How do I use Speakology as a student?

What is Speakology?

Speakology is an AI-powered conversation practice tool available to you as part of your ICLS course. It gives you extra chances to speak the language you're learning, whenever it fits your schedule.

Speakology is here to supplement your class and your teacher, not replace them. Your teacher remains the center of your learning experience. Speakology simply gives you more time on task, so that when you're in class, you're building on practice you've already had.

ICLS evaluated several AI conversation tools before selecting Speakology. The decision reflects our AI Position Statement, which calls for a human-in-the-loop approach: using AI to expand opportunities for speaking practice while keeping human connection and instructional quality central to language learning.

ICLS stays in regular contact with Speakology's team, sharing feedback from teachers and students so the tool keeps improving for our programs. Your feedback matters. If something works well (or doesn't), tell your teacher.

Every teacher using Speakology completes training on the platform and continues to get support throughout the year. If you have questions about an assignment or how a conversation connects to what you're learning in class, your teacher is your first resource.
You’re also welcome to share feedback with our Senior Director of Learning and Technology Solutions, Edwige Simon at esimon@icls.edu. 

Why Practice with Speakology?

Speaking is one of the hardest skills to practice on your own — you need a partner, and partners aren't always available. Speakology gives you that partner on demand.

• You can practice at your own pace, without the pressure of an instant, live answer.
• You can repeat a conversation as many times as you need until it feels natural.
• You can review a recording of yourself afterward and hear exactly what needs work.
• It's simply more time speaking the language — and more time speaking is what moves you forward.

Students who've used Speakology consistently describe it as lower-stakes than speaking in class, which often makes it easier to relax and produce more natural language:

“I would say I feel more confident in front of the avatar. It feels like lower stakes for sure.”

“I think that the AI concept is useful, and being able to interact with it in that real-time conversational piece — I think it's absolutely revolutionary to learning how to speak a language.”

That said, Speakology has limits. It can sometimes be overly sensitive to very subtle pronunciation differences, and, like any AI tool, it can make mistakes—misinterpreting what you say, providing inaccurate feedback, or suggesting a correction when none is needed. It may also miss nuances that a human listener would immediately recognize, such as tone, context, humor, or cultural meaning.

Think of Speakology as a way to add more speaking practice, not as the final authority on your language skills. Your teacher and classmates remain essential for interpreting feedback, answering questions, and providing the authentic human interaction where the deepest language learning happens.

How Often Should You Practice?

We recommend a minimum of two Speakology conversations per week. That's enough to build real momentum without feeling like a burden on top of everything else you're doing.

One of our students, enrolled since January 2026, has logged over 60 hours of speaking practice on Speakology beyond their regular coursework — more than anyone else in the program. That's an extreme example, not an expectation, but it shows what's possible when practice becomes a habit rather than a chore.

Consistency matters more than any single long session:
“You just have to use it every day. If you have to make a mistake twenty-five times before you get it right, you just have to keep using it.”

Self-paced, repeated practice adds something that passive study — watching videos, reviewing flashcards — doesn't:
“Being able to respond at your own pace, calling on-the-fly sentence practice, is extremely invaluable compared to passive study like YouTube or flashcards.”

A useful benchmark: at his most consistent, one student used Speakology once or twice a day. Even after finishing the program, he still aims for daily use. You don't need hours — you need regularity.

Setting Yourself Up for Success

Before You Start: Allow the Microphone

The single most common technical issue is a browser blocking microphone access. When you open Speakology for the first time, your browser will ask for permission to use your microphone — click Allow. If you accidentally clicked Block, or your conversation partner isn't responding to your voice, check your browser's site settings and make sure the microphone permission for Speakology is turned on.

Download the Speakology iPhone app here.

When and Where to Practice

• Practice somewhere quiet, with minimal background noise, so the AI can hear you clearly and you can focus.

•  Headphones help, especially if you're practicing somewhere shared, like a common room or a library.

• A stable internet connection matters more for video conversations than audio-only ones.
• Give yourself enough time to actually finish a conversation. The platform needs a minimum amount of speech to give you an evaluation, so a rushed 30-second attempt won't be as useful as a complete conversation. Most conversation require that you speak at least 6 times before providing an evaluation. But it should be 6 full sentences, not 6 one-word answers. 

Tips from Fellow Students

Here's what students who've used Speakology consistently want you to know:

Turn Off the Text, Then Turn It Back On

During a conversation, you can hide the captions and just listen — great for pure listening practice. Afterward, turn captions back on for a full breakdown of every word.

“As you're doing the conversation, you can turn off the text so that way you can just practice the listening. It will give you a thorough explanation of every word that's going on in there, which is very helpful.”

Go Back and Listen to Yourself

Every conversation is recorded, so you can replay it and catch what didn't sound quite right.

“I also like the feature that it records everything you say, so you can go back and listen to it. You realize, okay, I need to work on a few things.”

Set Your Own Goals, Not Just the Assigned Ones

If your teacher hasn't assigned a specific activity, you can still start a conversation and steer it yourself — ask for formal language practice, request a role-play (like ordering at a restaurant), or ask the AI to reflect your sentence back at a slightly more advanced level so you can hear a more natural version of what you meant to say.

Understand Its Limits, and Use It Anyway

Speakology occasionally has quirks — for example, it may briefly misread which language you're speaking. That's a known issue the team is working to improve. It doesn't undo the value of the practice you're getting.

“Once you understand how to communicate with an AI, you can cope with it pretty well.”

“I think anyone who has access to it right now and isn't using it, I think they're kind of foolish, to be honest.”

Need Help?

If Speakology isn't working the way you expect — microphone issues, unexpected logouts, or anything else — start with your teacher. They're trained on the platform and can troubleshoot most issues directly or pass along feedback to ICLS.

For anything else, contact the ICLS Teaching & Learning Team (learningteam@icls.edu) for assistance.