Centre for English Corpus Linguistics

11/05/2026

Dear colleagues,
The Centre for English Corpus Linguistics at UCLouvain is currently running an experiment for which we need participants with experience in language assessment.

The study requires individuals who have either advanced proficiency in English or speak English as a first language (L1), and who have experience in language assessment. Participants will complete a comparative judgments task involving word combinations. In this task, you will be presented with two word combinations side-by-side and asked to judge which one better fits a given linguistic construct. There is no need to assign scores, either holistically or analytically, or to consult a rubric. Instead, you should rely on your own expertise to decide which of the two options is "better".

Each participant will be asked to complete 50 comparisons (these do not need to be completed in a single session) and to fill out a short feedback form explaining the factors that guided their decision-making process. The entire task is expected to take under 30 minutes to complete.

No prior training is required for this task. You will receive instructions on how to log in to the platform, after which you will rely on your own expertise (without using a rubric) to complete this comparative judgment task.

We are seeking participants who can commit to completing 50 comparisons and the feedback form. Participants will receive 35 euros in compensation for completing this task. This study is the first in a planned series of three. Participants who take part in this initial task will be given priority for recruitment in subsequent tasks, which will focus on longer text-based tasks, involve a greater time commitment, and offer higher compensation.

The experiment is expected to begin in the second half of May. Participants will be asked to complete the task within two weeks of receiving access to the comparative judgment platform.

Applicants should meet the following criteria:
• Advanced English proficiency or English as a first language (L1)
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience teaching ESL/EFL
• Recognised qualification in Teaching English as a Foreign/Second Language or a related field (e.g. undergradute or postgradute degree in Applied Linguistics, Language Testing and Assessment, etc.; CELTA, DELTA)
• Training in L2 writing assessment
• Experience assessing L2 writing (preferably as an examiner)
• Private access to a personal computer with an internet connection.

If you are interested in participating, please register your interest by completing the following form: https://shorturl.at/tvsHu

We will then contact you again by the second half of May with further details.

Do not hesitate to contact us by email if you have any questions ([email protected]).
Best regards,
Gabriela Vaughan & Prof. Magali Paquot

01/12/2025

Please note that the Statistics for Linguistics with R bootcamp taught by S. Th. Gries at UCLouvain will take place from 6 to 10 July, unlike previously announced. The rest of the information remains unchanged (see below).
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The Linguistics Research Unit of the Institute of Language and Communication (Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium) will be hosting Stefan Gries’s next bootcamp on statistics for linguistics with R from 06 to 10 July 2026.
The ‘Statistics for linguistics with R’ bootcamp is a hands-on introduction to statistical methods for both graduate students and seasoned researchers and is loosely based on the third edition (2021) of Gries’s textbook Statistics for linguistics with R. The course is intended for linguists who already have a basic knowledge in statistics and some experience using R and who wish to improve their proficiency in statistical modeling of linguistic data. Using the open source software and programming language R, we will deal with:
• fundamental aspects of fixed effects regression modeling for both numeric and binary response variables; these include exploration of data and their preparation for modeling, model formulation and selection; numerical and visual interpretation and evaluation of models;
• more advanced aspects of fixed-effects regression modeling such as contrasts for ordinal predictors, orthogonal contrasts, curvature of numeric predictors, and maybe general linear hypothesis tests;
• the theoretical foundations of mixed-effects regression modeling;
• applications of mixed-effects modeling for both numeric and binary response variables;
• tree-based methods and random forests: 'fitting' and interpreting them with importance scores, partial dependence scores, and detecting (not just capturing) interactions.
For more info about the bootcamp, see https://www.uclouvain.be/en/research-institutes/ilc/cecl/rling2026 . Online registration will start on 2nd March 2026, 1pm CEST. The number of participants is limited. If you would like to participate, mark the date in your diary!
Contact email: [email protected]
Magali Paquot
Convenor

We will be hosting Stefan Gries’s next bootcamp on statistics for linguistics with R from 6 to 10 July 2026.Online registration will open on Monday 2nd March 2026, 1 pm CEST. The number of participants is limited. If you would like to participate, mark the date in your diary! Categories Book trave...

14/10/2025

The Linguistics Research Unit of the Institute of Language and Communication (Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium) will be hosting Stefan Gries’s next bootcamp on statistics for linguistics with R from 13 to 17 July 2026.
The ‘Statistics for linguistics with R’ bootcamp is a hands-on introduction to statistical methods for both graduate students and seasoned researchers and is loosely based on the third edition (2021) of Gries’s textbook Statistics for linguistics with R. The course is intended for linguists who already have a basic knowledge in statistics and some experience using R and who wish to improve their proficiency in statistical modeling of linguistic data. Using the open source software and programming language R, we will deal with:
• fundamental aspects of fixed effects regression modeling for both numeric and binary response variables; these include exploration of data and their preparation for modeling, model formulation and selection; numerical and visual interpretation and evaluation of models;
• more advanced aspects of fixed-effects regression modeling such as contrasts for ordinal predictors, orthogonal contrasts, curvature of numeric predictors, and maybe general linear hypothesis tests;
• the theoretical foundations of mixed-effects regression modeling;
• applications of mixed-effects modeling for both numeric and binary response variables;
• tree-based methods and random forests: 'fitting' and interpreting them with importance scores, partial dependence scores, and detecting (not just capturing) interactions.
For more info about the bootcamp, see https://www.uclouvain.be/en/research-institutes/ilc/cecl/rling2026 . Online registration will start on 2nd March 2026, 1pm CEST. The number of participants is limited. If you would like to participate, mark the date in your diary!

We will be hosting Stefan Gries’s next bootcamp on statistics for linguistics with R from 13 to 17 July 2026.Online registration will open on Monday 2nd March 2026, 1 pm CEST. The number of participants is limited. If you would like to participate, mark the date in your diary! Categories Book trav...

08/07/2025

✨ That's a wrap on VAR4LCR! ✨
We’re leaving the conference even more convinced that register and task variation in learner corpus research is a vibrant and growing field. We're excited to see how the ideas and discussions shared will spark future research and collaboration!

A heartfelt thank you to our three keynote speakers, Douglas Biber, Marije Michel, and Shelley Staples, and to all participants!

07/07/2025

VAR4LCR has officially started! 👩‍🏫

We are starting off the conference strong with a keynote lecture by Douglas Biber, "Grammatical complexity in L2 writing development: Contrasting oral versus literate complexity across registers and developmental levels"

28/05/2025

📆Second call for participation - VAR4LCR conference 2025

We would like to remind you that registration for the Register and task variation in Learner Corpus Research conference (VAR4LCR) is possible until 22 June 2025.

The conference will take place on 7 and 8 July 2025 in Louvain-la-Neuve and will feature Prof. Douglas Biber (Northern Arizona University), Prof. Marije Michel (University of Groningen) and Prof. Shelley Staples (University of Arizona) as keynote speakers.

A provisional programme as well as additional information (including a registration link) can be found on the conference website: https://www.uclouvain.be/en/research-institutes/ilc/cecl/register-and-task-variation-in-learner-corpus-research.

27/05/2025

👩‍🏫 Yesterday, we were pleased to welcome Maya Sfeir, Assistant Professor at the American University of Beirut, for a seminar titled "Building a Local Learner Corpus in Lebanon: Balancing Pedagogical Possibilities and Contextual Complexities”.

28/04/2025

📚👉Just out in the Journal of Second Language Writing: "Testing crowdsourcing as a means of recruitment for the comparative judgement of L2 argumentative essays" (Thwaites & Paquot)

24/04/2025

🎓 Call for Participation – VAR4LCR Conference 2025

Registration is now open for the Register and task variation in Learner Corpus Research conference (VAR4LCR), taking place on 7-8 July 2025 in Louvain-la-Neuve.

The event marks the closing of the Hoover Seedfund project on Learner Corpus Research and Register Variation, a collaboration between the Centre for English Corpus Linguistics (UCLouvain) and the Department of English (Northern Arizona University).

🎤 Keynote speakers:
• Prof. Douglas Biber (Northern Arizona University)
• Prof. Marije Michel (University of Groningen)
• Prof. Shelley Staples (University of Arizona)

📅 Key dates:
• Early bird registration deadline: 22 May 2025
• Final registration deadline: 22 June 2025

Registration and fees: https://www.uclouvain.be/en/research-institutes/ilc/cecl/registration-0-0

For more details and list of accepted papers and posters, please visit the conference website at https://www.uclouvain.be/en/research-institutes/ilc/cecl/register-and-task-variation-in-learner-corpus-research. For additional questions, do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

23/04/2025

[EN] 📚 We want to hear from you! 🌍
Are you a non-native speaker of English? Have you ever enrolled in a MOOC or online course that was taught in English (and that was NOT an English language course)? We would love to hear about your experience. What motivates you? What challenges have you faced?
Your feedback is invaluable! By completing this short (anonymous) survey (15 minutes), you’ll help us better understand the needs of non-native learners and improve MOOCs to make them more accessible and effective.👇
https://surveys.uclouvain.be/index.php/228944?lang=en
Thank you for your time and insights! 🙏

[FR] 📚 On aimerait avoir ton avis ! 🌍
L'anglais n’est pas ta langue maternelle ? Tu as déjà suivi un MOOC ou un cours en ligne donné en anglais (et qui n'était PAS un cours d'anglais) ? On aimerait connaître ton expérience. Quelles sont tes motivations ? Quels défis as-tu rencontrés ?
Ton avis est précieux ! En répondant à cette courte enquête (anonyme, 15 minutes), tu nous aideras à mieux comprendre les besoins des apprenants dont l’anglais n’est pas la langue maternelle et à améliorer les MOOCs pour les rendre plus accessibles et efficaces. 👇
https://surveys.uclouvain.be/index.php/319832?lang=fr
Merci beaucoup ! 🙏