Peking University, August 6, 2026: From July 28 to 31, the 19th International Conference on Blended Learning (ICBL 2026) and the 12th International Symposium on Educational Technology (ISET 2026) were held at Peking University. The conferences were jointly organized by PKU's Graduate School of Education and several partner institutions in Hong Kong.
The ICBL 2026 and the ISET 2026 conferences
Under the themes "Blended Learning: Innovations for the Future of Education" and "Technological Innovations for the Future of Education," scholars, educators, technology developers, and young researchers from multiple countries and regions gathered to discuss artificial intelligence, blended learning, educational technology innovation, and the future of education. The program included four keynote speeches, 18 parallel sessions, academic workshops, roundtable forums, and a paper awards ceremony. A total of 36 papers were accepted for ICBL 2026 and 55 for ISET 2026.
At the opening ceremony on July 29, Professor Jiang Kai, dean of PKU's Graduate School of Education, noted that the conferences' return to PKU after a decade offered a timely opportunity to reflect on educational technology amid AI-driven changes. Professor Lee Wang-fat of Hong Kong Metropolitan University stressed that educators must consider not only what technology can do, but what it should do.
Keynote speakers—including Professor Josep M. Duart (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya), Professor Wang Minjuan (Education University of Hong Kong), Professor Jia Jiyou (Peking University), and Professor Ma Ning (Beijing Normal University)—addressed digital transformation, agentic AI, intelligent tutoring systems, and generative AI-supported interdisciplinary learning.
(From upper left to bottom right) Josep M. Duart, Wang Minjuan, Jia Jiyou, and Ma Ning.
At the closing ceremony, best paper and outstanding paper awards were presented. Zhang Xiaoli, a professor of PKU's Graduate School of Education, emphasized that technology should serve deep learning and effective teaching, calling for collaboration among researchers, educators, engineers, and policymakers to build a fairer, more creative, and more humane future for education.
Written by: Tiffany Yap En Tong
Edited by: Chen Shizhuo
