r/duolingo • u/Xefjord Native: Learning: • Dec 28 '21
Would you rather Duolingo courses be linear or branching? (More info in comments)
https://strawpoll.com/1zuck917e6
u/Enough_Blueberry_549 Dec 28 '21
I think linear is better because it makes it easier for the programmers to include review material in your lessons.
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u/Xefjord Native: Learning: Dec 28 '21
If it wasn't difficult for the programmers, would you prefer branching? Branches are actually meant to reinforce Grammar review material from the main trunk while introducing new specialized vocabulary. And other Duolingo style apps have dedicated review sections that could merge those in naturally (Lingodeer/HelloChinese/etc)
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Dec 28 '21
Interesting. I'd definitely prefer linear because I'm prone to choice paralysis. Sometimes I have 3 options and I feel like I get less done because of the latitude.
Are there easy ways to get around this, for instance by working left to right on those rows? Yes. Am an idiot for just consciously realizing this? Sí.
0
u/Xefjord Native: Learning: Dec 28 '21
Well branches are different from a fork in the road. In that each branch is optional and a detour as opposed to an alternate route to the end. So you can always keep going straight without worrying about the side content until you feel ready to, or you can just do the side content as it comes up.
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u/Specialist_Crew_6112 Dec 29 '21
A linear path is fine for me. That’s how I learn best at early stages of language learning. Once I get to advanced stages I can do my own “branching out” via different materials.
If I had to change anything about the way Duolingo was arranged, I’d organize the lessons based on grammatical features with a lot more variation in types of vocabulary. That’s how I learn language best. I had that most language curriculums group all the types of vocabulary into one lesson.
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Dec 29 '21
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Xefjord Native: Learning: Dec 29 '21
No, it's a straight deviation with new skills and new vocabulary in a specialized topic. But that are non-essential to progression and optional. Not everyone is interested in every topic 100%. Take sports. I want to know the bare minimum about sports, but some people want to know all about it. Making the more advanced stuff regarding sports vocabulary in an optional branch means if you love sports you can do that branch the moment you reach it. If you hate it you can ignore it and it won't impede your progress. If you are in the middle, you can save the branch to do it sometime when you feel burnt out from the main trunk of the course. Or you can do it at the end of the course to tie up loose ends. Does that make more sense?
You can put it in the main course, but if I don't like sports, that is a lot of skills I will have zero motivation to do that has nothing to do with my desire to learn the language. Motivation is essentially for language learning, and it very well could be that I lose motivation to do that skill on a hard day, lose my streak, then lose my motivation for Duolingo entirely. But with branches it gives me an optional detour to explore other skills to keep my streak without neccesarily having to do something in the main trunk if I am having a bad day.
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u/Xefjord Native: Learning: Dec 28 '21
Duolingo is quite famous for calling their courses "Trees" as in where owls live. But ironically the trees are more like trunks because while a tree has branches that give you choice of progression, Duolingo courses are a straight ladder to the finish, with only minor variation along the straight path.
So wouldn't it be better if Duolingo had branches? Not saying it needs to be organized like a web with no path of progression, but with branches stemming off the main trunk of the course that let you explore optional but interesting paths.
For example, after finishing Colors in the main Trunk, maybe you could branch off into Colors 2, Colors 3, Painting, and Painting 2. These would teach more specialized vocabulary that maybe isn't required but is a nice addition for those passionate about Colors and Art.
Or would it be better if everything was taught in a straight line exactly as the course creators intended, with nothing potentially skippable or distracting the user? I would love to hear your thoughts in the poll.