Laureate Education, Inc. and Alelo announced that their Laureate English course is a finalist for the British Council’s ELTons Award for Digital Innovation in English Language Teaching. Laureate English was selected from among 150 award entries from 45 countries. The award winner will be announced in London in June 2019.
Laureate English is a new kind of learning experience for English language learners (ELLs). What is unique about Laureate English is that it utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) technology that helps learners improve their speaking skills and helps teachers teach more effectively. It can also be thought of as a kind of teacher’s aide.
Learners develop their verbal communication skills through realistic conversations with simulated native English speakers aligned with Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) can-do statements. Laureate English runs on Alelo’s Enskill cloud-based platform which utilizes a combination of automated assessment, practice, and personalized feedback that helps learners achieve mastery quickly, and maintain the language skills over time.
Many online language-learning solutions only focus on reading and listening skills without giving learners the opportunity to practice their conversational skills, thereby leaving them poorly prepared to communicate in English in college or the workplace. Since learners in many countries have few opportunities to practice their English with native speakers, Laureate English closes the gap in learning since it effectively utilizes simulations to reinforce their skills.
Gordon Lewis, Vice President of Laureate Language, explains, “Teaching English is a key piece of our global mission. Doing this effectively online presents certain challenges, so we are always developing innovative solutions that will let us significantly improve how we teach spoken English to tens of thousands of students worldwide. We chose Alelo to work with us because they offer both a leading-edge approach and a proven track record.”
Dr. Lewis Johnson, CEO of Alelo, adds, “Laureate Education’s support and partnership for innovation and global reach has provided us with enormous momentum on our way to becoming the best global solution for learning communication and language skills.”
Instructors using Laureate English have commented as follows:
“It helps me to improve my classes and also it makes my classes very very short and very very communicative.”
“If you want your students to have more self-confidence, Alelo is going to be your best option.”
“When I was a kid I wish I had this kind of platform because it helps in confidence.”
ABOUT LAUREATE EDUCATION, INC.
Laureate Education, Inc. is the largest international network of degree-granting higher education institutions, with more than 850,000 students enrolled at over 25 institutions with more than 150 campuses, which we collectively refer to as the Laureate International Universities network. Laureate offers high-quality, undergraduate, graduate and specialized degree programs in a wide range of academic disciplines that provide attractive employment prospects. Laureate believes that when our students succeed, countries prosper and societies benefit. This belief is expressed through the company’s philosophy of being ‘Here for Good’ and is represented by its status as a certified B Corporation® and conversion in 2015 to a Delaware public benefit corporation, a new class of corporation committed to creating a positive impact on society.
ABOUT ALELO INC.
Alelo creates learning solutions that help people acquire new skills and apply them when it counts, changing the way people communicate. The company has been delivering game-based solutions for learning communication skills using virtual role-play technology since 2003 when it spun out as a DARPA-funded research project from the University of Southern California. Alelo applies its virtual role-play to language and culture learning, and workplace competencies and interpersonal skills.
