From Learning to Impact
AELLCA III is organised around five interconnected strands that work together to strengthen the quality, inclusivity, and sustainability of English language education in Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. While each strand has a distinct purpose, they are designed to complement one another and create a coherent programme of professional learning, institutional development, research, and knowledge exchange.
The five strands are introduced briefly below to provide an overview of the project and illustrate how the different activities are connected. In addition, each strand has its own dedicated webpage, where participants can access detailed information, guidance, announcements, timelines, supporting materials, and resources relevant to that strand. These dedicated pages will be updated throughout the project and should be used as the primary source of information for participants.
Strand 1: Embedding Professional Learning into Practice
Objective
To sustain and enrich learning from previous AELLCA phases through regular structured online engagement, supporting participants in adapting, trialling, and embedding inclusive and innovative teaching, learning, and assessment practices within their own institutional contexts.
Overview
Strand 1 supports participants in designing and implementing mini-projects that respond to the needs of their universities. Through monthly workshops, mentoring, peer collaboration, and reflective practice, participants will develop practical initiatives that improve teaching, assessment, curriculum, or institutional CPD. The strand promotes sustainable educational change by encouraging participants to embed new approaches within their departments and share their work through the project conferences and online community.
Strand 2: International Professional Development and Partnership
Objective
To support key changemakers through an intensive professional development visit to the University of Westminster, with a focus on inclusive pedagogy, innovation, and partnership building.
Overview
Following an open application process, selected participants will take part in a three-day professional development programme in the UK. The visit will provide opportunities to observe practice, engage with colleagues, explore innovative approaches to teaching and learning, and strengthen international partnerships between institutions in Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and the UK. Participants will be expected to share their learning with colleagues upon their return, helping to extend the impact of the visit.
Strand 3: Collaborative Practitioner Research
Objective
To develop participants’ confidence and capacity in educational research through the design and implementation of a small-scale collaborative research project.
Overview
Participants interested in practitioner inquiry will receive mentoring and academic support to investigate topics related to English language education, inclusive practice, or educational development. The strand aims to strengthen research skills while generating evidence that informs future teaching and institutional practice. Research outcomes may be disseminated through conference presentations and scholarly publications, extending collaboration beyond the lifetime of the project.
Strand 4: Knowledge Exchange and Dissemination
Objective
To promote wider engagement with educational research and professional practice through conferences and knowledge exchange activities that bring together stakeholders from higher education, policy, and the private education sector.
Overview
Strand 4 provides opportunities for participants to disseminate the outcomes of their mini-projects and research, exchange ideas with colleagues, and engage in wider professional dialogue. The strand will culminate in the hybrid conference, English Education in Turkmenistan: Everybody’s Responsibility!, where participants will present the outcomes of their Strand 1 mini-projects and Strand 3 collaborative research. The conference will bring together representatives from universities, policymakers, teacher educators, and private language providers to share examples of good practice and strengthen professional networks across the sector. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to engage with a regional conference in Tajikistan on the theme AI in Language Learning: Opportunities and Challenges. This event will provide a platform for exploring the rapidly evolving role of artificial intelligence in language education, sharing innovative practices, and discussing both the pedagogical opportunities and ethical considerations associated with AI-enhanced teaching and learning. Together, these dissemination activities will promote cross-country collaboration, encourage professional dialogue, and contribute to the sustainable exchange of knowledge across Central Asia.
Strand 5: Sustaining the Community of Practice
Objective
To strengthen and sustain the professional community established through AELLCA by developing the English in Central Asia website and online CPD Forum as lasting resources for collaboration and dissemination.
Overview
Strand 5 provides an online space where participants can continue to share teaching resources, project outcomes, reflections, and examples of innovative practice. By documenting and disseminating the work undertaken throughout AELLCA III, this strand helps ensure that the project’s impact extends beyond its funded period and supports ongoing collaboration between educators within Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and across Central Asia.