The Virtual Examiner Project
The InsideIELTS website and the IE Virtual Examiner project videos have been created to showcase the potential of the innovative Virtual Examiner learning system, with the goal of developing a superior interactive conversational English language learning application.
The Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) IELTS Speaking Test interview assesses and rates the level of a test candidate’s auditory and spoken English. Students must be able to quickly recognise a wide variety of English language accents and respond fluidly. The InsideIELTS Virtual Examiner interactive teaching method provides highly stimulating interactive practice, with exposure to different native speaker English accents in a simulated IELTS interview scenario, enabling users to gain confidence and become familiar with the demands of the speaking test ahead of the big day.
The Virtual Examiner Test Preparation Program has been designed by experienced IELTS examiners to specifically address the needs of the 3.5 million candidates that sit the IELTS examination annually.* - A high proportion of these test takers underestimate the complexity and requirements of the IELTS test and subsequently fail to achieve their target band score first attempt, requiring the exam to be retaken multiple times. The fee for the full CIE IELTS examination is currently in the region of $220USD.
The creators of the Virtual Examiner project believe that the InsideIELTS Speaking Test Preparation Program can offer an engaging, low-cost and effective means for IELTS test candidates to prepare themselves for the speaking test interview, avoiding the potential cost and stress of having to re-sit the exam on multiple occasions, and without the need to pay for expensive one-on-one tuition services.
*(www.ielts.org/for-researchers/test-statistics)
Interactive Education
At Interactive Education we believe that the core idea demonstrated by this website, - interaction with a virtual CGI-created character that can capture and maintain user engagement through focused question and answer scenarios, is a concept which can be adapted and diversified to achieve a wide range of pedagogical goals across the entire educational spectrum and age range.
Aside from second language aquisition, the Virtual Examiner interrogative delivery format lends itself especially well to the job of re-enforcing classroom teaching for the purposes of standard academic test revision and examination preparation. The level-based system can be specifically tailored to provide stimulating and focused examination-orientated study sessions for all academic subjects and topics.
(With its immense popularity and appeal (to the younger generation especially), why is present day video gaming technology not being harnessed to its maximum potential by the education industry? - At Interactive Education we believe that this is an under-exploited resource with huge potential for exploration and beneficial development.)
With the present day truths of ever increasing numbers of students seeking to study in the world's developed English speaking nations and rising levels of migration and travel in general; the exponential global increase in digital media consumption, AI and ceaseless advancements in computing technology; topped off with the spectre of potential, future global pandemic lockdowns, it seems apparent that creation of an advanced interactive digital educational application, such as the one envisioned and crudely showcased here by InsideIELTS.com, is a path worthy of pursuit.
Innovative ideas are often disruptive to the current state-of-play. It is the aim of Interactive Education to be able to offer a low-cost but superior alternative to the currently blooming online industry providing expensive, inefficient, often-times low quality screen based "face-to-face" tuition services.
The ultimate goal of Interactive Education is to be able to create a powerful, free digital learning tool that is accessible to learners worldwide; a resource which will allow any individual with access to a smart phone or computer and the desire to learn the means to better themselves and achieve their personal academic aspirations through self-education programs that teach effectively and, at the same time, provide a novel, engaging and stimulating user experience.