TEXT Week: Research Retreat in Aarhus and Rebild
This week marked “TEXT Week” - five days dedicated to research exchange, collaboration, and future planning across the TEXT community. After a two‑day conference in Aarhus, we continued with a three‑day retreat, starting at Aarhus University and ending in Rebild.
Idea Development and Cross‑Cutting Collaboration
The two‑day research retreat in Rebild brought together researchers from across the centre for intensive idea development and collaborative work. The programme opened with rounds of idea pitching, followed by breakout sessions where participants worked across publications, data, and code to shape shared research artefacts and future directions for TEXT.
Talk: Interact LLM
In the afternoon session, Mina, Ross, and Morten presented Interact LLM, highlighting how language learners increasingly turn to large language models for practice and feedback. Their talk emphasised that developing effective L2 tutoring systems requires integrating insights from Second Language Acquisition, Computer‑Assisted Language Learning, and Human‑Computer Interaction — and that evaluating such systems remains a complex challenge.
Community Time in Rebild
The first day concluded with a walk‑and‑talk in Rebild Forest, followed by dinner and informal social activities.
Planning Work Packages and Milestones
The second day of the retreat focused on planning the four work packages, including upcoming milestones, collaboration opportunities across WPs, and next steps for communication and dissemination. The retreat ended with a plenary session summarising key takeaways and outlining the activities planned for the coming months.
The retreat offered two days of focused work, knowledge sharing, and renewed collective direction. We look forward to building on these ideas as TEXT moves into its next phase.