Israel Biblical Studies {Product Review}

I’m Jerry, and I love the Bible.

I’ve always had the desire to learn Biblical Hebrew, but never exercised the discipline necessary to do so.

I visited various websites that provided tutorials for learning the letters and a few basic words.

I watched several YouTube lessons and even purchased Pimsleur Hebrew Learning CDs.

Eventually, in every instance, I would get frustrated or simply grow bored and give up.

When my wife asked me if I would be interested in taking an online Hebrew course for a review, of course I enthusiastically said that I would, temporarily ignoring that voice in the back of my head that said, “You’re going to give up on this, too.”

I’ll admit that when I joined the class, I had very low expectations. For the class, and for myself.

After my first class, I was hooked, and I know you will be, too.  If you are looking for a class that will be fun, informative and challenging, all at the same time, this is the course for you.

Should you decide to take this course, you will begin learning Hebrew right away.  Every unit introduces fifteen new vocabulary words; not exactly enough to start conversation, but enough to get your feet wet and add practicality to to each lesson.

The best part, in my opinion, is that because this is an online class, you will get all the benefits of a classroom setting without having to leave your own home.  So, wherever you go, as long as you have a laptop and headset, you can take your classroom with you.

Previously, listening to a video or a CD rather than a live session meant that I missed the one-on-one interaction that I desperately needed to retain anything or focus.

In the live sessions, the teacher was friendly, professional and most importantly, interesting.  I was never bored with any session.  I found myself reviewing the material throughout the lesson, knowing that I could be called on at any minute to answer a question. One of the things I found comforting by being part of an actual online class group, was being able to see that I was not the only one struggling with a particular aspect of the course.  Listening to other students interact with the teacher, and even make mistakes, helped me realize that I don’t need to feel awkward or embarrassed.

Mistakes are actually part of the learning process.  The online class environment is so essential in making sure your mistakes do not carry over subsequent lessons! This is difficult to accomplish in non-interactive settings.

As with any course, there are time restrictions that limit the number of questions that can be answered during the live class session. However, after every class, there is an open-class session when students are able to ask questions and have them answered.  I haven’t had the need to use this option so far, but it certainly is good to know that it’s available in case I do.

For me, the most helpful aspect of the course was the recorded sessions.  Being a busy parent with the probability of schedule conflicts, it was good to know that I could catch up on any lessons that I missed by downloading or streaming them from the student locker section on the eTeacher website.  Of course, I missed out on the valuable interactions of the live session, but it’s comforting to know that missing a session doesn’t necessarily mean falling behind.  This is also handy when I want to cement sections that I didn’t follow well during the live session.

That brings me to the final benefit I want to emphasize.  The student locker, as I mentioned above, contains not only the recordings every class, but also the class schedule, information about classmates, and additional class materials (videos, study aids, helpful tips, etc.) to help assist in learning. The locker also contains forums to interact with other students and instructors. Also, if a student hadn’t purchased the accompanying study guide, individual units or the entire study guide can be downloaded for printing.  This could also be very helpful if you lose or misplace your study guide.

If there was one negative I had to find with the course (and yes, I’m digging), it’s that a few times the teacher’s video feed disappeared or became choppy.  I’m unsure whether this was from my end or his.  But, overall, the I had no real concerns with the presentation.

However, having a strong, fast internet connect is a must. Those audio and video from student with poor connections frequently broke up, making conservation an impossibility.

All in all, I’ve loved my experience so far in the eTeacher Biblical Hebrew course.  I would definitely recommend it.  Sign up. I promise you will find learning Hebrew enjoyable and beneficial.

Israel Biblical Studies is offering scholarships for those who sign up by June 1!

And FrontGate and Israel Biblical Studies are offering a giveaway for a FREE COURSE!