Future Proof Call Language Learning As Exploration And Encounters Short Papers From Eurocall 2018

The 26th EUROCALL conference was organised by the University of Jyväskylä (JYU) Language Campus and specifically the Language Centre. The theme of this year’s conference was ‘Future-proof CALL: language learning as exploration and encounters’, which reflects an attempt to envision language teaching and learning futures in a changing world. What brought researchers together this year are shared concerns in relation to the sustainability of language learning and teaching in technology-rich contexts that are marked by ever-increasing complexity. The collection of short papers in this volume is a very thorough view into the conference proper exhibiting the complexity and novelty of the field of CALL. There are exciting new openings and a more profound exploration of theoretical underpinnings of the contemporary issues in teaching and learning, cross-cultural communication, mobile learning and the like.

The 2022 EUROCALL conference was held in Reykjavik on 17-19 August 2022 as a fully online event hosted by the Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute for Foreign Languages, the University of Iceland, and the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies. The conference theme was Intelligent CALL, granular systems and learner data. This theme reflects the newest developments in the field of technology for language learning. Subfields such as natural language processing and machine learning not only enable smoother spoken and written communication between human learners and computers, but also offer ways in which language learning can be tailored to the needs of individual learners. By adding components of automatic speech recognition, text-to-speech systems, automatic feedback mechanisms, and tracking systems monitoring learners’ progress and their use of tools, applications are becoming better targeted. All of this is used to optimise the learning experience of individual learners. This volume includes 66 short papers by some of the EUROCALL 2022 presenters and it offers a combination of research studies and theoretical papers reflecting the subthemes of the conference. The articles are ordered alphabetically.

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the EUROCALL society succeeded in holding the 28th EUROCALL conference, EUROCALL2020, on 20-21 August as an online, two-day gathering. The transition process required to make this happen was demanding and insightful for everyone involved, and, in many ways, a logical consequence of the core content and purpose of EUROCALL. Who would be better suited to transform an onsite conference into an online event than EUROCALL? CALL for widening participation was this year’s theme. We welcomed contributions from both theoretical and practical perspectives in relation to the many forms and contexts of CALL. We particularly welcomed longitudinal studies or studies that revisited earlier studies. The academic committee accepted 300 abstracts for paper presentations, symposia, workshops, and posters under this theme; 57 short papers are published in this volume. We hope you will enjoy reading this volume, the first one to reflect a one hundred percent online EUROCALL conference/Online Gathering.

The theme selected for the 2019 EuroCALL conference held in Louvain-la-Neuve was ‘CALL and complexity’. As languages are known to be intrinsically and linguistically complex, as are the many determinants of learning (additional) languages, complexity is viewed as a challenge to be embraced collectively. The 2019 conference allowed us to pay tribute to providers of CALL solutions and to recognize the complexity of their task. We hope you will enjoy reading this volume as it offers a rich glimpse into the numerous debates that took place during EuroCALL 2019. We look forward to continuing those debates and discussions with you at the next EuroCALL conferences!

The 2021 EUROCALL conference engaged just under 250 speakers from 40 different countries. Cnam Paris and Sorbonne Université joined forces to host and organise the event despite the challenging context due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Originally programmed to be held on site in the heart of Paris, France, the EUROCALL organising team and executive committee agreed to opt for a blended and then for a fully online conference. The theme of the 2021 EUROCALL conference was “CALL & Professionalisation”. This volume, a selection of 54 short papers by some of the EUROCALL 2021 presenters, offers a combination of research studies as well as practical examples fairly representative of the theme of the conference.

For years, language teachers have increasingly been using technologies of all kinds, from computers to smartphones, to help their students learn. Current trends in TELTL (technology-enhanced language teaching and learning), such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality, gamification, and social networking, appear to represent major shifts in the digital language learning landscape. However, various applications of technology to mediate language learning may be informed by reflecting not only on the present but perhaps more importantly on relevant insights from past research and practice. Emerging Concepts in Technology-Enhanced Language Teaching and Learning explores the recent development of the new technologies for language teaching and learning to gain insights into and synergy of the theories, pedagogies, technological design, and evaluation of TELTL environments for comprehending the trends and strategies of the new digital era as well as investigate the possibility of future TELTL research direction. The book includes trends shaped by contemporary issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Covering topics such as digital education tools, L2 learnings, and sentiment analysis, this book serves as an essential resource for researchers, language teachers, educational software developers, administrators, IT consultants, technologists, professors, pre-service teachers, academicians, and students.

This book presents research and developments in the virtual, augmented technology and mixed-reality used in language learning and teaching. It provides the readers with a comprehensive overview of contextual language learning with the support of immersive technology. From theoretical foundations, methodological issues, the features of virtual and augmented reality, and educational practices of language learning, to the future of immersive technology for and research on language learning. During the past two decades, abundant research on different realities has recognized the potential of language learning in virtual, augmented, and mixed-reality environments (Wang et al., 2020; Lin & Lan, 2015). Given insufficient studies of Chinese learning in immersive contexts reported in existing literature, this book includes several excellent studies about using immersive technologies for Chinese learning in addition to other foreign langue learning, such as English as a foreign language (EFL). Since learning Chinese has grown significantly as a global trend, the authors vitally consolidate and synthesize various theoretical foundations, visions, and recent research and practices in the context of Chinese teaching from broader and more diverse perspectives. On the other hand, the chapters about EFL learning also shed light on the research on contextual language learning. Thus, the chapters included in this book will likely provide readers with a deep and extensive understanding of the potential of the smart combination of immersive technologies and language learning. More issues for future research will undoubtedly be inspired by reading the chapters in this book.