Educational technology is advancing faster than ever, and outdated teaching methods are no longer relevant or engaging for today's students. Their place has been taken by digital tools that are capable of making learning more convenient and compelling.
In this article, we want to show how the digitalization of learning works at Yappi. We'll introduce our comprehensive digital platform, yCloud, walk you through all of its benefits for students, and highlight the most recent updates.
yCloud is a full-featured EdTech ecosystem for learning English. It brings all processes together in one place, eliminating the need to switch between different resources or waste time on additional searches. Each student has their own personal account, which makes organizing the learning process much more convenient.
The yCloud ecosystem has both a desktop version and its own mobile app. We've done everything to make using the platform, organizing learning, and completing homework as convenient as possible.
To make learning straightforward, we've created a well-thought-out set of features that allows students to navigate easily without getting lost in the details. Let's take a look at the tools built into yCloud.
First and foremost, the personal account is the place where you can view your own schedule of lessons and events, such as conversation clubs (paid and free) and individual sessions with a teacher. Following a recent update, a calendar was added to personal accounts, making it easy to switch between months and weeks. To prevent events from blending together, each one now has its own color indicator to help you tell them apart. When you click on any event card, all important information is displayed: the link to the class, materials, tests, and information from the teacher about the lesson. We should also note that materials from paid clubs remain in the calendar permanently.
And here's a feature that will definitely come in handy — the ability to set reminders so you never miss a class, conversation club, or individual session with a teacher. Convenient, isn't it?
What's more, the yCloud calendar can now be synced with Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook — because we know how convenient it is to keep all important tasks and events in one place, especially when every minute is accounted for. However, it's important to remember: if you delete a class in Google Calendar, it will not be canceled in yCloud! It's best to do this from within the platform itself.
Through the personal account, you can conveniently access the lesson link, homework, and the yBook digital textbook. Inside the textbook, students will find a variety of task types, images for better retention, audio and video materials, as well as vocabulary and grammar games.
On the topic of personalization: at Yappi, learning programs don't have to be generic. They can be tailored to a company's specific industry and needs.
This way, students only work with content that is relevant to their professional tasks. For example, we developed an ESP course focused on English for professional business communication in the field of digital marketing.
We also created a course specifically for military personnel, covering essential military terminology needed for communication with international colleagues and for carrying out duties in a multinational environment. Read more about how we develop lessons in the article "How YAPPI designs its English lessons".
As mentioned above, to avoid getting lost in materials and wasting time searching, there's a thoughtful feature: each lesson has its own "card" — click on it and you'll see a list of materials you'll need for your next class and to prepare for it. Two clicks, and you have everything you need open and ready. Lesson cards also contain any active tests that your teacher has scheduled.
We also want to highlight our online practice tool, Smarte+. It's a full-featured personalized learning toolkit. Designed specifically for students, Smarte+ includes more than 30 types of interactive exercises. It gives students more space to learn, practice vocabulary and grammar, and create their own study notes.
Not long ago, we announced a new feature in the yCloud ecosystem — Book a Micro Class. This is a booking feature for a 30-minute individual speaking session with a teacher on a topic from your textbook, available for an additional fee. It gives you the opportunity to focus more on a desired topic and sharpen the skills you need. To sign up, simply choose a convenient day and time, as well as the topic for the lesson. This new feature brings even more personalization to your learning journey.
At Yappi, learning doesn't stop at courses and scheduled classes — we also offer even more speaking practice through conversation clubs with native speakers. You can sign up for these directly through your personal account.
You can track your learning progress in your personal account, and following a recent update, in the textbook as well. The indicators will continuously change as you learn and complete tasks. That said, we want to emphasize right away: this is not a grade! So, do you have to have 100% progress for a lesson? No! The percentages are simply a measure of the material you've covered — an indicator that shows which lessons you've already gone through and which ones you haven't reached yet.
We understand that life can be unpredictable. So, within those same lesson cards, you can indicate that you'll be missing a class and provide a reason for your absence, or even temporarily freeze your studies if needed.
We already had a feature allowing every student to receive personalized feedback from their teacher throughout the semester. We've improved it slightly: now, when completing a written assignment in the textbook, the teacher can send corrections directly into it. This eliminates the need to send your written work to third-party apps or resources for review. Everything in one place!
And if you feel you need more individual feedback, the Book a Micro Class feature is there to help — it includes a full one-on-one session with a detailed breakdown of your specific question.
According to an internal Yappi survey, students value the following most: ease of use of the platform; the ability to take interim tests and receive detailed personal feedback; and the convenience of the calendar, where they can view their current schedule.
The main tools and features students use in yCloud are: the calendar, event cards, the yBook digital textbook, online tests, and the progress tracker. Students also share that the personal account makes it easy and quick to join online classes via a direct link — no extra steps needed!
Most of our updates come thanks to our students and their suggestions. Listening to the users who regularly interact with our platform, resources, and learn at Yappi is truly one of the best things we can do.
In times when everything around us is evolving at an extraordinary pace, it's essential to keep up and adapt to change, find creative solutions, and improve what we already have. To help us do exactly that, every student is able to rate their lessons and leave reviews and suggestions.
We strive to make yCloud the most convenient platform possible for our students and their managers, and we're always happy to receive positive feedback.
