English Language Program Development
VOA Learning English is taking part in the development of a massive open online course (MOOC) for teaching English to journalists who want to work in the language. In July, the regional English language officer at the U.S. embassy in Hungary hosted about a dozen English faculty members from universities across Central and Eastern Europe to begin developing the course. Learning English Branch Chief Victor Morales (on screen below) represented VOA via Skype during the conference, providing content for the course as well as insights into English learning and the practice of journalism in the United States to create the curriculum. VOA Learning English will be working with the group during the next several months as it develops the MOOC. The course initially will be used to supplement English teaching at universities in Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Ukraine and the United States. Based on the MOOC’s success and further refinements, the online course will be made available to a wider audience.