British Sign Language Beginners Step 1

This course is the first step of three progressive steps to complete our beginners level in BSL.

In this course, which is taught in BSL, you will learn to introduce yourself, ask and answer basic questions about family, hobbies and housing.

You will develop receptive and productive signing skills through a variety of learning activities in class and at home. Class based activities include small-group role-plays, responding to short BSL video clips, watching signed dialogues, and engaging in interactive signing exercises. Language learning requires regular practice, and you will consolidate your skills at home, with signing exercises.

This course is taught without a coursebook. You will be provided with all necessary course materials in class and on the learning platform.

You will also need access to a computer or another device with an internet connection to be able to use our learning platform.

If you have fully engaged with all the learning activities and have attended regularly, by the end of the course, you should be able to:

• Introduce themselves, ask and answer simple questions about family, hobbies and housing
• Follow signing which is very slow and carefully articulated
• Interact in a simple way with communication dependent on repetition and slow pace
• Show limited control of a few simple grammatical structures and sentence patterns in a basic repertoire

The above list is indicative and may be subject to change.

You will need to buy the following resources:  

• Level 1 & Fingerspelling - Beginner Level

This course is for complete beginners.  If you have previously learned BSL or have some knowledge and are unsure of your level, you can assess your level.

We welcome all and are committed to fostering a positive culture and sense of community among learners and staff. We expect learners to treat others with dignity and respect. Learners must be aged 16+.

If you have a disability, learning difficulty, health condition, or personal circumstances which may affect your learning, please let us know so that we can make appropriate adjustments in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.  

Wherever possible, we mainstream adjustments in line with the University’s Accessible and Inclusive Learning Policy. Learners will have limited access to the University’s student support services who will signpost appropriate local sources of support.

This is a complete beginners course for those with no prior knowledge of BSL. You will need basic digital skills, such as using a computer and navigating a website to access the course learning platform.