The HKCPD International Conference 2021 for English teaching professionals worldwide will be held from 8-10 January 2021 online with virtual pre-conference workshops from 6-7 January 2021. It addresses the theme of “Innovative Teaching and Research in English Language Education”. Funded by Hong Kong University Grants Committee (UGC) and organised by The Hong Kong Continuing Professional Development Hub (HKCPD Hub) for University English Teachers, a collaboration of five leading universities in Hong Kong (HKU, CityU, EdUHK, PolyU and HKUST), this international conference aims to provide a dynamic platform for university English teachers to share best practices and research findings with a view to encouraging more informed and effective teaching, leading to concomitant improvements in learning.

Following on the successful Symposia in 2018 at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and in 2019 at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the HKCPD Hub International Conference 2021 provides an opportunity to go beyond Hong Kong SAR to bring an international audience to the territory.

This International Conference is an excellent professional development opportunity for English teaching professionals to meet, network, discuss, learn from each other and explore opportunities for greater collaboration to encourage and sustain interactive communities of practice.  Ultimately, this International Conference is an opportunity to promote effective teaching practices and disseminate innovative research aimed at improving the quality of English teaching and learning in higher education in Hong Kong and the rest of the world.  A selection of contributions presented at the Conference will be published in an edited book on Innovative Teaching and Research in English Language Education intended for an international publisher.

Hong Kong is a particularly appropriate place to celebrate this International Conference organised by the HKCPD Hub as it promotes itself as “Asia’s world city where East meets West”. We look forward to welcoming English language educators, academics, researchers, teachers and curriculum designers from around the world to this International Conference hosted by the English Language Centres of five major universities in Hong Kong, and most of those are among the highest-ranked Asian universities and the top 75 world universities.