In trying to reach a wider group of potential students, assistant professor and UND Norwegian Program coordinator Melissa Gjellstad made it her goal to offer Norwegian language classes online. As instructor Kim Pedersen said to the Grand Forks Herald “the first class has both traditional on-campus students and people from Maine, Texas and Calgary who wanted to learn more about their ancestry”. The course does not only give the students insight in their ancestors’ language and culture, more importantly it help students expand their understanding of Norway and reflect Norway as one see the country in 2011. This is of great interest for the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as this is an important way to increase the interest in and knowledge of Norway.
The online teaching of Norwegian is made possible through the use of modern technology. Students receive exercises, audio files and flash cards through the the university’s online course management system Blackboard. They take tests online and at the end of the semester students have an oral exam conducted by video conference with an instructor.
One of the benefits of taking the online class is that the ”online class is convenient and sometimes easier to fit into a schedule (...) online version’s assignments and tests can be completed day or night”, Gjellstad said according to the Grand Forks Herald. Thus the class is made available for people all over the country wanting to study Norwegian, or people simply wanting to get a basic knowledge of the Norwegian language and culture. Read more about what Gjellstad and Pedersen have to say in Grand Forks Herald.
At the moment NORW 101 is taught online. The same class will be offered this summer, and in the fall students will be able to continue with NORW 102 online. You can find more information about UND’s Norwegian program here.
Additionally to the Norwegian program and classes offered at the University of North Dakota, there are a wide variety of universities in the US and Canada who offers Norwegian and Scandinavian language and area studies.
For more information, please visit Nortana.