On the afternoon of April 13, the School of Foreign Languages successfully held an academic event under the flagship program “Language Masters Forum”, along with a session of the lecture series “Foreign Language Teaching and Practice Empowered by Technology” in Conference Room 822. Hosted by the Center for Foreign Language Education Research of Southeast University, the event featured a keynote lecture by Professor Li Rui, a doctoral supervisor from Hunan University, entitled “Myths and Breakthroughs: Reconstructing Foreign Language Teaching Paradigms Driven by Generative AI”. The lecture was chaired by Associate Professor Guo Fengping, Deputy Director of the Center for Foreign Language Education Research.
Amid the rapid development of artificial intelligence, generative AI represented by ChatGPT has been integrated into foreign language teaching with unprecedented depth, bringing transformative changes to traditional foreign language education. In the lecture, based on an analysis of 44 relevant studies on the application of ChatGPT in second language acquisition, Professor Li summarized its core roles in foreign language teaching (including content generation, feedback provision and instructional support), major prompting patterns (i.e., context control and output customization), research subjects (mainly college students learning English as a foreign language) and research purposes (learners' perceptions, attitudes and writing skills). Professor Li further noted that most existing studies adopt sociological, linguistic, and cognitive perspectives, and employ a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. He emphasized that effective use of AI in language teaching requires careful prompt design, adherence to academic ethics, and awareness of potential risks. Following the lecture, Professor Li engaged in discussions with faculty members on research and teaching practices in the AI era.
This lecture offered inspiring and insightful perspectives on the integration of generative AI into college foreign language teaching. It will help the faculty of our school deepen human‑machine collaboration in future teaching, explore new approaches to personalized feedback and task design, and further promote the innovation and development of intelligent foreign language teaching.
Text: Chen Zhengrong
Photos: Wang Yining
Translated: Li Yixiao, Zhang Tingting
Proofreading: Ke Ying, Frank
