Course Correction: Steering LLMs Toward Educational Goals

When designing learning materials and exercises for world language education, precise control over grammar and vocabulary is crucial, especially at the beginner level. However, the output from base LLMs does not match the structured introduction of this content in language curricula, posing a challenge for educators. This presentation explores practical strategies for steering LLMs for use in language education. We'll discuss practical challenges and solutions we've discovered while developing finetuning and prompting strategies for our applications. Though developed for Japanese, these methods have the potential to transfer to other world languages, offering insights into AI' s role in diverse language education.