Well-being from language instruction

In our digital society, the importance of literacy is becoming more and more pronounced. Lingsoft is developing Invigos, a next-generation learning platform for effective language learning. The Invigos learning platform is being developed for the Alla kan skriva project, whose goal is to make language learning fun and personalised and, above all, significantly improve each person's ability to learn how to write well.

Teaching people to read and write is one of the most important tasks of the school system. In particular, the importance of literacy is growing in our digital society, and literacy plays a key role in the battle against unemployment and marginalisation. Sweden and the other Nordic countries represent the top countries in the world when it comes to reading and writing skills, but the number of people with reading difficulties is on the rise and skill disparities are increasing. In Sweden, as many as one out of five adults have difficulties with their reading and writing skills, and there is a need for new teaching methods.

A next-generation learning platform

In the Alla kan skriva project, writing and language instruction is being brought into the digital age. The learning platform divides the writing process into manageable sections and encourages language learners with the help of positive feedback. Lingsoft's role in the project has been to tailor our proofreading and grammar checker tools to meet the needs of adult students with immigrant backgrounds in particular. The platform includes the following features:

  • Positive feedback: The platform doesn't only point out errors – it also shows where the learner has succeeded and what skills they have already mastered. 
  • The prioritisation of error types: Instead of immediately telling the learner about all the mistakes that they've made, the teaching and learning starts with the most important aspects of the language. Once the learner has mastered these, the next types of mistakes are addressed. 
  • A checking process that is based on pronunciation: The platform takes into consideration the rules of word pronunciation, which improves the quality of the suggested corrections. 
  • Instructions for the learner: Videos and short example texts are used to illustrate to learners why a certain way of writing is incorrect.

The learning platform makes tailored instruction easier, both in the classroom and online. The pilot projects have demonstrated that the Invigos platform accelerates and facilitates language learning and improves student motivation. 96% of those who used the platform would recommend it to a friend. Indeed, the goal of the project is to get the learning platform into as many Swedish schools as possible. If the Alla kan skriva project succeeds in its objective of reducing the number of youths who drop out of the educational system and workforce annually by 10%, the annual savings to society will amount to some 600 million Swedish kronas, or around 57 million euros.

In addition to Lingsoft, Swedish companies and higher education institutions such as Invigos, Hermods, VLM and KTH Royal Institute of Technology are also part of the project. The funders of the project include Vinnova, the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority and the Riksdagens jubileumsfond. Read more about the project at: http://www.alla-kan-skriva.se/