Keynote Speakers

Prof. Matt Bower (Macquarie University, Australia)

Matt Bower is a professor in the School of Education at Macquarie University, who specialises in the innovative use of technology for learning purposes. He is particularly interested in how contemporary technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, augmented reality, web-based tools, virtual worlds, social networking, immersive virtual reality 3D design & printing software and so on can be most effectively used to support cognitive development and collaborative learning. Matt has over 100 peer reviewed publications in the area of technology-enhanced learning design, teacher education, and computing education. He has led over thirty funded grant projects and participated in many other research initiatives (total funding exceeds $2.4M). Matt specialises in learning innovation research partnerships with industry enterprises and the education sector (e.g. schools, universities, training and education technology companies). He has delivered numerous keynote and invited speaker presentations on topics such as artificial intelligence in education, augmented reality, blended-synchronous learning and learning design.  

Matt is a passionate educator who leads the “ICT and Education”, “Digital Technologies and Creativity” and “Technology-Enhanced Learning Design” subjects at Macquarie University. In 2021 he was one of four recipients of an Australian Award for University Teaching Excellence, and has received several other national and institutional teaching awards. His book “Design of technology-enhanced learning - integrating research and practice” won the 2018 Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) Design and Development Outstanding Book Award.  Matt is also the Chair of the Australian Technologies Teacher Educators Network (ATTEN), which draws together Technologies educators from every Higher Education institution across Australia. Matt is also heavily engaged with government and policymaking, serving as the Australian Council of Deans of Education (ACDE) representative on the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) Technologies Panel, as well as serving on a number of panels for the NSW Educational Standards Authority (NESA). 

Website               : https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/persons/matt-bower

Email                    : matt.bower@mq.edu.au

Prof. Juliana Othman (Universiti Malaya, Malaysia)

Juliana Othman is a Professor in Language Education at the Faculty of Education, University of Malaya. She is an applied linguist and teacher educator with over 25 years of experience in the field of language education. Prof. Juliana Othman has held several administrative positions in her career, including Chair of the Centre for Research in Language Education (CRiLE), Head of the Department of Language & Literacy Education (2015-2018) and Deputy Director of the Centre for the Initiation of Talent and Industrial Training (2013). She is a highly respected scholar and has been awarded numerous accolades for her academic merit and leadership potential, including the Fulbright Scholar Fellowship, the Visiting Scholar at the University of Washington, the Asian University Alliance Scholar, and the British Council Research Project Consultant.

In addition to her academic achievements, Prof. Juliana has generously shared her expertise by serving on esteemed panels and as an External Examiner for several prominent institutions, including Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Wawasan Open University, Universiti Utara Malaysia, and Institute Pendidikan Guru Malaysia. She has also taken on the role of an External Examiner for the Master of Research program at Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia and served as a Panel Auditor for a PhD in TESL program at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Her invaluable contributions have extended to serving as a consultant for developing the BED Primary program at Institute Pendidikan Guru Ilmu Khas and an advisor to Sunway University.

Prof. Juliana's influential research endeavours have encompassed internal and external projects, collaborating with prestigious organizations such as the Asian University Alliance, the British Council, the Ministry of Education, Universiti Malaya, and Universiti Sains Malaysia. Her research primarily focuses on second language education, teacher professional development, and bilingual education. She has shared her knowledge through the authorship and co-authorship of numerous books, articles, and research reports on topics including teacher professional development, research methodology in language studies, second language pedagogy, writing, and content-based instruction.

Prof. Juliana is a passionate advocate for language education and is committed to improving the quality of language education in Malaysia and beyond. She is a highly accomplished scholar and leader in the field of language education, and her work has made a significant contribution to the field.

Website               : https://umexpert.um.edu.my/juliana.html

Email                    : juliana@um.edu.my

Prof Anwei Feng, The University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC)

Anwei Feng is professor in language education. He joined The University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) in September 2013. Professor Feng holds an MA degree in applied linguistics and a PhD in language education. He has had teaching and research experience in tertiary institutions in many countries/regions such as China, Qatar, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the UK. Before he joined UNNC, Professor Feng was Director of the Graduate School in College of Education and Lifelong Learning (CELL) of Bangor University, UK. He is guest professor at a number of universities in China, including Guangdong Foreign Studies University, SIAS International University, Yunnan Normal University, Qujing Normal University, Southwest Forestry University, and Qinghai University for Nationalities. Owing to high-impact research, Professor Feng has been awarded the Elsevier Certificates for the Most-Highly Cited Researcher in China twice since 2021. 

Professor Feng teaches, supervises and researches in bilingualism and bilingual education, intercultural studies in education, TESOL, international and comparative education, and minority language education. He has published many peer-reviewed articles and seven books on these knowledge areas and supervises more than two dozens of PhD and Education Doctorate students to completion. The thesis topics of these students range from 'trilingualism and trilingual education', 'transnational education (TNE)', 'bilingual education for pre-school children', 'intercultural team teaching', 'ethnographic studies of third-culture kids in international schools', 'intercultural education in multicultural societies', 'lexical approach to teaching Chinese as a second/foreign language', to 'mass media, intercultural competence and TESOL', for different contexts. Professor Feng welcomes queries and applications for doctorate studies related to these areas.

Professor Feng’s major research interest is in the area of multilingualism and multilingual education related particularly to ethnic minority groups. As a key Founder and Vice President of the Chinese Society of Multilingualism and Multilingual Education (CSMME), he has devoted the last ten years to a nation-wide project on trilingualism and trilingual education which involves a national network of more than 50 researchers in 11 minority regions in China. This project was funded by various funding bodies including the Hong Kong Research Grants Council General Research Fund #840012 (HK$800,822) from 2012 to 2015 for extensive studies into models of trilingual education. It is now funded by the local or national funding bodies in most regions. So far, Prof Feng and his colleagues have organised nine international symposia on trilingualism and trilingual education in different minority dominated regions and published several books and numerous journal articles (the most representative is the edited book titled ‘trilingualism in education in China’ with Bob Adamson in 2015). Professor Feng welcomes queries from anyone who has genuine interest in this area of research. 

Website : https://research.nottingham.edu.cn/en/persons/anwei-feng

Email     : Anwei.Feng@nottingham.edu.cn

Mr. Hassan Adeel (UNESCO - ICHEI)

Hassan Adeel is a programme Specialist at the International Centre of Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO (ICHEI). He strongly believes in ‘Education is a Fundamental Human Right’ to build peace, advocating equal access to education through ICT-driven innovations, practicing inclusiveness and harmonization among diverse entities, supporting policy-makers and stakeholder to achieve SDGs/Education2030 through equitable quality higher education, encouraging strategies and info/research-sharing to strengthen the education systems in Asia-Pacific and Africa, technology/IT savvy with MS in Information Technology and B.E in Electrical Engineering.

Email: hassan@ichei.org