New ways of approaching learning and improving the undergraduate experience have been, and continue to be, critical to meeting the growing needs of higher education institutions. One such effort at Mohammed First University (MFU) has been the addition of a digital tool, the Rosetta Stone platform, to language learning. This research examines the use of Rosetta Stone in online language courses and its application online as well as the effectiveness and difficulties of its implementation in a mixed-methods design, including both qualitative and quantitative parts.Quantitative data were gathered from questionnaires administered to 300 undergraduates, performance data obtained from platform usage and pre- and post-language tests. Qualitative evidence was obtained through interviews with 20 students and 10 university teachers and video recordings of lessons addressing the use of Rosetta Stone in a classroom setting.

The analysis presents several problems with the use of Rosetta Stone. The bulk of students 60% of the students experienced various problems including lack of internet connection, lack of devices, and lack of platform bugs. More of these problems were subjected as a result of staff i.e. the number of staff that were present to resolve these problems was less than the number of complaints received. Faculty members observed that although Application Angles is likely to accelerate the process of acquiring native languages, the technical problems that remain to be solved make many students refrain from making full use of the language learning application.

Based on classroom observations, students who are largely residing in rural areas appear to have the least access and usage of the platform and this will be the case for most of the time. Moreover, the level of digital literacy of students and some faculties was also a problem for the smooth use of the specifications of the platform in the teaching documents. The quantitative study showed that 68% of students improved their language proficiency. However, because of these issues, consistent use of the platform was, in fact, restrained, which diminished the effectiveness of the entire platform.

Based on the study, there is a need for specific policies and actions in order to overcome the technical and infrastructural constraints such as in the provision of adequate digital resources, provision of sufficient technical assistance, and the training of students and staff. These lessons learnt provide useful suggestions to MFU and to the institutions who want to improve language teaching while being able to provide equal and efficient opportunities for learning in the modern world.

Keywords: Online learning, Rosetta stone, language acquisition, technical challenges, digital education.