2024 Poster and Showcase Sessions

Unveiling Digital Identities: EFL Academics’ Agency in Constructing Online Presence
Maha Altheyabi

This study explores the evolving landscape of digital identity among English Language Teaching (ELT) academics, emphasizing the essential role of online presence and behavior in our interconnected world. EFL academics must adapt to the digital sphere to enhance their professional reputation, networking, and development. However, this transition presents challenges related to language and culture. Through digital engagement, including social media, academics manage their identity, connect with peers, and promote expertise. Yet, this digital journey poses risks, demanding the control of content to safeguard credibility. In the context of highly regulated Saudi academia, this study examines personal agency, constraints, and external influences on EFL academics’ digital practices using digital ethnography and narrative interviews.

Creating Interactive Learning Materials: A Showcase of Employing Canvas Studio in Language Classes
Ding Wang Bramlett

Canvas is one of the most used Learning Management Systems (LMS) across universities in the United States. Among its versatile features, Canvas Studio stands out as an apt tool for language classes because it can create video-based interactive learning materials, which is invaluable for asynchronous learning. In this Technology Showcase presentation, the presenter will demonstrate using Canvas Studio to create engaging learning content, as well as guidance on integrating the content into course assignments. Furthermore, the presenter will share materials developed through Canvas Studio for an advanced-level Business Chinese class to exemplify the platform’s potential in language instruction.

Learning an Unwritten Language Remotely
Marty Heaton

In southern Oman, Jibbali is an oral only language. Jibbali grandmothers are struggling to speak the same language as their grandchildren. Jibbali speaking mothers sent their children to school where they learned to read and write in Arabic. Those children now have children of their own who are learning to read and write in English so they can go to college. Within a generation or two, families no longer speak a common primary language. Our research seeks to evaluate an oral community’s perception (adoption and/or resistance) of a specific custom-built technology tool that enables them to tell and share their own stories. Specifically, what design would be perceptively useful and easy to use for the Jibbali people of southern Oman? Steven Bird (2018) proposes a specific participatory design for embodied interactions applicable to technology and endangered language communities. Once the design features have been implemented, the technology acceptance model (TAM2) of Venkatesh and Davis (2000) will be used to evaluate local users’ experiences. Repeating this process should result in a easy to use tool ‘they’ can use to create their own content for dual lingual learning. Follow the progress at www.tawq.in

Give Students Language Superpowers with Pangea Chat: AI-enhanced Instant-messaging for Language Learning
Will Jordan-Cooley

Pangea Chat is an NSF-backed, AI-enhanced instant-messaging platform that allows even beginner level learners to engage in meaningful conversation from day 1 of their language learning journey. Designed with both teachers and students in mind, Pangea Chat facilitates personalized conversation practice and individualized, just in time feedback for students while allowing teachers to identify and address real-time learning needs. Attendees will be able to freely experiment with Pangea Chat or choose to be guided through example uses by one of the founding members. A list of pedagogical suggestions will also be provided.

LinguaQuest: A Task-Based Language Learning VR Game
Sebnem Kurt

LinguaQuest is a VR game purposefully designed for English language learners seeking an interactive language practice beyond traditional classroom settings. Rooted in the principles of task-based language learning, the game provides learners with an immersive virtual platform to enhance their English language proficiency by engaging in meaning-focused tasks. From the Elementary to the Advanced level, learners are required to complete a scavenger hunt to advance to the next stage. They achieve this by actively interacting with objects within the VR environment, using hand controllers. These objects contain clues that promote their vocabulary and reading comprehension skills, fostering active engagement through vocabulary in context.

Free Sites for Extensive Reading, Reading Assessment and Peer Interaction
Thomas Robb

The presenter will demonstrate a number of sites he has created for extensive reading including “MReader.org” for taking quizzes on graded readers and other books, two websites that feature copyright-free reading material, “freegradedreaders.com” and “or4f.org”, as well as another site, “PeerEval.mobi” which allows students to interactively evaluate the other students’ presentations concerning their reading or whatever subject-matter the class is sharing.

AI-Based Tools for Self-Paced Reading and Vocabulary Learning
Zilei Shao, Feng Xiao, Jonathan Becker

Since the release of Vaswani’s seminar paper on the transfer model in 2017, there has been a growing focus on integrating AI, including Large Language Models, into foreign language education. One notable benefit of employing AI is its capability to provide tailored feedback, promptly addressing language learners’ requirements in mastering grammar and vocabulary. During our presentation, we will demonstrate the application of two recently developed AI-powered tools. This will illustrate how AI can effectively support self-paced reading and the creation of learning slides focusing on specific vocabulary. These resources aim to bolster the retention of words acquired incidentally through self-paced reading exercises.

Designing and Implementing an Irish-Spanish Virtual Exchange through Second Life in Higher Education
Antonio Martinez

Virtual exchanges have gained significant attention as they may play a pivotal role in language learning, boosting engagement and building confidence and motivation in the communication process (Chen 2022; O’Dowd, 2003). This presentation at the technology showcase aims to illustrate the steps followed to design a virtual exchange between undergraduate students from Ireland and Spain and how their virtual meeting spaces on Second Life® (SL) were created and used to carry out four tasks. Moreover, the study presents some results obtained with regard to participants’ levels of engagement in terms of sociability and interaction, the amount of information that they tried to obtain or their feeling of enjoyment while participating in this international encounter.

Developing Augmented Reality Language Activities
Peter Grzywacz

With the release of the Meta Quest 3 and the increasing number of mobile devices capable of displaying AR content, the public\’s encounters with AR are becoming more frequent. Opportunities for teachers to interact with AR development tools and custom made language learning activities may encourage creativity in the field. Fortunately, AR tools have become more accessible for creators. Attendees will learn about Unity AR application development through example language activities viewed on devices, along files used to make them on PC. Attendees will also receive a link to a website that holds the starter templates for their own use.

Extending your Reality with XR: Virtual Snacks Along With Your Real Ones
Randall Sadler

This Showcase will provide VR and MR (Meta Quest II and III) headsets for use to get a hand-on experience with several Extended Reality apps’ settings with potential for formal and informal language learning. The table will have multiple headsets available for easy exploration. Attendees will be guided into the spaces and their experiences will be viewable by others via livestreams of two of the spaces viewable on laptops on the tables. Attendees will also be given access to a website with full tutorials for the apps, a review of existing research, and pedagogical suggestions for their use.

Noun Town: Gamified Language Learning for Effortless Vocabulary Acquisition
Ivan Crespo

Noun Town is a language learning game that uses virtual reality (VR) and embodied learning to make language acquisition enjoyable and engaging. This proposal introduces Noun Town and discusses its innovative approach to language learning. Participants in this technology showcase will gain insight into the game’s unique features, its vision for language learning, and how it utilizes immersive gameplay for vocabulary acquisition.

Pattern-Based Verb Tense Instruction Utilizing Digital Whiteboards
Meg Otto Altman

Within the realm of teaching English as a second language (ESL) or as a foreign language (EFL), instruction in verb tenses presents a unique challenge, as many tenses represent timeframes that are different from the students’ various first languages (L1). A pattern-based approach, focusing on the underlying formulaic structure of English grammar has demonstrated documented success in imparting and codifying verb tenses. This technique was designed for a diverse classroom of learners, and provides inherent scaffolding for learners as they gain proficiency. Because all languages possess a repeating syntactic pattern, this approach can be applied to teaching multiple different languages.

Crafting an Engaging Asynchronous Language Course: Navigating the Challenges of Online Teaching and Leveraging Innovative Pedagogical Approaches
Angel Anorga

This showcase highlights the development of an asynchronous language course employing Backward Design, Universal Design Learning, and the Quality Matters Rubric for higher education. Emphasizing the challenges posed by the shift to fully online asynchronous teaching during the pandemic, the project demonstrates how these tools facilitated the creation and organization of a comprehensive first-semester language course for college students. The integration of Canvas as the primary Learning Management System (LMS) emphasizes the successful implementation of these strategies, promoting a practical and effective online learning environment.

MeTabi: Building Language Skills for the Workplace
J. Scott Payne, Lillian Jones

MeTabi is an AI-driven platform that offers industry-specific language training through realistic workplace scenarios. The goal is to equip learners with the necessary language and cultural knowledge for professional tasks. Learners demonstrate their skills in VR environments, like nursing students practicing feeding patients in Spanish. Beyond vocabulary and grammar, a personal AI coach enhances speaking and writing abilities through role-playing. Learner responses are analyzed to track vocabulary and syntax development, pinpointing gaps in their learning. This data tailors future coaching sessions and activities.

An Aptitude Test Styled “Time Attack” Game for English Language Testing, Inspired by Bejeweled Game Series
Thanaphan Thapthimhin

Standardized English language tests implemented in many countries so far are intimidating: the format and their presentation are somewhat not as pleasant: paper-based with tons of difficult texts presented in a psychologically pressurizing fashion. Test takers would feel as if they were under the most arduous task. Therefore, this presentation aims to present a language test that adapts a certain concept of an aptitude test, which is about working an exam against time, in the format of a computer game.

Moms and Horses: Using Pre-existing Corpora to Understand Mandarin L2 Learners’ Lexical Confusion
Adam Bramlett

Listening to speech in an L1 is nearly effortless. However, understanding an L2 is much harder. One of the most common examples of this is the Japanese /r/ and /l/ confusion when learning English. The inability to distinguish contrasts results in L2 learners confusing words (e.g., surprise and supplies). Recent research suggests that using pre-existing corpora may provide insight into what speech features matter most in L2 speech. Here, we replicate the findings of Culter (2005) through extension to Mandarin using the Chinese Lexical Database, we find that vowel, consonant, and tone confusion all contribute independently to lexical confusion.

An Overview of the Implementation of Graphical Abstracts (GA) in Scholarly Communication
Mukib Khan

A Graphical Abstract (GA) provides a visual summary of an article\’s key components (Ibrahim et al., 2017) and proved to be an effective tool for enhancing scholarly communication (Koo et al., 2019, Lindquist and Ramirez-Zohfeld, 2019), benefiting both the lay readers and scholars (Chapman et al., 2019). Despite having advantages, GAs are subject to unanswered questions (Jeyaraman and Vaishya, 2023). This study examines 15 major journal publications from the past decade, offering insights into GA types, purposes, and structures. It also addresses the ongoing debates, limitations, and challenges. These findings will aid practitioners in implementing GAs within their respective fields.

Scaffolding in Collaborative Digital Annotations across Text Types Using Perusall
Xin Li

Digital annotation tools are widely applied in ESL collaborative reading tasks. However, limited guidance is provided to optimize the effectiveness of collaborative digital annotations across text types. This study investigates interactional patterns of digital annotations in collaborative reading across text types. Data were collected from 20 students enrolled in an ESL reading course using Perusall to annotate informational and literary texts. Annotations were tagged for speech act and affordance, and measured by comment depth and word count. Results reveal the interactional patterns and how instructors’ scaffolding facilitates collaborative reading. Findings have implications for scaffolding strategies in L2 digital collaborative reading.

Exploring Complementary Roles of EFL Teachers and ChatGPT
Hyunjoo Moon, Yesung Chung

Many scholars have discussed the potential of ChatGPT for revolutionizing language teaching and learning. However, EFL teachers have shown reservations regarding how they can effectively collaborate with this tool. This poster provides a framework for delineating the complementary roles of ChatGPT and EFL teachers across the categories of affective factors, effective learning experience, feedback, data resources, and ethical considerations. This framework aims to alter the perception of EFL teachers towards ChatGPT and offers guidance on integration into their teaching practices.

ChatGPT for Interactive Written Corrective Feedback in French as Second Language Learning and Teaching
Taegan Holmes

This empirical study conducted with a class of university students in a French as a Second Language class explores how generative artificial intelligence (specifically ChatGPT) can be used for interactive and adaptable written corrective feedback. Students submitted a short text to ChatGPT and then engaged with the tool to obtain written corrective feedback. Transcripts of students’ interactions with ChatGPT were analyzed to assess how students interacted with the tool. Students also filled out a pre-task questionnaire about their digital writing and correcting practices as well as a post-task questionnaire pertaining to their experience using ChatGPT for written corrective feedback.

Addressing Social, Cultural, Legal and Ethical Issues in Teachers’ Technology Integration
Xiaorui Sun

This research answers questions: (1) What are language teachers’ experiences of social, cultural, legal, and ethical issues in their technology integrated teaching? (2) How can teachers raise their awareness of these issues? Through semi-structured interview, the researcher investigated social, cultural, legal, and ethical issues that teachers encountered or observed in their technology-enhanced/assisted teaching. This study also explored the advice the interviewed teachers provided for colleagues and the support they need. This research contributes the field with important empirical data and implications for teachers, teacher educators, teacher education programs, educational application developers and other potential stakeholders including policy makers.

Navigating the Path to Effective ChatGPT Integration in South Korean K–12 Education Using the PIC-RAT Model: A Teacher Training Plan
Hyunjoo Moon, Agam Syahrial

We conducted a survey to understand teachers’ perceptions, utilizations, and concerns about using ChatGPT in South Korean K-12 schools. We found that Korean English teachers have not yet incorporated ChatGPT extensively in their teaching practices due to a lack of confidence and worries about over-reliance, bias, or inappropriate content from ChatGPT. According to the results of the survey, there is a high need for teacher training. In this poster, we will share teacher training design based on the PIC-RAT model, which facilitates teacher’s pedagogy in technology integration and student engagement in a balanced manner. We are aiming for teachers to be able to utilize ChatGPT purposefully while maximizing student engagement in class.

Developing Critical Reading Skills with AI
Bonnie Youngs, Elizabeth Walker

First-year university students may have trouble engaging with academic articles assigned as pre-reads. Initial findings for this research show that students can practice pre-reading strategies and question formulation to query AI about article content, helping them delve into disciplinary methodologies, and subsequently apply the article information to course content. Teaching the value of preparative inquiry works toward equity for students lacking disciplinary knowledge, whose L1 is not English, and who have difficulty reading on a screen. Findings from spring 2024 will be shared regarding students’ judicious use of AI, improved article comprehension, and improved content application to course material.

An Interactive Writing Task for High-stakes Assessment
Yena Park, Sarah Goodwin

We will showcase an innovative interactive writing task that uses AI-based text analysis to tailor follow-up questions to writers’ initial responses in ways that encourage development of ideas. The follow-up questions encourage the test taker to engage in elements of process-based writing by revisiting their responses and further developing ideas. This design brings high-stakes writing tasks into closer alignment with writing models that are both cognitive and sociocultural (e.g., Corrigan & Slomp, 2021), making the aspect of idea development and elaboration in writing more dynamic than typically seen in large-scale, high-stakes assessment. Attendees can view a live demo.

Shadowing to Improve Pronunciation in Novice Lx Italian Classroom Learning: A Canvas Task
Bianca Brown, Adam Bramlett, Chisom Obasih, Zoe Chessa, Xiaohan Liu, Botagoz Tusmagambet, Seth Wiener

Traditional classroom approaches to pronunciation typically involve memorizing a set of orthography-based rules. Even when students internalize these patterns, non-target word stress often leads to disfluencies in oral production. This study will report findings from 20 university students’ performance in an oral shadowing (pronunciation imitation) task during their first semester of Italian instruction. Preliminary results indicate 1) a high level of learner sensitivity to their non-target production as captured in reflection questions and 2) improvement in pronunciation of both double consonants and oral fluency. Pedagogical implications include the utilization of acoustic analysis to evidence learning in an asynchronous Canvas task.

Game Design Case Study: Development to Deployment
Anton Vegel

The use of games in education is centuries old (Egenfeldt-Nielsen, 2005). However, how games are developed and deployed has not reached convergence with teacher involvement unclear and gaps between teacher and developer still present (deHaan, 2022). Furthermore, although early game-based learning literature has largely focused on digital games (Prensky, 2007; Gee, 2003, 2013), this might be considered a false dawn phenomenon as teachers still lack game-design and development literacy (Peterson, 2013). This study thus aims to share an original analog game development and deployment case study highlighting design principles and playtesting as a framework to guide future practitioner-based game design projects.

Technology-Enhanced Task-Based Language Teaching for English Telephonic Proficiency: A Pilot Study
Kedi Mo

Proficient telephonic communication in secondary/foreign languages is crucial in today’s globalized world, yet many ESL/EFL learners grapple with real-life phone situations. This pilot study explores the Technology-Enhanced Task-Based Language Teaching (TETBLT) by incorporating voice-activated AI (ChatGPT) to augment learners\’ proficiency in English phone interviews. Deployed in a New York educational institution\’s ESL/EFL program, adults undergo three escalating complexity sessions and practice simulated phone interviews with ChatGPT. Evaluations encompass linguistic metrics and task-based measures. The initial findings aim to support AI\’s potential in enriching telephonic English skills, suggesting a promising avenue for technology-enhanced language pedagogy and adaptive conversational training.

Cross-disciplinary Synthesis: What Insights Can We Gain from Instagram Culture on Using ChatGPT for Language Education?
Yu Jung Han

In this session, the presenter first shares findings of her cross-disciplinary synthesis between literature on Instagram culture (hereafter, IC) and ChatGPT for language education (hereafter, LE): A gap between what individuals actually have (IC: real faces /LE: current language skills) and what was augmented by artificial intelligence (IC: photoshopped images/LE: ChatGPT-generated texts) can have a negative impact on its users and even a society. Then the presenter invites the audience to a conversation about how these findings offer clues to potential phenomena the field may encounter in the near future, and how the field should prepare for them.

Exploring the Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Duolingo among Pre-service Professionals
Jeffrey Maloney, Hannah Thalia Bautista, Audrey Policarpio, Elias Jessop

In this study, we examine the perceptions of Pre-service language professionals related to the Duolingo application and SLA theory. For twelve weeks, 24 undergraduates enrolled in a language acquisition course at a small, private, international university in the Pacific USA spent a minimum of one hour weekly studying German or Hawaiian. Participants recorded their activity and reflected on their experiences, focusing on app functionality, lesson quality, motivation, and other aspects in relation to SLA theory. The study culminated in group discussions and final written reflections on Duolingo\\\’s utility as a tool for PSPs in the field of SLA.

Hallo: Learn Language with AI Tutors
Joon Beh

Hallo is powered by advanced language models for learning 50+ languages through actual conversations with AI teachers. Hallo is designed by language experts to provide a scientifically proven method to improve speaking and listening skills by practicing anytime, anywhere. By focusing on conversation-based interactions, learners can overcome their fear of speaking and advance in their career opportunities. This app can also track learners’ progress and give feedback based on learners’ fluency and work.

Langiddy: Social/Chat Application
Noah Duran

Langiddy is a Social/Chat application that provides subtitles and audio in 100+ languages. This app fosters a supportive environment where learners can connect and chat with peers worldwide, regardless of the language they’re learning. By engaging in authentic conversations, learners can master phrases relevant to their daily lives. Learners can customize their study experience by selecting from a wide range of captivating topics and reviewing what they have learned through the dynamic flashcards integrated into the app.

Newcomer: Language Immersion
Jason Kappes

Newcomer is a language-learning video game that immerses players in their target language. Newcomer situates the player in a highly contextualized and input-rich environment similar to an immersion experience. The game carefully guides players through increasingly difficult conversation tasks that naturally scaffold the language-learning process. Beginner mode allows language learners to converse by building multi-word expressions, while intermediate mode users can type and speak with in-game characters.

Roxxem: Use Music to Learn a New Language
Hugo Xiong

Roxxem is an app that helps teachers engage their students with authentic music. Teachers can choose from hundreds of their favorite songs and turn listening into a fun activity with Roxxem’s interactive song-based lessons and games. They can play live classroom games or assign songs for homework and track student progress. The song-based lessons and games are incorporated with the latest AI technology to generate grammatical and contextual information making learning a new language through music interactive, deep, and compelling.