by Steffan Griffiths, Eton College, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Eton Classical Department has set up an initiative to create computer software to help with the learning of Greek vocabulary and grammar. Funded by Eton College with generous support from the Chandris Group, the programs are available on the Internet free of charge.

The software, which is being designed by Tony Smith, consists of drilling programs of vocabulary and accidence; it has been built up in self-contained and manageable stages, each tested at Eton before being made available externally. The software is freely available at the website http://www.etoncollege.com. To reach it, one chooses "Eton in Action" from the first menu offered and "Greek Project" from the second.

The first stage tackled was a vocabulary-tester consisting of the prescribed lists of the OCR examining board at GCSE and AS level, of the AQA board at GCSE level, and of the first 8 chapters of Reading Greek for the Open University syllabus. It allows for testing by multiple choice both ways and for typing into Greek with a simple transliteration key. A downloadable OCR word-list was also made available on the website.

The second stage was a verb-tester. The student is asked to identify particular parts of speech by clicking on the correct options. It is possible to configure the program to focus on particular forms; for example, GCSE students can exclude the perfect tense if they wish, or one can specify a test on contracted verbs.

A noun-tester has now been added. Again, the user can specify what to include in the test: nouns are available from the OCR and AQA GCSE syllabuses, the AQA AS syllabus, the opening chapters of Reading Greek, or the user can devise a customised list. One can also choose whether to test oneself by recognising particular forms or by typing answers using the transliteration key, and one is able to control the speed of the test.

The original vocabulary-testers were written in Java but later programs have been written in Flash and the earlier ones are now also being transferred. We plan to add a tester soon on adjectives, numbers and pronouns. We also hope to unify the presentation of different parts of the Project.

In the first two years of the Project (up to last November), there were 7,787 visits to the vocabulary- and verb-testers. We assume that the vast majority of the users are UK students taking the relevant public examinations: there were 1,029 GSCE Greek students and approximately 250 at A Level in 2003; Open University numbers were 276 finishing the beginners' course and 239 on the intermediate course. However, as the Project becomes better known we would hope, particularly with the accidence-testers, that the software will be of benefit regardless of the specific course being followed and so could have a worldwide audience. 

We are excited by the Project's start, but are very keen to receive feedback on ways in which it might be developed or improved; do please get in touch via the contact links on the website if you have any suggestions or comments.

Terms used:
OCR and AQA are the two national examining bodies for Classics in the UK. GCSE is an examination taken by students aged 16, AS at age 17 and A level at age 18.