École Polytechnique launches the season 2 of its acclaimed MOOC in French language and culture

The "Studying in France" MOOC, designed and produced by an academic team from École Polytechnique and ranked among the top 10 most consulted online courses worldwide, has now a sequel.

The same academic team has just launched an advanced MOOC (C1-C2): "Undrestanding France, Advanced French Language and Culture". Approximately 37 hours in length, it comprises 6 weekly thematic modules lasting 5 to 6 hours.

At an advanced level, it is aimed at all those who speak and/or are learning French and wish to develop a better understanding of the subtleties of the language and gain a better knowledge of French and Francophone cultures.

Each week offers a wide range of videos, readings, virtual visits to museums, debates on a forum and quizzes. These activities will enable each participant to deepen his or her knowledge of French culture and its history, and to understand contemporary issues while improving his or her written and spoken French.

The six themes covered are : Paris, cultural capital; Major French figures in history; Science and technology in France; Politics and French institutions; Contemporary debates in France and France and French in the world.

The MOOC was designed and produced by Julie André, Isabelle Schaffner and Olivier Bertrand, professors in the Languages and Cultures Department at École polytechnique.

The same academic team launched the intermediate-level (B1 - B2) online course "Studying in France", which to date has 545,000 subscribers and ranked 77th in the ranking of the 250 most consulted online courses since its inception, drawn up two years ago by Moocs aggregator Class Central.

"Studying en France" is aimed at all students wishing to pursue higher education in France, and is designed to give them the level of French language skills they need to follow courses in the French higher education system. It also aims to help them adapt to their new environment in the best possible conditions.

This course offers an immersion into the student world through course videos, texts in a variety of formats, short film extracts and authentic videos featuring French and foreign students living in France.

While it doesn't replace the need to take tests attesting to C1 or C2 level, the "Understanding France, Advanced French Language and Culture"MOOC  is an excellent springboard for thousands of international students wishing to study in a French-speaking country.

The quality of the teaching of French and French-speaking cultures delivered by École Polytechnique has been recognized by the three-star FLE (French as a Foreign Language) label. Awarded to Ecole Polytechnique in 2014 and again in 2018, the label was renewed by the interministerial commission in April 2023 for a period of four years.

This label is the result of a quality assurance initiative undertaken by three French ministries - the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, and the Ministry of Culture. Created in 2007 and awarded on the basis of a set of guidelines covering five areas, the Quality FLE label identifies and recognizes French as a foreign language centers whose linguistic offer and services offer guarantees of quality.

In each of these areas, three stars are awarded for maximum quality. The maximum score of three stars was awarded to École Polytechnique for all criteria: Training and Teaching, Teachers, Reception, Premises and Management.