Skidmore, L. and Moore, R.K. orcid.org/0000-0003-0065-3311 (2019) Using Alexa for flashcard-based learning. In: Proceedings of Interspeech 2019. Interspeech 2019, 15-19 Sep 2019, Graz, Austria. ISCA , pp. 1846-1850.
Abstract
Despite increasing awareness of Alexa’s potential as an educational tool, there remains a limited scope for Alexa skills to accommodate the features required for effective language learning. This paper describes an investigation into implementing ‘spaced-repetition’, a non-trivial feature of flashcard-based learning, through the development of an Alexa skill called ‘Japanese Flashcards’. Here we show that existing Alexa development features such as skill persistence allow for the effective implementation of spaced-repetition and suggest a heuristic adaptation of the spaced-repetition model that is appropriate for use with voice assistants (VAs). We also highlight areas of the Alexa development process that limit the facilitation of language learning, namely the lack of multilingual speech recognition, and offer solutions to these current limitations. Overall, the investigation shows that Alexa can successfully facilitate simple L2-L1 flashcard-based language learning and highlights the potential for Alexa to be used as a sophisticated and effective language learning tool.
Metadata
Item Type: | Proceedings Paper |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019 ISCA. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Engineering (Sheffield) > Department of Computer Science (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 27 Oct 2020 14:01 |
Last Modified: | 27 Oct 2020 14:01 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | ISCA |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.21437/interspeech.2019-2893 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:167267 |