Hey peeps! This time I am going to review this course which I took up in their last available session. I hope, most of you are aware of Coursera, a platform for free and paid open MOOC courses. I have been a student there since they started (although I never came around to complete any of their courses because laziness).

I have been waiting like crazy for them to introduce language courses, and I have always wondered that they have courses from so many non-English Universities, why these universities wouldn’t introduced beginner level courses for their languages. There are a ton for English language!! Well, this just goes to show how much learning languages is unpopular (or that universities are busy enough to not make any elementary school level course?) Things are certainly improving though and I found two language courses there apart from English: Korean and Mandarin

So, since I have been neglecting Korean for quite sometime now, I decided to take up this absolute beginner level course from Yonsei University. It turned out to be easier than I thought (at least initial levels), for of course, my level was a little above than the level of material provided here (WARNING: this was written before I reached 4th week). But for a beginner who is confused as to where to start, or a person who has been able to acquire some words from the dramas, this is a great head start. I, at least, learnt a lot from it.

The professor Seung Hae Kang seems to be very sweet and gentle lady and her lectures are like she is teaching a live class before her. It does excite one to take Korean classes from a Korean professor. The TAs are very helpful and prompt in the forums. The course is divided into 5 weeks and each week takes up one topic and introduce grammar points based on that. The topics covered are Korean Alphabet, Greetings, Family, Time and Date and Daily life. Through these lessons, grammar portion covered is Hangeul, Particles, Verb conjugation in present tense and both types of number systems in Korean.

What I like about the course is that it’s self-paced. Within the given time frame of the course, you can complete your assignments any time you want, even after the weekly deadlines (but before the final course deadline). There are dozens of new words in each lecture. You get to listen Korean conversations, in context, directly from native speakers (although a lot of Korean language resources use that) and the lectures are quite interesting. The content covered in 5 weeks is really exhaustive.

Which brings me to the cons of the course that it might seem overwhelming to absolute beginners to do so much in so less time. But rest assured. They have new sessions coming up regularly and if you rejoin any subsequent session because you were unable to complete previous session in time, your progress from previous session will carry over to the new one (I have done it for another course, so it definitely works, but please do check, just in case).

Another thing I find a bit sad is really easy quizzes. I scored a 96.6% in total just because I committed 2/3 silly mistakes. Otherwise quizzes are way easier than the course covered. Nonetheless, they give a good practice of particles (I am finally able to differentiate the ones taught in the course, yay!!!).

The thing I absolutely disliked was that to get a certificate I would’ve to pay 29$. 29$!!! Coursera seemed awesome when there were at least free statement of accomplishment. I mean, for an Indian 29$ is not that big an amount but not that small either. If I have to pay such amount for each and every subject, then…. Although financial aid is available for most of the subjects but anyway, I gave up on the certificate for every course, and just focus on learning. Which is not that bad either. I also don’t like their verification thing before every quiz either. But, it’s not the course’s fault, so it’s alright. Also, I do understand why Coursera has to take such measures, so I have made peace with it.

Hence, I would recommend this course to people looking for a head start in Korean or brush up their concepts a little!! You can go and have a look for yourself at: First Step Korean

In the end, the story of me neglecting Korean studies is that, I have been trying to start with TTMIK again. Or start the books I have, though they might not be the best out there (but I learnt a lesson about books in my last post, remember?). But all in vain. I am putting Korean on hold after I completed the course. I will continue with the vocabulary though (don’t want to absolutely cut from it, since no good drama coming either. Weekly idol after format change has become a little boring as well 😦 )

Heck, I have even been thinking of taking up Thai again and at least finish the notes my senior in Thailand (who was provided with the material by her company itself) gave me. I am a lazy ass after all (That’s something you must have definitely observed given that I try to make a proper schedule of posting blog posts ultimately abandoning it in two weeks or so. I even forgot to put up my blog’s third anniversary post).

Height is that I have JLPT in two months and I just can’t seem to develop an interest in Genki 😐 Guess, I’ll lack in grammar again this time….