Description
India's edtech industry is experiencing a boom fueled by the Covid pandemic and the conditions created by digital transformation. Many companies are launching cutting-edge products with the goal of gaining considerable market dominance. "The offline mode of learning, in most cases, presents traditional obstacles, such as the teacher-student ratio," says the top Duolingo executive, hoping the platform can take language learning offline. line to online. Language learning has been done in a very conventional way in India. How much do you expect people to flock to the digital medium for this? Provide Indian statistics on Duolingo's reach, audience base and usage pattern. Wang: The principle of Duolingo is to shift language learning from offline to online in the hope of serving more people. The offline mode of learning, in most cases, presents traditional obstacles such as teacher-student ratio. Similarly, even English Proficiency Testing does not have sufficient physical testing facilities, especially for people in underserved markets like level II and III. So while learning and testing have traditionally been offline, there are gaps to fill and this is where the role of Duolingo and the Duolingo English Test (DET) becomes even more pronounced.
To put some context, our flagship app has naturally become the world's most popular way to learn languages and the highest-grossing app in the Education category on Google Play and the Apple App Store. India is our fifth largest market in terms of Daily Active Users (DAUs) and second fastest growing among our top 10 markets in 2022. India is also the largest market behind China in terms of educational app downloads, and Duolingo is committed to maintaining its leadership. position in this area. market. English, Hindi and French topped the list of the most popular languages studied by Indians in 2022.
Duolingo ABC, the latest offering is aimed at children from 3 to 8 years old. However, don't you think exposing children to electronics at such a young age will do more harm?
Álvarez : Well, I'm not an expert on the harmful effects of the exhibition of children's gadgets, I can't share that ces enfants aujourd'hui, comme tout le monde, accèdent à la technology et c'est et ce sera le mode of life. To provide a framework for a better understanding, let me quote a recent McKinsey report: India is the second fastest digital adopter among the top 17 digital economies. Internet penetration in India is now approaching 50% with over 650 million users. So the idea is, in limited screen time for kids, what kind of content are you exposing them to; if it's educational/value-added, that's a win! So for me, it's not a question of exposure, but of exposure to what!
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Edtech is a very competitive segment in India and specifically the platforms targeting the minor teen segments have not been very successful (excluding competitive exam based platforms). What are your prospects for the sector?
Rogelio Alvarez: It is also a matter of supply. Learning English is a basic but essential requirement for students to access educational and job opportunities worldwide. More than 50% of Indian applicants still prefer English-speaking countries as their first choice to study abroad, and for most English-speaking countries, an English test is usually mandatory for international students to gain access. to university programs. Therefore, I believe that our product offering, which helps students to learn English to assess, is very suitable for the market and fills an important gap between the needs.
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How strong is your application on the technology infrastructure front? What unique model have you developed in the app that sets itself apart from the competition by providing a rich user experience?
Rogelio: For the DET, we use technology in many ways that set us apart from other high-level language proficiency tests. The Duolingo English test uses AI to personalize itself in real time for each test taker, targeting your true skills faster, more accurately, and more confidently than traditional fixed-format tests. Our test developers take advantage of the latest GPT-3 technology in what is known as a "human-in-the-loop" process, allowing them to work more efficiently and creatively than ever before. Our technology also automatically scores candidate responses, which can be complex and are not simple multiple-choice questions. Our Responsible AI standards reinforce the test's ability to carefully construct a validity argument for numerical assessment and reinforce the DET's claims of validity, reliability, and fairness. Essentially, the Duolingo English Test is the first and only high-stakes test that uses end-to-end artificial intelligence and machine learning at every step of the process. What sets us apart from other high-stakes traditional language tests is that we are a digital first exam unlike others where a digital version has been added as an extension to offline mode.
Carrie: We've also worked with other AI technologies, such as computer vision and biometrics, to ensure that the security and integrity of testing is equal to or even better than testing in physical locations. In addition, item theft is a common and widespread phenomenon in physical test centers, but with DET's AI-powered "item factory" model, we automatically create thousands of test items and thus the possibilities of theft of objects are almost nil. At DET, making an accessible, reliable and safe test is our priority.
Is there a plan to expand the learning to include more Indian regional languages?
Meese: Duolingo allows users to learn English from Bengali. This follows the success we have witnessed in enabling Hindi speakers to learn English, making it the most popular course in India today. India is one of the fastest growing markets for Duolingo and we see great potential to introduce even more regional languages like Tamil, Telugu and Punjabi in the future.
