EUROCALL 2022

About the Conference

Conference: EUROCALL 2022: Intelligent CALL, granular systems and learner data

Date: 16–19 August 2022

Venue: University of Iceland (online)

App: Download the event app Whova

EUROCALL 2022 announcement:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FuokAIspto

The EUROCALL 2022 Conference will be held on 16–19 August 2022 as a fully online event. This conference will be hosted by the Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute for Foreign Languages, the University of Iceland, and the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies. It will be preceded by an online project event, the LARA (Learning and Reading Assistant) Symposium, on 16th August to introduce new ways of creating language learning content for reading via crowdsourcing techniques and extracting learner data from the platform. This separate online event will be hosted by the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies in cooperation with the University of Geneva.

This year’s conference theme is Intelligent CALL: granular systems and learner data.

Potential themes could include but are not limited to:

• Any theme related to CALL
• Intelligent software and applications for language learning
• Intelligent tutoring systems and virtual learning environments for language learning
• Granulating knowledge about learners’ progress in Virtual Learning Environments for language education
• Language assessment and learners’ data
• LMOOCS and interpretation of learner data
• Computer games and intelligent features of CALL
• Intelligent feedback mechanisms for enhanced language learning
• Massively multiplayer online role-playing games and language learning
• Application of theories and frameworks supporting intelligent CALL (ICALL)

This theme reflects the current position and development of new systems for language learning. The intelligent CALL (ICALL) suggests a new stage of CALL, which includes technologies such as speech recognition and text-to-speech systems with automatic feedback, machine learning, learning about learners’ mistakes, and using data about learners’ progress. All of this is used to optimise the learning experience of individual learners. The optimisation process, which is based on many different types of information about the learners’ progress, is called granulation. Using granular systems, i.e. systems equipped with mechanisms for data collection about users’ learning behaviour, are not only popular in assessment programs but also in many language-learning systems with educational purposes. From a microscopic level, granularity is regarded as all the different data gathered from one user. When analysing data from several different users of the same language-learning program, one can achieve a macroscopic granular view. This type of granular allows the presentation of the learning behaviour of many different users in a more concise view. For instance, a pattern of co-occurring events on a longitudinal level can be detected. This means that one can learn about different points in time when individual users performed similar actions. Overall, this theme is central to both institutes, particularly, however, to the Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute, whose staff does granular research in motivation and retention patterns of learner behaviour in the MOOC Icelandic Online.

Download the full Call for Papers or go to the Call For Papers page for more information.

This conference is held as part of the EUROCALL network .

Organising Team

• Branislav Bédi, project manager at the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies (chair)
• Birna Arnbjörnsdóttir, professor in Second Language Studies at the University of Iceland
• Kolbrún Friðriksdóttir, adjunct lecturer at the University of Iceland
• Hólmfríður Garðarsdóttir, professor in Spanish studies at the University of Iceland
• Maria Del Pilar C. Coello, teacher of Spanish
• Matthew James Whelpton, professor in English Linguistics at the University of Iceland
• Eyjólfur Már Sigurðsson, administrative officer of Language Centre at the University of Iceland

Please e-mail us to: international@arnastofnun.is, with the subject line: EUROCALL 2022

About the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic studies 

The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies is a UNESCO organisation and an independently funded academic research institute at the University of Iceland, operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture. Its role is to conduct research in the field of Icelandic studies and related scholarly disciplines, in particular Icelandic language and literature; to disseminate knowledge in these fields; and to preserve and augment the collections entrusted to its care. The Department of Lexicography is a research body within the Institue whose function is lexicography, lexicology, language technology, and the study of Icelandic lexis in general. The role of the Institute’s International Office is to promote and disseminate Icelandic language and culture abroad. The Institute co-operates with the Humanities Department of the University of Iceland in holding courses in Icelandic, as well as supporting Icelandic studies and research on Icelandic as a second and foreign language.

About the Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute for Foreign Languages 

The Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute for Foreign Languages (VFI) is a research institute within the School of Humanities of the University of Iceland. It provides a fulcrum for academic scholars teaching and researching the languages now taught within the Department of Languages and Cultures at the School fo Humanities of the University of Iceland: Arabic, Chinese, Danish, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian, Spanish and Swedish. The VFI helps to support the work of the Vigdís International Centre for Multilingualism and Intercultural Understanding. The academic staff of the VFI particularly engage in research in the fields of literature, language-courses and teaching, language acquisition and bilingualism, cultural studies, translation studies, and linguistics. There is a constant effort to develop new methods in language teaching and in the mediation of literature and the cultural legacy of a variety of language groups and nations. Many of the institute’s scholars are also involved in translation and dictionary projects, as well as general promotional work to underline the importance of languages in society. The institute’s academic staff are involved in a wide variety of international collaborative projects concerning research, teaching, and the development of innovations in their particular fields.

Scholars at the VFI are currently involved in a number of research projects, covering a wide variety of subjects, including the use of computers and electronic databases in language teaching and linguistic research. The VFI in collaboration with the University of Iceland actively participates in research and development in the area of Computer Assisted Language Learning. Development of Icelandic Online began in 2000 and the first course was launched in 2004. Key concerns in the development were that these online courses should be pedagogically driven and the course design would include scaffolding of effective form-focused ways to teach morphologically complex languages online. Six online courses for Icelandic as a second language are now offered on www.icelandiconline.com, based on sound second language acquisition research and innovative instructional practice combined with the relevant technology. The goal is to provide an interesting, entertaining and effective online language learning environment for computers, and in 2016, for tablets and smart phones. The Icelandic Online courses are: Learner cantered, guided and sequenced with interactive and visual exercises Self-instructed and available in six proficiency levels Integrated in terms of instruction of vocabulary, form and function Organized around various oral and written texts followed by comprehension and accuracy and fluency exercises Aided by auxiliary resources such as glossaries, declension tablets and dictionaries. Icelandic Online allows anyone with Internet access the possibility of participating for free in a global community of learners of Icelandic. The University of Iceland offers a course in survival Icelandic along with five courses for university students.

About the University of Iceland

The University of Iceland is a progressive educational and scientific institution, renowned in the global scientific community for its research. It is a state university, situated in the heart of Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. It is the largest university in the country, and a modern, diversified, and rapidly developing institution, offering opportunities for study and research in over 400 programmes spanning most fields of science and scholarship. The University has been named one of the world’s top 250 universities in the arts and humanities on the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings. The new list was published 13 September 2017 and focusses particularly on evaluating universities by subject. The excellent ranking highlights both the University of Iceland Humanities’ competitiveness on an international level and the University’s overall strength in major fields of study. The University has its own intranet Ugla (the Owl). It is a collective information site, communication medium and important tool for students and teachers, as well as other members of staff. Various important information is also announced in Ugla. Access to courses is done through Ugla as well, and the programm has integrated other helping programms, e.g., Canvas and Inspera, into its infrastructure so that teachers and students can easily navigate between courses, document databases, and tests.

About Icelandic Online 

The University of Iceland actively participates in research and development in the area of Computer Assisted Language Learning. Development of Icelandic Online began in 2000 and the first course was launched in 2004. Key concerns in the development were that these online courses should be pedagogically driven and the course design would include scaffolding of effective form-focused ways to teach morphologically complex languages online. The University of Iceland now offers six online Icelandic courses, www.icelandiconline.is, based on sound second language acquisition research and innovative instructional practice combined with the relevant technology. The goal is to provide an interesting, entertaining and effective online language learning environment for computers, and in 2016, for tablets and smart phones. The Icelandic Online courses are: Learner centered, guided and sequenced with interactive and visual exercises Self-instructed and available in six proficiency levels Integrated in terms of instruction of vocabulary, form and function Organized around various oral and written texts followed by comprehension and accuracy and fluency exercises Aided by auxiliary resources such as glossaries, declension tablets and dictionaries. Icelandic Online allows anyone with Internet access the possibility of participating for free in a global community of learners of Icelandic. The University of Iceland offers a course in survival Icelandic along with five courses for university students. Funding for this project has been provided by EU´s Lingua Project, NordPlus, The Icelandic Research Fund, The Icelandic Ministry of Education and The University of Iceland. Over 80,000 users have completed one or more of the curated and pedagogically driven courses, which are monitored by a tracking system. The tracking system and follow-up surveys generate unique, large-scale empirical data enabling sustained engagement with participants’ views and behaviors as they go through the courses, some of which are offered in three different delivery modes. Further development projects based on the versatile IOL non-language specific, multiplatform system are being developed, including Virtual Reality (VR) projects, courses in other languages, and L2 literacy courses for children.

1 December 2021: First call for papers

15 December 2021: Submission opens

7 February 2022: Final call for papers

15 February 2022 1 March 2022 7 March 2022: Submission closes

11 March 2022: Deadline to sign up as reviewer on OpenConf

14 March 2022: Reviews assigned w/c

31 March 2022: Notification to authors

7 April 2022: Reviews completed

15 April 2022: Notification to authors

16 August 2022: Digital literacies in a data-driven world

Digital literacies are widely accepted as key skills that both teachers and learners need to acquire. What digital literacies can help us navigate an increasingly data-driven world, and where might they have a place in the language classroom? This talk looks at some of the theory underpinning digital literacies, and also outlines practical classroom activities for the language classroom.

July 2022: deadline for presenters to upload their presentation videos to the Whova app (Instructions Page will be available later)

29 July 2022: Short paper submission deadline

16 August 2022: LARA Online Symposium (separate project event)

16-19 August 2022: EUROCALL 2022 online

15 September 2022: Reviews and notification to short paper authors

24 September 2022: Teacher Outreach Event. This year´s topic: “CALL: What’s in it for me?” (This is a separate event and open to all withing and outside of the conference, admission fee EUR 50, registration will be done via the EUROCALL website HERE)

30 September 2022: Submission of reviewed short papers

30 October 2022: Final notification of acceptance/refusal of short papers to authors

Call for Papers

Intelligent CALL, granular systems and learner data

The intelligent CALL (ICALL) suggests a new stage of CALL, which includes technologies such as speech recognition and text-to-speech systems with automatic feedback, machine learning, learning about learners’ mistakes, and using data about learners’ progress. All of this is used to optimise the learning experience of individual learners. The optimisation process, which is based on many different types of information about the learners’ progress, is called granulation. Using granular systems, i.e. systems equipped with mechanisms for data collection about users’ learning behaviour, are not only popular in assessment programs but also in many language-learning systems with educational purposes. From a microscopic level, granularity is regarded as all the different data gathered from one user. When analysing data from several different users of the same language-learning program, one can achieve a macroscopic granular view. This type of granular allows to present the learning behaviour of many different users in a more concise view. For instance, a pattern of co-occurring events on a longitudinal level can be detected. This means that one can learn about different points in time when individual users performed similar actions. Overall, this theme is central to both institutes, particularly to the Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute, whose staff does granular research in motivation and retention patterns of learner behaviour in the Icelandic Online MOOC.

Potential themes could include but are not limited to:

• Any theme related to CALL
• Intelligent software and applications for language learning
• Intelligent tutoring systems and virtual learning environments for language learning
• Granulating knowledge about learners’ progress in Virtual Learning Environments for language education
• Language assessment and learners’ data
• LMOOCS and interpretation of learner data
• Computer games and intelligent features of CALL
• Intelligent feedback mechanisms for enhanced language learning
• Massively multiplayer online role-playing games and language learning
• Application of theories and frameworks supporting intelligent CALL (ICALL)

Submission of Abstracts 

Abstracts (500-word limit) have to be submitted through the OpenConf system between 15 December 2021 and 15 February 2022 7 March  2022: https://www.openconf.org/EUROCALL2022/author/submit.php.

Presentation categories at the conference include individual short papers, symposia, European projects, posters, and pre-conference online workshops. 

1. Individual short papers
Short papers should be submitted for 20-minute presentations. This timing allows for 15 minutes presenting and 5 minutes for questions.

Three types of short papers may be given:

1. Research papers focusing on a specific research topic with practical implications. Rationale together with methodology and a brief literature review shall be included. Both empirical and theoretical research papers are welcome.
2. Research and development papers focusing on the development of pedagogies, programs and technologies supporting intelligent tutoring. The research and development paper should present original findings and focus on practical implications and improvement of language learning and teaching.
3. Reflective practice papers focusing on testing and integration of technologies in different language learning and teaching environments. The reflective practice papers could report on assessment and evaluation of language learners and teachers using different programs and technologies to enhance their learning and teaching strategy.

2. Symposia

Symposia consist of three or four papers on a similar topic. The length of each paper presentation during the symposium should be about 10-15 minutes. The proposer and organizer of the symposium will also be the chair, who will be in contact with the EUROCALL 2022 organizing team and the individual presenters. The topic for each symposium should normally address the conference theme. Sessions are organized in a panel format with no changeover and last for 60 minutes.

Submissions for symposia from EUROCALL Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are very welcome, with a view to promoting their work to the conference delegates and encouraging participation in the SIGs. Current EUROCALL SIGs are: Teacher Education, Virtual Worlds and Serious Gaming, iCALL, CorpusCall, Computer-Mediated Communication, Less-widely Taught Languages, Mobile-Assisted Language Learning, Graduate Students, LMOOC.

Proposal for symposia should be submitted in a form of an abstract through the OpenConf website. The abstract should include a text (max. 500 words) describing the theme of the symposium, the names and institutions of the participants, and the aspect of the main problem that each of the participants will address. Please note that each participant in the symposium presenting their research can submit separately an abstract of their own short paper through the OpenConf platform as well (see section “How to submit your proposal” below).

3. European Projects
This year’s conference will again offer a forum for the showcasing and dissemination of EU-funded projects. Each project will be allocated a 30-minute slot, including questions. Abstracts of proposals for each project should be uploaded to the OpenConf system as an abstract for a short paper.

4. Posters

Posters enable a brief and very visual presentation of research projects, work in progress, and theoretical thesis, such as bachelor’s or master’s thesis and doctoral dissertations. They aim at attracting a wide range of audiences in language education because the information they present is clear and concise, and therefore easy to remember. Posters should focus on work in progress and report on previous or preliminary findings. Please keep in mind that posters are first and foremost visual aids that should attract the audience. They should have a clear and easy-to-read layout with a text that people from different areas in technology and language learning, and language education could understand. Submissions from university students are especially welcome in this category. A prize will be awarded for the best poster in two categories: PhD student and Researcher.

5. Conference online workshops

A limited number of conference online workshops will be organized on Wednesday 16 August 2022 in the morning. The duration of each online workshop can be 90 minutes. In case the time limit of 90 minutes would be insufficient, the online workshop proposer can organize two separate sessions so that participants can attend either one of them or both, without missing crucial information. Online workshops typically involve a hands-on session, during which participants can become familiar with the latest technological tools and approaches in relevant topic areas in language education in connection to Intelligent CALL.

Abstracts of proposals for each workshop should be uploaded to the OpenConf system as an abstract (max. 500 words) describing the theme of the workshop, the name(s) and institution(s) of the organizer, and the topic of the hands-on workshop that will be handled during the online session(s). In case the time limit of 90 minutes would be insufficient, the online workshop proposer can organize two separate sessions so that participants can attend either one of them or both without missing crucial information.

Format of abstracts

All presentation categories require the submission of an abstract that does not exceed 500 words, excluding the title, names and affiliations. We would appreciate if you could select from a list of conference subthemes when submitting your abstract. This would help us to organize the full conference programme around different subthemes of the conference.

How to submit your proposal

Submission platform OpenConf: https://www.openconf.org/EUROCALL2022/author/submit.php

Registration Process

Please note that the EUROCALL membership fee will be paid to EUROCALL via their own website. Join EUROCALL association here https://www.eurocall-languages.org/join/join-eurocall-now

Contact information

Any queries relating to the conference should be sent to international@arnastofnun.is with the subject line EUROCALL 2022.

Publication of EUROCALL 2022 short papers

Authors of all accepted presentations (papers and posters) can send a short paper for publication in the EUROCALL 2022 conference proceedings (short paper submission deadline: 29 July 2022). Note that only the papers/posters presented at the conference will be eligible for publication.

The short papers will be peer-reviewed and edited; a committee of reviewers selected by the editors will review the documents and rate them according to quality and correctness. Authors may be solicited to review one or two manuscripts. Should you not hear from the editors after the conference, email Sylvie (sylvie.thouesny@research-publishing.net) as soon as possible as this probably means that the editors do not have your manuscript.

The publication of the short papers is guaranteed before the end of the year 2022. Because of the short amount of time between paper submission and publication date, there will be hard deadlines, which authors will have to meet if they want their manuscripts considered for publication.

Submission of short papers is on the OpenConf website https://www.openconf.org/EUROCALL2022/openconf.php.

Fees and Registration

Please note that registration will open in April 2022 and will close on 15 August 2022, given the logistics associated with the format of the conference.

Protecting the environment:
Please note that one tree will be planted for each registered participant at the conference. This will be done through the Iceland Carbon Fund (ICF), which offers carbon offsets through tree planting. 

Conference Registration Guidance

The following registration fees apply for EUROCALL 2022. All registration fees are expressed in Euros (EUR) and their equivalent in Icelandic Krona (ISK) is also provided. Please note that all conference participants must be members of the EUROCALL association before registering to the conference (see registration process below). Registration and payments for EUROCALL 2022 should be completed via this online registration form:

1. Join or renew your membership with EUROCALL (also for members of CALICO/JALTCALL/IALLT) by clicking this link. You will be redirected to the EUROCALL Association page. After completing this step you can proceed to the next step ( step no. 2) below.
2. EUROCALL-members online registration fee:

Early Bird EUROCALL member fee for online attendance (both members and students): 21.400 ISK (ca. EUR 130) based on calculation in December 2021),-  (available until 15 June 2022). Please note that due to currency exchange rate the amount in ISK is fixed but the rate in EUR is fluctuating based on the currency exchange rate at the time of payment)

Regular EUROCALL member fee for online attendance (both members and students):  ISK 26.400 (ca. EUR 170) based on calculation in December 2021),- (available until 7 August 2022) Please note that due to currency exchange rate the amount in ISK is fixed but the rate in EUR is fluctuating based on the currency exchange rate at the time of payment).

Please write your EUROCALL membership number in the Comments box when proceeding with the payment

App: Download the event app Whova

Teacher Outreach Event (24 September 2022)

This year´s topic: “CALL: What’s in it for me?” (This is a separate event and open to all withing and outside of the conference, admission fee EUR 50, registration will be done via the EUROCALL website HERE)

Instructions for Presenters

Pre-recorded videos
As the EUROCALL 2022 conference is now a fully online event, all presenters will need to pre-record a presentation video as a narrated powerpoint video (MP4 file) and upload it onto the Conference platform by 15 July 2022.

For instructions on how to create a narrated Powerpoint video, please follow these links:
– for PC-users https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/record-a-slide-show-with-narration-and-slide-timings-0b9502c6-5f6c-40ae-b1e7-e47d8741161c
– for Mac-users https://www.aub.edu.lb/Documents/Voice%20Over%20PowerPoint%20for%20Mac%20Guide.pdf

Please note that the maximum time for your video presentation is 20 minutes and that its maximum size is 200 MB. When planning your presentation, please bear in mind that audio consumes huge amounts of space.

All registered participants will have access to your presentation a few weeks prior to the conference via the Whova® platform, which will enhance the conference interactivity.

Livestreamed presentations
In addition to the pre-recorded presentation videos, presenters will be given the opportunity to present their papers in livestreamed sessions.

To offer a balanced conference programme over two days without too much cognitive overload for participants, papers will be assigned to either
– Group Sessions: presenters will be expected to give a five-minute Lightening Talk based on 1 slide only and followed by Q&A or
– Individual Sessions: presenters will be expected to give a more traditional twenty-minute presentation followed by Q&A.

Please note that papers will be assigned to a specific session type based on the following criteria:

• the overall score awarded to paper submissions by reviewers;
• the type of paper to be presented (to make sure all paper types are represented in both session types);
• presenters’ time zones.

Please note that paper assignment to a specific session type is definite and that no changes can be made on presenter request.

POSTER SESSION

Participants presenting a poster at the EUROCALL 2022 conference won’t have to upload a video. They will be expected to upload their poster as a PDF document onto the Whova® platform by 15 July 2022.

Poster presenters will receive specific instructions on how to upload their PDF onto the Whova® platform as soon as their registration is complete.

Cambridge University Press (CUP), in association with EUROCALL and ReCALL, are proud to announce the institution of two annual prizes each worth £100. Winners will be announced at the annual EUROCALL conference.

1. Best ReCALL paper. The Editors and Editorial Board of ReCALL will vote on the most outstanding original article published in the journal during the previous 12 months.
2. Best EUROCALL student presentation. Representatives of the EUROCALL Executive Committee and conference organisers will vote on the best presentation given by a doctoral student. The winner will be encouraged to submit a full paper to ReCALL.

Conference Program

Link to conference program.
https://whova.com/embedded/event/gICL1rhZvf1Gmk4cR321tedOBON4JVfnFWs%40c2S78mQ%3D/?utc_source=ems

Program Committee

• Ana María Gimeno Sanz , professor of English and applied linguistics, Department of Applied Linguistics, Universitat Politècnica de València
• Anna Turuila, Associate Professor in CALL and EFL at Pedagogical University in Cracow
• Branislav Bédi, project manager at the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies
• Birna Arnbjörnsdóttir, professor in Second Language Studies at the University of Iceland
• Eyjólfur Már Sigurðsson, administrative officer of Language Centre at the University of Iceland
• Hólmfríður Garðarsdóttir, professor in Spanish studies at the University of Iceland
• Kolbrún Friðriksdóttir, adjunct lecturer at the University of Iceland
• Maria Del Pilar C. Coello, teacher of Spanish
• Matthew James Whelpton, professor in English Linguistics at the University of Iceland
• Salvador Montaner Villalba, teacher trainer at Universidad Politécnica de Valencia
• Silvia Pokrivčáková, professor in English studies at University of Trnava

Keynote Speakers

• Kirsten Campbell-Howes, Chief Learning Officer (Busuu)

Since 2008 over 120 million learners have registered to learn a language on Busuu, generating billions of data points between them. In this presentation, Busuu’s Chief Learning Officer will outline some of the practical insights from this data and how these have impacted Busuu’s learning design and methodology. She will also describe the Busuu learner population and some of the challenges associated with collecting and utilising such large datasets.

• Kolbrún Friðriksdóttir, Adjunct Lecturer in Icelandic as a Second Language (University of Iceland)

Completion rates in MOOCs are generally low (Jordan, 2015), which has called into question the quality of their learning materials and instruction, as well as, learners’ goals for participation (Reich, 2014). The need for new and engaging forms of pedagogy, and design strategies in order to improve retention in MOOCs has been argued in this context (Colpaert, 2014; Sokolik, 2014). Furthermore, the necessity of tutor support and guidance for the autonomous learner has been underlined (Ross et al., 2014). The main research objective was to identify crucial factors that impact student retention and effective engagement strategies in LMOOCs. These factors are considered within the context of Icelandic Online, a CALL program developed at the University of Iceland. The study (Friðriksdóttir, 2018, 2021a, 2021b) employed mixed methods and used three sources of evidence: tracking data (n = 43,500), survey data (n = 400), and qualitative data (174 informants). Based on large-scale, long-term tracking data on a large population the study, first, provides empirical evidence and a detailed picture of engagement patterns and attrition across equivalent courses in different modes of delivery. Second, the follow-up survey study contributes empirical evidence on LMOOC learners´ experiences of content-related, tutor-related and other individual factors for engagement, and their influence on retention. Finally, the qualitative data study offers insight into what individual learners, both completers and non-completers, see as critical factors of retention or attrition in LMOOCS. Based on the findings of this research, I will propose a possible new framework for ways to promote engagement in LMOOCs. This includes several content-related strategies and tutor involvement.

• Nicky Hockly, Director of Pedagogy, TCE (The Consultants-E)

This keynote takes a bird’s eye view of Intelligent CALL, exploring what it is, what it can do for language teachers, and what ramifications (both good and bad) it may have for educational institutions, teachers and learners. We take a critical look at where intelligent CALL is taking us, and how to ensure we get there in one piece.

• Hannes Högni Vilhjálmsson, Professor of Computer Science (Reykjavik University)

More than Talk: Non-verbal Behavior and the Management of Co-Presence in Virtual Language Training

The typical focus of language learning materials, both traditional and interactive, is the mastery of spoken utterances and written sentences. While these form an essential core in communication, they occur within a social context. In the case of spoken language, the social context generally includes co-presence, where the bodies of those communicating occupy a common space, often defined by a specific social event such as a work party at a pub or a class at school. Before any words are uttered, participation in conversation is almost always first negotiated non-verbally, through the use of position, orientation, gaze, posture and gesture. While this negotiation doesn’t rely on knowledge of a specific spoken language, the behavior and its interpretation is often culturally dependent. It is therefore important that language learning consider the skills necessary to successfully manage and coordinate these situations non-verbally, to fully realize the potential of the spoken proficiency. This talk will review some of the essential skills and non-verbal behavior for managing co-presence and provide examples from innovative virtual social and language training applications.

Practical Information

Venue

The conference will be held online.

App: Download the event app Whova

Social Programme

The conference will be held online. Socialising is supported by the Whova app online.

Sponsors

Busuu will provide every conference attendee with a voucher code entitling them to 3-months of free access to Busuu’s Premium subscription – this will enable the conference attendees to try all of Busuu’s languages if they wish.

ZenGengo is an online platform for teaching and learning languages. It features ten assignment types for practicing reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. All EuroCALL attendees can use the platform free of charge for six months. E-mail paul@zengengo.com with a brief explanation of your language teaching context to take advantage of this offer.