To promote the Latvian language learning and strengthen integration into Latvian culture, the Latvian Language Agency and the Faculty of Education Sciences and Psychology of the University of Latvia has developed a Massive Open Online self-study course “Voices of Riga” – to improve Latvian as a Foreign Language reading skills.
The course is intended for learners who have already achieved at least A2 level in Latvian and wish to advance to B1–B2 level. The total workload is 120 hours, and it takes place online as the MOOC in MOODLE platform. The number of participants in the course is not limited and the course can be completed entirely online, regardless of location. After completing each topic, we ask you to submit an evaluation, which will help us improve the learning content and give you the opportunity to receive official confirmation of the course content you have acquired.
The goal of the course is not only to improve language skills but also to introduce participants to the neighborhoods and cultural landmarks od Riga, by reading texts of various genres and completing interactive assignments. This way, learners will simultaneously strengthen their Latvian proficiency and gain deeper knowledge of the capital city of Latvia.
One of the course authors, a specialist of the Latvian Language Agency, Ērika Pičukāne, explains that “The course provides a small insight into the neighborhoods of Riga. There are 5 administrative parts and 58 neighborhoods in Riga. 58 is a large number, but the scope of the course is limited, so in this course we will introduce only the most interesting or significant places or objects in Riga, in our opinion. The course consists of an introduction, 6 chapters on the administrative parts of Riga, and a final test on what has been learned in the course; each chapter contains a short description of the content, a dictionary with the most important vocabulary of the chapter, and stops where you will find texts and tasks”.
The course has been developed by the experts from the University of Latvia and the Latvian Language Agency, who share international experience in language teaching and curriculum development gained in the ERASMUS+ KA220-HED project – Cooperation Partnerships in Higher Education "Developing Reading Skills With and Through Digital Technologies" (eRead).
Upon successful completion, participants will receive an official certificate.
Programme director, Professor Indra Odiņa, emphasizes: “The digital course ‘Voices of Riga’ is a practical and sustainable solution that will help language learners integrate more effectively into society – whether in the labor market or in education. It makes Latvian language learning more accessible to a wider audience worldwide”.
For more information and registration, visit ej.uz/rigasbalsis
