to enhance learners’ proficiency and pronunciation. Students can ask simple questions to the Google assistant like “How’s the weather today in…?”, “How far is Delhi from Agra?”, “When was Taj Mahal built?”, and “What time is it in Malaysia now?”. This is an excellent way to improve and assess students’ communication skills while also ensuring that their pronunciation is intelligible. Some of the well-known speech-recognizing applications are mentioned in the timeline given in the following.
1.5.4 Autocorrect/Automatic Text Evaluator
Applications like Autocorrect can be used to get feedback for text. The feedback provided is an actionable feedback about their writing related to claims and sources, topic development, coherence, and English conventions and word choice. It also provides synonyms for unfamiliar words that they may encounter while reading external sources. Such widely used applications based on AI are Writing Mentor and Grammarly which provide feedback about the text related to punctuation, sentence construction, and accuracy.
1.5.5 Vocabulary Training Applications
There are applications with unique Machine Learning algorithm which facilitates completely personalized set of study materials by adapting the learning pattern and analyzing each learner’s vocabulary strengths and weaknesses. Alphary is an AI-based application that helps students acquire and strengthen English vocabulary. These applications use the Oxford suite of Learner’s Dictionaries and an integrated AI named FeeBu (Feedback ButterÖy) to mimic the behavior of a human English tutor who gives automated, intelligent feedback. It also automatically evaluates writing and analyzes grammatical mistakes [32].
1.5.6 Google Docs Speech Recognition
The widely known text processor Google Docs is a free and mobile friendly tool. The speech editing feature has been recently added to it. The voice recognition feature has evolved and it can help teachers in providing feedback of conversational activities. It can also be used to evaluate the intelligibility of the learners’ speech by providing direct feedback in the form of text. The application can be creatively used for the maximum benefit of students.
1.5.7 Language MuseTM Activity Palette
The Language Muse TM Activity Palette is a fun way to improve learners’ language skills. It is a web-based language-instruction program that uses NLP algorithms and lexical tools to generate language activities automatically and help English language learners’ content comprehension and language skills enhancement. The online interface of the software for activity generation, assessment, and feedback is adaptable to MOOCs and several other online learning [33].
1.6 Artificial Intelligence Tools Enhance the Teaching and Learning Processes
1.6.1 Autonomous Learning
AI promotes personalized and autonomous learning. With the integration of AI, students always have easy access to learning. They can study at their own pace and space. They can study at any place and time they wish to. Students can clear their doubts at their own speed and time with AI-powered chatbots or AI virtual personal assistants like Google Assistant and Siri, without being humiliated in front of the entire class. AI personalizes studies to meet the needs of individual students, resulting in increased efficiency. AI has the potential to personalize digital language learning make for each learner, catering to their individual needs.
1.6.2 Produce Smart Content
The use of AI in education has paved the way for modern learning methods such as visualization, simulation, and web-based learning environments. Learners become more involved and engaged as a result of these new learning methods. Not only that, but AI also assists in the development and updating of lesson material, as well as customizing it for various learning goals and learners.
1.6.3 Task Automation
Evaluation is a time-consuming task that could be easily automated by the instructor using AI. It can automatically grade tests and even review essays, highlighting mistakes and recommending ways to prevent them in the future.
1.6.4 Access to Education for Students with Physical Disabilities
The innovative integration of AI in education broadens the ways of building multitude of constructive pedagogies to teaching and learning for students having learning disabilities. It also ensures access to education for physically challenged students like deaf or visually impaired. AI systems can be effectively trained to assist any group of special needs students.
1.7 Conclusion
If we look back in the timeline, we would realize that AI that we are living today was just a part of science fiction movies some years ago. Today, AI has become an inseparable part of our lives and it has made its space in almost all the spheres we can think of, right from business, banking, health, aviation to marketing, and now is slowly paving its way in the sphere of academics. AI in education is playing a significant role in augmenting teaching and learning. AI learning platforms facilitate autonomous learning, provides flexibility of space, pace, and time. Further, it facilitates personalized learning focusing on the learners’ interest areas and considering the factors such as strengths, weaknesses, interests, and cultural background. AI-integrated online learning has augmented second language education across the globe manifolds.
Despite of AI having an enormous potential of enhancing the teaching and learning of foreign or second language, it still have certain challenges which need to be addressed. According to Lovett, despite advances in translation technology, there have been questions regarding Google Translate’s grammatical accuracy and how it might be impacting the learner’s process of building proficiency [34]. Furthermore, NLP is a complicated process, and accurately capturing all linguistic information is difficult. Further, the voice recognition also needs adjustments as sometimes it cannot understand heavy accents, articulation speech impediments, and soft voices. Therefore, further studies can be done to identify the solutions to the above stated problems. In addition, further research can also be done to identify the impact of AI on personalized learning, the grammar of the target language and on the proficiency of the language learnt. Moreover, a study on assessing the efficiency of AI on grading and evaluation can also be done.
AI is slowly paving its way into the sphere of academics through various technologies like Machine Learning and NLP, and it is surely going to foster the teaching and learning of second and foreign languages in the days to come.
References
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4. Kuddus, K., Emerging Technologies