The Implementation of Future Skills in the Age of AI: ELT through Digital Pedagogies, Translation, and Literature
📍 The Initial Campus of University of Nizwa, Oman | Thursday 21 & Friday 22 January 2027 | 🌐 Hybrid (in person & online)
The Foundation Institute and the Department of Foreign Languages at the University of Nizwa warmly invite scholars, researchers, educators, language professionals, and students from Oman and around the world to participate in the 2nd University of Nizwa International Conference on English Language Teaching (ELT). Building on the success of the inaugural conference, this international gathering will explore the theme “The Implementation of Future Skills in the Age of AI: ELT through Digital Pedagogies, Translation, and Literature.”
The conference will be held in a hybrid format, offering participants the opportunity to attend and contribute either in person or online, thereby enabling wider participation from Oman and around the world.
The conference will provide a dynamic platform for sharing innovative research, effective practices, and emerging ideas across English language teaching, technology, translation, and literature. The programme will feature keynote addresses, research presentations, interactive sessions, and opportunities for professional networking.
A dedicated Poster Presentation will also provide education professionals from different institutions across Oman with an opportunity to showcase their research, exchange ideas, and engage with academics and fellow researchers.
Call for paper brochure Call for paper poster Conference Poster
Prof. Christina Gitsaki is Research Coordinator at the Center for Educational Innovation, Zayed University, where she oversees the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning programme and supports faculty research on teaching. Her research centres on educational technologies in teaching and assessment, with a particular interest in mobile learning, alongside language pedagogy and teacher education. She previously served as UNESCO Chair in Applied Research in Education in the UAE and as Dean of the Foundations Program at the Higher Colleges of Technology, and earlier taught and supervised doctoral students at the University of Queensland. She has authored or edited 12 books and is a former executive board member of TESOL Arabia.
Dr. Willy A. Renandya is a faculty member at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and a widely cited voice in English language teaching and applied linguistics. He is best known for his work on extensive reading and listening, L2 motivation and evidence-based classroom practice, and for urging teachers to re-examine long-held beliefs about how languages are learned. His recent writing turns to AI in the language classroom, including the place of reading as a foundational skill in AI-enhanced L2 learning, which speaks directly to the conference theme of future skills in the age of AI.
Dr. Peter Mitchell is Head of the Faculty of English Language Studies at Majan University College, with around twenty years of experience in higher education. He began as a British Council language assistant and went on to found an academic department at a leading university in Russia. His expertise spans ELT, teacher education, reflective practice and intercultural communication, and he has taught more than 70,000 learners worldwide through Coursera. He holds degrees from Durham, Oxford, Pennsylvania and Derby, and is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE. He has also taken part in institutional discussions on how AI is reshaping teaching and assessment.
Dr. Sarah Hopkyns is an Assistant Professor at the University of St Andrews. After more than a decade teaching in the UAE from 2012, she brings a deep understanding of Gulf higher education. Her research covers language and identity, language policy, translingual practice, linguistic landscapes and English-medium instruction. She is the author of The Impact of Global English on Cultural Identities in the United Arab Emirates and co-editor of Linguistic Identities in the Arab Gulf States, both published by Routledge. Her work on translanguaging and cultural identity in Arabic-English university settings connects the conference to the cultural and literary dimensions of language education.
Dr. Khaled Al-Shehari is an Associate Professor of Translation Studies in the Department of English Literature and Linguistics at Qatar University. He holds an MSc and a PhD in Translation Studies from the University of Manchester. His current research examines the integration of artificial intelligence in translation and innovative approaches to teaching translation, and he has also studied language and communication in crisis settings. He is co-author of The Arabic-English Translator as Photographer (Routledge). His expertise brings the translation subtheme of the conference into direct conversation with AI and future skills.
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Call for Papers Opens | 6 October 2026 |
| Conference Registration Opens | 6 October 2026 |
| Abstract Submission Opens | 6 October 2026 |
| Abstract Submission Deadline | 24 November 2026 |
| Notification of Acceptance | 15 December 2026 |
| Early Registration Closes* | 29 December 2026 |
| Final Poster Submission Deadline | 7 January 2027 |
| Conference Programme Releases | 12 January 2027 |
| On-site Registration | 21 & 22 January 2027 |
| Conference Days | 21 & 22 January 2027 |
| Full Paper Submission Deadline | 9 February 2027 |
We welcome abstracts for paper presentations and postgraduate research posters. Please review the relevant submission guidelines before submitting your abstract.
Open to researchers, teachers, teacher educators, and M.A. and Ph.D. students engaged in English language teaching and related fields from around the world.
Oral Presentation Abstract Guidelines
Abstracts should:
Evaluation Process:
Submission Enquiries: For enquiries related to paper abstract submissions, please contact uoneltc@unizwa.edu.om.
Open to education professionals from different academic institutions across Oman.
Poster abstracts should:
Evaluation Process:
Submission Enquiries: For enquiries related to poster abstract submissions, please contact uoneltc@unizwa.edu.om.
Please review the registration fee table below before proceeding with your registration.
| Participating Category | In-person | Online | UoN Affiliated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper Presentation (per person) | OMR 20 / USD 52 | OMR 20 / USD 52 | Free |
|
Poster Presentation (per
person) [Education Professionals across Oman] |
OMR 5 / USD 13 | N/A | Free |
| Conference Attendance | OMR 5 / USD 13 | Free | Free |
Selected full papers presented at the conference may be considered for publication in a special issue of the Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), a well-established international journal in the field of English language teaching and applied linguistics, subject to the journal’s standard peer-review, processing, and acceptance terms. Please read the submission guidelines: https://awej.org/submission/
The University of Nizwa English Language Teaching Conference Committee gratefully acknowledges the valuable support and guidance of Prof. Khairi Alzubaidi, Editor-in-Chief of the Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), in supporting the conference's publication opportunity.
We also extend our sincere appreciation to Dr. Willy A. Renandya for his valuable guidance, encouragement, and support during the development of the conference.
| Participating Category | In-person | Online | UoN Affiliated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper Presentation (per person) | OMR 20 / USD 52 | OMR 20 / USD 52 | Free |
|
Poster Presentation (per person) [Education Professionals across Oman] |
OMR 5 / USD 13 | N/A | Free |
| Conference Attendance | OMR 5 / USD 13 | Free | Free |
| Beneficiary Name | UNIVERSITY OF NIZWA |
| Swift Code | BMUSOMRXXXX |
| Account No | 0381012681350062 |
| Bank Name | Bank Muscat |
| Country | Oman |
| IBAN No | OM030270381012681350062 |
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Email: uoneltc@unizwa.edu.om