Volume 11, Number 1

Enhancing Post-Pandemic EFL Education by Leveraging Immersive, NLP-Driven, AI-based Tools That Promote Collaboration and Interactivity within an Educational Approach

  Authors

Coffi Martinien Zounhin Toboula, University of Abomey Calavi (UAC), Benin

  Abstract

This paper aims to improve post-pandemic English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education by leveraging immersive, NLP-driven, AI-based tools that promote collaboration and interactivity in teaching. It is because the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted conventional language education, leading to a shift towards online instruction and requiring new language learning strategies. The study used a mixedmethods approach integrating quantitative and qualitative data collection and processing strategies to examine the effectiveness of collaborative and interactive AI-powered natural language processing (NLP) applications on EFL instruction in a post-pandemic online teaching environment. To collect data, teachers, and students at the University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC) in Benin were surveyed, interviewed, and observed during online language learning sessions. The data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The study used questionnaire surveys to analyze the quantitative data and the thematic (content) analysis method to identify significant trends and themes in the qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews and online class observations. The results revealed the advantages and disadvantages of using AI-supported collaborative and interactive language learning in EFL instruction, the learning methodologies and assessment approaches used in AI-supported online collaborative learning, the role of technology in supporting lifelong learning, and the impact of ICT teacher training on the integration of AI-supported online collaborative learning in EFL instruction. The outcomes provide new insights into the impact of AI-assisted collaborative and interactive language learning on EFL instruction and its implications for EFL teachers and students in the post-COVID-19 era.

  Keywords

AI-based tools, post-pandemic era, EFL education, Immersive educational system, NLP-driven technologies