The Best Online Language Course is the One that Captivates You from Start to Finish

In your search for the very best online language course, you’ve probably spent a lot of time thinking about things like cost, teaching methods, frequency and flexibility—all crucial aspects of any good class, of course, but far from the only important concerns. 

When devising our own online language classes, the question of how to circumvent the focus-draining effects of video conferencing has been a major consideration. After all, what’s the point of having expert instructors and an accommodating class schedule if you find your attention waning less than halfway through class? 

If you happen to know any elementary school teachers, you’ve undoubtedly heard them lament the uphill battle they’ve faced in trying to keep their students engaged and focused in online classes. 

It’s not just children who struggle with the medium: over the last 14 months, as workplace meetings, fitness and language classes and even social events have moved online, countless articles offering tips for overcoming “Zoom fatigue” have been published—proof that, if the thought of sitting through another dry, two-hour-long Zoom meeting makes you want to cry, you’re certainly not alone. 

Recent research out of the University of Waterloo (in collaboration with Microsoft Research) looked at the ways in which our attentiveness during video conferences can be improved. 

They found that attention could be improved by “having the ability to zoom in, notifications of actions that have occurred between meeting participants, the use of split system views and the ability to track people’s gazes,” according to a U of W press release about the research. 

At E-QIP, offering the best online language course in Canada means keeping our classes short and sweet

Our biweekly French and English classes (aka Express 4) are broken up into two 45-minute slots, with a 15-minute break in the middle—a far more web-friendly format than a class that runs for an hour and a half straight. 

Reports vary, but most research places the attention span of adults at around 15 to 20 minutes—and that's when listening to something in our own language. 

According to a 2017 study out of the University of Wisconsin, students in a university-level second language course reported several lapses throughout each of their 50- and 75-minute classes. These lapses increased in frequency the longer the class went on, with lapses occurring as often as once every three to four minutes near the end of class.

With that in mind, our instructors divide each of our classes into three sections, based on E-QIP's three areas of teaching focus: 

• Fluency (students are encouraged to produce language through structured debates or discussion, which the instructor listens to and provides feedback on)
• Accuracy (the teacher presents and/or reviews various elements of the language, especially those that seem to be causing issues for the students) 
• Connection (fostering easy, natural conversation between students on real world topics; i.e., topics that might come up in "real life")

Following this structure means that students spend most of the class time not listening to their instructor, but engaging in discussions themselves, often based around the specific topics students have expressed particular interest in—a surefire way to not only hold their attention, but to also improve their fluency, comprehension and proficiency more than any instructor-led lecture ever could. According to the University of Wisconsin study, "attention can be heightened by introducing novelty, by tapping into student interest, and by using more active learning tasks." 

If your objection to virtual classes stems from not wanting to follow your workday with another dull, 90-minute meeting, know that we couldn’t agree more. And, in fact, we’ve designed our entire class structure with you in mind.