More than 100,000 people spread across more than 190 countries have joined a free University of Queensland Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to help prepare them for English language testing.
Students from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe have signed up for IELTSx: IELTS Academic Test Preparation course.
IELTSx was developed by Institute of Continuing and TESOL Education (ICTE-UQ) teaching staff in collaboration with UQx, to help students preparing for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) academic test.
UQx Director John Zornig said Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, and Pakistan accounted for a large percentage of enrolments.
“The success of IELTSx is a great endorsement of the potential of MOOCs to assist students in all corners of the globe to gain higher education qualifications through access to quality education,” he said.
“Well-developed English language skills are essential for any student about to embark on the higher education journey in an English language university.”
TESOL Director of Studies Iain Mathieson said the course was designed for people who did not have English as a first language.
“The self-paced course provides about 80 hours of interactive practice materials covering the four skills tested: listening, speaking, reading and writing,” he said.
“It has been developed with the expertise of ICTE-UQ, which has been helping students prepare for the academic IELTS test for more than 25 years.
“The ICTE-UQ staff are excited to have the opportunity to share their IELTS test knowledge and expertise with test-takers here at UQ, and now with students from all around the world.
“Each section of the course includes engaging video and audio presentations that cover key test-taking skills, strategies and techniques.
“Students complete a variety of IELTS-style exercises and activities which provide focused practise of the skills, strategies and techniques that test-takers need to perform at their best.”
IELTSx is offered through the edX’s High School Initiative. edX is an online learning platform and MOOC provider that offers high-quality courses from the world’s best universities and institutions to learners everywhere.
Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology founded edX in 2012.
Media: UQx Course Project Manager Catherine Bennett, enquiries@uqx.uq.edu.au +61 (7) 3346 0850.
