Modern teams work in hybrid formats, have different roles, varying levels of language proficiency, and packed work schedules. In these conditions, the effectiveness of learning English depends directly on how well the materials are adapted to students' real lives and how convenient they are to work with.
That is precisely why YAPPI, a corporate English school, created yBook — a digital, interactive textbook that combines methodological consistency, modern technology, and relevant business context. In this article, we'll look at how yBook is structured, what features it offers, and why it is effective for corporate learning.
Every YAPPI student has access to their own personal account within the yCloud EdTech ecosystem, where the yBook textbook is also located. This is not a generic digital product, and certainly not a paper textbook that has simply been scanned and attached to an account as a PDF. Its creation is the result of systematic work by YAPPI's R&D department.
The yBook content is continuously developed by a team of specialists: methodologists, teachers, authors, editors, and designers. Their task is to create materials that meet CEFR standards for each level while remaining relevant to the real-world context of our corporate students.
yBook is a "living" product that is regularly updated and evolves alongside the language and the needs of business.
We cover in detail how lessons are created and who is involved in the process in a separate article.
YAPPI courses are built on the flipped classroom model. This means that students work through preparatory materials — pre-classes — directly in yBook before the lesson, rather than completing traditional homework after each class. At the same time, after group practice, there is an opportunity to consolidate knowledge in the Extra Practice section of the textbook and work on specific skills using the Smarte+ interactive tool.
This approach allows students to make the most of their time with the teacher: instead of explaining theory, the lesson focuses on language practice and working with real-world cases relevant to the job. That is why yBook's features are designed so that students can work through the material independently, check their understanding, and arrive at each lesson prepared.
Working with language in yBook goes beyond a single type of task. Each lesson begins with a Warm-up, which helps students ease into the topic, activate prior knowledge, and get ready for practice.
Students then work with a variety of exercise formats that allow for well-rounded language development. These include discussion-based tasks (discuss the questions) that encourage spoken communication and speaking preparation for the lesson, as well as interactive exercises for reinforcing vocabulary and grammar.
Flashcards play a distinct role in yBook, used for working with vocabulary and functional language — set phrases and language structures that we use in real life in specific situations. Flashcards make it easy to review material, return to it between lessons, and gradually integrate new English vocabulary into natural speech.
Each exercise has clear, logical interactive functionality that supports independent work with the material.
When completing extended tasks, students can save their answers using the Save button, allowing them to return to an exercise later without losing their work.
The Reset function allows students to clear their answers and redo the exercise. This means tasks can be revisited multiple times for thorough consolidation.
Correct answers can be viewed using the Answers function, and then hidden (Hide) if students want to return to working independently.
At the end of each textbook lesson, learning progress is recorded. Students can see both the overall percentage of material completed and statistics for each individual lesson (the number and percentage of tasks completed, as well as the number and percentage of correct answers). The ecosystem also calculates average scores for grammar, vocabulary, and speaking.
For pronunciation work, there is a dedicated AI-powered tool — the AI Checker — built directly into the lesson. The system works as follows: the student reads a given text aloud and records themselves, after which the AI compares the recording against standard English pronunciation. The result is shown immediately — a quality score and highlighted sections of the text where errors occur. With this tool, students don't have to wait for teacher feedback and can receive recommendations for correcting mistakes right away.
For game-based tasks and various in-class activities, the textbook integrates additional tools that help facilitate student interaction and manage time during lessons.
Dice
Built-in digital dice can be used during board games or speaking activities. The teacher or student can choose to roll one or two dice depending on the format of the task. No need for third-party apps or physical dice — everything is right there!
Timer
The textbook also includes a timer with the ability to set the number of minutes and seconds manually. When the countdown ends, a pop-up notification appears to signal that time is up. The timer can be used:
yBook learning materials are available in several formats to meet the different goals of students and businesses. Depending on the company's requirements or the learning program, students at each language level can work with:
yBook for General English covers topics that students encounter in everyday life. This vocabulary builds a language foundation and can prepare students for a future transition to business or specialized English.
The content of yBook for Business English is built around situations that corporate students face daily in their work:
Learning at YAPPI therefore includes role-play tasks tailored to the specifics of students' work, so that practice is as useful as possible for corporate goals.
The yBook textbook features topics that resonate strongly with the modern context. This is precisely what makes learning English relevant and practically applicable at work.
We also invite you to explore a few different excerpts from yBook lessons to see the exercise format and how material is presented:
A particularly important area of yBook's work is adapting programs to specific industries. According to YAPPI statistics, one in five companies comes to us with exactly this kind of request.
This goes beyond simply changing topics or examples. Most often, it involves:
Examples of industries for which we have created programs:
The foundation is always a standard General or Business English program, to which specialized lessons are added and industry-specific vocabulary is integrated.
When a program is created for a specific department or team, it is developed under NDA. Such courses are not shared with other companies and remain unique and confidential.
YAPPI's yBook was created with the goal of combining a systematic approach to learning English, modern technology, and relevant content adapted to the specific work scenarios of corporate students.
Key advantages:
✓ Up-to-date content
We constantly update our materials so that you stay informed and always have the most current information. You won't come across outdated topics or facts.
✓ Full functionality on mobile and desktop
Students can learn on any device with internet access.
✓ Ability to independently catch up on missed lessons
The textbook allows students to work through material at any time, and with video explanations from the teacher and audio materials, it is fully suited for independent study.
✓ Instant self-assessment
Students can interact with the textbook and receive instant feedback: every exercise includes functionality for checking answers and retrying.
✓ Adaptive content tailored to business needs
Lessons and exercises can be adjusted to specific professional fields and company processes, including highly specialized vocabulary.
Whether you want to practice your English before a meeting, work through common mistakes, or finally make sense of topics that just won't stick — that's exactly why we added the new Book a Micro Class feature to the yCloud ecosystem.
Book a Micro Class is an opportunity for active YAPPI students to book a 30-minute individual speaking session with a teacher on any topic from your yBook textbook.
The format is as simple as it gets: just you, an English teacher, and a focused discussion of whatever you need.
An extra session tends to be most valuable in situations like these:
That's it! You'll see a booking confirmation on screen, and full details will be sent to your email.
After booking, your Micro Class will appear in your yCloud calendar as a separate card — just like your other classes or speaking clubs.
On the day of the session, you'll find the Zoom meeting link and information about the teacher who has been matched to your request.
After the session, you'll find a short feedback note from the teacher in your personal account, including:
The comments will remain in the lesson card, so you can come back to them at any time.
You can try out the Book a Micro Class feature in your yCloud account today.
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.
Fight for Facts is an international educational project for journalists, implemented by the organization n-ost, that brings together media professionals, including those from Ukraine. The project focuses on topics such as disinformation, war, human rights, international politics, and responsible journalism.
Since English is the primary working language in the international media landscape, the Fight for Facts team approached YAPPI with a request for systematic language training for journalists.
The key goals were straightforward and practical:
An additional challenge was the difference in prior language levels among participants — ranging from Pre-Intermediate to Advanced.
Since September 2024, seven groups of Fight for Facts journalists have successfully completed their training with YAPPI.
The foundation of the program was General English; however, taking into account the project's professional needs, we developed specialized thematic modules integrated into the lessons of each group.
We worked with topics that journalists genuinely encounter in their day-to-day work:
Although the topics were demanding — both linguistically and emotionally — they became a space for genuine, meaningful practice. Through gamification, discussions, and a clearly structured format for each lesson, the project's journalists gradually learned to speak about complex subjects with confidence.
All groups completed the training in full, and some participants stayed with us for several semesters.
The real results speak more eloquently than any certificate — and they come straight from the students themselves. Communication became easier: asking questions, clarifying ideas, and expressing thoughts in work situations felt more natural. English gradually stopped being a source of tension and became an ordinary working tool — living, practical, and necessary.
Another important benefit that participants mentioned more than once in their feedback: the training gave them a sense of community, new acquaintances, and professional connections.
Here is how participants from the latest Fight for Facts cohort describe their learning experience:
A year and a half flew by so quickly, and it's hard to say what I enjoyed more — the learning process itself or the time spent with wonderful teachers and equally wonderful classmates. It was easy, fun, interesting, and completely stress-free. Exactly what I was hoping for.
Olena
Thank you for the wonderful opportunity to learn and connect with such interesting, inspiring people! Yappi — one love. Everything is structured, knowledge is presented consistently, logically, and accessibly. And I was lucky with my teachers every time.
Maryna
Thank you for the interesting conversations, the laughs, and learning conditionals, gerunds, and other scary words together (I'm not afraid of them anymore!). I'm so glad I joined this course. It has already changed my life — and that's just the beginning.
Anna
This project is a reminder that practical English isn't about being "correct" or "incorrect" — it's about the ability to speak and be heard in an international context.
In our collaboration with Fight for Facts, we were able to build a learning experience where English became a tool that helped journalists work with difficult topics — rather than adding another layer of complexity. We are grateful for this meaningful experience.