The evaluation of a Mandarin Chinese course taught as a foreign language for distance learners

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation was to evaluate the Mandarin Chinese course taught as a foreign language for distance learners through a review of distance education and how it applied in foreign language teaching, a learning package based on Unisa's Mandarin Chinese 1, a beginners' course, was fully discussed and demonstrated. An analysis was made of what had been utilised in the learning package and how each element helped distance learners to develop their language skills. Based on the course's learning outcomes, learning material, assessments and learning support, empirical research was done through focus group interviews and questionnaires to test the effectiveness of the Mandarin course. Analysis of the results suggested that: • Students needed to build up a more realistic expectation about learning Chinese. • Students' workloads needed to be re-examined and re-measured. • Certain students lacked learner autonomy. • Mandarin courses should be produced jointly with distance teaching institutions abroad.