The 2024 Global English Education China Assembly, themed “Promoting quality global English education in the AI era,” was successfully concluded in Zhuhai yesterday. This year’s assembly was jointly hosted by China Daily, Beijing Normal University, and Shanghai International Studies University, and co-organized by China Daily 21st Century English Education Media and City University of Macau (CityU).

The conference, which lasted for three days, featured eight keynote speeches and over 30 parallel sessions, including special sessions on the Belt and Road (BRLCN) Forum, panel sessions, and Highly-Cited Researchers Forum. Focusing on 16 sub-topics, educational experts, scholars, and frontline teachers from over 20 countries and regions gathered at the event to exchange ideas and share experiences for future development.

This year’s theme centered on the development trends of education in the era of artificial intelligence (AI). The continuous advancement of AI technology has led to an unprecedented transformation in education, while educators are actively exploring how to leverage AI technology to optimize teaching methods, efficiency, and ensure educational equity and quality.

During the conference, Prof. Jun Liu, rector of CityU, delivered a keynote speech entitled “Reconsidering EMI in the Digital Age.” EMI refereed to English as a Medium of Instruction. He emphasized the social value and role of English in his speech, saying that English should not merely be treated as a medium and tool for teaching, but should be integrated into the knowledge transmission and development of students across all disciplines. Rector Jun Liu highlighted that scholarly works in the field of EMI have been extensive, covering teaching materials, methods, teacher competency, and learning outcomes. He noted that valuable experience has been gained through years of trials and practices. He noted that the role of teachers has been strengthened in the information era, highlighting that the application of modern technologies could support both English teaching and teacher development.

Aleksandra Popovski Golubovikj, president of the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL), delivered a keynote speech titled “Navigating the multi-modal landscape: Reading in the digital age,” discussing the complex relationship between reading, multimodality, and technology in the AI era. She emphasized that embracing the multi-modal nature of modern texts and AI could help learners acquire knowledge better, saying that this new learning methods would lead to a new era of intelligent, effective, and inclusive learning.

In her keynote speech, Prof. Rose Luckin, professor at University College London and president-elect of the International Society for AI in Education, discussed the potential of AI-powered tools and platforms to personalize learning, provide real-time feedback, and bridge gaps. She emphasized the importance of ethics and policy considerations in the development and implementation of these technologies.

“A redefinition of teacher, learner and language learning.” Prof. Zheng Yongyan, professor at the Fudan University, discussed some on-going projects of her research team, highlighting the great potential of data-driven and Ai-powered technologies in language teaching and research in her speech. She called for joint efforts to address the challenges brought by the AI era.

In recent years, an increasing number of scholars in the field of foreign language education in China have been publishing academic papers in high-impact international journals, making China’s voice increasingly prominent on the international academia. This conference featured special sessions for highly-cited scholars and editorial forums, inviting eight highly cited experts to deliver keynote speeches. During the editorial forum, experts, in their multifaceted roles as editors, reviewers, and authors, shared and discussed their experiences in publishing papers in international journals, providing inspiration and guidance for attendees. This initiative aimed to empower Chinese scholars to showcase China’s wisdom on the global academia.

This year marked the 23rd anniversary of the introduction of teak-based language teaching in China. The assembly invited renowned scholar in the field of task-based teaching, Prof. Rod Ellis from Curtin University, Australia, as the keynote speaker. He explored and shared strategies for addressing common challenges teachers face when implementing task-based teaching. Prof. Ellis, Yafu Gong, director-general of the National Association of Foreign Language Education, the Chinese Society of Education, and Dr. Gavin Bui from Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, engaged in a panel discussion on task-based teaching. They reviewed the theoretical development and the implementation of task-based teaching in different regions, explored the opportunities and challenges facing task-based teaching in the current AI era, and looked ahead to future directions.

During the conference, the Understanding China International Education Cooperation and Exchange Forum was held concurrently. The forum invited experts and scholars from international education colleges, overseas education colleges, international cultural exchange colleges, and international exchange and cooperation departments from universities to jointly explore the development path of international educational cooperation and cultural exchange. Participants deepened their cultural understanding and built friendly trust through three sessions: the China’s National Education Forum for the International Student, the 2024 Cultural Encounters, and the Global Partner Meeting. With the aim to propel development of global education, the forum further promoted cooperation between Chinese and overseas universities, sharing educational resources, enhancing educational quality, and contributing to the cultivation of internationally competitive talents.

During the event, the 2024 Language Education and International Communication Academic Exchange Meeting was held. Through keynote speeches, roundtable discussions, and interactive exchanges, speakers and attendees engaged in academic discussions on topics such as the development of foreign language disciplines and new-quality communication forces, and the cultivation of international communication talents in foreign language disciplines in the AI era. The goal was to promote the integrated development of foreign language education and international communication to address the opportunities and challenges presented by the landscape of new-quality productivity forces.