Here at CORE Languages, we seek to offer the highest quality language instruction to our students. Part of our language curriculum includes CORE units. Here are some frequently asked questions about these units.

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1. How many units are there in a course?

A standard 40-hour course will have anywhere from 7-10 units, depending on level and language. Some clients may also request a custom curriculum, which would be a selection of units. You will be informed beforehand if your course has a custom curriculum.

2. What is a unit?

A unit is a small learning package consisting of about 5 or 6 activities and at least 1 required quiz. We also link (activity links) to content on other websites that we think is helpful. An activity link is a link that takes you to a website, an exercise, a YouTube video or audio exercise for the unit topic. 

3. If the links are just links, why can’t students just go to them by themselves without the units?

Embedding the link into the unit allows us to credit engagement points, which will improve the students’ CORE-SCORE. The students can still click on links outside of the unit, but we (and their managers) would never know.

4. What is the CORE-SCORE?

The CORE-SCORE is a unique metric that is calculated for each student throughout the course, so the student, the instructor and the training manager has a clear picture of the progress data of every participant in the course. The CORE-SCORE consists of the attendance percentage (C), the feedback provided throughout the course (O), checkpoint result scores (R), and the engagement with the activity links in each unit (E).

5. Why are the units just a bunch of links and a checkpoint?

The units you see today are the first build-out of what units will look like in the future. We will include vocabulary, games and other activities later to make the learning experience a bit more fun and diverse. The selection of links and videos is meant to give students a chance to practice a topic outside of the class and hear it explained by various different sources. The goal is: Mastery of the topic.

6. Are units required?

The checkpoints within a unit are required in order to complete them. Completed checkpoints will calculate the students’ “R-Score.”  The activity links are not required, but are strongly recommended, as this is the only way students can calculate and improve their “E-Score.” They also give students who missed a class a chance to catch up and practice, so the instructor can spend less time in class reviewing missed topics.  Students are expected to complete the units if they wish to enroll in the next level course.

7. I’m already using a book. Do I need to use the units as well?

Yes, but the most important part about the course is that the students learn the grammar topics that are recommended for the level you are teaching. You can use any material, even your own, to help the students master these topics. You do not have to complete every exercise in the book you are using. units are meant to support students outside of instructor-led lessons but can be incorporated into the course as much as you like. It is important to familiarize yourself with the units, so you can assign them as homework, or use them in class if you wish to.

8. Can I see my students’ checkpoint scores?

Yes! When you click on your course on CORECONNECT, you will see the units that have been assigned to this course. Click on any of the units to see the links and checkpoints your students are seeing. Click on any student to see their checkpoint scores and answers.

9. What if my class doesn’t make it through all the units in the course?

units are an excellent homework tool. Not every single unit needs to be covered in class, the same way that not every exercise in the book needs to be completed. The goal is mastery of the grammar topic. As units are about one given topic only, they can be completed relatively quickly. Not completing a unit isn’t going to subtract any points from the student score, but they are points lost that would have increased the students’ CORE-SCORE.

10. My course is approved for more/fewer than 60 hours. Am I also getting units?

The goal for the future is that every course will have access to units. Private students will have a selection of units vs. a full curriculum for group courses. You will be informed beforehand if your course will be assigned units.

11. I’ve run out of units, but I still have hours left in my course. Can I request more units?

If you do make it through all the units within the approved number of hours, use the extra time to review material, or introduce topics of a cultural nature. We try to implement course progression guidelines as much as possible. Contact us if you feel your student should be placed at a higher (or lower) level.

12. I do not like some of the links or material that you have selected as activity links. What do I do?

Great! Let us know. We value and appreciate your feedback. If you have a better link, or some of your own material, send it to us! We can put your exercises or forms on our website, and they can become activity links for the appropriate unit.

13. Can I make my own units?

We encourage all of our instructors to submit and share materials, forms, exercises, videos or audio they have used or created in the past, and we are happy to incorporate your material in the creation or the updating of our units as much as possible.

14. Can I change the sequence of units to my liking?

Yes! The units are not necessarily in the order they are meant to be taught, and you can use your own experience and preference to work through them or assign them to your students as homework in whatever order you see fit.

15. Who chooses what topics are taught in what course?

In order to assess what level a student is on, we need to use a framework of reference that links mastery of given topics to a specific level. CORE Languages follows the guidelines of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, which suggests what topics are appropriate for what level.

16. units seem like a lot of work; can we just skip them and work with the book only?

No. If your course has been assigned units, we require the teacher and the students to utilize them. We do understand the students have commitments at work and outside of work, but students are expected (by their management) to invest time in studying and homework as well. units and the CORE-SCORE help us present important progress data to our corporate clients, which has been increasingly requested. Attendance alone is not sufficient, neither from a learning perspective, nor from a data perspective.