IAFOR > The European Conference on Aging (EGen) > EGen2023 > Programme

Programme

Speakers at The European Conference on Aging & Gerontology (EGen) is an interdisciplinary conference held alongside The European Conference on Education (ECE), The European Conference on Language Learning (ECLL). Keynote, Featured and Spotlight Speakers will provide a variety of perspectives from different academic and professional backgrounds. Registration for either conference will allow participants to attend sessions in both.

This page provides details of presentations and other programming. For more information about presenters, please visit the Speakers page.

Thursday, July 13 and Friday, July 14 will be held at SOAS University of London.
Saturday, July 15 and Sunday, July 16 will be held at University College London Torrington Place Training Centre.
Monday, July 17 will be held online.

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Conference Outline

Thursday, July 13Friday, July 14Saturday, July 15Sunday, July 16Monday, July 17

Conference Venue: SOAS, Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre & Suite

09:00-09:55: Conference Registration

09:55-10:00: Announcements

10:00-10:15: IAFOR Chairman’s Welcome Address & Recognition of IAFOR Scholarship Winners
Joseph Haldane, International Academic Forum, Japan

10:15-10:30: Special Address | SOAS, Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre
Li Wei, University College London, United Kingdom

10:30-10:45: IAFOR Provost and Executive Vice President's Address
Anne Boddington, Middlesex University, United Kingdom

10:45-11:30: Keynote Presentation | SOAS, Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre
Phoenix Rising: Education in the Age of Disruption
Barbara Lockee, Virginia Tech, United States

11:30-12:00: Coffee Break

12:00-13:00: Interactive Panel Presentation | SOAS, Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre
AI: Friend or Foe?
Sara Custer, Times Higher Education, United Kingdom
Barbara Lockee, Virginia Tech, United States

13:00-13:10: Conference Photograph

13:10-14:30: Lunch Break

14:30-15:15: Keynote Presentation | SOAS, Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre
Exploring the Cognitive and Neural Correlates of Speaking and Writing in a Second Language: Methodological Advances and Challenges
Andrea Révész, The UCL Institute of Education, United Kingdom

15:15-16:15: Welcome Reception & Poster Session | SOAS, Brunei Suite

19:00-21:00: Conference Dinner at The Savile Club
This is a ticketed event

Conference Venue: SOAS, Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre & Suite

09:00-10:00: Conference Registration

10:00-10:10: Welcome Address
Evangelia Chrysikou, The Bartlett Real Estate Institute (BREI), University College London, United Kingdom

10:10-10:30: Special Address | SOAS, Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre
Demographic Change, Aging and Human Security
His Excellency Ambassador Toshiya Hoshino, UN Inspectorate General
Immediate Past President of IAFOR, and former Japanese Ambassador to the UN

10:30-11:15: Keynote Presentation | SOAS, Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre
The Robotic Roommates Revolution: Embracing Needy Robots in Our Homes for a Better Future
Fernando Loizides, Cardiff University, United Kingdom

11:15-11:45: Coffee Break

11:45-12:30: Keynote Presentation | SOAS, Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre
Mental Resilience and Successful Ageing
Eddy Davelaar, Birkbeck, University of London, United Kingdom

12:30-14:00: Lunch Break

14:00-14:45: Keynote Presentation | SOAS, Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre
Research Practice, Practice Research – Integrity, Inclusivity and Impact
Maria Delgado, Central School of Speech and Drama (CSSD), University of London, United Kingdom

14:45-14:50: Short Break

14:50-15:35: Keynote Presentation | SOAS, Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre
Schrodinger’s Box of Interdisciplinarity – Inside and Outside the Box Thinking About Global Challenges
Eleonore Kofman, Middlesex University, United Kingdom
Neelam Raina, Middlesex University, United Kingdom

15:35-16:35: Networking Coffee & Poster Session | SOAS, Brunei Suite

Conference Venue: UCL Torrington Place

08:45-09:30: Conference Registration

09:30-11:10: Onsite Parallel Session 1
Room G12: EGen | Lifespan Health Promotion
Room G13: ECE | Teaching Experiences, Pedagogy, Practice & Praxis
Room G08: ECE | Professional Training, Development & Concerns in Education
Room G09: ECE | Learning Experiences, Student Learning & Learner Diversity
Room G10: ECE | Foreign Languages Education & Applied Linguistics
Room G20: ECE | Educational Policy, Leadership, Management & Administration
Room B08: ECE | Learning Difficulties & Disability
Room B09: ECAH | Literature/Literary Studies
Room B17: ECAH | Interdisciplinary Humanities
Room B07: ECLL | Applied Linguistics Research

11:10-11:25: Coffee Break

11:25-13:05: Onsite Parallel Session 2
Room G12: EGen | Frailty
Room G13: ECE | Teaching Experiences, Pedagogy, Practice & Praxis
Room G08: ECE | Professional Training, Development & Concerns in Education
Room G09: ECE | Learning Experiences, Student Learning & Learner Diversity
Room G10: ECE | Higher Education
Room G20: ECE | Education, Sustainability & Society
Room B08: ECE | Challenging & Preserving: Culture, Inter/Multiculturalism & Language
Room B09: ECAH | Performing Arts Practices: Theater, Dance, Music
Room B17: ECAH | Media, Film Studies, Theatre, Communication
Room B07: ECLL | Plurilingualism – Bilingualism

13:05-13:50: Lunch Break

13:50-15:05: Onsite Parallel Session 3
Room G12: EGen | Resilience
Room G13: ECE | Interdisciplinary, Multidisciplinary & Transdisciplinary Education
Room G08: ECE | Mind, Brain & Psychology
Room G09: ECE | Learning Experiences, Student Learning & Learner Diversity
Room G10: ECE | Higher Education
Room G20: ECE | Challenging & Preserving: Culture, Inter/Multiculturalism & Language
Room B08: ECE | Educational Research, Development & Publishing
Room B09: ECE | Workshop: Enhancing Student Engagement Using Digital Games-based Pedagogy
Room B17: ECAH | Workshop: Co-designing Leisure Artefacts Based on Life Experiences
Room B07: ECLL | Culture and Language

15:05-15:20: Coffee Break

15:20-16:35: Onsite Parallel Session 4
Room G12: EGen | Public Policy
Room G13: ECE | Teaching Experiences, Pedagogy, Practice & Praxis
Room G08: ECE | Educational Policy, Leadership, Management & Administration
Room G09: EGen | Built Environment
Room G10: ECE | Higher Education
Room G20: ECE | Educational Research, Development & Publishing
Room B08: ECE | Educational Policy, Leadership, Management & Administration
Room B09: ECLL | Plurilingualism – Bilingualism
Room B17: ECLL | Educational Technologies
Room B07: ECLL | Assessment

16:35-16:50: Coffee Break

16:50-18:30: Onsite Parallel Session 5
Room G12: ECE | Teaching Experiences, Pedagogy, Practice & Praxis
Room G13: ECE | Teaching Experiences, Pedagogy, Practice & Praxis
Room G08: ECLL | Professional Training, Development & Concerns in Education
Room G09: ECE | Curriculum Design & Development
Room G10: ECE | Foreign Languages Education & Applied Linguistics
Room G20: ECE | Design, Implementation & Assessment of Innovative Technologies in Education
Room B08: ECE | Education, Sustainability & Society
Room B09: ECAH | Media & Communication
Room B17: ECAH | Religion, Spirituality
Room B07: ECAH | Teaching and Learning

Conference Venue: UCL Torrington Place

08:45-09:30: Conference Registration

09:30-11:10: Onsite Parallel Session 1
Room G12: ECLL | Approaches
Room G13: ECE | Assessment Theories & Methodologies
Room G08: ECE | Teaching Experiences, Pedagogy, Practice & Praxis
Room G09: ECE | Teaching Experiences, Pedagogy, Practice & Praxis
Room G10: ECE | Educational Policy, Leadership, Management & Administration
Room G20: ECE | Higher Education
Room B08: ECE | Curriculum Design & Development
Room B09: ECAH | Ethnicity, Difference, Identity
Room B17: ECAH | Political Science, Politics
Room B07: ECLL | Applied Linguistics Research

11:10-11:25: Coffee Break

11:25-12:40: Onsite Parallel Session 2
Room G12: ECLL | Interdisciplinary Insights into Language Learning
Room G13: ECE | Educational Policy, Leadership, Management & Administration
Room G08: ECE | International Education
Room G09: ECE | Primary & Secondary Education
Room G10: ECE | Learning Experiences, Student Learning & Learner Diversity
Room G20: ECE | Higher Education
Room B08: ECE | Design, Implementation & Assessment of Innovative Technologies in Education
Room B09: ECAH | Overcoming Challenges in Youths
Room B17: ECLL | Educational Technologies
Room B07: ECLL | Approaches

12:40-13:40: Lunch Break

13:40-15:20: Onsite Parallel Session 3
Room G12: ECLL | Translation and Interpretation
Room G13: EGen | Entrepreneurship/Silver Economy
Room G08: ECE | Education, Sustainability & Society
Room G09: ECE | Curriculum Design & Development
Room G10: ECE | Learning Experiences, Student Learning & Learner Diversity
Room G20: ECE | Higher Education
Room B08: ECE | Education, Sustainability & Society
Room B09: ECAH | Media Arts Practices
Room B17: ECLL | Culture and Language
Room B07: ECLL | Educational Technologies

15:20-15:35: Coffee Break

15:35-17:15: Onsite Parallel Session 4
Room G12: ECLL | Learning Environments
Room G13: EGen | Lifespan Health Promotion
Room G08: ECE | Teaching Experiences, Pedagogy, Practice & Praxis
Room G09: ECE | Education, Sustainability & Society
Room G10: ECE | Design, Implementation & Assessment of Innovative Technologies in Education
Room G20: ECE | Teaching Experiences, Pedagogy, Practice & Praxis
Room B08: ECLL | Professional Development
Room B09: ECAH | Language, Linguistics
Room B17: ECAH | Social, Political and Community Agendas in the Arts
Room B07: ECLL | Applied Linguistics Research

17:15-17:30: Conference Closing Address | UCL Torrington Place, Room G13

Conference Venue: Online

07:55-08:00: Message from IAFOR

08:00-09:40: Online Parallel Session 1
Room A: ECE | Foreign Languages Education & Applied Linguistics
Room B: ECE | Professional Training, Development & Concerns in Education
Room C: ECE | Design, Implementation & Assessment of Innovative Technologies in Education
Room D: ECE | International Education
Room E: ECLL | Plurilingualism/Culture & Language
Room F: ECLL | Applied Linguistics Research
Room G: EGen | Resilience

09:40-09:55: Break

09:55-11:10: Online Parallel Session 2
Room A: ECE | Foreign Languages Education & Applied Linguistics
Room B: ECAH | Interdisciplinary Humanities
Room C: ECE | Nurturing Creativity & Innovation: New, Innovative & Radical Education
Room D: ECE | Curriculum Design & Development
Room E: ECLL | Approaches
Room F: ECE | Teaching Experiences, Pedagogy, Practice & Praxis
Room G: EGen | Interdisciplinary Gerontology

11:10-11:25: Break

11:25-12:15: Online Parallel Session 3
Room A: ECE | Workshop: How to Improve the Quality of Life in Your Classroom
Room B: ECAH | Language, Linguistics
Room C: ECE | Educational Policy, Leadership, Management & Administration
Room D: ECE | Challenging & Preserving: Culture, Inter/Multiculturalism & Language
Room E: ECE | Language Development & Literacy
Room F: ECAH | Interdisciplinary Humanities
Room G: ECE | International Education

12:15-12:30: Break

12:30-13:45: Online Parallel Session 4
Room A: ECE | Teaching Experiences, Pedagogy, Practice & Praxis
Room B: ECAH | Literature/Literary Studies
Room C: ECE | Learning Experiences, Student Learning & Learner Diversity
Room D: ECE | Higher Education
Room E: ECLL | Educational Technologies
Room F: ECLL | Interdisciplinary Insights into Language Learning
Room G: ECE | Mind, Brain & Psychology

13:45-14:00: Break

14:00-15:15: Online Parallel Session 5
Room A: ECE | Teaching Experiences, Pedagogy, Practice & Praxis
Room B: ECE | Educational Policy, Leadership, Management & Administration
Room C: ECE | Learning Experiences, Student Learning & Learner Diversity
Room D: ECE | Higher Education
Room E: ECLL | Professional Development
Room F: ECLL | Plurilingualism – Bilingualism
Room G: ECE | Education, Sustainability & Society

15:15-15:20: Message from IAFOR

Featured Presentations

  • Mental Resilience and Successful Ageing
    Mental Resilience and Successful Ageing
    Plenary Presentation: Eddy Davelaar
  • The Robotic Roommates Revolution: Embracing Needy Robots in Our Homes for a Better Future
    The Robotic Roommates Revolution: Embracing Needy Robots in Our Homes for a Better Future
    Plenary Presentation: Fernando Loizides
  • AI: Friend or Foe?
    AI: Friend or Foe?
    Interactive Panel Presentation: Sara Custer, Barbara Lockee
  • Exploring the Cognitive and Neural Correlates of Speaking and Writing in a Second Language: Methodological Advances and Challenges
    Exploring the Cognitive and Neural Correlates of Speaking and Writing in a Second Language: Methodological Advances and Challenges
    Plenary Presentation: Andrea Révész
  • Research Practice, Practice Research – Integrity, Inclusivity and Impact
    Research Practice, Practice Research – Integrity, Inclusivity and Impact
    Plenary Presentation: Maria Delgado
  • Phoenix Rising: Education in the Age of Disruption
    Phoenix Rising: Education in the Age of Disruption
    Keynote Presentation: Barbara Lockee
  • Schrodinger’s Box of Interdisciplinarity – Inside and Outside the Box Thinking About Global Challenges
    Schrodinger’s Box of Interdisciplinarity – Inside and Outside the Box Thinking About Global Challenges
    Featured Presentation: Eleonore Kofman & Neelam Raina

Important Information Emails

All registered attendees will receive an Important Information email and updates in the run-up to the conference. Please check your email inbox for something from "iafor.org". If you can not find these emails in your normal inbox, it is worth checking in your spam or junk mail folders as many programs filter out emails this way. If these did end up in one of these folders, please add the address to your acceptable senders' folder by whatever method your email program can do this.

Attendee Guide

Please carefully read the Attendee Guide

Final Programme

The online version of the Conference Programme is now available to view below via the Issuu viewing platform. Alternatively, download a PDF version. The Conference Programme can also be viewed on the Issuu website (requires a web browser). An Issuu app is available for Android users.

Click to download as a PDF

The Conference Programme contains access information, session information and a detailed day-to-day presentation schedule.

Pre-Recorded Virtual Presentations

A number of presenters have submitted pre-recorded virtual video presentations. We encourage you to watch these presentations and provide feedback through the video comments.

Virtual Video Presentations

Previous Programming

View details of programming for past EGen conferences via the links below.

EGen2022 EGen2019
Mental Resilience and Successful Ageing
Plenary Presentation: Eddy Davelaar

Successful ageing can be defined in several ways. Here, the mental perspective of successful ageing is considered. I will summarise our research into three factors that have been discussed within the domain of successful ageing: positive emotions, cognitive reserve, and physical capability.

In a series of cross-sectional studies, we investigated the influence of positive emotional information on working memory performance in older adults. We found that emotional information only had an impact when the task requires processing its valence. In addition, unlike the common interpretation from current theories, emotional processing impacts different working memory functions differently. Current theoretical views would require adjustment to take into consideration this differential sensitivity.

A very popular theory that addresses a lifetime perspective of cognitive performance is the cognitive reserve theory, which is the mental resilience in the face of neurological decline. A range of neurological theories have been put forward that capture specific findings in the neuroimaging literature. For example, neural reorganisation theories propose that, compared to low performing adults, high performing older adults are more likely to use both hemispheres when conducting a task. We created a mathematical instantiation of a theory demonstrating that such a process is indeed possible.

Finally, our ongoing work on physical capability and successful ageing are congruent with the wider literature showing positive associations both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Although using self-report instruments to ascertain physical capabilities is generally seen as an inferior approach, we recently explored the validity of such an instrument. The results are promising and allow a quick and non-intrusive assessment to identify at-risk individuals.

Overall, decades of research has culminated in a detailed understanding of the various factors supporting successful ageing and methods for ascertaining people's abilities. The field is ready to move from observation studies to intervention studies and investigate the optimal parameter combinations for community intervention programmes.

Read presenter's biography
The Robotic Roommates Revolution: Embracing Needy Robots in Our Homes for a Better Future
Plenary Presentation: Fernando Loizides

In today's global landscape, nations are witnessing a significant shift towards an ageing population, posing various economic and social challenges. One of the most pressing issues stemming from this demographic change is the strain on social security and healthcare systems. Consequently, there is a substantial demand for care workers, far surpassing the available supply. Over the years, the emergence of new technologies has promised to automate household tasks, enabling safe and independent living for older adults. Depicted as companions in films and popularised through social media, robots have been envisioned as capable assistants in domestic chores and social interactions. Regrettably, the current reality presents a stark contrast to these futuristic portrayals, with robotic automation in most homes limited to automated vacuum cleaners at best. In this keynote speech, we will explore the underlying reasons for this discrepancy, considering both technical limitations and human factors. Our focus will be on the crucial aspects of adoption and acceptability, aiming to redefine the concept of "useful" robots in the context of older adults' households. By examining the barriers to the widespread adoption of robotics in home environments, we can identify the necessary changes needed to facilitate successful cohabitation. We will delve into the notion of "neediness" and its significance in shaping a harmonious living environment for older adults in the near future. With these insights, we can embrace the transformative potential of robotics and catalyse positive global change, fostering a new era of enhanced well-being for ageing populations worldwide.

Read presenter's biography
AI: Friend or Foe?
Interactive Panel Presentation: Sara Custer, Barbara Lockee

In this interactive panel session, Sara Custer, THE (Times Higher Education) Campus Editor will moderate a panel discussion on the recent and sudden entrance of Artificial Intelligence products into the global academy, and the enormous current and potential ramifications.

For the first time AI models are not designed for specific tasks, but rather rely on training data through large samples of language openly accessible on the internet to “learn” how to respond. This generative AI powers products like ChatGPT, which are already widely used by faculty and students alike.

As national and supranational governments struggle to improvise regulatory frameworks for the use of different AI products, so too do educational and research institutions in ways that seek to understand and allay myriad risks. Concerns abound around issues of personal privacy, misinformation, institutional and national security, and the enormous scope for AI misuse, including technologies being literally and figuratively weaponised.

Such practical, ethical and deontological questions will be considered in the context of the great opportunities and enormous innovative potential that AI brings, as a source of hope towards helping to power solutions towards some of the greatest problems facing us collectively.

This panel discussion will include several opportunities for the audience to give their opinion by responding to questions posed by the moderator live.

Read presenters' biographies
Exploring the Cognitive and Neural Correlates of Speaking and Writing in a Second Language: Methodological Advances and Challenges
Plenary Presentation: Andrea Révész

How does our mind and brain work when we speak or write in a second language (L2)? The rise of globalisation has seen an increased interest in learning second languages. For many, effective second language speaking and writing skills are key to achieve their academic, occupational and/or social communication goals. Yet, relatively little is known about the neuro-cognitive mechanisms involved in L2 speaking and writing. In this talk, I will describe and discuss various research methods that can be used to investigate L2 production processes, including subjective methods (think-alouds, stimulated recalls) as well as more objective tools (dual-task methodology, eye-tracking, keystroke logging, fMRI). I will also describe and demonstrate how adopting more novel data collection techniques (e.g., eye-tracking) and using these together with more traditional tools (e.g., verbal protocols) can help us gain a fuller picture of L2 processing and learning. In doing so, I will draw on my own and colleagues' recent work exploring the neuro-cognitive processes involved in second language production. I will end the talk with recommendations for future neuro-cognitively oriented research into L2 speaking and writing processes.

Read presenter's biography
Research Practice, Practice Research – Integrity, Inclusivity and Impact
Plenary Presentation: Maria Delgado

Research takes many shapes and forms and takes place across a range of institutions – from multi-faculty universities to independent research organisations. Yet many discussions about research practices and research cultures revolve almost exclusively around the model of the large multi-faculty university. In discussing the role of research in small specialist institutions that are often known for their industry-focused training, this presentation looks at the role of practice research as a means of thinking through research impact and forms of dissemination that go beyond the academic article. In examining the relationship between research integrity and inclusivity, the presentation asks what excellence looks like and how institutions might work towards cultures of doing that promote best practice in research.

Read presenter's biography
Phoenix Rising: Education in the Age of Disruption
Keynote Presentation: Barbara Lockee

Throughout the history of educational systems, disruptions have emerged in a variety of forms, the impacts of which range from interference in planned instructional activities and pedagogical approaches to complete interruptions to instructional delivery access. Such upheavals originate in nature, such as the COVID-19 global pandemic, or are human-made, as with the evolving developments related to generative AI. Standing in the aftermath of these recent natural and technological disruptions, educational stakeholders are seeking strategies to respond, leveraging lessons learned from past emergencies and exploring the affordances of emergent educational contexts and tools to create a way forward. What opportunities can be found amidst the turmoil to help envision possibilities and promise for the rise of the next generation of teaching and learning?

Read presenter's biography
Schrodinger’s Box of Interdisciplinarity – Inside and Outside the Box Thinking About Global Challenges
Featured Presentation: Eleonore Kofman & Neelam Raina

Where should we position ourselves in the global challenges we face in the Anthropocene, and what level of despair are we allowed? We have ticked the boxes of inclusions, sustainability, capacity building, innovation, carbon footprints, artificial intelligence, and shrunk the globe for communication. We have evaluated and eliminated silos and criticised unilateral approaches and decision-making. Interdisciplinarity, intra-disciplinarity, and transdisciplinarity have been called upon and recognised as the pathways to solution-driven approaches to global challenges. Yet we are here – in a post-global pandemic world, with almost every continent currently facing multiple crises simultaneously.

It is in this context that we shall explore the notion of resilience of silos. How does working across disciplinary spaces, between geographies, and within the microcosms of culture enable us to hold a mirror up to ourselves and honestly answer the question - how far have we really come? And where, within the academic research and policy-making spaces, do we now need to come full circle and recalibrate ourselves? We showcase this with a live example of ongoing work, funded by overseas development aid through the UKRI GCRF Gender, Justice, and Security Hub, that cuts across vast swathes of conflict-affected populations, displaced, moving, and existing in indignity, sizing up the scale of apathy in a polarised world. We take a deep dive into the understanding of ‘human development’ and juxtapose it against the idea of the COVID-19 pandemic being a ‘portal’ and arrive in a unique spot – where we fracture silos and comfort zones, and observe these cracks and ruptures from the outside.

This talk showcases empirical work undertaken in Turkey, Lebanon, Kurdistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka across various research sites, with over 200 people connected into the research and its design from 2019-2024. We bring forth the crossovers of disciplines that provided solutions and raised new questions, as each country shifted into multiple crises that created a spiral of exacerbated challenges.

Read presenters' biographies