‍Meiji Gakuin University in Japan sought a way to strengthen fluency within its English program. Faculty wanted students to build speaking capability while remaining fully engaged in practice. They were also focused on reducing speaking anxiety and supporting confidence in real communication situations.

These priorities aligned closely with IMMERSE’s Fall 2025 pilot program, which offered select higher education institutions access to the platform’s new self-paced learning experience.

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The pilot program

The Fall 2025 pilot introduced universities to IMMERSE’s self-paced AI program, giving them a flexible and scalable model for strengthening communication capability, increasing engagement, and tracking progress across a full academic term. The program features more than 400 expert-designed micro-lessons aligned with CEFR, each built around a consistent four-part flow guided by adaptive AI and set in realistic 3D scenes such as meeting rooms, doctor’s offices, or airports. This structure gives learners repeated opportunities to apply new language in context while faculty gain clear visibility into performance through built-in analytics.

Participation at Meiji Gakuin University

40 undergraduate English students participated in the 12-week pilot, with the majority being first-year students. Of these, 24 students participated as part of their regular coursework, while the remaining students joined on a voluntary basis.

Across the term, students completed:
• 256 self-paced lessons
• 1,179 AI-powered vocabulary and pronunciation activities
• 8 social events where they practiced with English learners around the world in real time

Before starting the program, students completed a pre-survey to share their goals. They reported wanting to improve speaking skills (24%) and listening comprehension (20%), gain speaking confidence (19%), expand their vocabulary knowledge (15%), and increase their motivation for learning English (10%). 77% also said they were “excited” or “very excited” to try an AI-powered immersive learning experience in their English coursework

Key results 

At the end of the 12-week period, students completed a post-survey that asked how IMMERSE had supported their progress.

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Self-reported skill development

Students rated how much IMMERSE helped them improve various skills on a 4-point scale ranging from “not at all” to “a lot.” Results are summarized in Table 1.

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Speaking showed the strongest perceived gains, with 80% reporting improvement “a lot.” Pronunciation, vocabulary knowledge, listening comprehension, and pragmatic language use also showed strong results. Cultural understanding, reading, and writing showed more modest gains, reflecting the program’s primary focus on spoken communication.

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Learner experience and confidence

Students also reflected on how IMMERSE influenced their confidence, motivation, and overall experience.

• 89% said IMMERSE helped them feel more confident speaking English
• 78% said it reduced anxiety related to speaking
• 78% said it motivated them to continue learning English
• 100% found IMMERSE engaging
• 75% found the platform easy to use
• 89% described the experience as enjoyable

40% reported spending one to two hours per week on IMMERSE, indicating use beyond required class time. 60% used the platform exclusively during scheduled instruction.

91% said they would recommend IMMERSE to another student learning English, and that they would be disappointed if they could not continue using the platform.

Student reflections

Students consistently described IMMERSE as a low-pressure environment that supported steady speaking practice and provided clear feedback.

• “Because I was speaking with AI, the psychological barrier to speaking English was lower and it was easier to speak.”
• “I rarely get the chance to talk with native speakers, so learning while listening to correct pronunciation was very helpful.”
• “I liked that the system gave me advice when my grammar was not correct.”
• “I was able to speak without worrying about making mistakes. I could learn how I should say things, and I felt relaxed communicating with the AI.”

Next steps for IMMERSE + Meiji Gakuin University

Given strong engagement and clear gains in confidence and perceived communication capability, the English department is exploring continued integration of IMMERSE during Spring 2026.

Faculty are also planning to evaluate how IMMERSE may have influenced students’ speaking performance on the TOEIC® Speaking Test, providing an additional lens on performance outcomes alongside learner experience data.