Researching the Future of English, Technology and EDI in Higher Education in East and South Asia
The Modish-EDI project (2022-25), funded by the British Council, examines interconnected drivers of change in Higher Education, along with some predicted trends concerning the impact of the growing use of digital/mobile technology on regional and local ecologies of teaching, assessment and learning of English in the four most populous countries in East and South Asia – Bangladesh, China, India, and Indonesia. We aim to understand attitudes, perceptions and practices relating to the English language and the role of digital/mobile technologies, while also exploring issues of equality, diversity and inclusion. Local partners and researchers in the four countries are collecting data via online questionnaires, focus groups, Padlet discussions, and interviews with HE students and teachers from more than 16 universities, along with other stakeholders. In this talk we will share some predictions for the future of English, findings from our literature review, and some of our research challenges. Project blog: https://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/Modish-English/
Prof Agnes Kukulska-Hulme is Professor of Learning Technology and Communication in the Institute of Educational Technology. She leads IET’s Learning Futures Research and Innovation Programme and the Innovating Pedagogy annual reports. Her research interests encompass mobile learning, informal language learning, and education opportunities among marginalised populations, migrants and refugees. She is currently leading and working on several projects exploring mobile technology use and the role of English in education in low-resource countries in Africa and Asia, as well as the experiences of ethnic minority populations with online services in the UK.
Dr Saraswati Dawadi is a Research Associate in the Institute of Educational Technology with over 15 years in the education field. She brings significant experience of teaching and research, and engagement with external/internal stakeholders to ensure educational programmes are tailored to local needs and context. She has been working on several projects that focus on the use of mobile technology for student learning and teacher professional development, the role of English in education in low-income countries, inclusion in education and human trafficking.
Dr Philip Seargeant is a Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics in the School of Languages & Applied Linguistics in WELS. He has written and edited a dozen academic monographs, textbooks and collections on topics ranging from World Englishes, language and social media to language and creativity. He has researched the use of English Japan, China and Japan, and is currently chair of the large-population undergraduate module L201 English in the World.