ICLHE Symposium 2026

The 2026 Integrating Content and Language in Higher Education Symposium will be held at ZHAW (Switzerland) on 15–16 October 2026. The symposium is dedicated to the evolving role of Integrating Content and Language in Higher Education (ICLHE) in fostering student-centered pedagogies that emphasise active, collaborative, and inquiry-based learning. It also foregrounds the growing importance of empathy and relational engagement in higher education, exploring how ICLHE can support inclusive, supportive environments that enhance student well-being, autonomy, and deep learning.

The symposium programme will be published soon. Please check back for updates.

The symposium organisers welcome innovative proposals on ICLHE in relation to the following topics:

• Active, dialogic, inquiry-based, and project-driven pedagogy 
• Collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches 
• Intercultural, sustainability and global citizenship pedagogy 
• Technology-enhanced (e.g. AI) language-integrated pedagogy 
• Multilingual classroom policies 
• Professional development for educators 

The organising team is pleased to invite proposals for papers, experience reports, poster presentations and other session types. Participation can be onsite or online. Online slots may be limited. 

Organising team: Patrick Studer, Mi-Cha Flubacher, Nadja Spillmann, Yamuna Wüthrich Bonsted

Submission date: 15 February 2026 

Notification of acceptance: 15 March 2026 

Deadline for speakers to register: 15 September 2026

Proposal submission: All proposals are submitted by email to iclhe.linguistik@zhaw.ch (add “ICLHE Symposium 2026 Proposal” in the title). Each participant may submit a maximum of two proposals (independently or as part of a team). There are no restrictions for serving as a chair. The working language of the symposium is English. Presentations can also be delivered in the Swiss national languages French, German or Italian, with slides or talk provided in English to ensure mutual understanding. 

Contributors submitting oral presentations should provide an abstract of 100–300 words. A contributed paper typically offers original research, case studies, or theoretical insights on a topic related to the symposium theme. Submissions should clearly state the research question or objective, outline the methodology or approach, present key findings or arguments, and conclude with the implications of the work. Presentations are expected to be concise and should not exceed 20 minutes. Please indicate in your submission whether you wish to present online or onsite.

Experience reports are intended for content teachers, language instructors, and programme coordinators who wish to share their experiences in teaching or managing higher education programmes delivered in other or several languages. Contributors should submit an abstract of 150–300 words that highlights practical experiences, challenges encountered, and strategies implemented. The report should emphasise personal insights, classroom or institutional practices, and lessons learned, rather than formal research findings. Presentations should be concise and limited to a maximum of 20 minutes. Please indicate in your submission whether you wish to present online or onsite.

The organisers welcome submissions for a poster presentation from early-career researchers and those engaged in ongoing projects. Poster presentations provide an opportunity to share preliminary findings, methodologies, and innovative ideas. Contributors should submit an abstract of 100–300 words. Poster presenters are required to attend in person to discuss their work during the designated sessions.

The symposium offers opportunities for interactive session formats beyond traditional presentations, such as workshops, panel discussions, roundtable discussion, and others. Workshops should be hands-on and designed to actively engage participants in applying concepts, techniques, or methodologies to real-world scenarios. Panels and roundtable discussions involve expert contributors, whether in research or practice, who explore a specific topic in a moderated conversation. Proposals for other innovative session types are also welcome. Sessions may be scheduled for 60 or 90 minutes, allowing time for practical exercises, discussion, and collaborative learning. Each proposal must include a 200-300-word description outlining the session’s key content and objectives. For all session proposals, please provide details of all contributors / facilitators, including full institutional affiliations and email addresses.

To support early career researchers (= students and post-docs up to 5 years after having received their PhD), the ICLHE Association will award “ECR ICLHE 2026 Symposium Grants”. The grant covers the conference fee (transferred to you after the conference) AND one annual ICLHE membership (starting either right away or when your present membership expires). A selection committee will select our awardees on the basis of the quality of their abstract (research focus/question, research methodology & embedding in the literature, findings). Note that you can only apply for this grant after your conference abstract has been accepted by the conference organisers. If you are an early career researcher whose abstract has been accepted and you would like to be considered for this grant, please send your PhD certificate (with date) and your accepted abstract(s) by June 20th to a.schueppert@rug.nl. We will get back to all applicants in July.

Registration will open in April 2026.

• Early Bird registration deadline: 30 August 2026 
• Deadline for speakers to register: 15 September 2026 
• Closing date for registrations: 8 October 2026

In the ICLHE Association, expertise, networking, and resources converge to elevate the integration of content and language in higher education. ICLHE Association’s mission is to cultivate a vibrant exchange of opinions, experiences, initiatives, and cutting-edge research at the intersection of content and language in higher education.

The ICLHE Association organises international conferences on themes related to the integration of content and language in higher education. ICLHE also holds smaller symposia in the inter-conference years.

See https://iclhe.org for further details.

The ICLHE symposium 2026 will be hosted by the School of Applied Linguistics, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland.

Address: Theaterstrasse 15c, 8401 Winterthur