I think Chinese Learn Online is definitely one of the better programs out there. It is a gradual course which takes the learner from total beginner with no previous knowledge, and builds up from there. I used several of the podcasts for a Conversational Chinese course that I taught at our local junior college, and the response from the students was very positive. The methodology is very sound, and the real advantage is that students are not overwhelmed in the beginning, nor are they permanently stuck in a lower level.

I’ve listened to most of the Mandarin language podcasts since they began emerging on the new media scene, and the good news is that they all have something to offer to the Mandarin language learning community. Being a part of this community, I appreciate the fact that choice among content providers is a good thing for all of us to have. When it comes to the Mandarin language, itself, like any language, it’s made up of the same words regardless of who is teaching it. Of course, which teaching methodology you prefer will depend upon your learning style.