27/06/2014

MOOC Introduces Foreign Students to Catalan Language

The Vives University Network, which includes the UIC, has organized a massive open online course (MOOC) titled «XarxaMOOC: An Introduction to Specialized Language in Catalan-Language Universities. Digital Tools for Future Students at Vives Network Universities». The course is aimed at future students at the Vives Network universities and Erasmus students studying in Catalan-speaking regions.

The course, which is coordinated by the Universidad de Alicante, will be held during the first term of the 2013-2014 academic year and will be aimed at first-year university students, future students at the Vives Network universities and Erasmus students studying in Catalan-speaking regions, as well as students on foreign assistantships and those studying Catalan courses at universities outside the Catalan linguistic area.

The initiative will benefit from the collaboration of institutions such as the Institute for Catalan Studies, the General-Directorate for Language Policy of the Catalan government, TERMCAT, the Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua, the Chair for Scientific Dissemination at the Universitat de València, the Università degli Studi di Napoli "L'Orientale" and the Federació Escola Valenciana.

The course objective is to introduce students to specialized Catalan language and terminology related to their university studies, as well as provide an overview of the most representative cultural elements (the education system, geography and tourism, language, the media, etc.) of the regions of the Vives Network universities. The video content will be subtitled in Catalan, Spanish, English, French and Italian.

A presentation about the new course took place on Friday, 12 July 2013, as part of the closing ceremony for the 2012-2013 academic year. All of the rectors from the universities in the Vives Network were present, including UIC rector Dr. Pere Alavedra.