Overview of Course
Ten dialogs introduce over 200 new ASL signs. The intermediate ASL dialogs touch upon motivation for learning ASL, occupations, ordering food in a restaurant, and shopping. The internediate ASL lessons illustrate more ways in which a variety of ASL sentence structures can be used to form conversational sentences. Insights into the lives of people in the Deaf community is presented in each of the ten lessons and include topics about using your new found ASL skills in a conversation with a Deaf person, the different meanings that an ASL sign might have, varying the meaning of an ASL sign by changes in sign movement and facial expressions, reasons that senior citizens should learn to sign, an age-old Deaf joke popular amongst the younger generation, a look at how Deaf people stayed in touch with one another in the days before TTY and email communication, and behaviors that indicate a person is becoming deaf.
Overview of Lessons
| Lesson | Title/Theme | Dialog | Grammar | Vocabulary | Culture |
| 1 | The beauty of signing ASL | Touches upon the appeal of ASL and the route to good signing. | Conditional sentence. Topic/comment sentence. Simple sentence. | Signs that punctuate a conversation (e.g., WOW, OF-COURSE) | The value of “deaf” versus the value of “hearing” |
| 2 | Another reason to sign | Conversation about motivation and goal-setting | Rhetorical question. Facial cues. | Verb + person marker. | Should you use your knowledge of signs when you meet a Deaf person? |
| 3 | Occupations | Inquiring about the type of work a person does. | Topic/comment sentence. Information seeking question. | Occupation related signs. Verb + person marker. | Deaf people in the work place. |
| 4 | Ordering in a restaurant | Description of different ways to order food. | Topic/comment sentence. Pointing as a form of mimicking real life action. | Index finger for pointing. Use of the sign QUOTE. | A word is not a sign. |
| 5 | Eating in a restaurant | Discussion about what to eat. | Topic/comment sentence. Yes/no question. Information seeking question. | Use of the sign FINALLY. Food related signs. | A Deaf joke: Deaf Giant. |
| 6 | Ordering dessert | Discussion about chocolate desserts. | Simple sentence. Yes/no question. | Directional verb-sign. Fingerspelled word. | Play on signs |
| 7 | Going shopping | A discussion about getting ready to go shopping. | Topic/comment sentence. Facial expressions. Yes/no question. | Shopping related signs. Negative sign. | Facial expressions, movements, and meaning of signs |
| 8 | At the mall | A conversation about what to do in a shopping mall. | Rhetorical question. Pointing in space. | Common terms & phrases related to shopping. Directional verb sign. | Why senior citizens should learn to sign. |
| 9 | Buying things | Describing what was bought while shopping. | Use of FINISH before/after the verb. Topic/comment. | Signs that punctuate a conversation (e.g., THAT’S-ALL, LET-ME-SEE) | A look to the past: How Deaf people socialized |
| 10 | The value of things | A conversation about the cost and value of an item. | Yes/no question. Information seeking question. Topic/comment sentence. | Signs related to shopping. | Ten signs that you are becoming deaf. |
Lesson Organization
Each lesson is based on seven easy steps:
- Learning the Signs
There is a dialog between two people in each lesson. You are shown how to sign each ASL sign used in the dialog. - Creating Sentences
Each dialog is separated into sentences. A clear description is given of how the sentences are translated from English to ASL. You are shown how to sign each sentence. - The Complete Dialog
You watch and practice a dialog between two Deaf signers. - Additional Signs
Each lesson has additional signs for you to learn that are not in the dialog. - Practice Activities
Practice activities help you exercise your new knowledge of ASL. You translate English sentences to ASL. After you have done this, a single click shows you one way for the signing the sentence in ASL. - Quiz
Take the quiz to find out if you are ready to move on to the next lesson. - Culture Information
Each lesson ends with information about Deaf people and the way they live. This section provides insight and motivation for helping you learn ASL.
Final Exam and Certificate
After completion of the lessons, you can take the final exam for the course to test your newly learned ASL knowledge. Upon successfully passing the final exam, you will earn a certificate of completion. The certificate is available online in digital form. You can print the Signing Online certificate to mark your accomplishment.
Continuing Education-add to cart from drop-down menu at registration
Educator SCECHs- If you are an educator, you can take the above courses for State Continuing Education Clock Hours (SCECH) for $95.00 per course. The SCECHs are issued by the Michigan Department of Education and sponsored by Michigan State University. You earn 15 hours per course. To receive SCECHs, you must log at least 15 hours online and fill out a Signing Online SCECH completion form. Sign, date, and send to Signing Online so that we can send it on to MSU for further processing and forwarding to MDE.
Tools to Help You Learn
With your enrollment, you receive complete access to several useful tools and resources to aid you in your learning, including:
- Dictionary
You have quick access to over 2000 ASL signs. - Fingerspelling
ASL uses a manual alphabet where a different handshape is used to represent each letter of the alphabet. These handshapes can be seen at anytime. - Numbers
ASL uses different handshapes to represent numbers. These handshapes can be seen at anytime. - Glossary
At the click of a button you can refresh your memory about ASL rules and signing techniques.
How long does it take?
You are given four months to complete the course. The time it takes to complete the course will vary depending on your previous experience with sign language, ASL, and your own learning style.
With that said, the site will pace you so you can take at most one lesson per day. Each lesson should take you about 1-2 hours of online time. Therefore, a complete course would take 10 days, taking on average around 15-20 hours total to complete.
How much does it cost?
The cost to take this online course is $75.00. ($95.00 if taking to earn SCECHs)
If you enroll in more than one course at a time, the course access duration will be extended.
How do I enroll?
You may enroll in this course below.