Author: Yerbol Adamov

Avallain Author version 4.10: Let your learners‘ voices be heard – and understood!

Posted on by Yerbol Adamov

Three months ago, Avallain reimagined digital maths learning by including full GeoGebra support in Avallain Author. Now, with the release of Avallain Author version 4.10, another innovation is at hand: The all-new Activity Type Voice which checks and marks recorded learner speech automatically. Together with a plethora of additional options and enhancements, this allows Avallain Author 4.10 users to create highly individualised learning experiences in all areas of digital education.

New Activity Type: Voice

Avallain Author’s new Activity Type Voice gives content creators who have purchased the corresponding 3rd-party license the ability to create speech recording activities which are automatically checked, providing instant feedback. AI-based algorithms identify and understand recorded speech, intelligently comparing it to the desired pronunciation. Even better: The program gives automatic feedback by turning words green if they were pronounced correctly. This immediate feedback is invaluable in preventing learners from turning the occasional mistake into an ingrained pronunciation error.

More options

Existing functionalities have also received several additions and enhancements in Avallain Author 4.10:

New values for Reveal Object

Whenever learners need to go through the materials step-by-step, the Global Option Reveal Object comes into play. Avallain Author 4.10 features two values to provide a high versatility:

  • Progressive reveal: This allows learners to progressively reveal text passages by clicking on a corresponding button.
  • Progressive plus hide: In addition to revealing text, this value also allows it to be hidden again.

Furthermore, it is now possible to group several paragraphs of hidden text so that they appear together when using the two values.

This option is particularly useful for complex multi-step exercises as it allows learners to go through and understand each step individually.

New LO Option Check Answers Display

Direct feedback is essential during the teaching process, but sometimes, immediate feedback might not be required or desirable. Thus, Avallain Author 4.10 allows content creators to suppress the feedback dialogue which is displayed when learners click on the “Check Answer” button.

Additional editable text boxes for LO Option Show Submit

To fully individualise Learning Objects, the LO Option Show Submit now enables content creators to customise five text boxes:

  • Submit button
  • Dialogue heading
  • Dialogue message
  • Confirm button
  • Cancel button

This option also allows for individual customising of the tooltip dialogue to suit the needs of specific learning audiences and scenarios.

eBook history function

When authoring eBooks, content creators now have the option of switching to previous versions of the same book by choosing from a list. Thus, mistakes during the authoring process can be easily corrected, making the entire process more efficient.

Deleting individual pages from eBooks

When authoring an eBook, it may be necessary to delete individual pages. Avallain Author now provides content creators with the ability to simply delete such pages completely from the book as well as the option to also delete any solutions pages linked to the deleted page. All following pages are automatically moved forward without breaking any embedded hotspots or audios, ensuring coherence.

Avallain Author 4.10 – the most advanced authoring experience yet

By adding the new Activity Type Voice and several advanced options, Avallain once again uses cutting-edge digital technology to realise the wishes of Avallain Author customers all over the world.

“With Avallain Author 4.10, we make eBook authoring easier than ever and help cut the workload of teachers as well as engage learners by having speech exercises checked and marked automatically by the program,” says Max Bondi, Product Manager Avallain Author. “This enables our customers to create truly unique, individualised and effective learning activities for their learners. We are looking forward to seeing in which direction they will take Avallain Author with their upcoming feedback. The next batch of new features is going to be released in less than 12 weeks.”

L-Pub and Avallain apply AI language technology to e-learning

Posted on by Yerbol Adamov

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has long been the holy grail of the digital education industry. Few companies know this as well as L-Pub, which specialises in the use of AI in language-based applications. Thus, L-Pub and Avallain are now entering into a partnership, which will add the unique skills and technologies of the German language technology company to Avallain products, while introducing L-Pub’s customer base to Avallain technologies in turn.

What L-Pub brings to the table

Founded in 2015, L-Pub is a young and energetic startup with a clear goal: Instead of working on education technology solutions in general, L-Pub focuses specifically on developing highly advanced language technologies. These include automated natural language processing (NLP) algorithms, allowing computer programmes to understand or even produce natural language autonomously, e.g. for automated exercises or individualised learning tips.

“What makes us most excited to work with L-Pub is the fact that they do not follow a generalised approach to AI programming,” says Ignatz Heinz, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Avallain: “They are specialised in providing language processing technologies to publishers as well as educational institutions and that focus has allowed them to achieve great expertise in this area.”

Practical benefits for content creation

This partnership between L-Pub and Avallain is sure to provide numerous advantages to both companies and their end users down the line. Some specific benefits are already tangible and are already scheduled for inclusion in Avallain Author:

  • Automated analysis of learner performance and learning success
  • Analysis and curation of learning content via automated NLP tools
  • Automated support for editorial processes and content creation
  • Support for individualised exercises and information retrieval

For Avallain’s customers, this will bring about a faster and more versatile content creation workflow and Avallain users will be able to design even more individualised learning experiences.

Automated processes create more individualised learning environments

Thanks to AI automation support of the content creation process, Avallain Author will be able to create much larger and more varied sets of learning activities. This provides language learners with more didactic choice, allowing them to skip materials they already excel at in favour of learning areas in which there may be a need for improvement.

This degree of individualisation will be further expanded via adaptive learning algorithms, which L-Pub is currently developing in collaboration with the Technische Universität Darmstadt.

Leading the way to advanced learning technology

While Avallain will be able to use the unique expertise of L-Pub in its long-term strategy of AI integration, L-Pub will be able to offer their customers access to Avallain Author as an integrated authoring tool to simplify their workflow. Likewise, L-Pub customers will be able to increase their reach thanks to platforms and apps created with Avallain Unity. But in the end, the partnership may benefit learners the most.

David P. Steel, Founder & Managing Director at L-Pub puts it most succinctly:

Together, Avallain and L-Pub hope to offer the niche skills that L-Pub has honed to a wider audience. On the one hand, we will provide more publishers with access to cutting-edge language technology solutions, on the other hand, we will be able to reach more end users, making their learning experience better.

Avallain Author version 4.9 – Full GeoGebra integration, Autocorrect Activity Type and additional options

Posted on by Yerbol Adamov

It has only been three months since Avallain introduced language switching, video subtitles and many other useful features in Avallain Author version 4.8. Since then, our customers have not only been asking for new options and Activity Type variants to further individualise their users’ learning experience, but for enhanced maths options as well. Thus, seamless GeoGebra integration is becoming a reality with Avallain Author version 4.9.

More options to enhance the learning experience

This time, the focus of the Avallain Author update lies on taking the next big step towards the future when it comes to teaching and learning mathematics in the digital age, and on making things easier for content creators and learners alike.

Autocorrect

The existing Text Correction Activity Type asks learner to both identify and correct mistakes in text. In the spirit of providing even more flexibility to realise various didactic concepts, Avallain Author 4.9 introduces Autocorrect exercises. This new Activity Type only requires learners to find mistakes and corrects them automatically. This enables our customers to train their learners’ ability to understand written text, audios, videos or images and recognise mistakes.

Flash first answer

This new Specific Option allows exercises to automatically display the first answer. Content creators can set the duration for this on a millisecond scale to suit the individual needs of specific learners or groups. For example, an answer might be displayed long enough to be clearly recognised, so as to help the learner understand what they are supposed to do in the exercise. Or the correct answer may only be flashed for a few milliseconds to motivate the learners when starting into a new exercise.

GeoGebra

The world’s leading dynamic mathematics software is now seamlessly integrated into Avallain Author. After purchasing the third-party licence and enabling GeoGebra in the Project Settings, it can be accessed via an icon in all of Avallain Author’s text editors without losing focus. This makes it much quicker and more efficient to add mathematical elements such as

  • Graphs
  • Formulae
  • Dynamic grids

Even better: GeoGebra objects can be embedded in any existing Activity Type. This allows the Activity Type to be validated and scored like normal, despite having GeoGebra objects embedded.

Customised colour codes for marking

The Activity Type Marking (Highlighting) can now employ a wide variety of custom colours in the Design Package. Content creators can even define “named colours”, specifying a particular colour for particular categories and labels (nouns, verbs and so on). If these exact category names are then used in the Syntax of an activity, the colours are automatically applied. This serves to streamline production workflow and increase efficiency.

Various other features included in version 4.9

Avallain Author 4.9 also includes smaller changes and enhancements such as the ability to easily copy and paste Bookmarker Hotspots from one page to another.

All of these changes,” says Max Bondi, Product Manager Avallain Author, “are aimed at improving both our customers’ workflow and, in turn, the learning experience of their users. We are eager to see this newest version of Avallain Author bring e-learning to a new level and we look forward to hearing from our customers about it. Once the jump to 4.10 happens in 12 weeks’ time, they will be happy to find much of their feedback incorporated into this new version of Avallain Author as well.

Avallain Author version 4.8 – Language switching functionality, innovative, progressive scoring, and more

Posted on by Yerbol Adamov

Once again, we at Avallain have listened closely to our customers’ feedback, implementing suggestions with the latest update to the industry-leading authoring solution Avallain Author. Version 4.7 introduced all-new features for creating new types of engaging learning materials, such as dialogue recording capabilities and the new Proofing Activity Type. This time around, our clients have been asking us to include additional options to further individualise existing activity types – and Avallain Author version 4.8 delivers.

Enhancing learning materials

The new features introduced with Avallain Author 4.8 are focused on providing content creators with additional options. This includes greater possibilities when designing for mobile devices and international audiences:

Language Switch

Avallain Author users can now give learners the ability to change languages via a drop-down-menu quickly. The static text of an activity, including Rubric, Supplements, Attachments, Hints and Activity Feedback, and even the text entered in the content area for specific Activity Types such as Gap Text or Radio Buttons, can be translated into as many languages as the content creators wish. Adapting content to the international market has never been easier.

Question Display

Version 4.8 adds two new values to this Specific Option, allowing our users to set two new behaviours for activities:

“Show next”: After selecting an answer (Radio Buttons) or checking the maximum number of answers (Checkboxes), follow-up questions are automatically displayed underneath the previous question.

“Show next and hide current one on click”: This option functions as the “Show next” option, except it replaces previous questions with new ones instead of displaying new questions underneath old ones.

Both of these options are particularly useful for learners using mobile devices, as they can move from question to question without having their screens cluttered. Thus, learners are not overwhelmed with questions and feel more motivated to answer them.

Order Dependency

This Content Area Option is now also available for learning activities using Radio Buttons. The option gives content creators the ability to create chains of questions dependent on each other: To gain full points, learners must answer the first question correctly and show that they have gained an evidence-based understanding of the topic at hand.

Video subtitles

Today’s learners demand even more sophisticated content. Motion video content, in particular, has become more and more important and thus, Avallain Author 4.8 now includes options for video subtitles for which we have improved the Design Pack support:

“Subtitles”: This option draws from the script of the video to display synchronised subtitles.

“Transcript”: This option opens the transcript and highlights the parts that are spoken in real time.In addition to helping learners digest the information contained in a video, these options are particularly useful for language courses, as they allow learners to follow active speech even more precisely.

Numerous additional improvements

Avallain Author 4.8 also includes a number of features aimed at improving usability and workflow for our clients. One example which Max Bondi, Product Manager Avallain Author, points out, is working with third-party resources:

“Third-party compatibility is especially relevant to content creators drawing from previously developed materials. Thus, version 4.8 now allows our users to include digital learning materials which were not created with Avallain Author as hotspots in e-books, or resources within desktop or mobile apps. Users who do not have the time to use our conversion and migration possibilities to optimise their long-term content strategy can easily include legacy materials quickly whenever the market requires it.”

Aside from new features, Avallain Author 4.8 also includes many overall improvements to its performance and security, as Max Bondi points out:

“All-in-all, we have included about 240 code improvements in this version of our authoring tool. We are certain our customers will use both the new options as well as the countless overall improvements to provide learners with the best learning experience yet.”

With the next update to Avallain Author scheduled to release in only 12 weeks, Avallain is sure to include any feedback our users may have regarding version 4.8.

Avallain and Springer Campus break new ground in distance learning

Posted on by Yerbol Adamov

Avallain is launching a new strategic proof-of-concept project together with Springer Campus, part of Springer Nature and renowned provider of correspondence courses as well as adult education materials.

Using the powerful and highly flexible authoring tool Avallain Author, the partners will jointly enhance already existing course materials and expand them with contemporary activity types and a modernised design.

An experienced partner for Springer Campus

Springer Campus offers a wide range of correspondence and certificate courses, allowing learners to do anything from attaining a Bachelor’s degree in web and media informatics to becoming a certified junior programmer. All of these courses employ a blended learning approach combining classroom sessions at renowned universities with distance learning and e-learning elements. Thus, they are ideally suited for the educational needs of learners in full-time employment.

“Cooperating with our partners at several renowned universities, we have used this approach to create distance learning courses which combine high-quality materials with an individualised didactic design. With this strategy, we have achieved a particularly high level of participant satisfaction,” says Merlet Behncke-Braunbeck, Executive Editor for correspondence courses and adult education at Springer Campus. “To maintain this high standard of quality, our e-learning solutions use best-of-breed solutions exclusively”, she explains, “and thus, we were immediately impressed by Avallain Author.”

Revised and new content, created with Avallain Author

Avallain Author will be used both for revising already existing materials as well as creating entirely new courses within the e-learning area of Springer Campus’ services. This way, course participants will benefit from all the advantages of the advanced authoring tool:

  • Learning materials of the highest technical and didactic quality
  • Flexible learning processes and intuitive user interfaces
  • Perfect integration of materials into existing e-learning structures

“Alongside its widely-recognised quality, Avallain Author’s openness to imports from existing XML sources were undoubtedly two of the main reasons for the e-learning experts at Springer Campus to choose to work with us,” says Markus Hartmann, Director of Professional Services DACH at Avallain, “though Avallain’s experience and consulting expertise probably also played their part in that decision. As a partner with extensive technological as well as editorial experience, we can react to feedback immediately and adapt Avallain Author to the requirements of Springer Campus at any time.”

Creating the future of distance learning with Springer Campus and Avallain

Course participants will probably notice the results of this proof-of-concept project very soon. Thanks to Avallain Author, the materials available will become more flexible and numerous – without losing the great didactic quality which Springer Campus stands for.

Avallain Author version 4.7 – Dialogue Recording, Proofing, more usability on mobile devices and lots of new options

Posted on by Yerbol Adamov

After introducing the Maths Quizzes Activity Type and enhanced feedback options in Avallain Author 4.6, today’s update to Avallain’s comprehensive authoring tool adds new Activity Types and options that put learners into a more proactive role while simultaneously improving mobile device usability. We know from listening to our customers’ feedback that many of them already have great plans for these new features.

Avallain Author 4.7 gives them the tools to provide their learners with the most individualised learning experience yet.

New Activity Types

Dialogue Recording

To allow learners to not only listen to but also produce speech as part of their digital education, Avallain Author 4.7 enhances its audio recording options by adding the ability to create dialogue using recorded speech. Thus, learners can take part in a virtual conversation with a pre-recorded partner, honing their language and social skills in virtual scenarios.

The Dialogue Recording Activity Type allows learners to record, play back and re-record their lines individually, as well as swap roles. In addition, they can play back and download the whole conversation after the recording is completed.

In order to provide even more options to individualise the learning experience, content creator can enable learners to adjust the difficulty level by hiding their lines or all lines.

Proofing

Many learners enjoy being allowed to play the part of teacher themselves. Avallain Author 4.7 introduces a new Activity Type in which users are given a text filled with mistakes that they have to identify, categorise and correct.

As of now, there are 9 categories of errors that learners can be asked to correct:

  1. Capitalize
  2. Lowercase
  3. Add period
  4. Insert
  5. Remove
  6. New paragraph
  7. Spelling
  8. Grammar
  9. Indent

The total number of mistakes as well as the number identified so far are displayed to the learner. Thus, learners gain immediate feedback, which has a beneficial effect on their motivation and learning outcome.

New Options

Aside from new Activity Types, Avallain Author 4.7 also introduces various new options for already existing Activity Types, such as:

Gap Behaviour for Drag-and-Drop activities

When it comes to mobile devices, intuitive control schemes are imperative. Thus, we have introduced a new Gap Behaviour Specific Option which makes Drag-and-Drop Activity Types easier to use on touchscreens.

Using the Tap Item Behaviour, learners can simply tap on an item to automatically put it into the first free slot in the target area.

Using the Tap Target Behaviour, on the other hand, allows users to tap once on the item to select it and once again on the target area to place it.

Column headings for Linking Lines activities

This is a new option that allows content creators to create individual headings for each column in their Linking Lines activities. This means they can now use Linking Lines activities to explain even more complex topics to learners.

What the future holds for Avallain Author

Aside from these new features, Avallain Author 4.7 also introduces various smaller features such as allowing voice recording on Android and iOS devices. As always, we are confident that our customers will enjoy these new features.

“Avallain Author has gained new features and activities with every single update,” says Max Bondi, Product Manager Avallain Author, “and our customers never cease to amaze us with the creative ways in which they put these features to use. We are sure that this time will be no exception. Let’s see what we can learn from their feedback for Avallain Author 4.8, scheduled for release in only twelve weeks.”

EtonX and Avallain develop advanced online tutoring technologies

Posted on by Yerbol Adamov

EtonX, Eton College’s prestigious online learning business, has partnered with Avallain, engaging in a proof-of-concept and research project. The goal of this project is to create high-quality online learning content as well as designing advanced online tutoring tools.Specifically, EtonX and Avallain have been researching new ways to teach important soft skills effectively in an online learning environment.

Soft skills are future skills

Knowledge and experience are not the only things that modern employers seek in their future employees. In the workplaces of today, so-called soft skills such as critical thinking, problem solving and teamwork are every bit as important as academic skills. EtonX recognises this and offers a number of ‘future skills’ courses to help students develop those abilities which will genuinely define their personal and professional futures.

EtonX and Avallain

EtonX chose to partner with Avallain for one reason in particular: Avallain is the most experienced provider of digital authoring technology worldwide. In over 15 years, the company has worked with some of the leading global publishers in the field. Perhaps most importantly, Avallain realises that the focus of development should always lie on the learner instead of purely technological considerations. Thus, Avallain is no stranger to teaching soft skills via a digital medium.

For EtonX, partnering with Avallain has further enhanced the company’s focus on soft skills research and developing ways to support soft skills teaching on an online-only platform. The research of this successful collaboration now feeds directly into the creation and deployment of custom content as well as application design within this growing educational area. EtonX is spearheading this particular area online for learners across the globe.

Avallain technologies for future skills development

Over the course of this research, EtonX used both of Avallain’s flagship products, Avallain Author and Avallain Unity, experimenting with different approaches to educational content and types. This process benefited immensely from Avallain’s vast experience of supplying high-quality education platforms across multiple territories, for both students and teachers. Some of Avallain Author’s features, in particular, are already well-suited for soft skill development:

  • Advanced feedback features to allow easy communication between learners and tutors
  • Audio, video and image integration to embed exercises in tangible, real-life scenarios
  • Multiple features that can be used to fully individualise the learning environment

Rahim Hirji, COO of EtonX, says:

EtonX is looking forward to further collaboration with the team at Avallain as we look to build different types of courses in the fast-evolving educational area of ‘Future Skills’. The research phase with Avallain was an important piece of work to help launch a groundbreaking pilot of our Making an Impact Course in 2017. This pilot used a custom-built live virtual classroom and was hugely successful with interest from more than one hundred countries. With further collaboration, EtonX will launch more courses and courses with different formats building on Avallain’s many years deploying online education solutions around the world.

Bringing future skills into the digital classroom

For Avallain, working with EtonX has also been an exciting project. Commenting on the collaboration, Ignatz Heinz, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Avallain, said “In the complex and quickly developing area of online tutoring, Avallain is delighted to support EtonX as it continues to grow around the world. Our products support education businesses that operate in primary, secondary and further education all around the world and so we were happy that our experience could help EtonX fine-tune its offering for learners in countries that value these important educational areas.”

Given the technological affinity of both EtonX and Avallain as well as our shared focus on learners, EtonX users all across the world stand to gain from this exciting new partnership for advanced global online tutoring.

Numicon Interactive Whiteboard Software by Oxford University Press is among the finalists of the 2018 Bett Awards – thanks to Avallain technology

Posted on by Yerbol Adamov

Update (25.01.18): We are proud to announce that Numicon Interactive Whiteboard Software won the Primary Content award at last night’s Bett Awards.

Mathematical concepts can sometimes be hard to teach, as they are often difficult to connect to student’s real-life experiences. This is why Oxford University Press developed Numicon Interactive Whiteboard Software in conjunction with Avallain. The Numicon teaching approach includes physical apparatus for primary school level Maths that are designed to teach mathematical concepts by employing a multi-sensory approach and taking advantage of children’s natural ability to recognise shapes and patterns in physical objects.

Thanks to Oxford University Press’ partnership with Avallain, these teaching resources have since been successfully adapted into the Numicon Interactive Whiteboard Software, enhancing a proven pedagogy with all the possibilities offered by advanced digital technology. The revolutionary software has now earned a place among the finalists of the 2018 Bett Awards for Primary Content, perhaps the most prestigious award in the modern education industry.

What is the Numicon concept and how does it improve Maths education?

Numicon is a proven approach to teaching mathematics using a multi-sensory approach and a significant degree of interactivity. In its original form, Numicon teaching resources include physical shapes representing numbers which can be freely put together and manipulated. Thus, the Numicon approach demonstrates mathematical concepts in a way that is easily understandable and relatable in the physical world. As this pedagogical approach has been shown to improve learners’ mathematical abilities, the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics decided to fully endorse Numicon as a teaching tool.

Recently, the same teaching approach has become part of Oxford Owl, Oxford University Press’s digital learning platform for primary school learners. The Bett-Award-winning platform powered by Avallain Unity software architecture now includes the Numicon Interactive Whiteboard Software.

Adapting Numicon into a digital learning software

The Numicon software uses all of the advantages of Avallain Author to allow teachers and learners to project and interact with digital Numicon apparatus on whiteboards, both regular-sized and widescreen. This allows learners to interact directly with a great number of building elements by dragging and dropping them directly on the whiteboard. This object-focussed approach not only makes mathematical concepts easy to grasp, the physical interaction on the whiteboard and the use of spoken language to explain what they are doing also serves as a significant inspirational factor for students.

Numicon Interactive Whiteboard Software allows teachers to create highly motivational and effective Maths exercises using a great variety of digital resources and building elements such as different shapes, rods, base-ten apparatus, counters and numerical cards as well as explanatory text. All of these elements can be fit into various digital workspaces, including baseboards, number rod tracks, number lines and place value frames. This allows large sums and complex mathematical concepts such as division and multiplication to be handled more easily and conveniently than with physical resources.

Thanks to Avallain Author, all of these teaching materials and the ability to interact with them in a classroom setting are accessible via a highly intuitive user interface. Since the software is designed with primary education in mind, there are also many features that help children to use Numicon Interactive Whiteboard Software, such as the ability to minimise the interface panel at the bottom of the screen. This makes it easier for them to reach the Numicon apparatus projected on the whiteboard.

A partnership that is driven by innovation

The highly advanced capabilities of Avallain Author have been instrumental in the success of Numicon Interactive Whiteboard Software, as Simon Tanner-Tremaine, Director Digital & Home/School Services at Oxford University Press notes: “Our long-term partnership with Avallain has given us the tools to provide teachers and learners with highly effective and enjoyable interactive software. Being among the 2018 Bett Awards finalists is the most recent achievement in a long success story of award-winning Oxford University Press products created with Avallain Author and Avallain Unity.”

“Oxford University Press has firmly established itself as a publishing house driven by innovation and we are happy to be able to support them in this regard”, concurs Ignatz Heinz, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Avallain. “We have had great success using our technology and expertise to enhance many of their great products. With the help of Avallain Unity, Oxford Owl has already won a Bett Award in 2016, and we are confident we can do it again with Avallain Author and Numicon Interactive Whiteboard Software this year.”

Enhancing Maths education with advanced technology

The Numicon Interactive Whiteboard Software provides primary education teachers with the resources they need to make mathematical concepts instinctively understandable for their students. By combining the multisensory teaching approach of Numicon with the advanced digital capabilities of Avallain Author, we have created a digital education tool which is proven to enhance primary mathematical education significantly.

After already winning a number of Bett Awards, Digita Awards and ELTons for products created in cooperation with many of our partners in the past, we are thrilled that Numicon Interactive Whiteboard Software is among the finalists for the 2018 Bett Awards for Primary Content. We believe this is a testament to our high standards of quality and we hope to once again be able to conclusively demonstrate the positive impact of digital technology in Maths education with Numicon.

Avallain Author version 4.6 – new options and usability features for more varied learning experiences and individualised feedback

Posted on by Yerbol Adamov

The name Avallain has always been synonymous with customer-centric design and continuous improvements based on proven technology. Avallain Author version 4.6 once again reflects this philosophy by introducing an additional Activity Type as well as three new usability features designed to ensure a deeper and more intuitive learning experience.

Four new features to improve education

Learning materials created with Avallain Author can now cater to the needs of specific learners even more effectively, creating a highly individualised learning environment. As Max Bondi, Product Manager for Avallain Author, observes:

“We pride ourselves on listening closely to our customers’ feedback. And this time, their feedback has been: More Maths activities and more options for learner feedback!”

Thus, Avallain Author 4.6 adds:

  • New Activity Type: Maths Quizzes
  • The ability to check answers one-by-one
  • Item-specific feedback options
  • The ability to easily clear annotations in digital books

Together, these new features offer the best Avallain Author experience yet, both for learners and teachers as well as content creators.

Maths Quizzes

This new Activity Type is a variation on Wiris Quizzes. It allows learners to input any kind of mathematical formula as an answer in maths tasks. The easy-to-use interface allows even complex mathematical formulae to be entered quickly and conveniently, while touchscreen device users can use advanced text recognition technology for handwritten input.

Checking answers one-by-one

Avallain Author 4.6 includes a new practice mode in which the current screen remains active even when learners click on the “check answers” button. This allows them to check individual answers one-by-one instead of having to finish the entire task before receiving any feedback. This can very positively impact learner motivation, as users can now review their work directly during their learning process.

Item-specific feedback

Version 4.6 also includes the option of adding item-specific feedback to tasks. In many Activity Types, it is even possible to display different kinds of feedback according to whether the answer was correct or incorrect. Moreover, feedback can come in the form of text, audio or video, which means that incorrect answers can prompt immediate feedback, explaining even very complex concepts in an easy-to-understand way.

Clearing annotations

For more convenience when reading heavily annotated texts, learners are now given the ability to clear all annotations from digital books created with the Bookmaker. They can also choose whether to clear annotations from the entire book or the current page only. This allows your learners to individualise their learning environment, preventing confusion and improving their learning success.

Further enhancements are on the way

We are certain that these new features will allow your learners to engage more easily and intuitively with the learning materials you create with Avallain Author. Version 4.6 provides you with options for creating the best learning materials possible. All the tools are within our customers’ grasp now, so they can show us what they can do with them. We are eagerly waiting to see how our customers will enhance their learning materials and we will take our observations with us to the next batch of new features, released with Avallain Author version 4.7 twelve weeks from now.

E-learning in German prisons – Teaching language under challenging conditions

Posted on by Yerbol Adamov

Image © Johannes Berrens, genuina.de. With kind permission.

Language is a vital part of human life. Not only do language skills allow people to get involved with their community, but they are also necessary for engaging with educational programmes and vocational training schemes. Thus, it should come as no surprise that a large part of the prison population in countries like Germany is comprised of young immigrants and unaccompanied child refugees. Their often poor language and social skills leave them with few prospects within German society.

Effectively teaching the German language to these people is the only way to prepare them for further education, with the final goal of successful rehabilitation. Simultaneously, it also enables prison staff to communicate with the inmates. For these reasons, German prisons are now using a specially adapted offline version of the e-learning platform ich-will-deutsch-lernen.de (‘I want to learn German’ or ‘IWDL’), based on Avallain technology.

The fundamentals of teaching languages inside the prison system

After the highly successful launch of IWDL, it did not take long for German correctional institutions to take note of the e-learning platform, which had been officially commended by then-President Gauck. They wanted the opportunity to use the software, which combines Avallain software architecture with high-quality learning materials created using Avallain Author, as an e-learning tool for German prisons.

However, IWDL had initially been conceived as an educational tool for immigrants and thus needed to be adapted to the realities of prison life first:

  • It needed to be fully usable even without an internet connection.
  • The platform’s collaborative learning materials needed to be modified.
  • Its blended learning focus needed to be expanded with exercises for individual learning.

All of these changes are vital for using the highly successful learning platform within a prison environment, as places such as Ottweiler Prison had learned. More than 70 % of this prison’s inmates are first or second-generation immigrants, often with very limited German language skills. Many of them also have a history of substance abuse or mental health issues, preventing them from taking part in regular educational programmes. Thus, our software’s cooperative learning approach – which made it the first ever e-learning platform approved for use in German immigrant integration courses – could not be employed to its full extent within a prison environment.

The IWDL intranet version

We created a special offline variant of IWDL which was integrated into E-Learning im Strafvollzug (‘E-learning in the prison system’ or ‘ELIS’), the official e-learning platform of German prisons. This allows the software to be installed on individual computers or a prison’s intranet, giving inmates easy access.

“Thanks to the modular structure of the Avallain software architecture, switching to offline usability and integrating the software into ELIS was the easiest part of adapting IWDL”, Ursula Suter, co-founder and Managing Director of Avallain recalls. “Due to the limited internet connectivity of prison computers, the rollout of updates may take a bit longer, but the added security is well worth it”, she says.

We also used Avallain Author to adapt the existing learning materials for use within prisons. Due to time restraints, limited availability of staff or individual correctional measures, it is often not possible for inmates to attend regular German language classes. Thus, the software’s newly adapted learning materials can be used for blended learning as well as individual learning.

Social integration as the ultimate goal

However, the actual purpose of teaching the German language in prisons also includes a social component, as inmates are meant to acquire three sets of skills:

  • Language skills
  • Social skills
  • Knowledge of German social norms

These skills are useful not only for re-integrating inmates into German society but also for managing their time in prison. For example, German language skills are vital for successfully communicating with prison staff on a daily basis.

As part of ELIS, the offline version of IWDL teaches these skills by applying a scenario-based approach to learning. The software includes over 11’000 interactive exercises and 30 learning scenarios that are designed to embed activities within situations of everyday life. This allows learners without German language skills to gain a better understanding of the exercises while simultaneously conveying the values of a culture that might still be completely alien to the inmates at this stage. As a digital learning platform, IWDL is perfectly suited to support this approach by drawing from a large library of images, audio files and videos. These allow inmates to experience and understand everyday scenarios interactively.

Education and rehabilitation

For all of these reasons, ich-will-deutsch-lernen is one of the most popular learning platforms used within the German prison system today.

“The fact that IWDL is being used within the German prison system is more than just another accolade”, says Ursula Suter. “We believe that people who have become offenders due to a lack of education can be re-integrated into society by providing them with such an education. Our German language learning software allows them to actually take advantage of educational programmes offered in German prisons – preventing them from completely losing touch with the rest of society.”