Project information

On February 18, 2000, the steering committee of the European Socrates network of African languages and linguistics, in its meeting at the Humboldt University in Berlin, endorsed the ALI Swahili project as a European priority (ALI = African languages and linguistics on internet).

In autumn 2000, the project was adopted by the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Department of the University of Zurich. As a result, the basic level program of ALI Swahili was developed for a blended learning environment and in October 2001 became part of the regular Africanist curriculum at the University of Zurich.

Project team

The following were mainly responsible for the development of ALI Swahili:

  Thomas BEARTH, Prof. of General and African Linguistics, Head of project
  Karin GEITLINGER SAID SEIF, lic. phil., Course development and teaching
  Hannes HIRZEL, dipl.el.ing. ETH, lic.oec.publ., Software development
  Daniela WALDBURGER, lic. phil., Administration, editing assistance

Several other individuals and institutions have significantly contributed to the venture. See Acknowledgments.

The Swahili course program was started at the Department of General Linguistics of the University of Zürich in 1988. It has since then been offered on a regular basis as a 3-4 semester 2-hour cycle. Since 1991 it has become a centerpiece of the then newly introduced curriculum (Nebenfach) of African languages and linguistics (Afrikanistik) at the University of Zürich.

A prototype version of the newly developed software ALI Swahili was introduced to the Swahili teaching program at the beginning of the new 3-semester cycle in October 2001. Although it had originally been offered as an alternative to all-out classroom teaching, all students opted in favour of joining the new venture. Consequently, the course was run on a dual e-learning basis (combined classroom and CD-ROM teaching) from October 2001 to February 2003. A detailed evaluation of the initial units in April 2002 by the participating students yielded encouraging scores. About 10 students are expected to take the final exams in May 2003.

A final evaluation will followed in June 2003.