Complete English Language Course in an App
New to the market, Velawoods English is carefully structured as a complete self-study course. It enables learners to develop all their language skills by using English in real-life situations involving them and the characters living in the virtual world of Velawoods.
Cambridge University Press and Cambridge English Language Assessment worked closely with the Velawoods English team to define the underlying pedagogy and learning approach for this innovative product.
Learners are in control of how much time they want to spend learning each day with a choice of whether they learn through the evolving storyline in Velawoods, practice their skills on their own, in their virtual apartment, using a range of interactive tools, or with other online learners across the world.
Learners will also have their very own virtual teacher to guide them through the course, highlighting and explaining the main language points and rules.
Supported by complex analytics, personalised, continuous and clear feedback is provided throughout the learning experience. Learners can practice speaking as many times as they like and receive detailed feedback on their pronunciation.
In-course speech analysis is powered by Carnegie Speech, global leaders in assessing spoken languages skills and learners can listen to answers from native speakers, and quickly build their speaking confidence.
Levels are aligned to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), the international standard for defining language ability and the end-of-level tests are linked to Cambridge English’s internationally recognised qualifications.
A fully interactive feedback report is available to learners at all times and a Certificate of Completion is provided at the end of each course and level which is successfully completed.
Hani Malouf, Managing Director of Velawoods English, said: “This product is a unique and truly engaging way for anyone, anywhere to develop all their English skills – listening, reading, writing, speaking, grammar and vocabulary – for work, study or travel as well as prepare for internationally recognised qualifications. It’s carefully structured and supported so users can learn on their own without the need for a real teacher."
“Our product is built to be flexible so learners can use it on their PC, laptop, smartphone or tablet and have a go whenever they have a spare 15 minutes. They’ll be able to see how they are improving as the product provides a personalised feedback report telling them how they are doing on different skills and letting them know when they are ready for the end-of-course and end-of-level tests.”
Velawoods English also includes several additional features to support learning including: a virtual notebook with all the new vocabulary, grammar rules and phrases the user will learn as they progress; a scrapbook containing additional resources, personalised to the learner’s level; and the Cambridge University Press dictionary, to check the meaning of words and to hear how they sound in both US and UK pronunciations.
Ken Hills, Velawoods English’s Chairman, added: “There will be something for everyone, whether they’re a complete beginner or have more advanced English skills, and we expect millions of learners from around the world to get involved in this new way of learning English via an app and enjoy this fantastic immersive world we have created."
Notes
The Beginner level is available now for learners in Spanish, Portuguese and Pilipino speaking countries with other languages including German, following in early 2016. It is available to download and try for free via the Velawoods English website. For more information on the product features or to read the pedagogical white paper visit VelawoodsEnglish.com or email us at [email protected].