Academic and Professional Communication Conference 2026
When: Monday, March 9, 2026, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Where: 327 Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, Mile End Campus (in-person)
Speaker: Professor Christian Chun
Academic Literacies in Changing Contexts: Assessment, Equity and Communicative Futures
The Language Centre Department at Queen Mary University of London invites proposals for an in person one-day event exploring the dynamic and plural nature of academic literacies in Higher Education and how these practices prepare students for the demands of academic assessment as well as communication beyond university. The event will consider how literacy practices are shaped by shifting educational, societal and technological landscapes, and how they support students’ achievement at university and their future transitions into professional and civic contexts.
The event will showcase insights from QMUL’s Get Spotted project, which comprises a podcast series across 11 academic disciplines, highlighting the communication and identity-shaping skills students develop through academic assessment and how these competencies inform and enrich their professional lives after university.
The day will open with a plenary by Professor Christian Chun on Critical English for Academic Purposes: What does it mean to be 'critical' in these times?
We welcome proposals from academics, scholars, language teachers, and doctoral students working in fields related to the theme of our event.
Aims of the Event:
To explore the diverse and evolving nature of academic literacies across contexts.
To consider how literacy practices prepare students for assessment and future professional communication.
To interrogate structural factors shaping assessment and literacy development, including questions of equality, equity, neurodiversity and social justice.
To reflect on the hyper-development of new technologies and their impact on how staff and students understand, teach, learn and approach academic and professional literacies.
To acknowledge the role that emotions and affect may play in learning, teaching and supporting the development of literacy competencies and students’ communicative selves.
Topics may include (but are not limited to):
- Plural and dynamic literacies across disciplines
- Critical approaches to assessment and literacy support
- Inclusive pedagogies for neurodiverse and multilingual learners
- Equality, equity and social justice in becoming literate across contexts
- The role of emotions and affect in preparing for assessment and developing literacy competencies
- Technological change and its effects on assessment, and the teaching and learning of academic and professional literacies
- Transferable communication skills, professional identities and employability
Formats for Contributions:
- Paper (20 minutes + 10 minutes AQ)
- Lightning talk (5 minutes + 5 minutes QA)
- Workshop (30 minutes)
- Poster
Submission Guidelines
- Written proposal of up to 200- 250 words (with in-text citations, list of references not included in the word count)
- Brief presenter bio (max. 80 words)
- Submission via MS Form – CLOSED
- Submission deadline: 26 January 2026
- Notification: 6 February 2026
The event will be held in person on QMUL’s Mile End campus and will be free of charge, supported by QMUL’s President and Principal’s Fund for Educational Excellence.