Program Overview

Course Description

The beginner’s course, stemming from the European project e-LOCAL (Electronically Learning Other Cultures And Languages), will guide students into the discovery of Italian language and culture. The main characters of the course are Anna and Alex, two Erasmus students who arrive in Bologna. Anna and Alex are welcomed in their university town by Lorenzo and Lucia and are helped in their learning process by Elena and Giovanni. The course is divided into 2 parts, part I and part II. In part I, students will follow Anna and Alex in their adventures and discover the Italian language and culture with them. Part I is organised in 4 main units, plus an introductory unit and a final assessment unit.

Course Structure

• In units 1-4, students will find a story with seven situations and a comprehension quiz at the end
  • Grammar explanations along with related exercises
  • Cultural pills with short tests and everyday information
  • Language exercises to fix grammar, lexicon, and communicative aspects
• Unit 0 provides preliminary grammar information
• The final unit includes the assessment of the course
• A specific glossary is available in each part of the course, where necessary
• The Overall Glossary, containing all the vocabulary used in the course, is available
• The Overall Grammar, including all the grammar explanations of the course, can be downloaded

Estimated Effort

The course is organised in 4 weeks (1 unit = 1 week), plus an introduction (unit 0) and an assessment. Unit 0 is the introduction to the course and gives students preliminary information. Students should expect to spend 1 hour on unit 0. Units 1-4 are the core of the course, requiring 8-10 hours per week. The final assessment unit requires 2 hours. The course is flexible, allowing students to manage their time and distribution as needed.

Prerequisites

Basic knowledge of English is required, as it is the language of instruction for the course.

Discussion Forum

The forum is freely accessible, and participation is not guided. Students can use it to compare themselves with other participants or discuss course contents.

Quizzes and Scores

The course includes several questions, with some not evaluated for course completion. The Homework at the end of each unit and the Final Assessment at the end of the course are evaluated. The Homework weighs 20% of the final score, while the Final Assessment weighs 80%. Points assigned for each exercise are indicated after the title, and the number of maximum attempts is shown under each quiz. The correct answer will be shown once all attempts have been used.

Certificate of Accomplishment

The Certificate of Accomplishment will be released if students successfully complete the course by answering correctly to at least 60% of the evaluated questions. After completing the course, students can download and print a certificate of participation, signed by Professor Andrea Ceccherelli, scientific coordinator of the E-LOCAL project and courses. The Certificate of Accomplishment does not confer any academic credit, grade, or degree.

Course Staff

The MOOC is the result of a successful collaboration between Politecnico di Milano and the University of Bologna. The course was created by:

• Silvia Baroni, ICTS Rosa Luxemburg, Italy
• Andrea Ceccherelli, University of Bologna, Italy
• Cristina Donà, ICTS Rosa Luxemburg, Italy
• Elisa Magnani, University of Bologna, Italy
• Elisabetta Magni, University of Bologna, Italy
• Annalisa Planera, Tóth Árpád Gimnázium, Hungary
• Katalin Puskas, Tóth Árpád Gimnázium, Hungary
• Antonella Valva, University of Bologna, Italy

Course Details

• Course Number: ITA101
• Start Date: 15 September 2025
• End Date: 30 September 2026
• Required Commitment: 8-10 hours/week
• Language: English