Learn Greek Online

Guide for Learning Greek Online

There are all types of online courses, classes and tutorials to learn Biblical Greek. This site compares the various methods to learn Greek online and the various options available for learning Greek online. Learning the langauge of the New Testament for serious Bible study.

Differences in online Greek courses

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All online courses where not created equal.

The main factor in determining which online Greek program is best for you is how much contact there is with a live teacher. No matter how good the curriculum nothing can replace the advantage for learning Greek than real live experienced teacher. Generally the more personal contact with a professional the more expensive the courses are, but there are some real deals still available online. The price comparison guide should help you find the course that best suits your needs and budget to help you learn Greek.

Here are brief descriptions of the various types of Greek courses, classes, and tutorials to help you understand the different levels of educational value of the different types of online Greek courses. The same methodolgical distinctions apply whether you wish to learn biblical Greek or classical Greek.

No personal contact with an instructor

Curriculum plus evaluation

The next level up is a course that provides a curriculum but then has some amount of evaluation along the way. This is what most people think of when they think of distance education. Students work through some curriculum and then have some sort of take home test or online test to pass in order to gain credit for the course. These courses normally cost significantly more than the "no contact" courses due to the time it takes to grade the exams. In the world of Greek education it really doesn't make sense to take this type of course. Since someone could just as easily follow a "no contact" course and then take the National Biblical Greek Exam online (for only $10) to get the desired evaluation.

Curriculum plus email

The next level up is to add the ability to contact a real Greek instructor (normally through email). These types of courses are more helpful than the ones above since students have a place to go with questions for authoritative answers. The only frustrating part about this type of format is the delay between asking the question and getting the answer. The danger is to get the answer and forget why the question was so important.

Recorded Lectures plus live discussion

This is probably the trend for the future online Greek classes. Students watch recorded lectures, which normally are fairly static when presented in a live context, and then regularly addition a discussion group with the Greek instructor presiding where questions can be asked and immediately answered. This is also a good context to go over examples from the homework to fish for additional questions.

Completely Live Classes

These are full service Greek courses where everything is live. The course uses some type of conferencing program for students to all attend live lectures and are free to ask questions and interact to help them most efficiently learn Greek. Often there is a live "whiteboard" that everyone sees and can use to intact with the course. Some systems even record the class so students can review it later.

Summary of ways to learn Greek

All of these types of courses are legitimate ways to learn Greek, but it is important for the student to know the options and not get stuck paying full service price for a self serve type of online class. For these reasons The Institute of Biblical Greek (IBG) web courses seem to be the best value.

Quick price comparison guide

More about the Institute of Biblical Greek Classes