Undergraduate

Andante: beginners' Italian

On this page

• What you will study
• Entry
• If you have a disability or additional requirement
• Study materials
• Teaching and assessment
• Professional recognition
• Students also studied
• Future availability

This key introductory Level 1 course – Andante: beginners' Italian – is designed to give you the skills you need to speak and understand simple Italian in everyday contexts. The course takes you through a wide range of practical situations such as travelling, shopping, working and eating out in Italy. Study resources include a book, Colloquial Italian and audio CDs – which support independent learning – and there’s a dedicated website with online activities. Together, they’ll give you not just language skills but a real feel for Italian society and culture too.

Course facts

Register for the course

This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees and financial support may vary by country.

What you will study

The study materials are carefully structured and graded, and provide ample opportunities to practise the language in realistic contexts, with an emphasis on listening and speaking skills. You’ll learn through:

• user-friendly, ‘bite-sized’ information dealing with language and cultural aspects
• gradual development of study and language skills
• development of basic vocabulary and set phrases
• audio material, featuring recordings made by Italian speakers, and a variety of speaking exercises
• regular revision activities and self-assessment tests to monitor your progress.

By the end of the course you will be able to speak and understand simple language. You will also have developed an understanding of aspects of Italian society and culture.

Andante is an ideal preparation for Vivace: intermediate Italian (L150).

This course  is designed to enable you to achieve a level of language proficiency equivalent to level A2 of the Council of Europe Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. You will have developed your knowledge and understanding of the language as well as an awareness of cultural diversity in Italian speaking countries which form a key part of the learning outcomes for studying at this Level. By the end of the module you will have developed key Level 1 undergraduate study skills such as learning to work independently and using strategies which enable you to solve problems and analyse data.

Entry

This is a key introductory Level 1 course. Level 1 courses provide core subject knowledge and study skills needed for both higher education and distance learning. 

No prior knowledge of Italian is required to study this course.

If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.

If you have a disability or additional requirement

Please note that this course makes substantial use of audio and visual materials. Full transcripts of the audio materials are provided except for those used for assessment purposes. The written and spoken elements you will be asked to complete as part of your assessment use audio and possibly visual stimuli.

Written transcripts of any audio components and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available and the book Colloquial Italian is available as an ebook through the library. Some Adobe PDF or ebook components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. Comb-bound versions of the written study material can be provided on request. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.

You will need to make use of personal computer and the internet.

If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our publication Meeting Your Needs.

You can also find information about accessible study materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.

Study materials

What's included

A book, a study guide, audio CDs, and a dedicated website with additional online resources and activities. As a registered language student you have automatic access to an online forum, where you can communicate with fellow students over the internet.

You will need

A CD player. A headset with a microphone and earphones to talk to your tutor and other students online during some of the study activities.

Please also see the Computing requirements and Assessment sections.

Computing requirements

This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave.

You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new computer since 2005 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual.

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor

You will have a tutor who will help you with the study material and mark and comment on your written and spoken tutor-marked assignments (TMAs). You can also ask your tutor for advice and guidance. If you are new to the OU, you will find that your tutor is particularly concerned to help you with your study methods. This course usually includes a mix of face-to-face and online tutorials. Please note that depending on where you live, the mix will vary and in some places face-to-face tuition may be replaced by telephone conferencing. We may also be able to offer day schools. Online tutorials are held using a computer-conferencing system which allows you to speak with your tutor and fellow students in real time over the internet. There will also be an online tutor group forum which allows you to exchange messages with your group. All of these will provide you with plenty of opportunities to speak and listen to Italian. Where face-to-face tutorials or day schools are held will depend on the distribution of students taking the course. 

Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.

Assessment

The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above – please note this may be subject to change.

You can choose whether to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) by post or online through the eTMA system. You may want to use the eTMA system for some of your assignments but submit by post for others. This is entirely your choice.

If you wish to submit your TMAs on paper by post, please ensure you have an audio cassette recorder (full size, not mini format) with microphone and at least one blank cassette to record and submit your speaking test.

TMAs assess your written and spoken skills. The end-of-module assessment (EMA) has a written element and a spoken element. The spoken element of the end-of-module assessment (Speaking EMA) will be carried out online. You will be given more detailed information when you begin the course.

Professional recognition

The Chartered Institute of Marketing now recognises this course under their Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme.

Students also studied

Students who studied this course also studied at some time:

• Vivace: intermediate Italian (L150)
• Ouverture: intermediate French (L120)
• The arts past and present (AA100)
• Bon départ: beginners' French (L192)
• Portales: beginners' Spanish (L194)

Future availability

The details given here are for the course that starts in October 2012. We expect it to be available once a year.

Fees 2012

See fees and funding options for study from September 2012.

Study explained

Financial support

- find out if you qualify for support with your fees with our eligibility checker.

Study explained

- all you need to know about distance learning with the OU.

Student Reviews

I could already speak a little Italian when I started this course, but if this had not been the case, ...
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I really enjoyed this beginners course and halfway through I was confident enough to use the Italian I had learned ...
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Course satisfaction survey

See the satisfaction survey results for this course.

Your questions

We may have already answered it in our frequently asked questions.

Or contact an adviser in our Student Registration & Enquiry Service Email or call +44(0) 845 300 60 90+44(0) 845 366 60 35

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