Berend Booms, an AVC e-learner from the Netherlands, together with his wife, decided that they want to raise their two kids bi-lingual. Being of Armenian descent, her wife took on speaking Armenian to them at home. Because of that, Berend acquired a basic understanding of the language but wants to deepen his knowledge, especially since his eldest son is quickly surpassing him in proficiency. 

Here’s what Berend has to say about his experience with AVC.

I have had the pleasure of participating in the Western Armenian for Beginners course for a few weeks now. As a content creator for a software company myself, I can really appreciate all the hard work that has gone into realizing this course and the materials it contains.

Learning a language is above all fun, and AGBU’s virtual college has really managed to capture this aspect of learning in the way the course is offered. The learning materials are varied and of high quality. I absolutely love the interchange between using the Armenian script in explanation but offering the Latin script equivalent translations everywhere for those of us not yet used to the script.

The fact that we can do this with most of the course material, even the dialogue videos (in both English and transliteration), is astounding. The exercises offer a nice mix between testing language comprehension and testing the aptitude of the student at certain key skills, such as reading, writing and speaking.

The course is indexed well and shows me my current progress per lesson, which I like. Additionally, I have an in-built notepad on which I can record any comments or questions I have for my instructor. The interaction with my instructor has been nothing short of wonderful. I really feel motivated to not only follow the lessons, but also to participate in social events and practice the language with my peers.

I cannot wait to progress through the material to bolster my understanding and command of this amazing language.