calico journal (online) issn 2056–9017 Learning Technology Review Busuu: A Social Network Application to Learn Languages Michael D. Winans PRODUCT AT A GLANCE Product Type Language learning website and mobile app Language(s) Users can learn English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, Russian, and Arabic. Level From A1 to B2 (CEFR) and Travel Courses Activities Reading, writing, listening, speaking, interacting with users of the target language (speaking, writing), select from a list, drag-and-drop, fill-in-the-blank, correcting written and spoken texts, questions and answers, etc. Media Format Interactions over the web (for interacting with users) and downloadable apps for iOS and Android (both with offline lessons) Operating System(s) Browsers: Chrome, Safari (10.0 and above), Internet Explorer (11.0 and above), Edge and Firefox. Mobile: Android 5.0 and above, and iOS 9.0 and above (iPhone, iPad and iPod touch). Hardware Requirements Web-based, cross-platform Supplementary Software or N/A Hardware Affiliation Arizona State University, USA. email: [email protected] calico journal vol 37.1 2020 117–126 https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.37781 ©2020, equinox publishing 118 Learning Technology Review Documentation Support: https://help.busuu.com/hc/en-us (for English) Price Free for Flashcard learning; Premium is $9.99/ month, $69.99/12 months, $119.99/24 months. Enterprise versions available for academic and professional organizations. 7-day money-back guarantee. General Description Busuu is a language learning platform that is downloadable onto iOS and Android devices. Busuu was founded in 2008 by Bernhard Niesner and Adrian Hilti. The name Busuu comes from a language in Cameroon that is nearly extinct. Busuu employees have traveled there, met with a community of Busuu speakers, and even created lessons on the Busuu platform to learn the language. In 2014, Busuu recorded 50 million users and has now grown to 80 million users with the claim that it is the “largest social network for language learning”. Users can interface with the application or software in one of 12 languages in order to learn the others. The order of learning can be self-directed, or users can take a short placement quiz that will start them at an appropriate level. The only free service is flashcard learning, which is much more interactive than the name implies. All other features are restricted to the premium version. The interactive aspects of the Busuu suite allow users to get feedback from native speakers and the downloadable lessons are available for phone applications. The highest competency level available is B2, which Busuu identifies as fluent. In the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), the B2 level is considered an independent user who “can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics” (Council of Europe, 2001, p. 24). The feature that makes Busuu a unique option in the language learning sphere resides in its affordance of the social features that support its claim to be a social network. Users can add friends from suggestions that are based on the languages they are learning. An English speaker learning Spanish will find friend suggestions that include Spanish speakers learning English. Once users connect with a friend, they are able to review each other’s submissions and offer corrections of the target language form. Conversations start when a user produces a written or spoken response to a prompt and someone replies with a correction and comment. After listen- ing to a spoken response, a native speaker can give audio feedback and/or text comments. For written responses, feedback is given in two ways: first, you can Learning Technology Review 119 fix the text and any corrections are indicated in green, and, second, you can leave a comment with further feedback. These two responses are aggregated into one and the feedback is posted (see Figure 1). There are also other methods to learn the language, namely the sequential lessons. These sequences start with material that is also accessible for free to non-subscribed users: flashcards that include drag-and-drop, word selection, fill-in-the-blank (logic and listening), true–false, and matching exercises in sections labeled Vocabulary, Dialogue, and Memorize. Sequences end with a vocabulary quiz that is only available to premium users. In lesson 11 at the B1 level for Spanish, there are four areas in the sequence, two of which are considered flashcards. The additional two premium areas are titled Grammar. These areas allow users to download a summary of the lesson which compiles all the tips in the Grammar section into one webpage that has a print button. Figure 1. Conversation and feedback on a written response. Two other premium benefits that are offered include offline access. First, lessons for the mobile application for iOS and Android allow users to complete lessons without Internet or cell phone reception. Secondly, once you finish the lessons of a given level, users can take tests and receive an official McGraw-Hill Education certificate that corresponds to CEFR levels. Busuu only allows users to take this 15-minute test once every two weeks. 120 Learning Technology Review Platform support is offered in the same 12 languages that you can learn through Busuu. Support can be accessed on a dedicated website (English: https://help.busuu.com/hc/en-us) by clicking a help link located at the bottom of each page or from the main drop-down menu. From the support page, users are also able to search for answers through a knowledge base. If users are unable to resolve their issue, they can submit a request or use a chat box in order to receive help. A strong claim made by Busuu is that 22.5 hours of learning on their plat- form equates to one semester of college. Vesselinov and Grego (2016) conducted The Busuu Efficacy Study which was commissioned by the company to deter- mine the effectiveness of language study when using their courseware; the results should be considered within the context of a commissioned study. The study recruited 144 Spanish learners in the New York and London areas who participated in pre- and post-tests. Brigham Young University’s Web Based Computer Adaptive Placement Exam (WebCAPE) test was used to measure participants’ language level. This test is used to place students within the first four classes of the first two years of college-level language study. Vesselinov and Grego (2016) claim their efficacy score is both direct and objective, where efficacy is defined as the “improvement per one hour of study” (p. 6). It directly uses the time recorded by the Busuu servers for par- ticipants’ language learning and objectively uses the WebCAPE test for data about improvement. Busuu users were found to need, on average, 22.5 hours of study to increase their score on the WebCAPE test—an amount that equates to the requirements for one semester of college-level Spanish (Vesselinov & Grego, 2016, p. 19). Evaluation This evaluation was conducted via the website though the Android app was also used to verify differences between platforms. Due to the incremental and instantaneous nature of the implementation or modifications of technology on the web, it should be stated that this study was conducted in November of 2018 with a premium subscription1 which costs $69.99 for 12 months when paid in one installment. Technological Features Busuu’s free access only allows users to study one language and is limited to the flashcards feature. Because the interface is well-designed, functional, and aesthetically pleasing, users who are not willing to pay will get a functional product for free. Figure 2 details the free and premium features. Learning Technology Review 121 Figure 2. Premium features vs. free. A user’s portfolio page shows their location with a small flag that repre- sents the country of origin next to a photo. It also shows the language pro- gress which ends at B2 of the CEFR and represents the fluent level within the platform. After reaching the B2 level, the language journey is finished. The portfolio includes a list of all interactions with other users and corrections that users have made for others, which can be seen by a user’s Busuu friends. In addition, the system provides user statistics for words learned, days learned, activity streak, number of corrections given, thumbs up received, and votes for best correction. There is also the ability to create a personalized study plan to keep users on track to meet language learning goals that they set for themselves. Users choose goals, set schedules for their goals, and generate a study plan that allows them to work through achievable steps toward a completion date. The highlight of using Busuu is the access to social features, though there are the limitations of not being able to search for friends or interact through direct chat, a feature that we could expect would be integrated. This expecta- tion came from Vesselinov and Grego (2016) who claim that a key feature is “Busuu-talk (web only) which allows students to find language partners and practice speaking or text chatting” (p. 4); however, this feature no longer exists. As a consequence, the term “conversations” is a bit misleading because there is no feature for synchronous chat with the friends that users make. On the other hand, users will not experience unsolicited non-language focused 122 Learning Technology Review (possibly inappropriate) messages. This is encouraging since it means users can stay focused on the task at hand: learning a language. The conversation feature does allow for the building of personal relation- ships, but all of a user’s interactions are viewable by anyone who is a friend.