beginning, kids can work on words for 15 minutes and build up to 20 and then 30 minutes overtime. They should also have a chance to celebrate their newfound skills by reading at the same level for a little while before theyre pushed to learn even more. When kids feel relaxed about something and can take enough breaks, they tend to love any activity. 5. A cozy environment At school kids will be sitting in a straight back chair at a desk and quite likely wearing clothes that adhere to a dress code. When reading at home, its important they have a comfy environment so they can focus on reading rather than sitting up straight. Maybe they’re lounging on the couch, sitting in a window seat, or even cuddled up with the family pet while reading in bed. As long as theyre comfortable kids are more likely to enjoy learning to read and view it as an overall positive experience. Help your kids learn to love to read, or help them improve their reading skills with private Irvine English tutoring from TutorNerds. All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us write

2015 October italki Challenge Winners Send us your After Video and earn an extra 50 ITC!

2015 October italki Challenge Winners â€" Send us your After Video and earn an extra 50 ITC! We finished the 2015 October italki  Language Challenge! 6 hours of italki lessons  in October! Even though this was only 6 hours, completing the  Challenge was definitely hard!  A few of us at italki took the Challenge and here are our results! Marketa  learning Chinese  Completed! Roman  learning Japanese  Completed! We just did some calculations and found out that a whopping 94% of Challengers who submitted a Public Video Pledge for the October  Challenge actually completed the Challenge! In italki tradition, were awarding 50ITC as bonus  for an after video.  Below is Marketas  AFTER Video for Chinese! Marketas AFTER Video for Chinese Join us  by making your very own AFTER video! If you won the Challenge, heres your chance  to show off your Challenge achievements in a video. Not only that, but  well be rewarding you with an additional 50 ITC!   Here are some ideas of what you can include in your video: Show off your improvement in the language you were learning Introduce yourself and tell us what language(s) you were learning for the Challenge Tell us about your italki teacher(s). What did you like about them? What did you learn about learning a new language after completing the Challenge? Do you have any advice for people who are thinking of taking the Challenge in the future? Label the video: “(italki username) completed the italki Language  Challenge  October 2015!” Write a Notebook Entry “I completed the italki Language Challenge October  2015 and paste the YouTube/Youku URL. Send the link to your notebook entry to support(at)italki.com and  we will send you a 50 ITC voucher straight away! And we leave you with some last words from Marketa: October has come to an end and so has the italki Language Challenge. It is the first event of this kind that I have ever attempted, but I already know it will not be the last one. The Challenge helped me realise that having set a clear goal and telling both my friends and colleagues about it made Chinese learning more fun, and helped me speed up my progress. I simply could not fail with this many people supporting me and asking about my improvement! I cannot tell how much my spoken Chinese has actually improved, but the feedback I received was positive and inspiring. The main reason I signed up for the challenge was to become a more confident speaker and that, I believe, worked out well. Congrats to everyone and see you at the next Challenge! P.S. Interested in teaching on italki? If so Click here to Apply 2015 October italki Challenge Winners â€" Send us your After Video and earn an extra 50 ITC! We finished the 2015 October italki  Language Challenge! 6 hours of italki lessons  in October! Even though this was only 6 hours, completing the  Challenge was definitely hard!  A few of us at italki took the Challenge and here are our results! Marketa  learning Chinese  Completed! Roman  learning Japanese  Completed! We just did some calculations and found out that a whopping 94% of Challengers who submitted a Public Video Pledge for the October  Challenge actually completed the Challenge! In italki tradition, were awarding 50ITC as bonus  for an after video.  Below is Marketas  AFTER Video for Chinese! Marketas AFTER Video for Chinese Join us  by making your very own AFTER video! If you won the Challenge, heres your chance  to show off your Challenge achievements in a video. Not only that, but  well be rewarding you with an additional 50 ITC!   Here are some ideas of what you can include in your video: Show off your improvement in the language you were learning Introduce yourself and tell us what language(s) you were learning for the Challenge Tell us about your italki teacher(s). What did you like about them? What did you learn about learning a new language after completing the Challenge? Do you have any advice for people who are thinking of taking the Challenge in the future? Label the video: “(italki username) completed the italki Language  Challenge  October 2015!” Write a Notebook Entry “I completed the italki Language Challenge October  2015 and paste the YouTube/Youku URL. Send the link to your notebook entry to support(at)italki.com and  we will send you a 50 ITC voucher straight away! And we leave you with some last words from Marketa: October has come to an end and so has the italki Language Challenge. It is the first event of this kind that I have ever attempted, but I already know it will not be the last one. The Challenge helped me realise that having set a clear goal and telling both my friends and colleagues about it made Chinese learning more fun, and helped me speed up my progress. I simply could not fail with this many people supporting me and asking about my improvement! I cannot tell how much my spoken Chinese has actually improved, but the feedback I received was positive and inspiring. The main reason I signed up for the challenge was to become a more confident speaker and that, I believe, worked out well. Congrats to everyone and see you at the next Challenge! P.S. Interested in teaching on italki? If so Click here to Apply 2015 October italki Challenge Winners â€" Send us your After Video and earn an extra 50 ITC! We finished the 2015 October italki  Language Challenge! 6 hours of italki lessons  in October! Even though this was only 6 hours, completing the  Challenge was definitely hard!  A few of us at italki took the Challenge and here are our results! Marketa  learning Chinese  Completed! Roman  learning Japanese  Completed! We just did some calculations and found out that a whopping 94% of Challengers who submitted a Public Video Pledge for the October  Challenge actually completed the Challenge! In italki tradition, were awarding 50ITC as bonus  for an after video.  Below is Marketas  AFTER Video for Chinese! Marketas AFTER Video for Chinese Join us  by making your very own AFTER video! If you won the Challenge, heres your chance  to show off your Challenge achievements in a video. Not only that, but  well be rewarding you with an additional 50 ITC!   Here are some ideas of what you can include in your video: Show off your improvement in the language you were learning Introduce yourself and tell us what language(s) you were learning for the Challenge Tell us about your italki teacher(s). What did you like about them? What did you learn about learning a new language after completing the Challenge? Do you have any advice for people who are thinking of taking the Challenge in the future? Label the video: “(italki username) completed the italki Language  Challenge  October 2015!” Write a Notebook Entry “I completed the italki Language Challenge October  2015 and paste the YouTube/Youku URL. Send the link to your notebook entry to support(at)italki.com and  we will send you a 50 ITC voucher straight away! And we leave you with some last words from Marketa: October has come to an end and so has the italki Language Challenge. It is the first event of this kind that I have ever attempted, but I already know it will not be the last one. The Challenge helped me realise that having set a clear goal and telling both my friends and colleagues about it made Chinese learning more fun, and helped me speed up my progress. I simply could not fail with this many people supporting me and asking about my improvement! I cannot tell how much my spoken Chinese has actually improved, but the feedback I received was positive and inspiring. The main reason I signed up for the challenge was to become a more confident speaker and that, I believe, worked out well. Congrats to everyone and see you at the next Challenge! P.S. Interested in teaching on italki? If so Click here to Apply

MOOC It Up 5 Top Sources for Language Learning MOOCs

MOOC It Up 5 Top Sources for Language Learning MOOCs 5 Top Sources for Language Learning MOOCs Language courses can be daunting.Whether its the price, the convenience or even just the uncomfortable plastic chairs, taking a language course can have its drawbacks.But when youre learning a language as an adult, sometimes you need a structured approach. If you want the benefit of more conventional coursework but want to be able to do it anywhere,  online courses  and  private language lessons  can give you what you need.Additionally,  free language learning websites  and  free e-learning language courses  offer powerful money-saving potential.When youre looking for an incomparable combination of value and conventional coursework, though, nothing has your back quite like a MOOC. Whats a MOOC?MOOC stands for massive open online course. Theyre a form of distance learning delivered online. Unlike conventional courses, MOOCs can often have an unlimited number of students. They often provide plenty of course material like texts, activities and videos. Some even offer forums to allow y ou to interact with other students.Since 2012, MOOCs have taken off, with millions of students enjoying these courses.Harvard Business Review  notes that in some fields, using MOOCs to develop targeted skills may give you a competitive edge.But why should language learners use MOOCs? There are a number of good reasons to welcome a MOOC into your life.Why Use a MOOC to Learn a Language?First of all, MOOCs are usually much more affordable than conventional classes. Since MOOCs can accommodate huge numbers of students, MOOC providers can afford to offer lower prices than a conventional class could ever possibly offer. Some MOOCs are even offered for freeâ€"its hard to beat that!Additionally, MOOCs are flexible. Since theyre meant to be used by a wide array of students, the courses are usually self-paced, meaning materials are available for you to use at whatever time of day works best for you.While there may be a set time frame in which you need to be done with the course, you can usua lly choose whether youd rather rush through the material in just a week, delay until your time frame is almost up or spread the material out evenly.Plus, MOOCs allow you to learn from expert teachers. Since many MOOCs are offered by conventional universities, you have the option to learn from teachers who are truly experts in the language.Finally, you can access MOOCs even from remote locations. If you live somewhere where there arent many language classes available, MOOCs may very well be as close as you can get to a conventional course.Plus, being able to access courses from remote locations also means you can learn a language wherever you can get internet access, whether thats at your local coffee shop or villa on an undisclosed tropical island.5 Top Sources for Language Learning MOOCsedXEdXs pedigree is as strong as its MOOCs. It was founded in 2012 by Harvard University and MIT, and nowadays, many top universities contribute courses.Language courses include English, Spanish, Fr ench, Chinese, Japanese and Italian.One thing that sets edXs language MOOCs apart is that they come from universities from around the world. For instance, you can study Japanese with a course from Waseda University in Tokyo. Looking to learn Spanish? Universitat Politécnica de Valencia in Spain offers courses. If you want to improve your Chinese, you can choose between several options, including Tsinghua University and Peking University in Beijing.Time commitment is usually about four hours per week per course, and most courses last six to eight weeks.Course levels range from beginning to advanced, and descriptions usually provide clear insight into what each course will cover, allowing you to judge which is best for you. Plus, you can see what instructor/instructors teach the course ahead of time to give you a better idea of his/her/their qualifications.Courses are usually free, though you may also purchase a certificate of completion when you finish.FutureLearnFutureLearn is owne d by The Open University, a British-based university that has long specialized in distance education. FutureLearn partners with dozens of universities and cultural institutions around the world to provide courses.Courses offered cover some popular languages, like Spanish, English, Italian and Korean along with some less common options, like Norwegian, Dutch and Frisian. Language courses are usually offered by international universities.Several language courses are also highly specialized, including topics like English in early childhood  and studying law and economics in Italian.Courses contain video, audio and articles. Plus, discussion topics are meant to stimulate conversation between learners.Most courses offer the option of learning for free or upgrading. If you learn for free, you have access to all the course material except for tests for the duration of the course plus two more weeks. If you upgrade, you have unlimited access to course materials during and after the course, have access to tests and receive a certificate upon completion.Courses are usually six to ten weeks long and require two to five hours of work per week.CourseraCoursera was founded by two Stanford professors. Currently, it hosts courses from a number of major universities, including Stanford, Duke and Johns Hopkins.Language offerings include English, Spanish, Chinese and Korean.Courseras Spanish courses are often more specific than what youll find in other MOOCs. For instance, instead of just taking a course on basic Spanish vocabulary, you can choose to study Spanish vocabulary related to careers and social events!Coursera courses feature video lectures, assignments and forums to help you connect with other students. You can also see profiles of your instructors ahead of time.Plus, with Coursera, you can take individual courses, earn a Specialization Certificate or even complete an online degree.Most courses provide some free material but require purchase to unlock all the material and/or earn a certificate.Courses usually require about four hours of work per week and last four to six weeks.OfCourseThis London-based company is concerned about learners as a whole and focuses on all types of skills, from nutrition to finance. They also offer a good selection of language courses.As of right now, they offer language courses in Arabic, English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Vietnamese and Chinese. A couple of courses that might entice the aspiring polyglots are the  European Languages Bundle  course that teaches the basics of German, Spanish and French and an Exotic Language Bundle  that focuses on Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese and Arabic.The courses are a combination of lectures, videos, slides and assessment so you always know where you stand. Prices are in pounds and range anywhere from approximately $27 to over $200, depending on the course. The type of course teachers vary between professional instructors to production companies that specialize in creating quality content for learners.If youre just getting started with learning a language, this might be the perfect resource for you!UdemyIf you are looking to learn a less common language, Udemy is a strong contender.Udemy has a slightly different approach than other MOOC providers. Instead of being created by universities, Udemys courses are created by individuals in topics they are passionate about. While this means some of the instructors are not always established experts, it also means that there is a much wider selection of courses available.Language courses cover common languages, like English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and Arabic. Youll also find courses for less common offerings like American Sign Language, Maltese, Thai, Vietnamese, Hebrew and more.Perhaps best of all, because courses are generated by individuals, you might even be able to pick up some language skills you wouldnt acquire in many other language classes. For instanc e, if your language skills come along with an artistic bend, you might study Arabic calligraphy or Japanese calligraphy.Courses usually feature video and supplemental resources. Clear curriculum lists (essentially syllabi) make it easy to peruse the topics covered and how long each topic takes before you sign up for the course.The length of the courses varies pretty wildlyâ€"some are just a couple hours long, while others are over 20 hours. Similarly, the price point varies. A few courses are free, but most do charge an affordable fee. Once youve signed up for the course, you have lifetime access to the material so you can always go back for a refresher. Certificates of completion are also available.The next time youre looking to improve your language skills or learn a new language, look no further than a MOOC! nbsp nbspAnd One More ThingIf you like learning languages online, youll love FluentU!FluentU makes it possible to learn languages from music videos, commercials, news, inspi ring talks and more.With FluentU, you hear languages in real-world contextsâ€"the way that native speakers actually use them. Just a quick look will give you an idea of the variety of FluentU videos on offer:FluentU really takes the grunt work out of learning languages, leaving you with nothing but engaging, effective and efficient learning. It’s already hand-picked the best videos for you and organized them by level and topic. All you have to do is choose any video that strikes your fancy to get started!Each word in the interactive captions comes with a definition, audio, image, example sentences and more.Access a complete interactive transcript of every video under the Dialogue tab, and easily review words and phrases from the video under Vocab.You can use FluentU’s unique adaptive quizzes to learn the vocabulary and phrases from the video through fun questions and exercises. Just swipe left or right to see more examples of the word youre studying.The program even keeps track of what you’re learning and tells you exactly when it’s time for review, giving you a 100% personalized experience.Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes store or Google Play store.