University of Illinois faculty and graduate students made a strong showing at the 2026 Illinois Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages–Bilingual Education (ITBE) Annual Convention, where this year's theme was Equity, Access, and Innovation: Teaching Multilingual Learners in a Tech-Transformed Landscape. Members of the MATESOL/ESL and Linguistics community of practice traveled together by bus to Lisle, IL for the conference where they learned from peers and shared their research and ideas.
Presenters from University of Illinois
Susan Faivre - Advancing Ethical AI Use Through Strategic, Program-Wide Innovation
Juan Camilo Gutierrez - Silent Words, Living Voices: Extensive Reading for English Learners
Sasan Mansouri - Ethical AI Integration for Multilingual Learners in ESL Writing
Kseniia Mikhailova - Boosting L2 English Fluency with Multiword Expressions
Zeynep Sinan - Developing Trajectories for VR-assisted Language Education
Anlu Zhu, Hoang Phuong Anh Vo, Zeynep Canpolat, Ananda Cahyani - Exploring Immersive, Task-Based Learning with 360° Images in Lapentor
Nicholas Mueller - Implementing AI Chatbots Across Proficiencies: Practical Strategies
Kseniia Mikhailova - Boosting L2 English Fluency with Multiword Expressions
Illinois was also represented on the ITBE board by members Elif Varlik (PhD Student) and Abdulsamad Humaidan (Lecturer).
