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Beginners Italian 2: in cammino

With this 16-unit short course you'll continue your journey learning the Italian language and exploring Italian society. You will be introduced to aspects of Italian life and culture throughout the course and use guided online activities to build up your Italian vocabulary. You’ll cover a range of topics including time, work, transport, holidays, and your likes and dislikes. As the second part of our Beginners Italian series, you should have some knowledge of basic Italian before studying this course. This could be through gaining an introduction to the language such as Beginners Italian 1: primi passi (LGXI001) or similar study, or you may have picked up some phrases while travelling.

After successfully completing this short course, you will receive a digital badge. This can be shared on social media, added to email signatures or act as a certificate.

Standalone study only

You will not be awarded credits for studying this course. It is available for standalone study only and cannot be counted towards an OU qualification.

Short course

Short course code

LGXI002

Credits

This is a non-credit bearing course.

Study method

Distance Learning

Short course cost

See Registration

Entry requirements

See Entry requirements
Course details Entry requirements Registration Study materials

What you will study

You’ll progress unit by unit towards being able to hold longer conversations and understand more of the Italian language in different situations. The course covers both language and learning techniques, and you’ll explore topics including:

  • asking and saying what time it is
  • saying at what time events take place
  • talking about frequency and about your daily and weekly routine
  • saying how you get to work and talking about means of transport
  • talking about preferred holiday destinations for Italians
  • talking about what you and other people like doing and how much you like doing something
  • saying what interests you, for example leisure and sports activities
  • talking about other people’s likes, dislikes and interests, for example in food and drink
  • comparing and contrasting likes, dislikes and interests
  • expressing a preference, for example in TV programmes
  • giving and asking reasons
  • Italian life and culture, for example the passeggiata and music festivals.

You will carry out guided online activities based on audio clips, visual images and written text, and will have access to a dedicated website, forum and learning advisers. There’s no formal assessment, but you will test your knowledge by completing a quiz at the end of each unit.

Please note that although this course is non-accredited, it can be used towards the module Making your learning count (YXM130) to gain OU credits.

You will learn

After completing this course, you should be able to:

  • communicate with speakers of Italian in a limited range of predictable and simple contexts relating to everyday situations
  • understand and use basic Italian language points (for example, questions and statements), and common vocabulary relating to everyday objects and events
  • recognise and use basic Italian phrases in formal and informal communication.
  • show a basic level of intercultural communicative competence, including an awareness of Italian culture and society.

The course is designed to help you achieve a level of language proficiency equivalent to level A1 of the Council of Europe Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR).

Learner support

The course is taught entirely online, with the aid of a learning adviser to offer support where needed. You will have access to online forums that you are strongly encouraged to participate in, as they are an excellent source of support and information. These forums combine peer support with input from the language specialist learning adviser(s). Other support is available via the StudentHome website and Computing Helpdesk.

If you have a disability

The course is delivered online and makes use of a variety of online resources. If you use specialist hardware or software to assist you in using a computer or the internet you are advised to contact us about support which can be given to meet your needs.

The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying LGXI002 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.


Entry requirements

There are no entry requirements for this course.

However, it's beneficial if you have some basic knowledge of Italian, similar or equivalent to the language, skills and vocabulary practised in Beginners Italian 1: primi passi (LGXI001).

You will be given guidance on developing your language-learning skills such as different techniques to memorise vocabulary and approach grammatical topics.

If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact us.

Course length

The course is made up of 16 units, with each unit expected to take about 3–4 hours to study. In total, you’ll need around 64 hours to complete the course.

You can begin at any time during the life of the course and study at your own pace. The course will be open to you for a time period of between 6 and 18 months depending on your course registration date and you will be advised of the specific time limitations upon enrolment.

Register

Start End England fee Register
At anytime before registration end date Jun 2024 - see Entry requirements for more detail £195.00

Registration closes 31/12/2023

Register

Ways to pay

Credit/Debit Card – We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron.

Sponsorship – If this course is geared towards your job or developing your career, you could ask your employer to sponsor you by paying some or all of the fees. Your sponsor just needs to complete a simple form to confirm how much they will be paying and we will invoice them.

The fee information provided here is valid for short courses starting in the 2023/24 academic year. Fees normally increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.

Can you study an Access module for free?

In order to qualify, you must:

  1. be resident in England
  2. have a personal income of less than £25,000 (or receive qualifying benefits)
  3. have not completed one year or more on any full-time undergraduate programme at FHEQ level 4 or above, or completed 30 credits or more of OU study

How to apply to study an Access module for free

Once you've started the registration process, either online or over the phone, we'll contact you about your payment options. This will include instructions on how you can apply to study for free if you are eligible.

If you're unsure if you meet the criteria to study for free, you can check with one of our friendly advisers on +44 (0)300 303 0069 or you can request a call back.

Not eligible to study for free?

Don't worry! We offer a choice of flexible ways to help spread the cost of your Access module. The most popular options include:

  • monthly payments through OUSBA
  • part-time tuition fee loan (you'll need to be registered on a qualification for this option)

To explore all the options available to you, visit Fees and Funding.

What's included

All learning materials are delivered entirely online and there is no formal tuition for this course.

Your study is self-directed and you’ll have access to a course website, which includes:

  • a unit-by-unit study planner
  • course-specific materials and activities
  • audio content
  • discussion forums
  • support from language-specialist learning advisers.

Computing requirements

You'll need broadband internet access and a desktop or laptop computer with an up-to-date version of Windows (10 or 11), or macOS (11 'Big Sur' or higher).

Functionality may be limited on mobile devices. For example, voice recorder activities, which are common in language short courses, may not work on iOS/Apple devices.

Our module websites comply with web standards and any modern browser is suitable for most activities.

Our OU Study mobile App will operate on all current, supported versions of Android and iOS. It's not available on Kindle.

It's also possible to access some module materials on a mobile phone, tablet device or Chromebook. However, as you may be asked to install additional software or use certain applications, you'll also require a desktop or laptop as described above.