It won't be all Greek to Vancouver students much longer. A new online Greek language course was launched in late July for students through the VSB operated Vancouver Learning Network and the course has already gotten plenty of interest. Designed for flexibility and versatility, the Greek course was developed to allow Vancouver students to proceed at their own pace through an intuitive and interactive online interface.

"It's just like a computer game," says Andre Gerolymatos, the Director of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies.

The VSB's course had its genesis from the Centre for Hellenic Studies course offered at SFU. Over the past six years, online Greek language courses at the university have seen their enrollment double. VSB course developers are expecting similar growth for the Vancouver Learning Network's new course.

In addition to a dynamic online environment, the new course will also include teacher directed and facilitated exercises and activities including curated discussion forums, face-to-face oral testing, digital media and community outreach.

Gerolymatos says he believes online educational programs like the Greek course will be particularly popular for younger people who tend to pick up languages far quicker than older generations and who tend to lean towards interactive digital media as their preferred method of learning and knowledge engagement.

While there are an estimated 350,000 Canadians who identify being of Greek origin, Gerolymatos says many are losing the language and their culture as second and third generation Greeks often no longer speak the language at home.

"Schools are the last frontier to pick up a language," he says.

For more information on the new Greek program, click here.