October 2013 NUI Galway Online Italian Diploma wins European Language Label

            NUI Galway’s fully accredited online Diploma in Italian is first of its kind in Ireland

NUI Galway’s Diploma in Italian Online, launched in September 2012, has been a major success and has just been awarded the prestigious European Language Label, which recognizes innovation in the field of language teaching and learning.

Italian Studies at NUI, Galway is the first discipline in Ireland to offer a fully accredited Online Diploma in Italian so that it is now possible to study Italian anywhere and any time.

Dr Laura McLoughlin, programme co-ordinator said “unlike many distance learning programmes designed for independent learning, this diploma course is based on a collaborative, communicative approach and students are encouraged to participate in virtual class activities with their peers and e-tutors”.

The Diploma is open to everybody and is designed for those who have no previous experience of the language. It is particularly suited to those who need flexibility in their time and mode of study and/or live away from Galway. Basic computer skills are sufficient.

Professor Paolo Bartoloni, Head of Italian at NUI Galway, said “learning Italian provides invaluable transferable skills. There is no doubt that the profile of the professional of the future will be that of a person who can adapt quickly and effectively to new situations and environments, who speaks more than one language, and who is at home in more than one country.”

He added “He and she will be mobile, cosmopolitan, and ready to embrace and negotiate different cultures and traditions. We in Italian at NUI Galway are committed to introducing and exploring new technology in the area of second language acquisition, while enhancing learning and teaching flexibility which respond to the needs of the community.”

The course concentrates on all four main language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and provides a gradual introduction to the structures of the language. In addition, a module on oral and intercultural skills introduces aspects of Italian life from an intercultural prospective.

Italian is a major language and its culture had and continues to have a central place in the shaping of Europe. Italian is also the language of a vibrant and creative EU country that has made extraordinary contributions to all forms of culture down through the centuries.

For further information contact: Dr Laura Incalcaterra McLoughlin, 091-492240 or laura.mcloughlin@nuigalway.ie

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