Online Language Courses
Have you ever wanted to learn a new language? Up until a few years ago, you either had to find a private tutor or enroll into a group course. Sadly though, both options can be costly, especially if you are a student. Luckily, advances in technology have significantly disrupted the language education industry, resulting in an increasingly high number of online competitors entering the market.
Undoubtedly, one of the key players in the market is Duolingo. It is the world’s largest online language learning platform and the most downloaded educational app worldwide (Lardinois, 2015). Unlike traditional courses, Duolingo is for free. Well, almost for free. The company makes use of a freemium business model, where customers get a free version of Duolingo, but can also pay $10 per month to get rid of ads and use the service offline. This price is still much lower than what language schools would charge you.
So, what do online learning platforms give you in exchange for a lower price? Comfort and self-paced learning are among the key advantages. For example, in Duolingo customers can set their own weekly goals, and redo lessons if needed. It is your course, your time, your choice, your pace. Also, an online course boosts your resume in the eyes of a recruiter. Today’s managers look for people who are ambitious and not complacent, and a completed online language course shows just that.
However, online courses do not give you any cultural context. Unlike a real class instructor, they do not express emotions or cultural habits. There are also no explanations to correct or wrong answers, so users often must figure out themselves why particular answers are right or not by trial and error. Also, as you do not follow a strict fixed schedule, continuous use of the application requires high levels of dedication and motivation. Finally, an online course only helps you to practice your pronunciation, so it cannot fully substitute traditional language courses regarding practicing speaking skills.
So how is the language learning market going to develop? Well, first, an opportunity for the e-learning platforms is to collaborate more actively with schools and universities to further increase their reach and enhance credibility in the eyes of the customers. Additionally, the use of artificial intelligence would enable online platforms to grow even faster by improving the quality of speaking training.
Nevertheless, artificial intelligence is still a young technology. If implemented incorrectly, it can ruin customer experience with online language learning. Also, increasing number of online competitors that struggle to differentiate themselves could lead to declining profits for many companies. The vast choice of similar offerings is overwhelming for the customer as well.
Despite these threats, we predict that e-learning platforms will continue to grow and will further transform the traditional education market.
For more information check: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b20jCI1KHU8
Group 30
Sources: Lardinois, F. (2015). Duolingo Launches Free Language Learning Platform For Schools. [online] TechCrunch. Available at: https://techcrunch.com/2015/01/08/duolingo-launches-free-language-learning-platform-for-schools/.
