Ask Dr. Katie: Can an app really teach me a language?
As I spend my days in conversation about English upskilling, people often share their own journeys with language learning. One woman invested more than a year studying Italian on a self-study app ahead of a vacation to Venice. A mid-level manager told me he spent hundreds of hours on a phone app practicing Spanish to better communicate with new hires.
Here’s what these stories have in common: The people telling them often concede that they feel like they failed in learning their target language. In the best of scenarios, they may have gleaned enough vocabulary to order an espresso or say good morning to a colleague. In the worst of scenarios, they’re only able to recite random phrases, like “my tailor is very rich” or “the butterfly drinks the milk.” They’re generally unable to apply their language skills to the real world.
The app didn’t really work for me, they’ll say. How is EnGen’s platform any different?
They’re right to be skeptical: Research consistently tells us that self-study language programs alone do not result in strong learner outcomes. I know this because I’ve spent nearly three decades studying this issue – and figuring out how to fix it.
Here’s what the literature tells us:
In 2011, a researcher at the University of Maryland (full disclosure: that researcher was me!) conducted the first-ever, large-scale study of a popular self-study language program in a workplace setting (another disclosure: that program was NOT EnGen). Participants were 150 U.S. government employees who volunteered to learn a new language and were given paid time to use the software. Despite having committed to investing 200 hours with the software, only 14% of learners used it for more than 10 hours. Just one learner finished the study protocol.
In 2019, researchers from the University of Massachusetts (not me) documented the experiences of frontline workers enrolled in a workplace-based English program at a food services company. The program relied on a self-study app (also not EnGen), and was bolstered by in-person onboarding and weekly check-in messages from researchers. Results here were better, but still not great: 50% of learners used the software for at least 50 minutes per week, after committing to using it for more than 100 minutes per week.
In 2023, researchers at East Carolina University and the University of Northern Arizona (again, not me!) published the results of a “natural experiment” with Spanish and French learners on yet another well-known online platform (not EnGen!). Here too, results were disappointing: Just 12% of the population eligible to participate completed the study requirements, which included logging in twice a week for 6 months.
In these studies, low levels of learner engagement and persistence – that’s researcher speak for paying attention to instruction and sticking with it – translated to limited gains in language proficiency and fluency.
It’s tempting to blame learners for these results. Why didn’t they just try harder?
Here’s why: Learning a new language is hard. It’s easy to give up. And an app on a phone usually doesn’t offer much in the way of motivation or accountability, particularly when instruction is built on abstract lessons like butterflies drinking milk.
Learners need content that resonates with them in real-world ways, along with a real human to build real connections – and that’s where EnGen’s approach is different.
The EnGen Solution
These days, getting access to a real human language instructor usually requires going to a live class in a traditional classroom setting. That requirement is a deal breaker for many language learners, particularly those who are also working adults: Work schedules are complex. Transportation is inaccessible. Language classes are overbooked.
Online self-study apps address many of these access barriers, but often at the cost of actual progress, as described above.
At EnGen, we believe that learners shouldn’t have to choose between flexibility and results. Our platform offers both: EnGen is a mobile-first, on-demand, AI-powered app that ALSO offers real-world instruction and human-mediated support. Here’s how it works:
Real-World Content: Adults learn best when instruction reflects their real-world goals. In the case of language learners, that means vocabulary that they can immediately apply to their lives and livelihoods. EnGen offers 140-plus on-demand courses that are built with real-world content, reflecting specific goals like earning a CDL, becoming a phlebotomist, or attending a parent-teacher conference at your child’s school.
Real-Time Classes: EnGen offers live, online classes – offered in group and one-on-one formats – led by real-life human instructors, all certified to teach English. Classes are offered 24/7 across multiple time zones to align with working adults’ busy schedules, and vary in length, from 15 to 60 minutes.
Real-Life Coaching: EnGen learners can connect 1:1 with a multilingual coach that is committed to supporting their success in the EnGen platform. Coaches meet virtually with learners to offer platform onboarding and troubleshooting, set clear and achievable goals, and build a study plan that reflects learners’ interests.
Relevant Workshops: EnGen offers a robust calendar of human-led live workshops on a variety of topics – from pronunciation to job searching to English grammar. We’ve also developed a special offering, a writing workshop, that lets participants practice writing on a variety of subjects that are relevant to their lives – from resumes to emails to colleagues to academic essays – and receive personalized feedback from a human.
EnGen’s human-mediated, tech-powered approach is driving engagement and persistence, which translates to real-world results:
EnGen learners see results. A recent survey of 2,500 EnGen learners shows that 93% improved their confidence in using English, 87% improved their English proficiency, and 80% achieved a real-world goal, like a pay raise at work or better communication with a neighbor.
EnGen learners stick with it. A full 70% of EnGen learners who access coaching, instruction, and workshops are still active in the platform after five months, a significant improvement over the persistence rates of 12% and 14% seen in previous research on other self-study platforms.
Many EnGen learners see real progress toward their goals after just 20 hours on the platform. They’re engaged because they’re able to immediately apply what they’re learning to their lives and livelihoods, and they’re persistent because a real-life coach or instructor is providing accountability and encouragement. It’s a winning, scalable combination that is poised to transform our approach to language learning.
To summarize, EnGen has always used technology for what computers do best, so people can do what humans do best. Right now, this means the award-winning, powerful platform that is equipping the multilingual workforce in the U.S. with the skills they need to access their potential. As we move into 2025 and beyond, it will mean leveraging generative AI in new and exciting ways and more seamless integration with real-world tasks to give learners an even more tailored, personalized experience. Stay tuned for future updates.
Learn how EnGen can work for you: https://getengen.com/demo