Fu Jen Journal of Foreign Languages: Linguistics, Literature, and Culture, Volume 26 (2026)

Special Issue Theme

Cross-Border Communication, AI Dialogue, and SDG’s Learning: Competency-Based Practices in Foreign Language Education

It is often said that "teaching and learning are mutually reinforcing," and so too are teaching and research. Since 2019, the College of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Fu Jen Catholic University has held annual conferences on teaching practice to promote innovation and reflective dialogue through research and academic exchange. In an era marked by the rapid rise of AI technologies and global geopolitical shifts, the teaching and learning of foreign languages stand at a critical juncture of transformation.

Since 2023, the spread of generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT) has revolutionized education worldwide, sparking waves of pedagogical innovation. Following 2025, as global political and economic structures undergo further realignment, educators must reexamine how to implement interdisciplinary and sustainable approaches to teaching. How can foreign language teachers harness AI technologies to enhance student learning across disciplines—rather than risk obsolescence in the face of technological change? How can language learners integrate multiliteracies in language, text, image, multimedia, and programming to achieve human–AI collaboration, interdisciplinary communication, and sustainable learning?

The three central themes—Cross-Border Communication, AI Dialogue, and SDG's Learning—reflect the core spirit of competency-based education: Autonomy, Interaction, and Shared Wellbeing. Competency-based pedagogy emphasizes self-directed learning, creative thinking, critical literacy, and transformative competencies—qualities that AI cannot replace but can meaningfully complement. How foreign language education continues to cultivate these human-centered competencies to sustain lifelong learning and social sustainability forms the focus of this special issue.

 

Suggested Topics (including but not limited to)

  1. Practicing Pedagogical Ideals: How can technology-enhanced or socially engaged pedagogical principles be implemented effectively in the classroom? What challenges do they address, and what strategies can be adopted?
  2. Innovations and Challenges in Interdisciplinary Teaching: In the new era of AI, how can competency-based teaching be advanced through industry–academia collaboration, community engagement, online instruction, or transnational cooperation (e.g., COIL)? What are their core values, and how can their effectiveness be assessed?
  3. Innovative Teaching Materials and Methods: Should language, literature, and culture instruction still rely on traditional textbooks? How can we design flexible and engaging teaching materials? How can self-directed learning, flipped classrooms, and task-/problem-based approaches be integrated to foster multiple competencies?
  4. Technology Integration in Language Education: How can generative AI, smartphones, and tablets be incorporated into in-class and extracurricular learning? How can students in the humanities use programming and AI tools to engage in interdisciplinary learning and technological empowerment?
  5. Integrating Sustainability into Language Teaching: How can the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) be embedded into foreign language courses to cultivate students’ sustainable thinking and capacity for action?
  6. Mentorship and Peer Coaching in Supportive Learning: How can advisors and peers form supportive learning networks to facilitate differentiated instruction and enhance learning outcomes?


Submission Guidelines

This special issue invites domestic and international scholars and educators to submit original research papers written in Chinese or English addressing topics related to competency-based foreign language education and its interdisciplinary applications. General submissions on other topics in foreign language, literature, culture, and pedagogy written in Chinese, English, Japanese, French, German, Spanish, or Italian are also welcome.


Editorial Team

  • Editor-in-Chief: Prof. Wei-Cherng Sam Jheng (Chair, Department of English Language and Literature, Fu Jen Catholic University)
  • Executive Editor: Dr. Lyan Te-Lien Chou (Assistant Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, Fu Jen Catholic University)
  • Editorial Assistant: Judy Yeh
  • Address: College of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Fu Jen Catholic University,
  • 510 Zhongzheng Rd., Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan
  • Tel: +886-2-2905-2174
  • E-mail: fujenstudies@gmail.com

For inquiries, please contact the Editor-in-Chief or Executive Editor.