Client Background
The Intensive English Language Institute (IELI) at the University of North Texas supports international students in building English fluency for academic and professional success. Like many language programs, IELI faced challenges in providing students with sufficient opportunities to practice spontaneous, real-world speaking in a low-pressure environment.
The Challenge
Becoming fluent in a new language can require thousands of hours of practice—something difficult to achieve in traditional classroom settings. Live conversation clubs or exchange programs are one way to bridge this gap, but they’re often time-consuming to organize and intimidating for anxious or shy students.
Language learning apps and online tools can help, but they often lack a sense of realism and interaction. IELI needed a solution that would provide practical, low-pressure conversation practice while also being scalable and flexible for students with varying needs.
The Solution
The IELI team launched a pilot immersive learning club using IMMERSE. Over the summer, thirty ESL students from a variety of countries were invited to join a twice-weekly club where they practiced English predominantly by using IMMERSE’s AI-powered conversation features.
Students used interactive role plays in virtual environments, giving them unintimidating, engaging opportunities to improve their speaking skills. Because IMMERSE adapts to different proficiency levels and communication styles, instructors anticipated that students with varied backgrounds and fluency levels would all benefit from the experience.
Results and Impact
Feedback from instructors and program staff highlighted multiple strengths of the IMMERSE pilot:
High Student Engagement
The immersive setting and interactive experience kept students actively involved in practice.
"It was really interesting that the world around you [the 360° experience] is interactive. This was engaging and exciting for the students.” – Karen Lemke, Student and Program Specialist
Valuable Self-Paced Practice
The club helped fill gaps in speaking practice that were difficult to address during class time.
"Sometimes, we have student assistants in class, but not all classes have them... students don’t really get a chance to talk to a native speaker and see that they’re being understood."
– Cleyera Martin, ESL Instructor
More Authentic Interaction
Students benefited from practicing with AI avatars that could evaluate and respond appropriately.
"It’s helpful because when they’re talking to each other in class, they’re talking to another English language learner... but the AI does [understand them]... they get to almost talk and interact with a native speaker, so to speak."
Given the success of the pilot, IELI plans to continue using IMMERSE and incorporate it officially into future course curricula, with a goal of empirically measuring its impact on student outcomes.
Lessons Learned and Takeaways
The IMMERSE pilot at UNT demonstrated how immersive learning can provide meaningful, flexible language practice that supports diverse learners. By combining AI-driven interactions with a safe and engaging environment, IELI helped students gain confidence and fluency beyond what was possible in traditional classroom settings alone.
