University of Tunis
Faculty of Human and Social Sciences
English department

Call for Papers

The First Tunisian International Alumni Conference: TIAC 1

Alumni Feedback and Quality ELT in Higher Education

International Conference

English department, Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, University of Tunis
In Collaboration with
Arab Society of English Language Studies
Organize an International Conference on:
“Alumni Feedback and Quality ELT in Higher Education “
  November 3-4-5, 2022
Mehari Hotel, Hammamet, Tunisia

Due to many requests from colleagues and institutions, the  proposal submission deadline has been extended until July 30, 2022

Key Dates
Submission of proposals EXTENDED: July 15th, 2022  July 30. 2022
Notification of outcomes: July 30th, 2022
Early bird registration deadline: August 14th, 2022
Registration deadline: October 15th, 2022

It is our pleasure to invite you to the first International Conference entitled “Alumni feedback and quality ELT in higher education” dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the award of the English language Licence (BA) in 1962, six years after independence and four years after inaugurating the University of Tunis.

Although the number of past and present students in undergraduate and postgraduate English studies has considerably expanded, alumni voice, contribution and engagement in enhancing the quality of English undergraduate studies have rarely been captured, recorded or capitalized in Tunisia. However, standards for quality assurance in higher education urge universities to rely on graduates’ feedback and recommendations to enhance the quality of their academic programmes (Guskey, 2007; Labanauskis & Ginevicius, 2017; Leistye & Westerheijden, 2014).

As early as the 1930s, leading higher education institutions, notably in the US, have collected alumni data to track graduates’ satisfaction with their academic programs and career development, and cultivate a sense of belonging to their universities (Pace, 1979; Pettit & Litten, 1999). Alumni/ae who are satisfied with their experiences are a great asset to their alma mater. They provide valuable feedback which would contribute to enhancing the quality of teaching and learning (Delaney, 2004). As this conference is based on the firm belief that the success of an institution lies in its graduates, it does not  only aim to give the Alumni the chance to reunite with their peers and connect with other alumni and students but also actively engage in the advancement of the English Language studies in the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, Tunis (FSHST) as well as in other English departments in Tunisia. For different reasons, establishing an alumni tradition is not common in higher education institutions either in Tunisia or in most of the Arab region. Very few higher education institutions have established any form of alumni programs or attempted to cultivate alumni relations. We hope that this conference will inspire these institutions in Tunisia and in the region to include alumni programs in their services and to capitalize on the Alumni feedback, engagement and support.

The main aim of the conference is to provide a forum for discussion on a broad spectrum of issues pertaining to establishing an alumni tradition and capitalizing on alumni feedback and recommendations for enhancing the quality of ELT programs in higher education.

Therefore, we invite the English department alumni as well as academic researchers in the area of English language studies, quality in higher education, higher education reform, higher education policies as well as alumni research to participate in the event. As we are aware that many other English departments have succeeded in building an alumni tradition all over the world, we would love to hear from international colleagues and researchers share their experiences and research.

We are open to a wide range of topics, including but not limited to:

  1. International experiences of alumni traditions
    1. Source of feedback on educational programs
    2. Alumni philanthropy
    3. Alumni and quality higher education
  2. The history of the English department
    1. The French model
    2. The introduction of linguistics
    3. Massification
    4. Globalization
  3. Students: past, present and future
    1. The changing nature of students
    2. Mature students
    3. International students
  4. Academics
    1. Recruiting and training academics
    2. Career prospects for academics
    3. Past, present and future challenges
  5. Undergraduate Studies
    1. Language skills:
      1. Teaching of the writing skills
      2. Teaching of the speaking skills
  • Teaching of the reading skills
  1. Teaching of the listening skills
  2. Teaching of grammar
  3. Teaching of translation
  1. Soft skills
    1. Teachers’ and students’ perspectives
    2. Teaching and learning materials
    3. Learning outcomes
  1. Civilization / culture studies
    1. Advantages of teaching and learning civilization courses
    2. Challenges
    3. Solutions
  1. Linguistics
    1. Advantages of teaching and learning “linguistics” courses
    2. Challenges
    3. Solutions
  1. Literature
    1. Advantages of teaching and learning “literature” courses
    2. Challenges
    3. Solutions
  1. Teaching English to non-English majors
    1. Serving the needs of other departments
      1. Advantages
      2. Challenges
      3. Solutions
  1. Digital humanities
    1. Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL)
    2. Technology-mediated language learning / ICT
    3. Online teaching and learning
    4. Online English language resources
    5. Blended learning
  2. English language studies and higher education reforms
    1. Different reforms to the English language studies
    2. LMD
    3. Post-2011 reforms
  3. Graduates’ employability
    1. The changing nature of the graduate profile and skills
    2. The nature of the Tunisian job market
    3. Employers’ expectations and requirements

Submission:

We invite proposals for contributions that discuss different aspects of alumni feedback and its impact on enhancing the quality of teaching and learning in higher education especially in regions that have not yet established an alumni tradition.
All proposals will be subject to  double-blind peer review.  a  Authors will be notified of the outcome of the process by July 30th, 2022. 

Papers will be selected primarily based on academic merit, but we also hope to have a program where many English Language Studies cohorts (including current Ph. D. students) are represented.  To submit a paper, send a short bio and a 250-word abstract (excluding references) to alumniconf1@gmail.com before July 15th, 2022.

References:

Delaney, A.M. (2004) ‘Ideas to enhance higher education’s impact on graduates’ lives; Alumni recommendations’ Tertiary education and management 10, pp. 89-105.
Guskey, T.R. (2007) ‘Multiple sources of evidence: An analysis of stakeholders’ perceptions of various indicators of student learning’ Educational measurement: Issues and practice, Spring: pp. 19-26.
Labanauskis, R. & Ginevicius, R. (2017) ‘Role of stakeholders leading to development of higher education services’ Engineering management in production and services 9:3, pp. 63-75.
Leistye, L. & Westerheijden, D.F. (2014) ‘Stakeholders and quality assurance in higher education’ in Eggins, H. (ed.) Drivers and barriers to achieving quality in higher education. Springer
Pace, C. R. (1979). Measuring Outcomes of College: fifty years of findings and recommendations for the future. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Pettit, J., and Litten, L. H. (eds.) (1999) A New Era of Alumni Research: Improving Institutional Performance and Better Serving Alumni. New Directions for Institutional Research, no. 101. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION
We invite proposals for contributions that discuss different aspects of alumni feedback and its impact on enhancing the quality of teaching and learning in higher education especially in regions that have not yet established an alumni tradition.

All proposals will be subject to double-blind peer review. Authors will be notified of
the outcome of the process by July 30th, 2022.
Papers will be selected primarily based on academic merit, but we also hope to
have a program where many English Language Studies cohorts (including current
Ph.D. students) are represented. To submit a paper, send a short bio and a 250-word
abstract (excluding references) to easy abstracts before July 15th, 2022. Please use this link to submit your abstract. http://linguistlist.org/easyabs/TIAC1