Integrating DEI and Sustainable learning: A Conceptual Framework for EFL education in Norway
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15845/norsotl.4967Keywords:
AI, multimodal pedagogy, critical multiliteracies, EFL, Sustainable learning and education (SLE), UDLAbstract
Since the turn of the century, English as a foreign language (EFL) education has found itself having to grapple with a series of rapid global changes and consequently having to try and develop a forward-looking curriculum that must now consider complex pedagogical, ethical, and sustainability questions that shape contemporary language‑teaching environments. One of the most notable challenges is the double-edged sword wielded by AI as it settles itself into the very fabric of the language classroom. This paper offers a conceptual and practical framework to support higher education (HE) EFL educators and their institutions, in Norway, in tackling these issues. Central to the framework is the positioning of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) with its guidelines, through which the broader principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) can be meaningfully operationalized using AI technologies and multimodalities. Moreover, educators play a key role in fostering their students’ critical thinking and critical multiliteracy skills to ensure the ethical use of AI that supports DEI. Finally, the framework situates UDL within a long‑term sustainability perspective, encouraging educators to consider how pedagogical choices remain viable, adaptable, and meaningful across evolving technological and ecological landscapes. Taken together, the framework encourages a discussion on how EFL educators and their institutions can structure a future‑oriented framework for an adaptable, diverse, inclusive and equitable educational EFL ecosystem.
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