As the capabilities of technology have increased in recent years, there are projects to  develop distance-learning courses for foreign language learning. Distance learning provides a solution to the problem of language course delivery where there is low or sporadic  demand. Distance learning can also help institutions offer language courses and thus  develop sufficient enrollments and eventually offer   language-learning in a traditional classroom format.

Another common mode for offering distance-learning courses is the online language courses.

Here, learners study the language online, meet other learners and the instructors in live  chat rooms, have discussions on bulletin boards, or communicate with fellow students and  instructors via e-mail. Some Universities including Michigan State University have  developed  online language courses in intermediate German that relies heavily on the online  environment for language learning. These online language courses  are a  hybrid, which requires that in addition to the online work, students also meet twice weekly for face-to-face  interaction in German.

In order to accommodate individuals and very small groups of learners during the academic  year, many institutions have individualized language programs. Individualized language  programs (also known as tutorial programs, self-instructional programs, or directed  independent language study programs) allow learners to work with a language program  supervisor and native-speaking tutor to study and learn the language in a one-on-one  environment. In individualized language programs, students work with a tutor and language  pedagogy expert (a language supervisor) to design a language course specifically tailored
to meet the students' needs. Students meet several times a week with their language tutor  for intensive, individualized practice.

During these practice sessions,  only the foreign language is spoken.  Learners are responsible for mastering assigned material on their own outside of class.

Tutorial sessions are generally reserved for oral conversation and practice or focused  on oral drills. Often, learners are also expected to work independently on language exercises  with audiocassettes or other media.

But if you want  to learn German independently,  the best way to do it is to choose one of  many special online German language courses such as Deutsch als Fremdsprache (DaF).

The aim of these online language courses is to make you familiar with the best online  resources in "German as a foreign language"; to expand this idea to  practical daily  needs of those who are interested in business, tourist or cultural aspects of life in in Germany;  and to provide you with external links and useful tips.

Nevertheless we have to be careful about  our claims to effective learning techniques such as online language courses. One mustn`t forget that learning a language  online well depends on many different factors, and learners are different too.  Some  may be more successful due to factors  like gender, intelligence, age, etc. 

The aim of these online language courses is to familiarize you with the best online  resources in "German as a foreign language"; to expand this idea to the practical daily  needs of those who are interested in business, tourist or cultural aspects iof life in Germany; and to provide you with external links and useful tips.