News: World's First Online Chinese Teacher Training Programme Launched By The Beijing Language And Culture University

Here at The BLCU Blog we aim to bring you interesting and relevant news related to the Beijing Language and Culture University, so you don't have to go any further than this blog to know what headlines your favourite Chinese university is making in the global media.

Earlier this month, on April 8, the Beijing Language and Culture University announced a new initiative with Academic Partnerships (AP) to "launch of the world's first online International Chinese Teacher Training Program (ICTP)," according to a report by PRNewswire. A new website, BLCUOnline.net, has been set up to promote the programme. At the time of writing, applications are still being accepted.

In an official statement, BLCU President Cui Xiliang said: "BLCU is an international university where students from all over the world study together and diverse cultures exchange with one another."

BLCU's Online Education College Dean Li Wei also added: "The online ICTP, which will now allow BLCU to serve students near and far, is a reflection of the University's commitment to being a truly international institution and promoting collaborations across cultures and borders."

The report has more:

The fully online program, which can be completed in as few as 10 months, will prepare individuals to teach Chinese as a foreign language in their countries. With a focus on the history of Chinese language development; teaching theory and methodology; testing and evaluation; characteristics of the Chinese capability system and methods for speaking, writing, listening, and reading; classroom organisation and management; and application of modern education technologies in teaching Chinese as a foreign language, the program will provide students with the comprehensive teaching expertise necessary to advance in their careers. 

The new online Chinese teacher training program has been written and will be taught by BLCU's faculty, which includes some of the most well-known and respected experts in the field of Chinese language teaching. 

The process of constructing the program in a high-quality online format will be the topic of a presentation at The Sloan Consortium's Seventh Annual Emerging Technologies for Online Learning International Symposium taking place this week in Dallas. 

Whitney Kilgore, AP's vice president of academic services, international, will share how AP worked with BLCU stakeholders to structure the ICTP program to create an offering that would scale globally. The session will focus on the challenges and successes in the process and explore strategies employed in the process of collaborating with Chinese universities. 

Kilgore said, "Significant cultural and educational differences and 7,000 miles did not stand in the way of our team assisting BLCU in modernizing their program and transforming it into a high-quality online offering using Canvas in the Cloud. We learned a great deal in the process and look forward to sharing our findings at the symposium." 

BLCU's new online International Chinese Teacher Training Program will begin in May 2014. Click here to apply or learn more.

What do you make of this latest piece of BLCU gossip? Is the university making a good move? Let us know in the comments.

One last thing...

Access blocked websites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and more from BLCU and China with PureVPN!

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