EF Corporate Solutions CMO Andy Bailey said introducing a smart phone app into EF’s language learning portfolio was a natural progression considering the number of smartphone users in the world is set to surpass two billion by next year according to eMarketer.

“Developing a smartphone app for our school really was a no-brainer,” he said. “Our challenge was not if we were going to develop an app, but how.”

“Our challenge was not if we were going to develop an app, but how”

The app follows the same curriculum and lesson structure as the traditional online school with learning units and six progression levels that align to the Common European Framework.

However, Bailey explained: “A mobile phone represents very different ergonomics to sitting in front of a browser or even working with a tablet. We couldn’t just transpose our current school onto phones.”

In 2013, EF launched an EF Efekta app for Android tablets.

With the smartphone app, EF has introduced ‘learning moments’ – short, frequent bursts of information– that will initially appeal to students at lower levels.

Users will also benefit from the rest of EF’s learning tools as the app allows offline learning and full synchronisation of completed modules.

“This allows users to pause whenever they like, then pick up their studies again at any time and place, using whatever device they choose,” the company said in a statement.

Currently only available for Apple’s iPhone iOS, EF says it plans to roll out the app for Android smartphones later this year.