2027 NCOLCTL Annual Conference Call for Proposals

“Rethinking Language Pedagogy: Innovations in LCTL Education”

The National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages (NCOLCTL) invites researchers, educators, practitioners, program administrators, and curriculum developers to submit proposals for its 29th Annual Conference, to be held at The Holiday Inn Chicago Oakbrook, IL, from April 23–25, 2027, with a Pre-Conference Workshop on April 22, 2027(TBA).

Language education is undergoing significant shifts: evolving student demographics and expectations, rapid advances in artificial intelligence, updated frameworks for proficiency and intercultural learning, and changing institutional priorities regarding enrollment and program sustainability. These developments are particularly vital for Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs), where educators and programs have long responded creatively to limited resources in rapidly changing institutional contexts.

Under the theme “Rethinking Language Pedagogy: Innovations in LCTL Education,” the 2027 NCOLCTL Conference provides a collaborative forum to examine how our field can meet these challenges and seize new opportunities. We welcome research on classroom-based practices, innovative pedagogical approaches, curriculum development initiatives, and collaborative projects that reconsider established approaches to language teaching and learning.

We particularly encourage proposals that examine what problems or needs prompted the innovation, how it changes the learning experience, what evidence informs its implementation, and what other LCTL educators and programs can learn from it. Although presentations may focus on a particular language, proposals should, whenever possible, identify implications or insights that can inform the broader LCTL community.

Areas of Interest:

Proposals may address, but are not limited to, the following areas:

• Innovative Approaches to Language Pedagogy (Task, project, and proficiency-oriented instruction; Experiential and community-engaged language learning, Content-based and interdisciplinary language instruction)
• Artificial Intelligence, Technology, and Digital Learning (Generative AI and its implications for language teaching and learning; Designing meaningful learning and assessment in an AI-rich environment; Ethical and responsible uses of emerging technologies)
• Curriculum and Materials Development (Curricula design around proficiency and communicative outcomes; Open resources and collaborative materials development; Materials for languages with limited commercially available resources)
• Assessment and Evidence of Learning (Performance and proficiency-based assessment; Rethinking assessment in the context of generative AI)
• Learner Diversity, Access, and Belonging (Heritage and community language learners; Mixed-proficiency and mixed-background classrooms; Inclusive and accessible language pedagogy; Universal Design for Learning and accessibility)
• Program Innovation, Sustainability, and Growth (Increasing enrollment and retention in LCTL programs; Recruiting and supporting new populations of learners; Responding to institutional change and resource constraints)
• Language Learning Beyond the Classroom (Community-based and service learning; Internships and professional language use; Connecting classroom learning with professional, civic, and personal contexts)
• Research in LCTL Education (Classroom-based research and action research; Studies of learner engagement, motivation, identity, and persistence; Research methodologies appropriate for small LCTL learner populations)

Guiding Questions for Inquiry:

The conference therefore invites participants to consider questions such as:

• What should effective LCTL language teaching and learning look like today?
• Which traditional practices remain valuable, and which need to be reconsidered?
• How are changing technologies reshaping what happens inside and outside the classroom?
• How can LCTL programs design learning experiences that today’s students find engaging and relevant?
• How can we create stronger connections among language proficiency, intercultural learning, communities, and students' personal and academic/professional goals?
• What can LCTL educators learn from one another across languages, institutions, and educational contexts?

Through research, experimentation, reflection, and collaboration, the 2027 NCOLCTL Conference seeks to create a unique space for the LCTL community to respond to change and help shape the future of language education.