Philipps University Marburg
Paper submitted in partial fulfilment of the
requirements for a graded credit
Winter Term 2005 / 2006

Camu at y Gymraeg - an evaluation of the online Welsh
courses offered by the University of Wales

by: Jan Niehues

Contents

1 Introduction 3

2 Introducing the course 4

3 Features 6

3.1 Learning Units 6
3.2 Dictionary 7
3.3 Suggestions for method of study 8
3.4 Download facility 8
3.5 Audio data 8

3.5.1 Implementation of audio data 9

3.6 Additional material 10

4 Communication tools 11

4.1 Examination 12

5 Lesson content 13

6 Summary 14

6.1 Didactical issues 14
6.2 Design 15

6.2.1 Visual design 16

7 Conclusion 17

7.1 Personal experiences with the course 17

8 References 19

8.1 Internet Sources 19

1 Introduction

This paper aims at giving an evaluation of the "Camu at y Gymraeg" Welsh learning site, an online course in the Welsh language offered by the University of Wales, Lampeter. Although it is a relatively new player on the field of education, e-learning is seen by some as the solution to all problems faced by universities today and by others as the end of decent education itself. While a number of e-learning projects have been established so far and some amount of study has been conducted as to the optimisation of e-learning, few projects are being evaluated for their use, despite the fact that they quite often claim substantial budgets for their funding.

This paper will examine the functionalities offered by the "Camu" course and in turn discuss their implementation and design, offering possible suggestions for improvement. A focus will be on the tools for communication, as this area is crucial for learner motivation and achievement.

2 Introducing the course

The course "Camu at y Gymraeg"¹ is one of a variety of online courses, ranging from language over literature to history classes currently offered by the University of Wales, Lampeter. To date, it is the only university accredited online course for the Welsh language, earning the learner (upon passing the final examination) 40 credit points, 360 of which constitute a Lampeter University degree. To earn the first 20 credit points, learners have to complete a number of exercises and return them for assessment. For the remaining 20 credits, a written and oral examination has to be passed. There is a short statement on their e-learning courses, offered by the university of Lampeter, in which their expectations are stated as well as the answers to some common questions.²

The course itself is password protected and requires registration with the university of Lampeter. To register, the prospective student has to print out and complete an extensive form that is then to be mailed to the university. No facility of online registration is provided, as the form has to bear a handwritten signature. As the course is conducted completely online, registration is not tied to any schedules and is possible at any time of the year.

The Course fees range from £49 per 10 credits for European students to £305 for non-Europeans, a fee waiver scheme is available for students meeting certain qualifications (e.g. already student of other European university). The suggested amount of work for the course is at least 3-4 hours per week, ideally an hour every day, with a maximum of ten years time to complete the course, of which no more than four are to be spent on the first part. It is admitted that the course is not an easy one, requiring determination to complete the modules, but in the end rewarding the user with credits towards his university degree. According to the introductory statement, the course is intended for absolute beginners, but it is suggested that students attend the Welsh language courses held at Lampeter to practise communicating in Welsh, deal with problematic areas of the course and to exchange ideas.

As is stated, the course is an adaptation of a traditional course designed for small groups of learners working together with a teacher. In order to replace the interactive element lost in a single-learner situation, it is suggested that the user read aloud the unit contents repetitively. The course is designed to be selfpropelled but students are assigned a tutor who marks their assignments and offers general assistance with the course. As there is no time frame to be adhered to, there is no homogeneous group of learners, but a number of individual students at different stages of the course. This has direct implications for communication and interaction between students. The language taught in the course, although this is not stated explicitly anywhere, is a Southern dialect of spoken colloquial Welsh³ with explanations as to the written standard.

3 Features

[...]

1 [INT 1] Camu at y Gymraeg.

2 [INT 2] Frequently asked questions - Open and Distance Learning.

3 King, Gareth. 1993. Modern Welsh - A comprehensive Grammar. New York: Routledge. pp.3.