Frequently Asked Questions

What is this website?

Old English Online is a website designed to help users learn to read Old English. It was funded by University College Cork through the National Forum’s 'Developing Disciplinary Excellence in Learning, Teaching and Assessment' fund and developed by Dr. Tom Birkett and Victoria Koivisto-Kokko. You can find a list of updates in the patch notes.

How does it work?

The website is structured so that major grammatical concepts are covered in an individual module, which is subdivided into easily digestible topics. Topics contain textual information accompanied by graphic organisers and interactive exercises such as vocabulary flashcards; fill-in-the-blank grammar quizzes designed to provide tailored explanatory feedback; and reading comprehensions with optional glosses, notes, and translations. The learning environment is specifically designed to require the minimum amount of cognitive processing and provide content in a structured way that empowers learners to engage heuristically and at their own pace. In the overview topic of each module you can download a pdf version of the module content which also contains a glossary of the Old English words used in the module. Audio examples of Old English are provided in the Pronunciation Guide

Can you see my answers?

No. The tool runs exclusively in the browser so anything you do on the website can not be seen by anyone except you. The only data collected is page hits to see what parts of the site people are using.

Can I use the website offline?

Yes! To do this, go to the repository [here]. Click the green Code button, and choose Download ZIP. To access the home page, unzip the oldenglishonline-master folder, open the Docs folder and index.html.

How do I report bugs or errors?

If you notice any errors or bugs, please don't hesitate to email them in to contact@oldenglish.info. Alternatively, if you are comfortable with HTML, you can fix errors or contribute to the resource directly. A contributor's guide is available on Github.

Can you add a new feature?

This is a living resource which is designed to be added to over time. If there is a feature you would like to see, let us know! You can find a guide on how to make an actionable feature request [here]. Alternatively, if you are comfortable with web development, you can contribute to the resource directly. A developer's guide is available [here].

Acknowledgements

This project never would have been completed without the work of all the people who generously donated their time. To all our testers, this website would be a lot worse without you. A huge thank you to Dr. Alison Killilea, Dr. Niamh Kehoe, Dr. Patricia O'Connor, Joseph McCarthy, Marcus Smith, Rosemary Kelly, Aoife Lyall, Christ Fadel, and everyone who emailed in pointing out errors or offering suggestions on how to improve the site.