Eaquals, a leading association in language education, has concluded another fruitful international conference in Lisbon, exploring topics such as AI and leadership.
Taking place from 11-13 April, the conference set out to address key areas in language education.
The event gathered over 270 participants from over 33 countries and saw a notable increase in attendance, which the association said was reminiscent of pre-pandemic times.
Plus, a significant portion of attendees were first-time participants, signalling the conference’s continued appeal to newcomers.
Eaquals, founded in 1991, is a leading international provider of quality monitoring services to the language learning sector worldwide and aims to promote excellence in language teaching.
The conference showcased a diverse program, spanning management training in language education and inspector training on the day one of the conference, followed by the official opening on the second day.
Lou McLaughlin, executive director of Eaquals, alongside Thom Kiddle, chair of the Eaquals board of trustees, warmly welcomed attendees during the opening ceremony.
“We were absolutely thrilled to welcome so many attendees from within the industry and were delighted with the quality of the presentations delivered by both members and non-members,” said McLaughlin.
“It really was a vibrant hub where best practice was shared and emerging trends such as AI delved into in-depth showcasing the knowledge and expertise within the network.”
A highlight of the event was the recognition of outstanding contributions within the field of language education.
The Eaquals Teacher Award was presented to Mohsen Askari, edtech coordinator and English instructor at Fatih Sultan Mehmet Foundation University in Istanbul, honouring his “exemplary dedication and impact in the classroom”.
It really was a vibrant hub where best practice was shared
Additionally, the conference celebrated recipients of the Eaquals Scholarship, which supports institutions facing challenging business environments, unfavourable exchange rates and local political issues.
The wider conference agenda covered best practices in teaching and learning to course design, CEFR and assessment, leadership & management, CPD and AI developments in language education.
During the event, the Language Assessment Professionalisation Program, developed in collaboration with ALTE was launched.
This innovative course focuses on fundamental assessment principles, introducing best practices and key considerations sourced from the European Profiling Grid and the ALTE Principles of Good Practice 2020.
Designed to be engaging, diverse, and goal-oriented, the LAPP offers participants the opportunity to enhance their skills in evaluating students’ language competencies – at no cost.
This year’s Eaquals online conference will run from October 11-12 and next year’s Eaquals Annual Conference will take place in Malta from March 27-29.
