The advent of ChatGPT has stimulated interest in the potential of AI technology to promote learning. In a recent article in the International Journal of AI in Education, I discussed ways to harness generative AI to promote learning. Alelo is now creating GenAI learning experiences that further accelerate learning. In doing so, we are building on years of experience in creating highly effective learning solutions that employ conversational AI. In this blog post, I summarize some of the major case studies that have shown that Alelo’s technology and learning strategy is highly effective at accelerating learning.
Case Study 1: Alelo Training Saves Lives in Afghanistan
Now that military members have returned from their tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, they are free to talk about the impact that Alelo’s learning products had during their deployments. This case study is one illustration of that impact.
Dan Wilson was a US Army officer, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 2013. Back in 2005, when Alelo was just getting started, he was preparing for an assignment in Iraq as a MiTT (Military Training Team) commander. He came across a new training product called Tactical Iraqi, Alelo’s first immersive solution for quickly learning Arabic language and culture. Dan was so impressed that he and his team took Tactical Iraqi DVDs with them to Iraq so that they could continue practicing. He used his knowledge of Iraqi Arabic language and culture every day, in every encounter with Iraqis, and it had a huge effect on building trust. Later he received the assignment to command a battalion in Kunar Province, Afghanistan. He developed a training program in which every Soldier got at least some training with Alelo’s Tactical Pashto, and some specialists trained to more advanced levels. The effect of the subsequent deployment was dramatic. By developing relationships of mutual trust with the local population, violence in that area of Kunar Province dropped dramatically. Attacks went from multiple events a day to one or two per month.
Case Study 2: Alelo Provides Required Cultural Training for Deployments Around the World
Before U.S. military personnel report for overseas deployments, they must complete required training on various topics, including operational security and injury prevention. Cultural awareness training courses developed by Alelo are an important part of this mandatory training. American personnel deploying to 86 countries around the world must complete one of these Alelo courses for immersion into local customs and language. It is a strong indication of the value that combatant commanders see in Alelo training that they would single out Alelo courses specifically as required training.
Case Study 3: Alelo Accelerates English Language Learning at UVM
UVM (Universidad del Valle de México) Toluca Campus integrated Alelo’s Enskill® English simulations into its English language curriculum. Analysis of data collected from learners using Enskill determined that UVM students practiced Enskill simulations repeatedly, and their speaking performance improved with practice. These findings are consistent with the reports of the instructors, that students came to class better prepared and so classroom instruction was more communicative and efficient. Erendira Yadira Carrera García, the director of the English program at UVM Toluca, said, “They have extra practice according to their needs. I think that is why it is so helpful, because it is focused on every student’s needs.”
Case Study 4: Alelo is a Winner of the XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling Competition
In the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many workers who lost their jobs wanted to retrain for other occupations, The XPRIZE Foundation launched a competition looking for solutions that would train workers for new occupations at least twice as fast as conventional training and successfully place workers in new jobs. Alelo was one of 118 teams that responded to this challenge. We used our conversational AI to create an online course that would rapidly train underserved workers for careers as community health workers. Learners practiced core community health worker competencies in conversations with avatars acting as simulated patients. The results were dramatic. Participants trained in half the time as conventional training programs, with twice the completion rate typical of free online training programs. Employers reported that workers trained in the program exceeded expectations in terms of mastery of community health competencies. Based on these results, Alelo and its team partners were chosen as one of the winners of the competition.
What’s next?
Alelo continues to support research studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of its products. For example, a recently completed evaluation of Alelo’s Enskill English in a middle school in Sweden showed that students reported sustained educational experiences, finding them easy, fun, safe, and confidence-building. Our new advances with generative AI expand the range of skills that Alelo technology can train, and reduce the time and cost to develop AI-powered training content. We expect that upcoming case studies will show that Alelo’s new technology will be even more of a game changer for effective, accelerated learning.
About The Author
Lewis Johnson
Dr. W. Lewis Johnson is President of Alelo and an internationally recognized expert in AI in education. He won DARPA’s Significant Technical Achievement Award and the I/ITSEC Serious Games Challenge, and was a finalist in XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling. He has been a past President of the International AI in Education Society, and was co-winner of the 2017 Autonomous Agents Influential Paper Award for his work in the field of pedagogical agents. He is regularly invited to speak at international conferences for distinguished organizations such as the National Science Foundation.