Help and Support

Need help? Check out our FAQs and the videos that show how English360 works. Or contact us directly.

Top English360 FAQs

• Is English360 a course?

  No, it isn’t. It has course-like features which you can use to support your face-to-face courses or deliver courses online. The English360 collaborative authoring tools let you create courses and then share them with your colleagues.

• Does English360 replace face-to-face teaching?

  Not at all, it supports the teacher and learners and can be fully integrated with face-to-face teaching. The web platform allows you to extend learning between classes. So for example, a lesson on presentation skills can be used in the classroom but students can log into the English360 platform for review, extension and interaction.

• How is English360 different from other virtual learning environments?

  It is brings together self-authoring tools, quality course materials and web 2.0 community features. It is your learning platform, branded with your school logo and combines with Cambridge University Press content that can be re-sequenced. You use our digital tools to create your personalised courses, with total control over the level of privacy for your courses.

• Why is blended learning a better approach than just face-to-face teaching?

  It extends classroom activities, promotes self-directed learning and allows learners to access material, forums, page comments for further revision, discussion and peer interaction.

• Can I combine my own lesson plans with course materials and other content?

  English360 has been specifically designed to offer this. It provides easy-to-use self-authoring tools alongside quality content from Cambridge University Press and the wider English360 community so you can tailor-make lesson material to match your learners’ needs.

  All the content in English360 is tagged and therefore searchable so you can mix and match content from different sources to create unique courses.

• What’s the cost for me as a teacher?

  The platform is free for educators who would like to try English360. As an independent or freelance teacher we only start charging your learners when they start using the English360 platform - this is an Educator account.
  
  For schools, there is a comprehensive option which includes school branding, a unique URL plus administration accounts and access for your teachers. For this School account, there is a minimum payment of €90 per month which is offset against your first 10 student accounts.

• Do I need technical resources to get up and running?

  You don’t need to worry about anything technical. If you can attach a document to an email then you will be able to create your course and use the platform. We deal with the hosting and the headaches.

• Is English360 just for teaching business English and ESP?

  Not necessarily although it has been developed primarily to address the need for specialized personalized courses for business English and English for Specific fields. English360 gives you the digital tools to customise the curriculum based on the needs assessment of your learners.

• Can I lock down our teaching courses so no other schools can access them?

  All your material can be 100% private. It will not appear on search results and will be accessible by invitation only.

• Does the switch from a classroom approach to blended learning mean fewer contact hours and potentially less income?

  On the contrary, it places you at an advantage on the competitive market. As the saying goes, “technology does not replace the teacher, but teachers who use technology will replace those who do not.”

• Why is personalised learning so important these days when formal training has been used successfully for many years?

  In today’s busy world, English language learners are demanding faster solutions based on their needs. It’s all about meeting individual professional goals and ensuring people are productive in their jobs.

• Can I earn money by putting my own courses online with English360?

  Certainly, in much the same way you earn money teaching or authoring. The platform can generate income for you.

  There are two ways this could work. Firstly, you can charge learners to access your course or embed this cost in your course fees. You are offering more after all! You can also share material you authored and get paid per page click.

• Does English360 follow a predetermined syllabus?

  Not at all, there’s a wealth of course material in English360 which you can copy, order and combine with your lessons plans and worksheets to suit your lesson plans.

• Can I use English360 as a virtual resource only?

  Yes, you can and is ideal in situations where learners have busy lives or can’t come into the classroom because of geographical distance. You use the learning platform in whatever way makes most sense for you as an educator.

• Is English360 available in other languages?

  At present the English360 platform is only available in English. You can add content in any language though. We are happy to coordinate tutorials and screencasts in other languages to help your learners. This can be organized on request. In 2010 we will be organizing further releases in other languages.

• Does it have a video conferencing tool?

  No, there are no synchronous chatrooms or video conferencing tools. The platform offers online components but is not meant to substitute face-to-face sessions. We however have an educators forum on integrating and using widely available resources such as Meebo, Dimdim, and WiZiQ.

• Who holds the copyright on my material I upload?

  You do, you choose from a range of licenses:

  • All Rights Reserved - No one is allowed to copy or use the information in this course without explicit written permission.
  • Creative Commons, No Derivatives and Attribution - Others may copy or use the information in this course, but only in its current form and only with a credit to the original author.
  • Creative Commons - Others may copy and change your work.
• How does it differ from using web-based tools such as Google Docs?

  English360 offers digital authoring tools to create content that can be aggregated to deliver blended or online training. It has light course management system features such as results and feedback.

• Is English360 for small learner groups or large classes?

  It can be used for any size you want.