As a Chinese teacher, I am always delighted to observe and learn from my students. One thing I have noticed in my interactions with my students is how hard most of them have to struggle during the learning process. The courses you take and the textbooks you use can of course be beneficial, but they alone cannot make you a better language learner. Too much time can be used up figuring out the meaning of words, taking notes in class, looking up words in the dictionary, or talking with friends. What you need to make the process more productive is a way to establish a context for your learning and sort your vocabulary.
So in our Kirin Mandarin, the courses are all based on conversational materials with certain topics. And we design different topics based on the needs of different learners. Because the context can help you a lot in understanding and remembering what you learn.