Forum Program



Governance, Pedagogy, and Leadership

08:45–09:00
Registration
MakerSpace CH
09:00–09:30
Opening Ceremony and Welcome Remarks
Dr. Timothy O'Connor, President, AUCA · Dr. Assylbek Kozhakhmetov, President, Almaty Management University (ALMAU)
Format: 10-minute (informal) presentation by the institutions
MakerSpace CH
09:30–10:30
Keynote Address
“What Are Universities For? Liberal Arts Education, Artificial Intelligence, and Ethics”
Speaker: Dr. Chrys Margaritidis, Bard College — Dean of International Initiatives; Director, Institute for International Liberal Education and Bard Abroad
Moderator: Dr. Timothy O'Connor, President, AUCA
MakerSpace CH
10:30–11:00
Coffee Break
11:00–12:00
Plenary Session: Opening Remarks from AALAU University Representatives
Moderator: Dr. Timothy O'Connor, AUCA
Format: 15-minute presentation per institution on their role within the Alliance, with a 15-minute Q&A
  • Dr. Wang Subin, Director, Office for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs, East China Normal University (ECNU) & Ms. Xu Qingqing, Program Officer, same office, ECNU
  • Prof. Jeanne FU Ho-ying, Vice-President (Learning and Student Experience), The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong
  • Dr. Zach Fredman, Dean of Faculty Affairs, Duke Kunshan University
MakerSpace CH
12:00–13:00
Lunch
Kitchenette
13:00–14:30
Academic Session 1: AI Governance and Institutional Policy
Theme: Frameworks for Responsible AI Adoption in Higher Education and Beyond
Moderator: Dr. Angelina Popova, Director, Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology (CTLT), AUCA
Format: 4 presentations × 15 min + 30 min Q&A
Participants will explore macro-level policy design, institutional governance models, and cross-sectoral coordination for responsible AI.
  1. From Digital Transformation to Artificial Intelligence Governance: Designing a Framework for Responsible AI Adoption in Higher Education in Kyrgyzstan — Meerim Razbaeva, Director, Office of Legal Affairs, University of Central Asia (UCA)
  2. Institutional Synergy and AI Governance: The CARE Initiative and Policy Development at AUCA — Ekaterina Kombarova & Dr. Jyldyz Bekbalaeva, AUCA
  3. AI and Immigration Governance — Rogers Rukeba, Master of Arts in Laws, AUCA
  4. Anthropomorphization of Artificial Intelligence — Olga Shkonda, Psychology Department, AUCA
MakerSpace CH
14:30–14:45
Coffee Break
14:45–16:00
Academic Session 2: AI in Teaching, Curriculum, and Assessment
Theme: Pedagogical Reform and the Recognition of AI Learning
Moderator: Ekaterina Kombarova, Deputy Director, CTLT, AUCA
Format: 3 presentations × 15 min + 30 min Q&A
Participants will gain models for system-wide reform, discipline-specific assessment design, and recognition of experiential AI learning.
  1. Education and Teaching Reform in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Explorations and Practices at East China Normal University — Dr. Wang Subin & Ms. Xu Qingqing, ECNU
  2. Adapting the AI Assessment Scale for L2 Academic Writing in the NGA Preparatory English Program at AUCA — Izzuddin Izzuddin & Kamilya Kadyrova, AUCA
  3. Beyond the Fixed Curriculum: Bootcamps, Hackathons, and the Formal Recognition of Experiential AI Learning — Dr. Angelina Popova, Nurbolot Ruslan uulu, AUCA & Andrey Ermakov, Ala-Too International University
MakerSpace CH
16:00–16:15
Coffee Break
16:15–17:15
Presidents' Roundtable: Leadership in Integrating AI into the Curriculum
Moderator: Dr. Chynarkul Ryskulova, Vice President of Academic Affairs, AUCA
This roundtable will focus on the practical integration of AI into the curriculum and the institutional experience of leading universities in Central Asia. The Presidents and Rectors will share brief insights from their institutions, discussing the extent to which they have promoted AI as an institutional practice and the lessons learned along the way.
  • Dr. Assylbek Kozhakhmetov, President, Almaty Management University (ALMAU)
  • Dr. Timothy O'Connor, President, American University of Central Asia (AUCA)
  • Dr. Ruslan Rahimov, Rector, Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic
MakerSpace CH
18:00–19:30
Welcome Reception & Cultural Evening
Format: Networking, light performances, informal exchanges
AUCA Campus CH, Room 440

Actionable Strategies and Closing

08:45–09:00
Registration
MakerSpace CH
09:00–10:30
Academic Session 3: Computation and the Humanistic Disciplines
Theme: What Computation Preserves and What It Costs — Meaning, Reasoning, and Language in the Algorithmic Age
Parallel Tracks

Session 3a — Algorithmic Reason, Language, and Power: Critical Perspectives on AI

Moderator: Mariya Antonova, Director, Writing and Academic Resource Center, AUCA
Format: 4 presentations × 15 min + 30 min Q&A
  1. A Quality-Diversity Paradox: What Fan Fiction Reveals About Algorithmic Homogenization in Creative Writing — Dr. Angelina Popova, AUCA
  2. Argument Mining and Human Reasoning: Preserved and Lost Properties in Computational Representation — Renata Balbaeva, AUCA
  3. Technology and the Loss of Meaningful Political Language in the 21st Century — Dr. Jana Lozanoska, AUCA
  4. Who Frames the Question? Generative AI and the Power to Define What Matters — Dr. Nurken Aubakir, inVision U
MakerSpace CH

Session 3b — Digital Humanities in Kyrgyzstan: Trends and Perspectives in the Age of AI

Moderators: Kamilya Kadyrova, Director, New Generation Academy, AUCA & Dr. Jyldyz Bekbalaeva, Director of Library, AUCA
Speakers include:
  • Dr. Aida Kasieva, Dr. Gulnura Jumalieva, Dr. Nurgul Karybekova (Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University)
  • Dr. Aida Abdykanova, Dr. Ayse Cavdar, Baitur Toktosunov, Dr. Natalia Korosteleva, Ekaterina Kombarova, Kamilya Kadyrova, Dr. Jyldyz Bekbalaeva (AUCA)
AUCA Main Building CH, Room 440
10:30–10:45
Coffee Break
10:45–12:00
Academic Session 4: Student Well-Being and Human-Centered Education
Theme: Ethical Prevention and Holistic Models of Flourishing
Moderator: Dr. Makhinur Mamatova, Head of Psychology Department, AUCA
Format: 3 presentations × 15 min + 30 min Q&A
Participants will explore ethical biometric analytics, indigenous philosophical models, and whole-person educational frameworks.
  1. From Reactive Support to Preventive Campus Well-Being: Ethical Multimodal Biometric Analytics for Early Detection of Cognitive Stress — Dr. Nicolas Hamelin & Dr. Urmat Ryskulov, SP Jain School of Global Management (Neuroscience Lab, Sydney Campus) & AUCA
  2. What Should Remain Human? The Tolyq Adam Model of Whole-Person Education — Dr. Aizhan Sapargaliyeva, Almaty Management University (AlmaU)
  3. Aqyl-Zhyrek-Qayrat: An Indigenous Philosophical Model of Student Well-being in Central Asian Higher Education — Dr. Meruyert Seidumanova, AlmaU
MakerSpace CH
12:00–12:15
Coffee Break
12:15–13:15
Academic Session 5: Workshop
“How to Use Thinking and Writing Techniques While Teaching Tolyq Adam Courses in the AI Era”
Facilitator: Irina Kruglova, Almaty Management University (AlmaU)
Format: Interactive workshop
MakerSpace CH
13:15–14:15
Lunch
Kitchenette
14:15–15:30
Academic Session 6: Mobility, Exchange, and Regional Geopolitics
Theme: Movement, Pedagogy, and the Central Asian Context
Moderator: Dr. Chrys Margaritidis, Bard College
Format: 3 presentations × 15 min + 30 min Q&A
Participants will examine virtual exchange, cognitive benefits of mobility, and geopolitical constraints on cross-border academic movement.
  1. Connecting Continents Through Virtual Exchange: Bridging Asia and Africa — Ekaterina Galimova, General Education Department, AUCA
  2. Beyond Mobility: A Cognitive Psychology Perspective on How Student Exchange Can Inform Pedagogical Innovation in Asian Liberal Arts Education — Erkayim Zhanybekova, AUCA
  3. Navigating Cross-Border Academic Mobility in Central Asia Amidst Shifting Geopolitics — Nabila Ataye, AUCA
MakerSpace CH
15:30–15:45
Coffee Break
15:45–17:00
Academic Session 7: Interdisciplinary and Foundational Perspectives on Learning
Theme: Materials, Mentorship, and the History of Knowledge
Moderator: Dr. Nurken Aubakir, InVision U
Format: 3 presentations × 15 min + 30 min Q&A
Participants will reflect on the material, relational, and mathematical foundations of learning.
  1. One Material, Many Questions: What “Chiy” Reveals About Interdisciplinary Learning — Cholpon Kuskakbaeva, AUCA
  2. Styles and Experience: Senior Theses and Dissertation Supervision in Psychology Departments at Bishkek Universities (Kyrgyzstan) — Dr. Gulnara Kurmanova & Dr. Nina Bagdasarova, AUCA
  3. A Critical Look at the Conversation Between Euclid and Ptolemy I — Dr. Syrgak Kydyraliev, Elena Burova, AUCA, and Dr. Anarkul Urdaletova, Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University
MakerSpace CH
17:00–17:15
Closing Ceremony & Keynote Reflections
Closing Address: Dr. Timothy O'Connor, President, AUCA
MakerSpace CH
17:15
Optional Network Dinner or Departure