UNIVERSITY OF PATRAS

COMPUTER ENGINEERING AND INFORMATICS DEPARTMENT

Using Dynamic Immersion Methods in Adult Education: An

I. Introduction

Studies have shown that the process of learning a foreign language as an adult can be quite a
challenge. Adults who learn a second language differ from children learning their first
language in a number of ways. One of the most striking of these is that very few adult second-
language learners reach the same competence as native speakers of that language. Children
learning a second language are more likely to achieve native-like fluency than adults, but in
general it is very rare for someone speaking a second language to pass completely for a native
speaker.

A series of brain studies [1] show how an adult learning a foreign language can come to use the
same brain mechanisms as a native speaker. The research also demonstrates that the kind of
exposure you have to the language can determine whether you achieve native-language brain
processing, and that learning under immersion conditions may be more effective in reaching this
goal than typical classroom training. The research also suggests that the brain consolidates
knowledge of the foreign language as time goes on as it does when a person learns to ride a bike
or play a musical instrument.

Here, we present the use of alternative techniques and technologies for learning foreign
languages based on “Dynamic Immersion” methods. The technologies presented are Memrise,
Rosetta Stone and FluentU and they are based on the idea of experiential learning. They focus
on using images, text, sound, and video to teach words and grammar by spaced repetition,
without translation. In the following sections, we describe the procedure followed for the
techniques and their effectiveness on various population groups.

II. Memrise

Memrise is an online learning tool based on associating text with images in order to teach words
and grammar using spaced repetition. The idea is that helping users review items at expertly
spaced intervals can help them maintain items in memory in the most efficient manner possible.
Reminders space out in time as knowledge for an item gets deeper and as result there is no need
for the student to review things already known.
The courses are design in ways that will stimulate the user’s assimilation (images etc.) and as a
result are suitable for adults that have less time to devote on learning foreign languages. The use
of such techniques helps them connect the process of learning with real life images and events
and as a result the process is simpler and more effective than traditional classroom lessons.

Furthermore, during the process of learning, there are tests (Figure 1) that can help the student
recall a memory and test the strength of it. Because the degree of strengthening to a memory
correlates with the difficulty of the test, Memrise automatically makes the tests more difficult
over time in order to improve the learning ability of the student.

Figure 1 Test of known words - basic Chinese course Memrise

III. Rosetta Stone

An alternative suggestion for learning foreign languages through Dynamic Immersion methods is
Rosetta Stone. It is proprietary computer-assisted language learning (CALL) software, helping
users learn foreign languages using similar methods as Memrise.

During the courses, there is no use of the users native language in order to help them start
thinking in the target’s language way. There are audio instructions that guide the user intuitively
to interact with concepts of the new language and match spoken dialogues and text with images
that are reflective of the meaning of a word or phrase. It resembles the process followed by an
infant trying to communicate with others without being able to totally understand the context
(“Learn as a baby” philosophy).

First users learn simple words and then more complex phrases and finally complete sentences.
During the whole process, users practice speaking in the foreign language by repeating words
and phrases. They are prompted to write a given phrase and they can assign an image to the
word/phrase from a variety of pictures in order to help themselves memorize.
 Figure 2 Example of using Rosetta Stone in Greek course

IV. FluentU

Figure 3 Example of using FluentU videos in English course

FluentU is an alternative platform for both students and teachers as well as individuals that wish
to learn a new language. The approach here is that users choose the language they want to learn
and apart from lists and flashcards that help the memorization process, the users can search for
videos from everyday life that help them absorb phrases, questions and words that natives use.
The fact that students can choose videos that help them based on their interests, makes the
learning process a personal goal to be achieved.

V. Experimental Evaluation

We conducted some courses in groups of population, in order to experimentally measure the

Figure 4 Screenshot from English course

According to tests that users took during the course, the first two weeks, the groups had
satisfactory performance with younger adults having better scores than elder ones. The result is
expected since adults in the age group 30-40 are younger and feel more confident with exposing
themselves to others using a foreign language as well as they are more familiar with new
technologies and software tools.
On the other hand, the last two weeks of the course, the groups differentiated in performance
with elder adults (50+) showing lower levels of recall during tests. They claimed that they could
not remember particular phrases but when the correct answer was presented by the system, they
graded the answer as easy. Furthermore, they realized that the use of videos, helped them adopt
more phrases and feel more confident about speaking in a foreign language. Using this method,
they could repeat the whole process anytime and backtrack to specific points when needed.

VI. Conclusion

In the previous sections, we discussed about alternative methods for learning foreign languages.
We presented Memrise, Rosetta Stone and FluentU, which are based on Dynamic Immersion
methods and focus on learning through experiential procedures using audio, images and various
interactive methods. After conducting experimental courses, it was obvious that both methods
had high levels of success in various groups of population. In the same context, we plan to
develop a learning-language software solution utilizing the advantages of dynamic immersion
methods in further. Last, on behalf of MMLAB, we plan to assign theses related to software
systems for learning foreign languages.

References

1. Kara Morgan-Short, Ingrid Finger, Sarah Grey, Michael T. Ullman. Second Language
Processing Shows Increased Native-Like Neural Responses after Months of No Exposure.
PLoS ONE, 2012; 7 (3): e32974 DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0032974

2. http://www.memrise.com/

3. http://www.rosettastone.eu/

4. http://www.fluentu.com/