ELSA SPEAK AI pronunciation Feedback as extension to instructors’ efforts in the university teaching of English pronunciation​

Enfoque

Currently, the landscape of foreign language teaching in university settings is undergoing a redefinition process, driven by the emergence of Artificial Intelligence. Amidst the various applications of this technological advancement, the use of AI tools to enhance aural productive skills, commonly referred to as speaking, appears to play a pivotal role in achieving desired learning outcomes.

Research Objectives:

The primary aim of this conference paper is to explore the pronunciation feedback facilities offered by ELSA SPEAK AI tool, which ultimately enhances pupils’ learning process, with a focus on the mistakes to amend in prospective performance instances, while, simultaneously, serving as an extension of instructors’ own efforts to attend every student’s oral production.

Discussion and Findings:

In the context of university lessons, whose large student group formats undesirably hinder English acquisition customisation by compromising an individual-based attention of the existing diversity at any university degree, AI ELSA SPEAK application emerges as a valuable tool for tailoring students’ pronunciation practice based on their individual learning needs and weaknesses. This voice recognition software offers a range of specific features, including pronunciation modeling and instant feedback on students’ voice input. A two-fold format of feedback, both qualitatively simple, or in its advanced version, where a traffic light colour code would be pivotal for the recognition of the phonemic pronunciation issues in connected speech, guide pupils in sensitive areas of pronunciation, including utterance, intonation and syllable stress under an intuitive conveyance format which fosters English learners’ assumption of responsibility for their own acquisition process.

Concluding Remarks:

The proposed educational innovation demonstrates that AI ELSA SPEAK can be effectively utilized in English phonetics classrooms to customize the pursued training outcomes. Despite the diverse composition of student groups in various bachelor and university degree programs, traditional groupings can inadvertently impede instructors from individually addressing each student’s pronunciation. However, incorporating this application in the specified context can positively contribute to phonologic awareness.