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Peking University will offer HSK courses for free on Corsera starting with level 1 (starting October) and working through to level 6 in sequence. I didn't see this on the forum (Possible that I missed it) but for anyone who wants to get involved I'm sure it will be beneficial. There are a lot of debates on the efficacy of MOOCs but I think a few videos and tips by Yu Bin should be fairly useful if you are considering taking HSK at some point. The WeChat message can be found here. The Corsera page can be found here. Only just seen this but will have a look to see if there are costs such as textbooks students should buy etc.

One of the best universities in Spain is organizing a free online course about Chinese history, seen through the eyes of the first Europeans who visited it. The course begins next 28th of September, it will last eight weeks and students are expected to spend around 6 hours per week. I've already registered, but I'm not sure if I'll have time to finish it. Anyway, for more information, visit its website.

I just found this MOOC (online course) offered by Beijing University. It started on 7 October but registration is still open and the material will remain available on line for 1 year. PekingX: 20000003x Chinese Culture and Communication 汉语和文化交际 There isn't a lot on the site other than the 10 video lectures, lecture handouts and a few (very few) timid posts in the Discussions (most complaining about the lectures being in Chinese! The syllabus includes some very interesting and useful to know topics, like 'forms of address'. 'taboos and conventions', 'self-modesty'. I get the impression that the organisers weren't quite ready to launch the course but went ahead an launched it anyway , don't expect much in the way of attention from staff or communications, but it seems a useful set of lectures, and content and vocabulary are definitely very useful. The lectures are in Chinese with Chinese (simplified) subtitles. No English. I've just sat through the 1st lecture. It is reasonably clear, though dry. The professor speaks a bit fast and it'd be nice if the videos had short pauses to separate subtopics (and the lecturer smiled once or twice), but with the captions it is possible to understand most of it. I will have to listen to it a couple more times after reading the transcript to get all the content clear. I'd say the level is HSK5 and up. My usual tip: get the captions to display on the side of the screen, copy, and paste the text on a text or doc file or whatever, instant transcript!

XuetangX is China's moocs platform. It was started by Tsinghua University in partnership with edX, and follows the edX format which you might know from Harvard's ChinaX series and other moocs. Although only 3 years old, it already boasts over 5 million students and, in many ways, seems to have surpassed its parent edX in content and scope, especially after a recent revamp. https://www.class-central.com/report/xuetangx/ Registration in XuetangX is open to all. I registered from the UK in 2014 without any problems...other than the fact that everything is in Chinese - I confess to have turned to Google Translate for help. One can go the informal self-study route (自主模式), or, presumably (though I'm not familiar with this) venture into the Study Certificate option. From what I've seen, the assignments and requirements for a certificate are much more demanding than any mooc I've seen in other platforms, not surprisingly XuetangX moocs can be used as credit towards a University degree in China. The 自主模式 is easy-going and one can enjoy the lectures and discussions at one's own pace and lurking in the background, or abandon without being noticed if it turns too difficult to follow. Several moocs still lack the "自主模式' button but they offer the option to register for the classes only, which amounts to the same thing. There are hundreds of courses on all subjects and to suit all tastes and more keep on being added. Here are the current History and Literature courses. It is a great resource to study both the subject of the mooc from a top expert in the field, as well as Chinese. http://www.xuetangx.com/courses?credential=0&page_type=0&cid=130&process=0&org=0&course_mode=0 http://www.xuetangx.com/courses?credential=0&page_type=0&cid=129&process=0&org=0&course_mode=0 Lectures, assignments and discussions are all in Chinese, therefore a fairly advanced level is required, HSK6 most probably. However, at least in the new courses the video lectures now have Chinese subtitles (simplified characters), which should enable people in an upper intermediate level. A tip: placing the subtitles on the side of the screen allows one to copy the lot and paste it onto a text document, which can be manipulated to study the text and learn the unfamiliar characters.. I just started 中国古代礼义文明（上), by Professor Peng Lin, the same one who taught the courses on Chinese Archaeological and Historical Relics in edX the last 2 years, he's a truly wonderful and very knowledgeable teacher. Edited to add the link to Prof. Peng Lin's mooc, and mention that I just found a mooc on wine appreciation in English (with Chinese subs) http://www.xuetangx.com/courses/course-v1:AdelaideX+Wine101x+sp/about

Hello! Is anyone else taking the Intermediate Chinese Grammar course taught by Peking University and offered through edX? It started today. I've only worked through half of the first week and it is right on-level for me. Although the grammar points are not overly difficult, the course is completely in Chinese, so it is a good challenge without being too difficult to make self-study not enjoyable. Here is the link if any of you are interested. Happy studying!

People who missed Harvard University's ChinaX or who might want to revisit some of the sections, the start of a new iteration of ChinaX, this time as a self-paced study course, was announced yesterday. "The second iteration of ChinaX begins today with the opening of ChinaX (Parts 1-5): China: Civilization and Empire, taught by Professor Bol. Enroll yourself by visiting the ChinaX Page on edX. We encourage you to view the Syllabus and Unit Outline (a breakdown of course components), and revisit topics that interest you most! We present to you a reimagined course with completely new assessments and revamped videos, as well as new material (released in the coming months), including a unit on the Silk Roads with Professor Daniel Waugh. ChinaX (Parts 6-10): China and the Modern World, taught by Professor Kirby, will open in November. Stay tuned!"

Hello, all. Are there any online masters degree in mandarin done by Chinese Universities (or Taiwanese)? I do not really mind the field of studies (if such masters do exist). If this post is in a wrong category, please move it to the right one.

Just got wind of an interesting resource for (very) advanced learners. If you're not familiar with the MOOC (Massive Online Open Course) phenomenon, MOOC refers to university's efforts to put their course materials online, for free. edX is one of the organizations devoted to the idea, and it used to include only some elite American universities like Harvard and MIT. But now, at xuetangx.com, some Chinese universities have jumped on the bandwagon. Very cool, if you ask me. You can take university-level courses, in Chinese, for free. There's a History of Chinese Architecture course, some electronic-y and computer-y stuff, and what I think is an archaeology class, but I'm not sure. I haven't explored it all yet (my Chinese isn't good enough!), but I bet some of the readers here would love it. Check it out!