Wellesley College Offers the First MOOCs in Italian Language and Culture

Wellesley College, the highly rated and selective liberal arts college for women in Massachusetts, has announced the establishment of three massive open online courses (MOOCs) in beginning, intermediate, and advanced Italian. According to the college, the three courses are the first MOOCs ever offered in Italian language and culture. The new courses include videos, downloadable podcasts, interviews with native speakers, and a discussion board where students can post audio recordings of themselves speaking and reply to other postings to reinforce course material.

The new MOOCs are based on a successful online Italian course that was offered to 1,500 Wellesley students, selected high school students, and Wellesley alumnae during the summers of 2014 and 2015.

The MOOCs are taught by Daniela Bartalesi-Graf, a lecturer in Italian studies. “Cultural themes are treated via readings and interviews with native speakers, scholars, and others who are experts in a certain subject,” said Bartalesi-Graf. “The course is not just about listening, it takes bits of conversations from our situational videos, then asks students to become one of the characters. Participants practice by inserting themselves into video dialogue through podcasts.”

Bartalesi-Graf joined the Wellesley College faculty in 2011 after teaching at Tufts University for 20 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a master’s degree from Tufts University.