Conference Background

One of the university's goals is to provide education by improving the quality of human resources and increasing performance through the Tri Dharma of the University, mainly through research. Research has become an essential component in advancing current knowledge. Practitioners and academics can examine how science can be implemented effectively and efficiently through research. The research findings will be disseminated and discussed to demonstrate that they can be trusted and justified for their veracity. Furthermore, when research findings are published in a scientific journal or proceedings, other researchers cite and read them.

Research on teaching and learning English is transforming due to developments pertinent to English learning demands, particularly during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. On the spur of the moment, in-person teaching methods had to be adapted for online delivery. Teachers and professors have undoubtedly transformed English instruction. Organizing education, teaching, and studying English provide new issues for all stakeholders. These modifications may involve upgrading teaching methods suitable and adequate for distance education, the resources, the learning media, the Learning Management System (LMS), etc. This is why arranging scholarly debates between practitioners and advanced students in a particular profession is essential. All practitioners and students throughout the world can benefit from the latest results.

English is now widely used in trade, education, and communication on a global scale. The teaching and learning of English have changed due to current technological breakthroughs. With the emergence of online platforms, digital tools, and resources that can improve the learning experience for both students and teachers, technology has given a new dimension to English instruction.

English teachers now have more options than ever to engage with students at different times and locations and give them experiences for autonomous learning. Technology has been incorporated by professionals in English education to enhance learning, foster digital literacy, and apply efficient language learning techniques.

The English Language Education Study Program, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education of Universitas Islam Malang (Unisma) has organized the International Conference on English Language Teaching (ICON-ELT) since 2020. Historically, the first international conference (The 1st ICON-ELT 2020) has the theme "ELT in the Post-Pandemic Era: From Policies to Practices". The theme was deliberately chosen as a forum for the exchange of ideas between experts in English language teaching on how government policies affect learning models during and after the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19). This conference which was held on 20-21 November 2020, was successfully carried out with participants from Indonesia and abroad (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, New South Wales, Australia, and Thailand). The invited speakers were Dr. Gumawang Jati from Institute Teknologi Bandung; Prof. Drs. Junaidi Mistar, Ph.D, a lecturer of Unisma, Malang; Dr. Willy Adrian Renandya, NTU, Singapore; and Dr. (H.C) Aslam Khan, MELTA, Malaysia. The outputs of The 1st ICON-ELT 2020 are proceedings with ISSN and several selected articles published in several reputable national journals (ELT Journal, J-REaLL, JEES, IJET, ELTAR-J, and EnJourMe).

In the following year, 2021, we held the second international conference (The 2nd ICON-ELT 2021) with the theme "Challenges in ELT: Issues and Innovation". This activity invited several speakers from abroad, including Prof. Anne Burns, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Prof. Paul Kei Matsuda, Arizona State University, America, while speakers from within the country included Prof. Dr. Joko Nurkamto, Universitas Sebelas Maret, and Prof. Drs. Junaidi Mistar, Ph.D, Unisma. The conference, which was held on 8-9 December 2021, brought inspiration and became a forum for discussion which was very useful for all parties involved in organizing this international conference. The outputs of The 2nd ICON-ELT 2021 are proceedings with ISSN and several selected articles published in several reputable national journals (JEFL, JEES, JELL, J-REaLL, IJET, ELT Journal, EnJourMe, Abjadia, and JEELL).

In the third year, on 19-20 October 2022, to be exact, we managed to hold an international conference (The 3rd ICON-ELT 2022) in a hybrid way, with the theme "The Future of ELT: Issues and Innovation". The conference activities combined with workshop activities were attended by speakers from Indonesian and abroad, such as Prof. Effendi Kadarisman, Ph.D., Unisma; Prof. Ali Saukah, M.A., Ph.D., Universitas Muhammadiyah Kalimantan Timur; Dr. Willy Ardian Renandya, NTU, Singapore; Prof. Paul Kei Matsuda, Arizona State University, America; Dr. Kara Mcdonald, Editor in Chief of Korea TESOL Journal; Lee Huan Yik, University of Queensland, Australia; Dr. Veronico N. Tarrayo, University of Santo Thomas, Philippines, Emmy Naja, M.Pd., University of Aberdeen, UK. Another innovation that emerged at this third conference was implementing a workshop on publishing scientific papers in which Prof. Kazunori Nozawa is the guest speaker. He is the Editor in Chief of the CALL-EJ journal, which Scopus Q1 has indexed. The workshop also carried the theme "Call Issues for Scholarly Publication: Perspectives from an Editor" and took place successfully and smoothly. Meanwhile, the output of The 3rd ICON-ELT 2022 is proceedings with ISSN and several selected articles published in several accredited national journals (JEFL, JEES, JELL, J-REaLL, IJET, ELT Journal, EnJourMe, Celtic, and Abjadia).

Based on technological developments in learning English, the English Language Education Study Program, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education of Universitas Islam Malang plans to hold the fourth conference (The 4th ICON-ELT 2023) with the theme "The Future of ELT in the Digital Age: Issues and Innovations" on 30-31 August 2023. This conference will explore the challenges and opportunities of teaching English in the digital era. In addition, the sub-themes carry issues related to curriculum, inclusive education, linguistics, etc. This seminar will provide a forum for discussion and collaboration among researchers and English teachers and will allow them to share best practices, experiences, research findings, and innovations in teaching English. The implementation of this international seminar also collaborates with reputable national and international journals so that selected research articles presented at this international conference will be published in national journals accredited by Sinta 1, Sinta 2, and reputable International Journals.

SPONSOR

This conference is supported by the Directorate of Research, Technology, and Community Service, Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Indonesia.

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