Employing AI in Arabic teaching: CMU-Q professor co-hosts online discussion

Lama Nassif, associate teaching professor of Arabic studies at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) is a key organizer of the new series called TAFL Talks. The online forum will take place monthly during the academic year, and will explore topics in the teaching of Arabic as a second language. Nassif is organizing the event with Nesrine Basheer at the University of British Columbia, and Radwa El Barouni at the University of Pennsylvania.

The talks are open to an international audience, and aim to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and expertise in Arabic across geographic and linguistic boundaries. 

For the second talk, Nassif will moderate a discussion on employing AI in Arabic teaching. The discussion will feature Dr. Attia Youseif, senior lecturer at the Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.  

Nassif reflected on the goal of the TAFL Talks series: “We want to foster discussions that bridge theory and practice,” she said. “Teaching Arabic as a second language is a burgeoning field , and we want to bring together experts to share the strategies, tools, and principles that are shaping Arabic classrooms.”

The event will take place on Zoom on October 11 at 7:00 pm Arabian Standard Time.