Professor Dr. M R Kabir, Vice Chancellor of Daffodil International University, along with Professor Dr. Liza Sharmin, Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, distinguished guests and participants pose for a photograph at the closing ceremony of Seminar on “AI in English Language Education” organized by English Department of the university.
Daffodil International University (DIU) has successfully hosted its first-ever mega Student Research Seminar on “AI in English Language Education”, setting a new benchmark in student-led academic research by exploring both the potential benefits and necessary cautions of integrating AI tools into language education for academic purposes.
Working both at home and abroad, the seminar brought together perspectives from the Global South and the wider international academic community. Keynote speakers Dr. Manzoorul Abedin, Associate Professor of Education at the University of West London, and Dr. Bijoy Lal Basu, Professor in the Department of English at the University of Dhaka, reflected on the growing reliance on AI tools. They raised critical concerns regarding plagiarism, authorship, and ethical use, while underscoring the importance of acknowledging AI’s presence and establishing clear institutional policies for its responsible integration into education.
From the University of Queensland, Australia, Associate Professor Dr. Obaid Hamid sent a thought-provoking speech, urging participants to be “defiantly imaginative” in leveraging AI for educational advancement—contrasting this with the risks of being “compliantly imaginative” under the pressures of techno-capitalism.
In this pioneering two-day event, final-year students from the Department of English presented 31 original research papers across six broad themes, developed under the guidance of Assistant Professor Ms. Rabeya Binte Habib. All papers were reviewed by DIU adjudicators on the Day 1 of the seminar, and 11 outstanding works were shortlisted for a second round of presentation before distinguished external and DIU reviewers on Day 2.
· AI in English Speaking, Listening & Communication
· AI in Writing Skills & Academic Literacy
· AI in Classroom Teaching & Learning
· Emotional and Psychological Dimensions of AI Use
· Prompt Engineering & AI-enhanced Learning
· Ethics, Plagiarism & Responsible AI Use
The seminar concluded with recognition of the Top 3 Best Student Research Papers, with the first prize awarded to the project titled: “The Effect of ChatGPT-based Prompt Engineering on the Assignment Writing Skills of the Students of Social Science Faculty.”
This landmark event not only highlighted students’ research excellence but also marked a historic milestone in DIU’s mission to foster innovative, ethical, and impactful research. By engaging students with the future of AI-driven education, DIU continues to equip its graduates with the knowledge and skills required to thrive in a rapidly evolving academic and professional landscape.
Students experimented with leading AI tools such as ChatGPT, QuillBot, Grammarly, Google Assistant, and Duolingo, with many studies focusing on the potential of prompt engineering to enhance English language learning and academic.