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Beginners Chinese 3: 开始吧 kāishĭ ba!

Having embarked on the road to learning Mandarin Chinese, and being able to speak and understand some common topics, you may wish to continue your learning of this fascinating language. If so, this 16 week course will be an ideal opportunity to do just that. Studying 3–4 hours a week you’ll learn through a variety of online listening, speaking, reading and writing activities. You'll cover topics from describing the weather and people, to getting about and shopping. Beginners Chinese 3: 开始吧 kāishĭ ba! (LXC003) is a perfect online short course to consolidate and develop further the skills needed to communicate effectively in Chinese in everyday contexts.

Standalone study only

This module is available for standalone study only. Any credits from this module cannot be counted towards an OU qualification.

Module

Module code
LXC003
Credits
0
Study level
To enable you to make international comparisons, the information provided shows how OU levels correspond to the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Northern Ireland and Wales (FHEQ).
OU FHEQ
0
Study method
Distance Learning
Module cost
See Module registration
Entry requirements
See Entry requirements

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What you will study

This short course is designed to continue giving you a solid introduction to the Chinese language. You’ll learn the essentials of reading, writing, speaking and listening in Chinese. You’ll also develop key skills that will enhance your future study of the language.

Delivered through user-friendly, ‘bite-sized’ blocks, each week you’ll discover useful words and set phrases. Audio material, featuring recordings by native speakers of Chinese, and a wide variety of speaking activities will aid your pronunciation. Throughout the course you’ll build up your own Chinese phrase book covering varied topics such as:

  • describing people and places
  • talking about the weather
  • Chinese New Year
  • how to get to places
  • asking for prices
  • doing shopping
  • making comparisons.

By the end of the course you’ll have practised using key verbs such as ‘to go’, ‘to come’, ‘to buy’, ‘to take’; you’ll have studied that the Chinese word order in questions and comparisons is different from English; and you’ll have discovered some strategies you can use to memorise Chinese characters. Along with completing the weekly activities and quizzes to strengthen your learning, you’ll have built your own language notebook, and gained a solid foundation of basic Chinese to move onto the next level.

You will learn

After completing this course you should be able to:

  • communicate with speakers of Chinese in a range of predictable and simple contexts relating to everyday life
  • use Hanyu pinyin confidently to indicate the pronunciation of Mandarin Chinese
  • recognise 150–200 of the most frequently used words in pinyin or/and characters and be able to Word-process or handwrite them
  • better understand the cultural differences and customs between Chinese-speaking cultures and your own.

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

You will have access to discussion forums that you are strongly encouraged to participate in as these forums combine self-help from fellow students with input from a language-specialist learning adviser. Other support is available via the StudentHome website and Computing Helpdesk.

Course length

You'll study 3–4 hours per week, for 16 weeks. In total this course will require around 64 hours to complete.

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.

    Course work includes:

    No residential school


    Entry requirements

    There are no entry requirements for this course.

    You should have some basic knowledge of Mandarin Chinese, similar or equivalent to the language, skills and vocabulary practised in Beginners Chinese 1: 开始吧 kāishĭ ba! (LXC001) and Beginners Chinese 2: 开始吧 kāishĭ ba! (LXC002).

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

    Course length

    You'll study 3–4 hours per week, for 16 weeks. In total this course will require around 64 hours to complete.

    Register

    Start End England fee Register
    27 Feb 2021 Jun 2021 £199.00

    Registration closes 18/02/21 (places subject to availability)

    Register
    26 Jun 2021 Oct 2021 £199.00

    Registration closes 17/06/21 (places subject to availability)

    Register
    30 Oct 2021 Feb 2022 Not yet available

    Registration opens on 18/03/21
    This module is expected to start for the last time in October 2021.

    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 2020/21 academic year. Fees for short courses starting in the 2021/22 academic year or later may increase in line with the University’s strategic approach to fees.

    What's included

    All learning materials are delivered entirely online. You’ll have access to a course website, which includes:

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

    You will need

    If you wish to learn characters, a smart phone is needed to download free Chinese character learning app.

    Computing requirements

    A computing device with a browser and broadband internet access is required for this module. Any modern browser will be suitable for most computer activities. Functionality may be limited on mobile devices.

    Any additional software will be provided, or is generally freely available. However, some activities may have more specific requirements. For this reason, you will need to be able to install and run additional software on a device that meets the requirements below.

    A desktop or laptop computer with either an up-to-date version of Windows or macOS.

    The screen of the device must have a resolution of at least 1024 pixels horizontally and 768 pixels vertically.

    To join in the spoken conversation in our online rooms we recommend a headset (headphones or earphones with an integrated microphone).

    Our Skills for OU study website has further information including computing skills for study, computer security, acquiring a computer and Microsoft software offers for students.

    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.

    To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our Disability support website.