Call for papers

2nd PERL Conference: “Entre présence et distance”

Language teaching at university in the digital age

12th-14th December 2019

International Conference organised by PERL, University of Paris & USPC

https://perl2019.sciencesconf.org

Demands for constant educational reforms, such as those issued by the French Ministry of Education, Research and Innovation, have given rise to a “tradition of innovation” (Castellotti, Debeno & Huver, 2017) that has targeted universities in particular, as evidenced by the emergence of “Innovation Campuses” in 2018. Since language teaching for non-specialist students has become mainstream in universities, in accordance with wider reforms to higher education, this area of university teaching has become fertile ground for pedagogical engineering (Poteaux, 2014; Demaizière et Grosbois, 2014). Indeed, the development of this particular sector goes hand in hand with a more generalised interest in the use of technology for language teaching. How then can digital technologies be integrated into the teaching of foreign languages and cultures in such a way that their benefits are felt at all levels of the university system, ranging from individual students and teachers to the institution at large?

The second edition of the international PERL conference continues the questioning of pedagogical transformations in foreign language teaching in higher education. This second conference will focus on measuring the compatibility of a learner-based approach (notably inter/transcultural or reflexive aspects) and the need to incorporate discipline-specific foreign language teaching into online language teaching modules.

The second conference has three strands.

The aim of the first strand of the conference is to encourage reflection on the theoretical models that should be prioritised when developing educational tools for digital learning in higher education institutions. This strand will enable teachers and researchers to share the results of  their experimentations and to present innovative pedagogical projects, notably those involving a diversified use of digital technologies. It will also allow for a reflection on how the emergence of online learning influences the way in which learners acquire knowledge at an individual level. The focus here will be on the learning process itself in the context of an evolving digital society, whether in the specific context of higher education, or in a broader social context. It is expected that contributions will pave the way for critical reflection on language teaching at university.

The second strand is concerned with the possibilities afforded by the use of digital technologies in the context of language teaching for non-specialist students, so as to provide a “durable” learning experience (Terrier & Morère (Eds), 2016). It will also deal with language teaching for academic purposes, focusing on the transdisciplinary academic lexicon. More specifically, this stand encourages contributions linked to the role of corpus linguistics in language teaching for subject-specific, professional or academic purposes.

The final strand invites contributors to reflect on how best to equip those involved at each stage of the process of creating and using online learning resources. Contributions linked to this strand should consider the specific types of training and professional support required to allow for the development and implementation of digital teaching material. The aim here is to raise the question of how to encourage pedagogical innovation, notably through the use of digital technologies, by providing appropriate training, both in the initial course of study and in later opportunities for professional development.