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AI-Powered Conversations in Language Learning
AI-powered conversations are being used to enhance language learning by providing students with personalized, interactive speaking practice outside the classroom.
One of the biggest challenges in learning a language is finding enough opportunities to practice speaking. This is where IMMERSE comes in.
In traditional language classrooms, teachers have limited time and classes of 20 students or more, making it nearly impossible to provide every student with sufficient individualized feedback and speaking practice. Outside of class, foreign-language learners can struggle to find conversation partners to practice with, further limiting their ability to practice what they’ve learned.
AI is helping to address this gap, and some universities are adopting AI-powered solutions to give students additional speaking practice outside of class. Through AI-driven conversations, learners can engage in targeted dialogue practice and receive real-time feedback on their pronunciation and speaking accuracy. This creates a safe and flexible environment where students can test what they’ve learned in class with unlimited practice opportunities. In fact, research has shown that 92% of learners feel less nervous speaking with AI conversation partners than during classroom speaking activities.
However, not all AI-powered tools are created equal.
Many instructors lack the time or expertise to design effective AI-driven scenarios for their students, and the AI tools currently available to them are limited in their capabilities.
What makes IMMERSE AI conversation practice different
Like all IMMERSE features, the research-based AI conversation practice tool was designed by language educators and is optimized to provide students with engaging, interactive speaking practice tailored to their needs.
Here’s why IMMERSE’s AI conversation practice stands out:
- Learners can select (or their professors can assign) from hundreds of practical communication tasks, in order to ensure extensive opportunities to practice a variety of nuanced speaking tasks. Students gain communication skills that transfer directly into real-world communication, such as describing the items they’re looking for to a shopkeeper, politely declining an invitation from a friend, or telling a doctor about their physical symptoms.
- For upper beginner level and above, each conversation is open-ended but guided. The AI conversation partner will steer the learner to engage in a specific communication task, giving authentic responses and staying at the learner’s proficiency level. Absolute beginners who are not yet able to construct their own responses are provided with scripted dialogues to practice with the AI partners.
- IMMERSE AI avatars are more than just conversation partners. During the guided conversations, they provide corrective feedback and can make suggestions for completing the communication task when necessary.
- After completing the conversation, the learner receives a score on their grammar, the relevance of their responses, and the breadth of their vocabulary use. This helps them understand what they need to work on and allows them to see their improvement over time.
How IMMERSE Partners with Universities
IMMERSE partners with universities to provide language learners with unlimited access to an integrated learning ecosystem that includes AI-powered study tools, global community events, and live, instructor-led classes. These experiences not only help students build speaking confidence and fluency, they also provide personal feedback that strengthens real-world communication skills and reinforces target grammar and vocabulary.
IMMERSE is available on desktop, mobile, and headset, making it easy for learners to practice anytime, anywhere. Universities can customize their partnership by selecting the features that best align with their program goals.
IMMERSE offers robust, ready-made solutions that bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world communication without adding to instructor workload.
IMMERSE and University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas partnered with IMMERSE to elevate their Spanish and French students' speaking and conversational fluency. Specifically, their language programs sought a solution to offer students more opportunities for personalized speaking and pronunciation practice. They were particularly interested in an AI-powered platform that could provide individualized feedback while fostering a more immersive learning experience.
IMMERSE stood out as the ideal choice because it combines the power of immersive learning and AI to create engaging, real-world language practice environments.
The two language programs conducted a pilot study together with 200+ students who used IMMERSE’s AI-powered pronunciation and conversation practice outside of class time. Over the course of 4 weeks, students completed up to 1.5 hours of practice per week, or 36 IMMERSE topics and their corresponding AI-powered vocabulary, pronunciation, and guided conversation activities, outside of class time . These activities were carefully aligned with classroom topics to reinforce and extend what students were learning and allowed students to build their vocabulary, receive feedback on their pronunciation, and build their conversation skills.
In addition to tracking student participation, the programs assessed the impact of these activities on students' language progress and their affective responses, such as anxiety, engagement, and motivation.
To further evaluate the platform’s effectiveness, the university also interviewed students about their experiences with IMMERSE. While this data is still being analyzed, preliminary results show:
Learners significantly improved their speaking abilities
Students who completed most of the assigned activities made measurable gains in their speaking skills. Intermediate and advanced learners, in particular, significantly increased both the quantity of language they produced and the length of time they spoke (d = .89, large effect). Beginner learners showed more modest gains, increasing the number of words they could produce in one minute (d = .38, small effect).
Compared to the control group, intermediate and advanced learners who used IMMERSE increased their language output and speaking duration by 156% more—highlighting the impact of the program on spoken fluency.
In the post-project survey, learners also reported that they were comfortable and enjoyed using IMMERSE, that it gave them a sense of progress and accomplishment, and that it motivated them to learn. They also provided additional qualitative feedback in their post-project interviews on how IMMERSE impacted their learning:
Learners valued the immediate feedback they received
Learners appreciated the corrective feedback, especially for pronunciation and grammar. This feature helped them adjust their responses in real-time, which they found beneficial for learning.
- “The immediate feedback on pronunciation was very helpful.”
- “It was useful to get quick corrections during conversations.”
Students gained confidence in their speaking skills
Many students noted feeling less pressure when practicing with an AI avatar compared to a real person, which allowed them to try speaking without fear of making mistakes.
- “I felt more comfortable speaking because I didn’t feel judged.”
- “It was nice to practice without worrying about mistakes.”
- “I like that I can receive substantial feedback from someone who is not a real person because I’m not afraid of judgment.”
The vocabulary flashcards and pronunciation exercises were crucial elements
Learners frequently mentioned that the vocabulary flashcards and pronunciation exercises that are paired with each AI conversation task were crucial in reinforcing new vocabulary and pronunciation skills.
- “Practicing pronunciation with the AI helped me understand Spanish sounds better.”
- “The vocabulary flashcards were a great way to review new words.”
The flexibility improved engagement
Being able to access IMMERSE at any time from any computer allowed students to engage with it at their own convenience, fitting language practice around their other responsibilities.
- “I liked that I could use the platform whenever I had a few minutes.”
- “Being able to practice anytime was very helpful.”
What the language professors thought of IMMERSE
Due to the success of their IMMERSE pilot, University of Arkansas has decided to use IMMERSE with Spanish and French learners at various proficiency levels for the entire Spring Semester. They also hope to eventually expand this program to other languages.
Spanish professor Dr. Sung Hye Yang:
Foreign language instruction often struggles to provide personalized feedback. Immerse, an AI-powered platform, has successfully addressed this challenge, enhancing student outcomes by improving pronunciation and fostering communication skills.
Students appreciated its immediate feedback on pronunciation and grammar, which boosted confidence and supported real-time self-correction.
The vocabulary and pronunciation practice reinforced foundational skills and introduced practical expressions, while the platform's low-anxiety environment and flexibility allowed students to practice speaking without fear and fit language learning into their schedules seamlessly.
French professor Dr. Maria Teodora Comsa:
The most difficult component of learning a foreign language is speaking. Especially at the beginner level, students need practice to learn how to create meaning using the vocabulary and grammar from class. Live, in-class conversations are irreplaceable, but they can prove quite stressful. Immerse AI Guided conversations allow language learners to listen and repeat what they hear multiple times and to practice responding until they can do so at normal speed, without simultaneously translating. That ability is uniquely transformative for learners’ confidence and motivation. For this reason, the IMMERSE platform is an excellent tool for practicing speaking beyond the classroom, as it emphasizes pronunciation and conversation in a self-paced, low-anxiety environment.
Students in multiple sections and levels of French language courses explored Immerse for a few weeks this semester. They practiced vocabulary and AI-guided conversations for four weeks using activities aligned with the course curriculum. They were able to assess their pronunciation and speaking abilities in real time.
Overall, students enjoyed the experience and found that practicing in Immerse improved their ability to communicate in French more smoothly and confidently. We look forward to implementing Immerse for a whole semester next year.
Learn more about this pilot project here:
- Immersive AI Tool Helps U of A Students Improve Language Learning and Speaking Proficiency
- Tricia Thrasher, Director of Research at Immerse, Visits World Languages Department | University of Arkansas
Interested in Providing IMMERSE to Your Language Students?
With IMMERSE, universities and language programs can supplement existing instruction by offering their language students flexible, low-pressure speaking practice with feedback that builds fluency and confidence over time. Activities can be aligned with classroom topics and assigned to reinforce key course content, extending learning beyond the classroom. Institutions can fund student access through bulk licensing or by adding a required or optional tech fee, depending on how they choose to incorporate IMMERSE into their programs.
