Course (lecture)

A course is a collective term for courses of various forms. It describes the path from a starting point to a learning goal (see curriculum ). A course enables a learning offer to be turned into a (service) product, the total costs of which can be shared by several participants. This is where it differs from private lessons.

term

In addition to the classic face-to-face event, a course also includes distance learning or e-learning . The term is also used for learning contributions in specialist journals. Colloquially, the classroom event is usually summarized under a course with two elements: The actual learning product with the concrete implementation offer. As a rule, courses have a time continuity, i. H. they take place on several (often regular) dates.

organization

A course as an elaborated learning path is to be distinguished from its implementation , i.e. the information on when, where, at what cost, with what minimum or maximum number of participants the course is offered.

Important information about the framework conditions for a course are references to personal requirements, if necessary formal requirements (e.g. certain qualifications or attendance of the preliminary course or a certain language level for foreign language courses) and, if necessary, a special methodology and course type. These factors are always the basis for the design of a curriculum. Mentioning them can be correspondingly important for a qualified decision to participate.

Crash course

Courses that convey the knowledge material much faster are known as crash courses . Depending on the subject, a crash course only lasts a few hours, days or weeks, e.g. B. in foreign language teaching. Some educational institutions use the terms “intensive course”, “intensive course” or “crash course” instead.