Student Language Conference 2024, “Let’s Grow Together. Future university in the next century!”
On April 12, 2024, Foreign Language Institute at Vytautas Magnus University held the third student language conference “Let’s Grow Together. Future university in the next century!” This conference was the first international conference featuring student presentations from Bulgaria, Spain, Ukraine, and Belarus. Furthermore, the plenary speaker Dr. Martina Paradiž, from the University of Primorska in Slovenia captured attention and mesmerized students with the report “Artificial intelligence in language learning: tools, tips and tricks” where she provided practical tools and examples of how to enhance learning with various AI tools. This relevant topic and discussion inspired and accompanied the students throughout the conference. The student presenters surprised the audience with their excellent academic English, depth of the topics, desire to cooperate, lead, and solve global issues. Papers were read in three sections: language learning and pedagogy, physical and psychological well-being, and economic trends.
The section “Language learning and pedagogy” (moderator – UKI lecturer Vaida Misevičiūtė) featured one speaker from VMU and four from foreign universities. The presentations focused on the intricacies of language learning, the importance of multilingualism, creativity in education to avoid getting lost in the maze of artificial intelligence. Presentation topics reflected current issues and trends relevant to students and teachers and engaged the audience into a lively discussion.
The section “Physical and psychological well-being” (moderator – UKI lecturer Aušra Jankauskaitė) was attended by four speakers from VDU and Saint Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia (Bulgaria). The presentations dealt with people’s psychological problems and well-being, which are especially relevant for students: lack of adequate sleep and its causes were discussed, breathing techniques that help overcome stress were highlighted. The presentation of a student of the Faculty of Psychology about the state of daydreaming, which sometimes indicates more serious mental health problems, received special attention. It should be noted that almost all the presentations included research results carried out by the authors themselves.
In the “Economic Trends” section (moderator – Dr. Jurgita Macijauskaitė-Bonda), five presentations in English by students of VMU and partner foreign universities were delivered. Urtė
Endriukaitytė and Lika Varshanidze, students of the VMU Faculty of Economics and Management, presented a study comparing how Covid-19 affected business in Lithuania and Sakartveli. Aida Bulatova’s report focused on innovation in the field of finance, and Aleksander Hristov, a student at Saint Kliment Ohridski University in Sofia (Bulgaria), reviewed the realities of the Schengen area. The review report on the Japanese film industry by VMU students Cheng-Yun Su, Oksana Iščenko and Žygimantas Gusto attracted a lot of interest, and the section ended with the report of Jokūbas Vasiliūnas, historian of the Faculty of Humanities of VMU, in which he presented the research conducted on the extent to which respondents know Kaunas and its history.
Students learning languages at the A1-B1 level were also encouraged to feature their language skills. They were invited to create comics on the topic “I’m learning a language”. The participants were asked to creatively convey situations about language learning, lack of communication, or cultural differences and reveal the pleasures and challenges of language learning in a funny and attractive way. Four high school students and one VMU student studying German, Spanish and French participated in the contest. The winners of the first, (S. Daukanto Gynmasium), second (S. Daukanto Gymnasium) and third (VMU and VMU “Atžalyno” Pro-gymnasium) were awarded certificates and small gifts. The students wittily demonstrated their knowledge of foreign languages, reminded that languages can be learned from cartoons, and encouraged to deepen language knowledge by revealing the dangers of miscommunication by using the same word incorrectly in Spain and Venezuela.
