Programme: Accelerating English Language Learning in Central Asia (AELLCA)

Project title: "Ambassadors for Inclusion" – Creating an Inclusion in ELT Module

Duration: November 1, 2025-March 31, 2026

Project Leader: Professor Barbara Skinner, Professor of TESOL and Education, Director of Development and Partnerships, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Ulster University

Project Leader at Akhmet Baitursynuly Kostanay Regional University: Yelena Kandalina, Assistant Professor of Foreign Philology Department

Project Partner: Abu Rayhan Biruni Urgench State University (Uzbekistan)

Project Leader at Abu Rayhan Biruni Urgench State University: Professor Rokhatoy Abidova, Head of English Language and Literature Department

Project Aim: To advance inclusive practices within Initial English Language Teacher Education (IELTE) and Pre-Service Teacher Training (PRESETT) settings in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan by creating a sustainable approach through the development of Inclusion in ELT Ambassadors who will design and implement an Inclusion in ELT module suitable for embedding in Higher Education contexts.

Project Objectives:

• To establish a competitive selection process that identifies and appoints six passionate teacher educator leaders (3 from Uzbekistan and 3 from Kazakhstan) as Inclusion in ELT Ambassadors from universities in rural, socio-economically deprived regions, through the development of clear role specifications and rigorous evaluation criteria.
• To facilitate a collaborative three-day face-to-face sprint that empowers the appointed ambassadors to co-design a context-specific Inclusion in ELT module—including its content, resources, and assessment—by defining key challenges, fostering innovation and ownership, and creating implementation plans for integration into national PRESETT curricula in rural universities across Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.