We are happy to announce that the 31st Communication Skills Workshop (CSW) will take place on 28–30 May 2026. This will be a hybrid event, enabling participation at the facilities of the University of Oulu, Centre for Languages and Communication Lingua, Finland as well as via Zoom. The programme will include paper presentations and workshops on 28 and 29 May and a cultural event (a guided tour in Oulu) on Saturday, 30 May. In 2026, Oulu will be European Capital of Culture and attending our conference will allow you to participate in the events related to it.

 

Keynote Speakers

 

Our confirmed keynote speakers include:

• Dr Odette Vassallo, Director, Centre for Academic Literacies and English Communication Skills, University of Malta (https://www.um.edu.mt/profile/odettevassallo)

• Professor Maria Kuteeva, Stockholm University (Maria Kuteeva - Stockholm University)

• Dr Magda Karjalainen & Dr Päivi Jokinen, Lingua, University of Oulu, Finland

       Workshop "Growing with grAvIty: embracing possibilities of remembering why being human in higher           education matters"

 

Theme

 

The theme of the workshop will be Mission (im)possible: Human in the age of AI. 

 

The launching of ChatGPT in late 2022 marked the start of an explosive time in the lives of language teachers, a veritable paradigm shift. We wondered, “Can we handle the disruptive presence of generative AI?” and “Can we convince our students that AI-generated answers will not help their development?”, and called for caution and discretion - as our profession also began pragmatic, pedagogical explorations of the affordances of the new tool.   

 

In studying AI’s transformative effects on language learning, language assessment, training and testing, some practitioners have been highlighting the benefits for learners, especially in developing their vocabulary, register and style. Useful applications of GenAI tools include conversational practice, and students' instanteneous exposure to a wide range of genres and modes of learning, multimodal and gamified materials, drills and activities.   

 

Others have directed attention to the diverse uses, misuses and abuses of AI, warning about its harmful effects on cognitive development and creativity, and about the risks of overuse. The lack of guidance and insightful instruction for appropriate uses, and the lack of information on sustainable practices as well as the ethical implications provided incentives for another strand of pedagogical investigations and exemplifying efforts.  

 

The aim of our conference is to provide a forum for EFL, ESP and EAP teachers as well as teachers of other languages (French, German, Spanish, Swedish, Slavic languages, among others) practicing in higher educational institutions to discuss the challenges and promises of this changing scene of practice. We invite colleagues to share examples of addressing the broad questions: how can we reaffirm the human factor in language teaching and learning? How can we support our learners in all-around development; promoting cognitive, emotional and ethical dimensions of social interaction in the digital age, in the face of AI? 

 

We invite contributions in the form of paper or poster presentations and workshops related but not restricted to:

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• Emotions in language teaching and learning 

• Ethical considerations in using AI tools for language teaching/learning 

• Sustainability of language teaching/learning in the digital age 

• The wellbeing of language teachers and/or learners 

• AI-related challenges and concerns in language teaching and learning 

• Other topics relevant to the general theme of the workshop 

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Presentation 

A 30-minute session that includes max. 20 minutes presenting and an additional 10 minutes for Q&A or discussion. 

 

Poster

A 15-20 minute presentation with key contents summarised in one A0-A2 sheet of paper in writing, the format of Q&A and discussion decided according to the number of participants. 

 

Workshop

A 45-minute session that should maximise audience participation through experiencing and discussing tasks provided by the presenter.

 

While the language of the conference is English, we warmly encourage contributions from language professionals working with other languages.

 

Abstracts should be no longer than 300 words. Proposals for workshops may be less formal: for example, you could include a topic/theme, working title and brief description of the aims and content. 

 

Send to cswcommittee@gmail.com

 

Please include the following information in the abstracts:

Title of the paper:

Name of presenter:

Affiliation and academic title:

E-mail address:

5-7 keywords:

 

Deadline for submitting the abstracts: 28 January 2026

Presenters will be notified whether their abstract was accepted by 27 February 2026 at the very latest.

 

Registration for the workshop will open in December at http://cskillsworkshop.wixsite.com/csworkshop.

 

We are looking forward to seeing you at the 31st CSW on 28-30 May 2026.