Distance Diploma or Summer Intensive Diploma?
Both our Diploma courses are blended. This means they include elements of on-line and face to face study. The difference between the two options is the balance.. The
Summer Intensive Diploma entails 2 months on-line and 2 months full-time face to face in Barcelona. The
Distance Diploma entails 6 months on-line work and 2 weeks face to face in Barcelona. The option you choose will depend on the way you prefer to learn, the dates you require and the flexibility you need.
Below is an outline of how the
Summer Intensive Diploma and the
Distance Diploma work and some more details about Online learning with OxfordTEFL.
Summer intensive Diploma
Distance/on-line Diploma
About on-line learning
- 2 months full-time (40 hours per week) in July and August face to face learning includes input sessions on language and methodology, teaching practice and feedback and coaching for your projects and phonology exam (20 hours a week face to face). In addition background reading, exam essay practice, and work on projects and assignments (a further 20 hours a week guided study).
- Pre-attendance online component in May and June ( about 10 hours a week) includes reading, participating in input sessions in our virtual classroom, essay practice and initial work on you projects.
This is a very intensive course. You should have no other commitments for the 2 months in Barcelona. The 2 month distance component in May and June is compatible with full-time teaching, requiring around 4 hours per week.
- 6 month online component (about 12 hours work a week) either from February to July or from November to April (both inclusive)
- Full-time 4 week face to face block in Barcelona (40 hours per week). It is also possible to do the face to face block in 2 weeks "express mode".
More details. The face to face block can be in May, August or November following your distance component . The face to face component includes teaching practice and feedback and coaching for your projects and phonology exam.
The distance component is compatible with full-time teaching but is demanding, requiring around 12 hours work per week. Rest weeks are included. The 4 week face to face component in Barcelona is intensive. You should have no other commitments for this period.
We believe that distance learning works best when it captures, as far as possible, the dynamics of face to face learning, even when that means less flexibility (see below). A sense of isolation can cause people to drop out of distance learning courses. Our Distance/On-line Trinity Diploma in TESOL has the following key features, which ensure motivation remains high:
Variety of ways of learning
Through our virtual learning environment you will use the internet to communicate with tutors and fellow course members, access materials and complete learning tasks. You will attend a 2 week intensive component in Barcelona, to complete the classroom-teaching component of the course.
Interaction
Our virtual learning environment (VLE) allows you to communicate individually and collectively with tutors and other course members, both for social and study purposes. You will be assigned individual, group and pair tasks, as in a "real" classroom with the difference that, instead of all working at the same time (synchronised) you can log on and off and contribute at times which are convenient to you. You may, on a few occasions, be required to log on at the same time as other course members for "lessons", "conferences" or "chats" in the virtual classroom.
A real class of fellow students
In many distance courses, learners start and finish courses at any time of the year and join an infinite number of other distance learners at various stages of their course. Our courses have start and finish dates and a defined group of participants (maximum 12), just like our face-to-face courses. You will have tasks and deadlines to keep and be expected to maintain an appropriate rhythm (see above). In other words, flexibility is limited in order to maintain motivation.
Learning how to learn on-line
As well as learning about teaching and language you will have the opportunity to experience and reflect on the nature of on-line learning itself.
Ease of use
You will find it easy to use the virtual learning environment, even if you are relatively unfamiliar with this kind of learning and there will be plenty of support and guidance from tutors to deal with any queries and make sure you are on track.
We use “Moodle”, a “virtual learning environment” (VLE), which allows you to:
- upload and download course information and material
- access materials on and off-line
- participate in live and non-synchronised discussions
- send work to tutors and receive feedback
- communicate with tutors and other members of the class individually and as a group.
- interact in ways similar to a real classroom with the advantage of being able to access it at times convenient to you.
We use skype/messenger or telephone for personal tutorials.
You will need to have regular access to a computer with internet connection, but won’t need to spend huge amounts of time actually on line.
We recommend you install skype if you don't have it already to take advantage of cost free calls to tutors.
www.skype.com
