ALEC: Audio Learning and English Companion; An Investigation of Feedback in Language Learning

The development of educational technology in today’s world is most effective when it is backed up by a real understanding of the technology in question’s design and its broader impacts on society. My senior thesis project shows this intersection by exploring a creation, a tool to assist English as a Second Language (ESL) students in listening comprehension, and an analysis of related feedback mechanisms in language learning. The STS research paper explores proven effects of different feedback tactics and relates them to the design choices made in the technical project. This relationship shows why STS is important in engineering in general. Understanding the true social and physical impacts of creations ensures that they are functional as well as genuinely beneficial to the users. My STS research examines different educational feedback techniques and how they influence listening comprehension learning for English Language Learner (ELL) students, while my technical report covers the conception, design, and implementation of a novel device created to support these learners.
In my STS research, I investigated the effects of feedback on language learning, specifically focusing on listening comprehension. This required defining feedback in an educational context, exploring its cognitive and affective dimensions, and combining findings from educational research to figure out what types of feedback are most effective. It was found that it is important for educational feedback to be timely, specific, multimodal, and has a balance between strict correction and encouragement. This is backed by scholarly articles that have also found that feedback can improve language learning skills and student motivation.
In my technical project, my capstone group created ALEC, the Audio and Learning English Companion, which is a tool designed for school-aged ELL students. ALEC is composed of a custom-made keyboard, an LCD display, speakers, and multi-colored feedback LEDs. The tool engages students in an activity that functions like a game. First ALEC speaks a word in the user’s native language and then its translation in English, then prompts the user to type in the English spelling of the word. Feedback is provided immediately through the students in audio chimes and encouraging messages on the screen, in a way designed to guide the users through their errors to the correct responses. It also incorporates a scaffolded approach to the feedback, as it offers an increasing level of support after many failed attempts at spelling the word. This represents some of the best practices found in my STS research.
Completing both the technical and STS sides of this project has been an extremely valuable experience. During the technical design process, I first focused on creating a tool that I would have found helpful when I was learning a new language. However, my STS research found the importance of the psychological feedback mechanisms I had incorporated. This realization prompted a deeper search into how feedback is used globally and how my device aligns with best practices. I discovered that ALEC does integrate many proven feedback strategies, such as immediate, multimodal, and scaffolded responses, which are shown to enhance learning outcomes.
This dual approach also found important ethical considerations. As educational technologies become increasingly prevalent, it is important to ensure that they are accessible, culturally sensitive, and designed with the learner’s well-being in mind. My work does have the need for real-world testing with diverse populations to validate the tool’s effectiveness and to refine it based on user experience and feedback. Ultimately, this project has reinforced the value of integrating technical innovation with STS research to create educational tools that are both effective and ethically responsible.
Looking at both sides of this project also highlighted important considerations seen in STS. As these educational technologies become more common across the globe, it is important to ensure that anyone can use them and that they are designed with the learner’s well-being in mind. This work could be improved in the future with real-world testing on ESL students to ensure that it is effective in the real world. This would allow ALEC to be refined based on feedback from the users’ experiences. Ultimately, the completion of this project has reinforced the values discussed in STS of integrating technologies to create tools that are both effective and ethically responsible, benefiting the future of the world.

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering

Technical Advisor: Todd DeLong

STS Advisor: Richard Jacques

Technical Team Members: Daniel Sarria, Molly Gibson, Phi Lu