Notre Dame Burlington, an Iowa private school, now offers a Chinese class to students through Iowa Learning Online (ILO). The need for such a course has increased as more students have developed in interest in learning Asian languages. Notre Dame Burlington has been working toward offering a Chinese course for several years. A total of fifteen students from three different schools are currently enrolled in this pilot program. The course is offered through a Polycom device and includes an introduction to pronunciation, speaking and writing. An introduction to Chinese culture is also integrated into the course.
The course is taught by Hye-Seung Lee, an exchange teacher from Korea. Lee is a graduate of Daejeon University in Korea. She received a degree in Chinese, studied for one year in China and is certified to teach in Iowa. Although she will be moving back to China to pursue an advanced degree at the end of the semester, Notre Dame Burlington foreign language instructor Richard Dunshee states, “This is a pilot program, but we do not intend to end after one semester.” The hope is that this program will lead to future Chinese language offerings through ILO and the ICN.
As with all ILO participating schools, Notre Dame Burlington provides a coach, necessary materials, and willingness to be flexible with scheduling. As a partner, ILO provides an online registration system and posts the class on the ILO webpage. For school partners using the ICN, ILO would also pay applicable ICN costs that may incur. For questions relating to this Chinese course, contact Richard Dunshee, rdunshee@nd-burl.pvt.k12.ia.us. For questions related to Iowa Learning Online, contact Arlan Thorson at athorson@iowalearningonline.org or 515-238-4765. Interested individuals can also visit http://iowalearningonline.org for more information.
