School of Languages at XJTLU Conference 2024

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping the landscape of second language learning and teaching. Among these advancements, Generative AI provides exciting opportunities for educators to design customized textual and auditory materials tailored to specific second language courses and programs, as well as to meet students' needs and preferences.
However, utilizing AI tools to develop highly adapted content for second language courses designed for absolute beginners presents several challenges. Employing a Large Language Model (LLM), such as ChatGPT, requires crafting sophisticated prompts that balance high language simplification—suited to students’ limited linguistic competence—with contextual and cultural relevance. Moreover, we must confront the inherent challenges of language over-simplification, such as lack of text authenticity and linguistic accuracy. On the other hand, employing standard AI tools designed to produce, evaluate, or adapt text and text-based activities to align with the CEFR A1 level often results in content that does not match the module’s intended pace, typically generating texts beyond students’ competencies.
This session will explore the opportunities and challenges of customizing GPTs to generate textual and auditory materials designed explicitly for modules targeting absolute beginners in a second language. Specifically, we will share insights from ‘Spanish 001’ at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, a module that aims for CEFR A1- proficiency in Spanish after one semester of study. We will discuss the accomplishments and limitations of our experience and provide practical advice on building effective GPTs for this purpose, addressing the common challenges that may arise.