Generative AI Videos for the L2 Classroom: Whodunit and More with HeyGen

By Roberta Montella and Dan Nickolai, Saint Louis University

DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.69732/RVZW4726

One of the most time-consuming tasks of lesson planning is the preparation of pedagogical resources for our language courses. This is especially true when it comes to modifying or producing multimedia content that students find engaging and relevant. Historically, there have always been significant challenges in transforming a great instructional idea on paper into compelling video content for learners’ screens. The more ambitious our vision for materials, the higher the hurdles, costs, and time commitment. Fortunately, there is now a practical path forward for creative (but time-strapped) language teachers to leverage the power of original video in the classroom. Enter HeyGen, a generative AI-powered platform that brings your written script to life. With nothing more than a short blurb of text and image, HeyGen promises to “produce studio-quality videos in 175 languages without a camera or crew.” (HeyGen.com) 

Table 1: Overview

Name of Tool	HeyGen
URL	www.heygen.com
Primary purpose of the tool	Create animated video avatars from text prompts
Cost (info current as of March 2025)	$0.00 for free tier; $24.00/month for entry-level tier (more pricing info in table 2)
Language Support	30 language options on free tier; 175 language options on entry-level tier.  Note: HeyGen’s localization numbers include both the language and region. There are currently 70+ unique languages and many regional varieties within these languages.
Ease of Use	Easy to use

Getting Started

Getting started with HeyGen requires users to create an account on the platform. During account creation, users will be prompted to select a subscription plan from a tiered-pricing structure. For the purposes of this review, we will be considering the free tier which limits the duration (3 minutes) and quantity (3) of videos that can be generated in a given month. A step-by-step wizard asks a few questions about your anticipated use of the platform before it redirects you to the application’s dashboard for content creation. From this screen, the magic begins by clicking the purple “Create Video” button and selecting “Avatar Video”. 

Avatar Videos

HeyGen provides a diverse gallery of photo-realistic avatars to serve as the main character of your video. Should none of these prove satisfactory for your creative vision, you can opt to generate a new avatar from an existing photo or from a text-only prompt. Once an avatar has been created or selected, you can drag and drop it onto the HeyGen video canvas. The next step is to click on “Script” and select a language and voice for the video. Here there are many options for ages, regions, tone, and other characteristics of the voice. After this selection is made, the last step is to enter the text that your avatar will speak. Once the avatar, voice, and script are set, you can generate your video with the large purple “Submit” button. Your video will be downloadable a few minutes later.

The Results

In our testing of HeyGen, the video results have been remarkably good for a variety of avatars, languages, and voices. As the platform promises, the avatar truly does come to life– there is subtle movement of the head, blinking eyes, a natural voice, and well-timed lip syncing of the audio across different languages. This works for both photorealistic avatars as well as more artistic or cartoonish versions. In one test, we brought an oil painting of Frida Kahlo to life to great effect. In our experimentation with the tool, it has become clear that some images work better than others, and the best results are produced with selecting an existing avatar from the HeyGen library. One notable limitation is that the avatar must be forward facing, and HeyGen can only generate one character per any given video. Any kind of exchange between two avatars or more would require a great deal of post-production editing and layering. 

Sample Lesson 

To better illustrate how HeyGen can be leveraged for a course, let’s take a look at a sample lesson that we recently used in a high school Spanish class. Our objective here was to practice the past tense in a communicative and entertaining way. We created a classic “whodunit” activity where students act as detectives solving the theft of the Salvador Dalí painting “Young woman at the window”. This storyline provided a fun and immersive context for learning grammar, vocabulary, and culture. 

We begin the lesson by creating avatars for our three characters. Using HeyGen’s generative AI image tool, a simple text description is sufficient to create a “photo avatar”. Once you enter a name, there are a few drop-down options to select for age, gender, ethnicity, and image style. We used the following three descriptions and selections to create our cast: 

• Name: Pablo 
  • Text description: Early middle age custodian who works in an art museum
  • HeyGen selected options: Early middle age, man, white, in the style of “realistic”
• Name: Jennifer
  • Text description: Young female tourist visiting an art museum
  • HeyGen selected options: Young adult, female, hispanic, in the style of “realistic”
• Name: José
  • Text description: Young male security guard working in an art museum
  • HeyGen selected options: Young adult, male, middle eastern, in the style of “realistic” 

Once our avatars are created, we need to provide them with a script and voice to speak in our lesson. This is an opportunity to incorporate targeted language structures and thematic vocabulary. HeyGen’s features allow teachers to adjust the voice speed, tone, and accent to match their students’ proficiency level. With over 30 language options on the free tier (and 175 on the paid tier), teachers can create a personalized and realistic listening experience. We used the following three audio selections to give voice to our characters: 

• Name: Pablo 
  • Voice selection: “Subtle Sebastián”
  • Voice settings: Spanish (Spain), serious, middle-age
  • Script: “Yo estaba trabajando en el museo, limpiando la sala del cuadro. Todo estaba normal. Es cierto que apagué las cámaras para limpiar los equipos, pero ese es mi trabajo. Vi a José hablando con los turistas, así que pensé que todo estaba seguro. No sé quién robó el cuadro, pero yo no fui.” [I was working in the museum, cleaning the room with the painting. Everything was normal. It is true that I turned off the cameras to better clean the equipment, but that’s my job. I saw José speaking with tourists, and I thought that everything was fine. I don’t know who stole the painting, but it wasn’t me.]
• Name: Jennifer
  • Voice selection: “Sunny Sofia”
  • Voice settings: Spanish (Spain) up-beat, young
  • Script: “Yo vine al museo para ver el cuadro de Dalí. Es una obra increíble. Estuve mucho tiempo mirándolo porque quería dibujarlo en mi cuaderno. No vi nada extraño, solo al guardia hablando con otros turistas. Después me fui, pero mi mochila estaba vacía, solo tenía mi botella de agua y mi cuaderno.” [I came to the museum to see the Dali painting. It is an incredible work of art. I spent a lot of time looking at it because I wanted to draw it in my notebook. I didn’t see anything strange, only the guard talking to other tourists. Then I left, but my bag was empty as I only had my water bottle and my notebook.]
• Name: José
  • Voice selection: “Rafael Cruz” 
  • Voice settings: Spanish (Spain), casual, young
  • Script: “Esa noche estaba vigilando la entrada del museo. Vi al conserje con su carrito y también a la turista cerca del cuadro. Todo parecía tranquilo. Luego escuché que las cámaras estaban apagadas, pero pensé que era parte de la limpieza. No me di cuenta de nada raro hasta que me dijeron que el cuadro desapareció.” [That night I was watching the museum’s entrance. I saw the custodian with his cart and the tourist near the painting. Everything seemed fine. Later I heard that the cameras were shut off, but I thought that this was part of  the cleaning process. I didn’t realize anything was strange until they told me the painting had disappeared.]

With our AI-generated images and voice selections, HeyGen creates animated videos for each script that we provide. We download and then import these videos into a PowerPoint presentation to create a coherent and compelling activity.

Our PowerPoint begins with a review of targeted vocabulary and an explanation of the art heist and missing painting. On the subsequent slide, each suspect’s HeyGen video is played. As part of a scaffolded lesson, students are invited to respond to the following comprehension questions: 

1. What do we know factually about the suspects (e.g., where were they during the robbery)?
2. What additional questions do you have for the suspects?
3. What could be their motives?
4. What information is still missing?

These prompts encourage critical thinking and discussion, with students sharing their ideas and writing potential scenarios about what might have happened. Students begin to speculate in groups on whose statement is the most suspicious. The activity focuses primarily on oral expression but also incorporates listening comprehension and written expression. Once students have voted for the most likely suspect, a final slide reveals a written confession from the guilty party. 

Additional Use Cases

The above whodunit lesson plan is just one of many possible ways to leverage HeyGen in the L2 classroom. There are, of course, countless creative use cases for generating bespoke video content for language teaching and learning. We invite readers of The FLTMAG to share your ideas for videos in the comment section below this article. As for us, we are hoping to bring future French and Spanish lessons to life by generating the following characters: 

• a person of historical importance speaking about their lives
• a potential employer asking interview questions
• a patient seeking treatment describing their symptoms
• a senator proposing new legislation 
• a person asking for directions 
• a person describing their daily routine
• a person asking for help to plan a vacation

Concluding Thoughts

HeyGen is not a one-size-fits-all solution but is a versatile tool that can be used to support a wide range of student needs. By combining visual storytelling, audio elements, and interactive features, a rich set of learning aids can be created. The intuitive interface makes it easy to create engaging video avatars within minutes. Teachers can write scripts tailored to their students’ language levels and adjust accents and voice speeds accordingly. For example, beginner students might benefit from slower, simpler speech, while advanced learners can practice understanding more natural conversation speeds or regional accents. This latter feature exposes students to linguistic diversity and helps them distinguish accents from Spain, Mexico, Argentina, and other regions. Exposure to these regional varieties can sharpen students’ listening skills and deepen their cultural understanding, essential aspects of language learning. Using these video avatars in our lessons has captured our students’ attention in a unique and fun way. We encourage you to explore all that HeyGen has to offer by visiting: www.heygen.com 

HeyGen Pricing / Features

Table 2: HeyGen Pricing vs. Features

Tier	Monthly Pricing	Videos per month	Duration limits per video	Video Quality	Language Selection	HeyGen Watermark
Free	$0.00	3	3 minutes	720p	30+ language options	Cannot remove
Creator	$24.00	Unlimited	5 minutes	1080p	175+ language options	Can remove

For a full list of pricing and features, see: https://www.heygen.com/pricing 

References

HeyGen. (2025). https://www.heygen.com