Call for Papers

4^th International Congress on Innovation and Technology in Language Teaching (iTel2025)

November 5–6, 2025

Universidade Aberta, Lisbon, Portugal

Online via Zoom / Lisbon Time Zone

Following the previous editions in 2018, 2021, and 2023, the EL@N research group (Online Language Teaching) of LE@D (Distance Education and eLearning Lab) and the Department of Humanities at Universidade Aberta will organize the

4^th International Congress on Innovation and Technology in Language Teaching (iTel2025)

on November 5 and 6, 2025. This edition, while not excluding other areas, will focus primarily on the impact of artificial intelligence on personalising the teaching and learning of languages and cultures in digital environments.

This international congress aims to bring together researchers, teachers, and students in the field of language and cultural education, in both native and non-native contexts, who are dedicated to exploring the teaching and learning of languages and cultures in virtual or digitally mediated environments.

It also seeks to promote theoretical reflection and the sharing of practices and experiences related to language and culture education conducted in virtual or digitally mediated environments. As indicated by its subtitle, this 4th edition will place particular emphasis on the potential of AI in personalising the digital teaching and learning experience.

Organising Committee (Universidade Aberta)

Coordination: Antonio Chenoll

• Adelina Castelo
• Ana Cristina Braz
• Âzar Renani
• Cristiana Vasconcelos Rodrigues
• Isabel Roboredo Seara
• Isabelle Simões Marques
• Katja Göttsche Clara
• Susana de Magalhães Oliveira

Scientific Committee

To be announced

Keynote Speakers

To be announced

Conference Themes

The 4th International Congress on Innovation and Technology in Language Teaching (iTel2025) will address the following thematic strands:

Main Theme

• Personalisation of language teaching and learning through artificial intelligence (adaptive models; specific feedback; generative AI; recommendation algorithms; intelligent tutors; educational chatbots…);

Secondary Themes

• The future of language teaching in distance and online universities (new pedagogical models; impact of artificial intelligence; digital transformation in higher education; integration of immersive environments and mixed realities…)
• The role of culture in online language teaching (intercultural approaches; digital mediation of culture; teaching of linguistic variations; identity and belonging in virtual environments…)
• Challenges of asynchronous learning (time and autonomy management; strategies for active involvement and participation; feedback and formal, summative, continuous assessment; role of adaptive platforms…)
• Multimodality and digital skills in language teaching (use of videos, podcasts, and infographics; digital literacy for teachers and students; gamification and interactive resources; development of multiple literacies…)
• Motivation, engagement, and autonomy in online language learning (AI-based motivational strategies; gamification and personalised challenges; impact of personalisation on engagement and retention; project-based and collaborative learning…)
• Other aspects (emerging approaches in language teaching; impact of new technologies and innovative methodologies; accessibility and digital inclusion; ethics and privacy in AI usage; teacher training for technology-mediated teaching…)

Submission Guidelines

Submission Formats

You may submit proposals in one of the following three formats:

Communication

• Duration: 15 minutes + 5 minutes for discussion
• Content: Must combine a theoretical framework and a pedagogical-practical component, with particular emphasis on the demonstration of results.

Workshop

• Duration: 25 minutes + 5 minutes for discussion
• Content: They may take the form of open classes, practical demonstrations of tools and resources, creation of activities or online practices, among others. Proposals should include a description of the objectives and topics addressed.

Vodcast

Technological and digital innovation lies at the core of the EL@N group. The online and/or digitally mediated teaching and learning of languages and cultures currently demands challenging approaches that aim to keep up with the latest innovations. In this context, at the 4th International Conference “Innovation and Technology in Language Teaching”, iTEL 2025, there will be a new format for proposal submissions, exclusively aimed at students and presented in a dedicated conference session. A jury composed of members of the Scientific Committee will select the best vodcast, awarding it the certificate for Best Vodcast Work at the 4th International Conference Innovation and Technology in Language Teaching, iTEL 2025, and inviting the author(s) to publicly present the winning work at the “El@n: 7 às 7” event“.

• Duration: 7 minutes in a pre-recorded video format.
• Content: Presentation of ongoing or completed research work.

Submission details

Each proposal must include the following elements:

• Title of the communication or workshop
• Abstract: 250–300 words
• Keywords: 3 to 5 relevant keywords
• Bibliographic references: Up to 5 references
• Language: proposals may be written in Portuguese, Spanish, French, German, or English

In the case of videocast, once the proposal has been approved, the authors must submit the video one week before the start of the conference.

Anonymisation Requirements

To ensure a fair and anonymous peer-review process, all submitted abstracts must be fully anonymised.

This means that:

• No identifying information (such as author names, institutional affiliation, or project references) should appear in the body of the abstract.
• Bibliographic references that could reveal the identity of the authors should be anonymized (e.g., by using “Author, Year” instead of full citation).

Author information, including names and affiliations, must only be provided in the submission form on the CMT platform, and not within the abstract itself.

Submissions that do not comply with this anonymizsation policy may be excluded from the review process.

Maximum Number of Contributions

The Conference, aligned with the philosophy of participation and equal opportunities. Each author may submit a maximum of two proposals.

Each proposal may have a maximum of three authors.

Where to submit

All proposals must be submitted via the Microsoft Conference Management Toolkit (CMT), an online platform for managing the peer-review process. Microsoft CMT has been kindly provided free of charge, including cloud services and technical support.

To submit your proposal, please access the following submission portal:

CMT submission link

How to submit

Authors must create a CMT account (if they do not already have one) and follow the step-by-step instructions to complete their submission.

• Create a CMT account: https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/docs/help/general/account-creation.html
• Submit a paper: https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/docs/help/author/author-submission-form.html

Author Guidelines

Languages of the Conference

iTel2025 is a multilingual conference. Proposals may be submitted in Portuguese, Spanish, French, German, or English.

The oral presentation must be delivered in the same language as the title and abstract of the proposal, as submitted.

Fees

In accordance with the philosophy of free and open access to knowledge, research, and universal access to culture, registration (with or without presentation) is free but mandatory thought this form.

Attendance

The event will take place entirely online, through the Zoom platform, and all sessions will follow the Lisbon time zone.

Plagiarism and use of Artificial Intelligence

Authors are reminded that all proposals must be original and must not contain plagiarised content. If generative artificial intelligence tools are used to support the development of the submission (e.g., for language correction, idea generation, or content drafting), their use must be transparently acknowledged, with a clear explanation of how these tools contributed to the work.

Review and Evaluation

All submitted abstracts will be peer-reviewed via the CMT platform, based on the following criteria:

Publication

A selection of the works presented at the conference is expected to be published after a peer review process.

Important Dates

• Proposal submission deadline: 1 September 2025
• Notification of acceptance: 1 October 2025
• Registration deadline for presenters: 19 October 2025
• Registration deadline for non-presenters: 1 November 2025

Registration

In accordance with the philosophy of free and open access to knowledge, research, and universal access to culture, registration (with or without presentation) is free but mandatory though the following link: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/1iNeWZjZrJ

Contacts

For more information, please contact:

• elon.dh@uab.pt

Example Abstract for Communication

Teaching beginner learners of French through input‐based tasks: An approximate replication study

Authors (2017) published a study in the Canadian Modern Language Review reporting an experimental study that investigated the effect of input‐based tasks on the acquisition of vocabulary and markers of plurality by adolescent near‐beginner learners of L2 French. The present paper reports an approximate replication of the original study with the aim of confirming or disconfirming the results of the first study. The research questions of both studies addressed the receptive acquisition of new vocabulary and the receptive and productive acquisition of markers of plurality resulting from instruction using input‐based tasks. Both studies investigated year 9 near‐beginner learners of French. The teacher, the students’ usual classroom teacher, was the same in both studies. In the replication study, a new larger group of year 9 students were investigated, the length of the instruction was also increased, involving the development of additional input‐based tasks, and productive as well as receptive knowledge of the vocabulary items was assessed. The results of the two studies were compared. In both studies, the learners manifested receptive gains in vocabulary and the target structure. They failed to demonstrate statistically significant gains in production of the target structures although the effect of the instruction was sizable. In the replication study, the learners also manifested productive knowledge of the target vocabulary. The results of the replication study confirm and extend those of the original study. The teachers’ views about the role of input‐based tasks with near‐beginner learners remained constant in the two studies. The paper concludes with a discussion of the contribution that approximate replications can make to instructed second language acquisition research.

Keywords: Task‐Based Language Teaching, Replication Study, Input‐Based Tasks, L2 French, Adolescent Learners

[abstract by Rod Ellis & Rosemary Erlam, included in the abstract book of The Applied Linguistics Conference 2017 (ALANZ / ALAA / ALTAANZ), p. 124]

Acknowledgment

The Microsoft CMT service was used for managing the peer-reviewing process for this conference. This service was provided for free by Microsoft and they bore all expenses, including costs for Azure cloud services as well as for software development and support.