Tag Archives: EdTech

5 things we improved about Linguineo Pro that you need to know

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Summer is coming to an end. *Cries in Belgian weather* While we’ve enjoyed the occasional sunny moments, we have been working *read: the whole year* behind the scenes to improve Linguineo Pro. We know, summer isn’t done yet, but we sure are with the update of Linguineo Pro. We have done a major update to Linguineo Pro, incorporating all the most important previous user feedback. Yay! We literally can’t wait to share it with you! So, keep on reading to find out what we improved. Let’s start immediately with the big changes!

1. New conversation feature

The new conversation feature allows users to get started with having conversations right away. They can start conversations on any topic, select one of the pre-created scenarios or personalize conversations using specific filtering options. Moreover, with the ‘pick a topic yourself’ option, users can choose a theme or enter a custom one for the conversation.

When using the filter, users can choose between ‘open directed’, ‘not yet done’, ‘specific to my profession’ or ‘for everyone’. Through configuring conversations, users can now set answer types, activate automatic translation, and utilize glosses. They can even filter which conversations should be shown in the list.

2. New vocabulary feature

Having an easy to consult and interactive word list was after the conversation feature one of the most requested features for a long time. Ask, and you shall receive – that’s exactly what is happening here.

What can you expect from the new vocabulary feature? A multifunctional vocabulary list. Basically, the Linguineo Pro app provides a vocabulary list where you can favorite words, listen to them, filter for unfamiliar words or those under a certain label, all for your selected profession.

You can then do exercises directly related to that vocabulary list, all tailored to the vocabulary required for your profile. Also, with the filter, you can select which words you want to be visible. For example, when clicking on ‘start exercise’ an exercise is started with the words from the filter, and the same goes for ‘start puzzle’. 

Besides the big changes, we also made numerous small change that will also make a difference: 

3. More professional authentication

Yes, this is dedicated to all those who tend to forget their passwords – myself included, I must confess. Initially changing your password wasn’t an easy option with Linguineo Pro. However, after many “how can I change my password?”, we realized the need for improvement. Voilà, you can now change your password on the application, whenever, wherever you want. Now you can reset your password anytime you need to!

4. Content review

Did we read and test all conversations? yes! Did we even make them better? Absolutely! In Linguineo Pro, we not only reviewed and improved the conversations but also added new graphic elements for conversations. And if that was not enough yet, we even added ‘open conversations’ for supported profiles like nurses, cleaners, … It is now possible to have open conversations. Ready to talk? 

5. Reworked the progress tab

This means more focus on competences and making results available on demand. So, after an exercise is completed, it will be shown in the learning path with the exact date of completion. Now, by clicking on it, the results will be displayed without restarting the exercise. So easy to track progress! Perfect for staying motivated, right?

And last, but not least, the app and conversations are now available in 6 additional languages. We have included Farsi, Pashto, Armenian, Afrikaans, Vietnamese, and Nepali. That was it, all the big and small changes!

All these changes were made possible thanks to feedback. We genuinely appreciate the feedback we have received about Linguineo Pro. We value feedback as it is crucial for enhancing our product.

If you are a Linguineo Pro user and would like to provide us with feedback, feel free to contact us at linguineopro@linguineo.com. If you are not yet a Linguineo Pro user and curious about the app, feel free to try Linguineo Pro right here.

Also, after receiving many demands about online documentation, we have made it available. Now, all documentation is accessible online, and we are very happy about it. 

OKAN pupils learn Dutch with voicebot POL  

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If you move here from another country, the best thing you can do is of course learn the language. Easier said than done? Not with POL, our personalized voicebot tailored to OKAN students. 

OKAN stands for ‘Onthaalklas voor anderstalige nieuwkomers’, or classes for non-native newcomers between ages 6 and 18 who have not yet mastered Dutch. The goal is to support them and make their learning experience more enjoyable. We partnered with D-Teach and KU Leuven’s Centrum voor Taal en Onderwijs to do that! Currently, we are in the testing phase of POL, and we would love to share you a little bit more about him. 

Meet POL

POL stands for Dutch Talking (Praten), Practicing (Oefenen) and Learning (Leren). His goal is to help OKAN students speak Dutch and to overcome speaking fear. Many non-native learners experience speaking fear due to a deep-rooted desire to communicate or write everything perfectly, which is also known as perfectionism and of course impossible when you are just starting. With the help of POL, students get access to valuable speaking opportunities in Dutch. And because he adapts to the language level of the students, they can practice in a safe environment. Isn’t that a dream come true? 

How does POL work?

POL really is our dreambot as he knows how to overcome difficulties in a fun way. How he gets it done? Well, to make it fun, we focused on engaging OKAN youth by considering the subjects they are interested in. And the icing on the cake: they can also upload pictures to engage the conversation with POL about their favorite topics. This way, they get the chance to practice their Dutch on topics they like. We believe that discussing topics they like makes practicing Dutch more enjoyable for them. That’s why POL proposes them different topics to talk about.

POL focuses on conversational speech and more specifically on recognizing the right sounds when building a sentence. He can explicitly point out and correct mistakes. POL provides hints, facts and tips. Don’t you just love that?! He really is a dreambo(a)t.  

And to make sure OKAN students like POL, we asked them what they would like their ideal voicebot to look like.   

POL, we’ve been thinking of you

Siri search for ‘Thinking of you’ by Katy Perry. Just kidding, back to business! So, you might ask yourself how POL became POL. Well, it’s been a long process and still is! 

We are thrilled by the level of engagement of everyone in this project. And in order for POL to become concrete, we have extensively brainstormed with teachers and students on what the ideal chatbot could look like. To get closer to the prototype we also visited different schools to ask students and teachers about POL. More about it here.

After all of this, we were ready to work out POL and test out a first prototype of him. Exciting!

POL, are you for real?

So, we recently introduced a prototype of POL to OKAN students in Mechelen for the first time. The students tested POL and provided us with valuable feedback. Their feedback was constructive and provided us with insights on how to enhance POL as a final product. Throughout the first ever testing, we saw smiles and laughter, which made us happy. Seeing students enjoy speaking Dutch is really what we go for. Curious about their feedback?

  • Overall students had a great experience when using the application and repeatedly stated that they found POL funny. 
  • They found the application an added value, as it allows them to practice speaking in particular, which is something they do not find in other applications. 
  • The students liked the fact that they can say anything to POL. As a result, they dared to say and express everything in Dutch without fear of being judged. POL represented a safe environment for these students to practice in.
  • They also gave us feedback on how we could make POL even more user-friendly. This showed that voice recordings, for example, are better stopped automatically rather than manually. 

As you can see, POL is increasingly going from an idea to something concrete. The next step?  Focusing on developing a new prototype to be ready by August to test it with learners in the earliest stage of literacy from OKAN classes. If you are an OKAN teacher with OKAN students in the earliest stage of literacy and interested in contributing to this project, please reach out to us. Also stay tuned for POL’s adventures and make sure to follow us on LinkedIn!