Agreement on business and capital collaboration toward the development and provision of “English 4skills”, helping students learn the 4 skills in English
Agreement on business and capital collaboration toward the development and provision of “English 4skills”, helping students learn the 4 skills in English
～Service for schools helping students learn all 4 skills in English online and also prepare for external exams～
NTT DOCOMO, INC.
EduLab, Inc.
EduLab, Inc. (Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Junichi Takamura; hereinafter referred to as: “EduLab”), a company which develops and operates a variety of English-related systems based on EdTech (educational technology), and NTT DOCOMO, INC. (Location: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Kazuhiro Yoshizawa; hereinafter referred to as: “DOCOMO”) have reached an agreement today regarding a collaboration of business and capital toward the development and provision of “English 4skills™”, a service which helps students learn the 4 skills in English: read, listen, speak, and write.
In recent years, the use of external exams that measure the 4 skills in English in an integrated manner has become more and more popular centering around university entrance exams. A new test, which will be introduced in 2020 to replace the National Center Test for University Admissions, is also being developed to measure the 4 skills in English.
“English 4skills” is a service which not only helps students learn the 4 skills in English, but also checks the ability of each skill using a smartphone or a tablet. It is scheduled to be released in spring 2018.
Students can check their ability of each of the 4 skills in English using the “Level Check Test”. Feedback on the test results will be immediately shown online and therefore students can continue studying while checking their learning progress. For instance, after reading out a given English sentence into a smartphone, it will be recognized and feedback will be given on whether or not it was read correctly. By repeating this practice, students can improve their ability to “speak”. Students can also study while listening to English sentences read aloud by the smartphone.
For English teachers, a learner management system will be available which allows teachers to distribute tasks to students online, as well as mark and give feedback on tasks submitted by students anytime. They can also check the students’ progress for each of the 4 skills in English as well as view test results shown in a list.
Furthermore, we plan to provide content to help prepare for external exams including the EIKEN Test in Practical English Proficiency (hereinafter EIKEN®). Content related to EIKEN®, will be provided in cooperation with the Eiken Foundation of Japan.
EduLab and DOCOMO strive to contribute to the improvement of communication skills in English by providing services to help improve the 4 skills in English.
＊ “EIKEN” is a registered trademark of the Eiken Foundation of Japan.
＊ “English 4skills” is a trademark of NTT DOCOMO, INC.
Brief summary of business and capital collaboration between EduLab and DOCOMO
1. Objective of the collaboration
EduLab has the technology and know-how specialized in English learning and testing including the development and operation of a variety of English-related systems. DOCOMO has the technology and know-how related to mobile phone services. The business and capital collaboration of these two companies makes it possible to work together to develop and provide “English 4skills™”, a service helping students learn the 4 skills in English: read, listen, speak, and write.
2. Details of the capital collaboration
EduLab will allocate new stock to DOCOMO as a third party.
3. The time of investment (scheduled)
Late June, 2017
4. Main roles of each company
| EduLab |
·Develop and provide Level Check Test ·Supervise learning curriculum ·Deliver learning content |
| DOCOMO |
Provide a service for 4 skills in English |
“English 4skills” Brief Summary
1. Brief Summary
- Supports the learning of English for university entrance exams with a service for schools which helps students learn and check their ability to “read”, “listen”, “speak”, and “write”, the 4 skills in English, on their smartphones or tablets.
- Provides teachers with a learner management system, allowing them to distribute tasks to students, check their feedback, and see how students are progressing in each of the 4 skills in English as well as view test results in a list.
- Helps students study for external exams including EIKEN®
2. Start of Service
Spring 2018 (scheduled)
3. Main features
| Level Check Test | A test that checks the ability for each of the 4 skills in English |
| Training | Learn the 4 skills in English: read, listen, speak, and write. |
| Prepare for external exams | Customized learning for each student to prepare for external exams including EIKEN® |
4. Image of the service in use
[Company Overview]
EduLab
- Company Name
- EduLab, Inc.
- Representative
- President and CEO: Junichi Takamura
- Headquarter
- Nissin Aoyama Bldg. 5F, 3-2-4 Kita Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
- Capital
- ¥161,290,000
- Established
- March 31, 2015
- Number of Employees
- 141
- Main Business Activities
- ·Building new businesses and investments in the field of EdTech
·Providing IT solutions and platforms for the education industry and supporting next generation education
DOCOMO
Company NameNTT DOCOMO, INC.RepresentativePresident and CEO: Kazuhiro YoshizawaHeadquarterSanno Park Tower 11-1, Nagata-cho 2-chome, Chiyoda-ku, TokyoCapital¥949,680,000,000 (as of March 31, 2016)EstablishedJuly 1, 1992Number of Employees7,616 (Company groups: 26,129) (as of March 31, 2016)Main Business Activities·Mobile communication business
·Smart life business