Universitas Islam Malang’s Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP) reaffirmed the vital role of human presence amid the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in English language teaching. This message resonated strongly during The 6th International Conference on English Language Teaching (ICON-ELT) 2025, held on November 19–20, 2025.
The international conference, centered at the KH. Abdurrahman Wahid Hall, UNISMA, carried the theme “ELT in a Digital Era: Bridging Technology, Culture and Pedagogy.” Researchers and education experts from Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, the United States, Taiwan, Thailand, and Malaysia gathered to discuss how educators and young learners can respond to the challenges of English language learning in the digital age.
Chair of the Organizing Committee, Ika Hidayanti, S.Pd., M.Pd., emphasized that digital transformation in English language education is inevitable. Technological tools and platforms have become integral parts of teaching and learning processes.
“We organized this conference in response to the demands of the digital era. We hope that what we learn today broadens our understanding that English language teaching can be significantly enhanced by technology,” she stated.
She explained that technology is no longer merely supplementary but has permeated the entire learning ecosystem, from sourcing academic references and facilitating collaboration to supporting scholarly publication. Learning Management Systems (LMS), video conferencing platforms, language learning applications, digital libraries, and AI-assisted writing tools are now commonplace in classrooms.
However, despite these advancements, Ika stressed that educators must not relinquish control. There must be clear boundaries to ensure that classrooms remain human-centered and character-driven.
“Not everything can be replaced by technology. There must be a balance between digital and traditional methods. AI is a tool to assist, but decisions and classroom control remain in the hands of teachers,” she asserted. She cautioned both lecturers and students against outsourcing critical thinking entirely to machines.
Echoing this perspective, UNISMA Rector Prof. Drs. H. Junaidi, M.Pd., Ph.D., presented Connectivism as a key theoretical framework for navigating digital-era learning. This theory highlights three essential principles: learning as the process of connecting diverse information sources, the ability to identify cross-disciplinary connections as a core skill, and the importance of nurturing information networks for lifelong learning.
“Learning today is no longer about memorizing the content of a single book. It is about connecting nodes of information spread across the internet, digital libraries, academic journals, and mass media,” he explained.
Prof. Junaidi also reminded participants that in a rapidly evolving information landscape, knowledge quickly becomes outdated. Quoting a well-known idea, he emphasized, “Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known.” In other words, the ability to continuously learn and update one’s knowledge is far more vital than simply mastering existing information.
The hybrid conference featured distinguished speakers. In addition to the UNISMA Rector, on-site keynote speakers included Willy A. Renandya from Nanyang Technological University and Dr. Finita Dewi from Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia. Online speakers included Dr. Zamzami Zainuddin from Flinders University, Jan Edwards Dormer, Ph.D. from Taylor University, as well as invited scholars from Thailand, Taiwan, and Malaysia.
Through ICON-ELT 2025, UNISMA firmly underscored that while technology continues to transform education, the humanistic touch, embodied in empathy, ethics, and critical judgment, remains irreplaceable in English language teaching.
