I've taken several business & technology-related courses through the distance learning format, and have been very satisfied with the education I received.

However, one other area of interest I have outside of technology/business is language. I minored in French as an undergraduate, and can still speak it passably, but at the time it took a lot of work and face-to-face conversational practice to become even borderline fluent. I'm curious if distance format could still be applied for this subject.

For anyone interested in training to learn a new language (ex. French, Spanish, Chinese, etc.), are there online options that colleges offer for students?

dhandlos wrote:
I've taken several business & technology-related courses through the distance learning format, and have been very satisfied with the education I received.

However, one other area of interest I have outside of technology/business is language. I minored in French as an undergraduate, and can still speak it passably, but at the time it took a lot of work and face-to-face conversational practice to become even borderline fluent. I'm curious if distance format could still be applied for this subject.

For anyone interested in training to learn a new language (ex. French, Spanish, Chinese, etc.), are there online options that colleges offer for students?

Hi David,

Do you specifically want to earn college credits for your French classes? Also, do you want to study French as a a written language or as a spoken language?

I ask because up here in Vermont -- where we get a lot of French Canadian cross-over -- I have friends who have happily used the online learning options from Rosetta Stone.

This is a company that specializes in teaching practical spoken language through immersion as opposed to the study of grammar and the reading of a language as is traditionally taught in college courses.

Rosetta Stone also offers Chinese and a host of other spoken languages but they'd not be good for you if you want to study grammar or language formalities. They are best if you want to practice speaking for travel or cultural immersion later.

Vicky

Vicky,

College credits aren't what I'm looking for, it's mostly achieving fluency. In that case, it sounds like Rosetta Stone might be just the ticket.

My French education was almost a decade ago, and while college credits are never a bad thing, my primary goal would be to brush up at this point.

Thanks!

Thanks dhandlos for the information.

Vicky,

I've spent the last three years studying japanese and one of the first things I used to learn it was Rosetta Stone. I can definitely say that I do NOT recommend it and regret wasting my money on it. It is waaaaay overpriced for what you get. In fact, you can get much the same thing for free at various web sites. I went through all three levels of the program and went through level 1 three times and level 2 twice so I did go through the entire program. Will it help you learn a language, yes, however, it is not worth the money.

Just my 2 cents but if you look on most language learning forums (not just thinly veiled "review" sites that are mere advertisements) you will find most language learners echo my sentiments.

banjomba

Hello Banjomba,

Thanks much for the tip!
Help our users get educated about better online language learning systems.
What language learning courses or sites do you recommend?

Vicky

Thyanls for the review

banjomba wrote:
Vicky,

I've spent the last three years studying japanese and one of the first things I used to learn it was Rosetta Stone.

I can definitely say that I do NOT recommend it and regret wasting my money on it. It is waaaaay overpriced for what you get. In fact, you can get much the same thing for free at various web sites. I went through all three levels of the program and went through level 1 three times and level 2 twice so I did go through the entire program. Will it help you learn a language, yes, however, it is not worth the money.

Just my 2 cents but if you look on most language learning forums you will find most language learners echo my sentiments.

banjomba