German 101 students practice language skills with AI-powered Language Buddy

When Jackson Wood, an ASU Online student from Washington state, returned to higher education to pursue his bachelor’s degree, he needed to fulfill a language credit requirement. So he signed up for German 101 this summer to rediscover his love of the language and the culture, which he initially discovered in high school.

The summer course was taught by Christiane Reves, an assistant teaching professor of German at Arizona State University (ASU). Through ASU’s AI Innovation Challenge, Reves gained access to ChatGPT Enterprise, now ChatGPT Edu, starting in March 2024. Reves, who teaches in the university’s School of International Letters and Cultures (SILC) and coordinates the German language program, began pioneering the integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) into her teaching through the development of Language Buddy, a custom GPT to help students, like Wood, get the practice and experience they need speaking in a new language.

“When I started building Language Buddy, my vision was to extend the flexible learning environment for students to develop their language skills asynchronously while receiving immediate assessment and feedback,” Reves said.

Students respond to using Language Buddy

Reves offered Language Buddy to Wood and his online classmates this summer as an optional resource for language practice. With no previous hands-on experience using ChatGPT, Wood signed up to use Language Buddy. “I was pretty staunchly against AI for the most part before this. My background is in tabletop games, which is a big creative industry and has a lot of people who are anti-AI for a lot of the art reasons,” Wood said. But he participated because the tool uses the enterprise version of ChatGPT — a contained environment with a clear educational purpose — so his “ethical quandaries were squashed.”

Reves’ German 101 students could use Language Buddy for presentation-style speaking assignment, self-practice or as a replacement for peer meetings. “Most of our online students work full time or have a family — or very often both — and so if they missed one [peer meeting], they could practice with Language Buddy and submit the recording,” Reves said.

Wood, who works full time, found the mobile app version particularly helpful. “Being able to have Language Buddy when I couldn't meet with other students was really beneficial,” Wood said. “It provided context and the ability to speak with somebody in a way that might be like a native speaker or at least someone on my same skill level.”

Students could start a discussion by selecting from one of the three conversation prompts that Reves built in her custom GPT.

Wood gets started by opening the ChatGPT app on his phone, where he will access the Language Buddy GPT in ASU’s secure workspace. He selects the prompt and activates the audio function to begin his verbal discussion with the GPT:

Language Buddy:
Philosophie und Deutsch sind interessante Fächer! Wann hast du Zeit für Freizeit oder Hobbys?
Translation: Philosophy and German are interesting subjects! When do you have time for leisure or hobbies?

Wood:
Ah, ja. Ich habe viele Hobbys. Ich liebe Klettern und Fahrradfahren und Wandern und Videospielen und Lesen und... Ja, viele Hobbys.
Translation: Ah, yes. I have many hobbies. I love climbing, cycling, hiking, playing video games, and reading... Yes, many hobbies.

Language Buddy:
Das klingt toll! Klettern und Fahrradfahren sind super Hobbys. Hast du ein Lieblingsbuch oder ein Lieblingsspiel?
Translation: That sounds great! Climbing and cycling are wonderful hobbies. Do you have a favorite book or a favorite game?

Wood: 
Ja, mein Lieblingsbuch ist The Hitchhiker's Guide und mein Lieblingsspiel ist Final Fantasy Tactics. Und ich? Was haben Sie für ein Hobby?
Translation: Yes, my favorite book is "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and my favorite game is "Final Fantasy Tactics". And I? What hobbies do you have?

The discussion takes place verbally through the app, with a transcript provided in real-time.

Although only about 30% of students used Language Buddy in Reves’ summer term, they shared enthusiasm for it. “88% of the class expressed interest in using it for future assignments — even if they didn’t use it at first,” Reves shared.

Feedback included that the GPT provided opportunities to practice at different levels, understood the students even if their responses weren’t perfect, and allowed adjustment of the speed and difficulty level.

German 101 students who didn’t use Language Buddy cited time constraints, log-in issues and the fact that it wasn’t required as reasons why they didn’t participate. Some preferred interacting with humans instead of ChatGPT.

What’s next for Language Buddy

Looking forward, Reves is collaborating with EdPlus at ASU to refine and expand Language Buddy’s capabilities and enhance the tool’s language functions. They plan to integrate more robust assessment tools, aligning with educational standards and providing instructors with better metrics on student progress. These enhancements are expected to support more personalized feedback and tailor the learning experience to individual students’ needs.

Reves’ work with Language Buddy is part of a broader movement toward digital transformation in education. The goal is that one day Language Buddy could be available for adoption by other German students, as well as additional languages taught at SILC, providing a scalable platform for students to refine their linguistic skills.

As the academic year begins, Reves is committed to adapting and improving Language Buddy based on student feedback and technological advancements. Her initiative represents a significant step towards a more flexible and responsive educational environment, recognizing students’ diverse schedules and learning paces.