Education
2012 – 2020 University of Iceland
PhD in Second Language Studies. Dissertation: Learning Icelandic in Virtual Reykjavik: Simulating real-life conversations with embodied conversational agents using multimodal clarification requests [in English].
2010 – 2015 University of Iceland
MA in German. Thesis: The Use of German Language in Icelandic Tourism [in German].
2006 – 2009 University of Iceland
BA in Icelandic for Foreign Students. Thesis: Input in a Language Classroom: Listening and Communication Activities [in Icelandic]. Study scholarship awarded by the Icelandic Ministry of Science and Culture.
2003 – 2011 Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Slovakia
MA in double major: English & German Studies - teacher training. Thesis: The Theory of Input in the Teaching and Learning Process of German as a Foreign Language [in German].
Other Studies
2014 University of Porto, Portugal
Computational Linguistics, Erasmus+ programme
2010 University of the Azores, Portugal
English-Portuguese Translation Studies, Erasmus+ programme
Articles
Overview of LARA: A Learning and Reading Assistant. E. Akhlaghi, B. Bédi, M. Butterweck, C. Chua, J. Gerlach, H. Habibi, J. Ikeda, M. Rayner, S. Sestigiani, G. Zuckermann. In SLaTE 2019: 8th ISCA Workshop on Speech and Language Technology in Education, 20-21 September 2019, Graz, Austria.
In Search of the State of Language Learning Online in Europe. M. Bodorík, B. Bédi. In K. Zdravkova, K. Fort, B. Bédi (eds.), the Proceedings of the EnetCollect WG3 & WG5 Meeting, 24-25 October 2018, Leiden, Netherlands. Published on CEUR-WS online http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2390/.
Multimodal Clarification Requests in Human-Agent Interaction. B. Bédi. In I. Galhano-Rodrigues, E. Zagar Galvao, A. Cruz-Santos (Eds.) Recent Perspectives on Gesture and Multimodality. (2019). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Introducing the European NETwork for COmbining Language Learning and Crowdsourcing Techniques (enetCollect). V. Lyding, L. Nicolas, B. Bédi, K. Fort. 25th EUROCALL Conference, 22-25 August 2018, Jyväskylä, Finland.
Learners' Expectations and Experiences in Virtual Reykjavik. B. Bédi, B. Arnbjörnsdóttir, H. Vilhjálmsson. In Proceedings of CALL in Context, University of California, Berkeley, 7-9 July 2017.
Learning Icelandic Language and Culture in Virtual Reykjavik: Starting to Talk. B. Bédi, B. Arnbjörnsdóttir, H. Vilhjálmsson, H. Helgadóttir, S. Ólafsson, E. Björgvinsson. 23rd EUROCALL Conference, Limassol, 24th-27th of August, 2016.
Starting a Conversation with Strangers: Explicit Announcement of Presence. S. Ólafsson, B. Bédi, H. Helgadóttir, H. Vilhjálmsson, B. Arnbjörnsdóttir. In Proceedings of the 3rd European Symposium on Multimodal Communication, September 17th-18th 2015, Dublin, Ireland.
Posters
Investigating the Role of Chatbots for Language Learning Applications. A. Barreiro and B. Bédi. EnetCollect WG3/WG5 Meeting, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Multimodal Clarification Requests in Human-Agent Interaction. B. Bédi. Hugvísindaþing 2018. University of Iceland, IS.
Virtual Cambridge. K. Hes, B. Bédi, A. Caines, P. Buttery. Poster at Cambridge Language Sciences Symposium 2017, November 21, Magdalene College, Cambridge, UK.
Social Gatherings in Virtual Reykjavik. H. Vilhjálmsson, E. Björgvinsson, H. Helgadóttir, K. Kristinsson, S. Ólafsson, A. Cafaro, N. Krämer, J. Braier, P. Wegge, S. Youn, C. Pedica, B. Arnbjörnsdóttir, B. Bédi. Demo and Poster at the 14th International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents, August 27-29, Boston, MA.
Presentations & invited talks & other activities
Icelandic Language Technologies and Digital Minoritisation. University of Trnava, Slovakia. Invited talk on 28th November 2019.
Menntakvika 2019 - annual research conference at the School of Education, University of Iceland, Iceland. Chair and session organiser: Hvernig kennum við börnum af erlendum uppruna íslensku? (English translation: How do we teach Icelandic to children of foreign origin?). Presentation: Icelandic Online for Kids.
Holberg Week: Masterclass with Paul Gilroy: "Multiculture or Melancholia". University of Bergen, Norway. Invited to participate in a masterclass with the 2019 Holberg Laureate Paul Gilroy.
Conference for Doctoral Students, 25th May 2019, School of Humanities, University of Iceland. Presentation: Learning Icelandic with Embodied Conversational Agents.
EnetCollect (COST CA16105), Technical University of Lisbon, IST Convention Centre, Lisbon, Portugal. Action meeting 14-15 Mars 2019. Presentation on "LARA - the Learning and Reading Assistant" and WG1 & WG3 meeting organisation.
Cambridge Assessment, University of Cambridge, UK, 14 September 2017. Invited talk on "Virtual Reykjavik and New Trends in Learning Languages Online".
EnetCollect (COST CA16105), Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy. Action meeting 7-8 September 2017. Presentation on "Ethics of User Testing" and WG3 meeting organisation.
UROP talk, University of Cambridge, UK, 28 July 2017. Invited talk on "Learners' Expectations and Experiences in Computer Games for Language Learning".
CALL 2017, University of California, Berkeley, USA, 7-9 July 2017. Article presentation.
EnetCollect (COST CA16105), University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Core group meeting 21-22 June 2017. Overview of planning WG3.
iGesto 2017. International Conference on Gesture and Multimodality, 2-3 February 2017. University of Porto, Portugal. Presentation on multimodal clarification requests in human-agent interaction.
EUROCALL 2016, Limassol, Cyprus. Participation in the SIG Virtual Worlds Symposium and a panel member for Virtual Worlds and Language Learning Symposium.
EUROCALL 2016, Limassol, Cyprus. Article presentation.
Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Slovakia, 2016. Invited talk: From Reality to Virtuality.
University of Cambridge, UK, 2015. Invited talk at Language Sciences Series: Icelandic Language and Culture Training Application.
University of Iceland, Iceland, 2015. Classroom talk: Superdiversity in Virtuality.
Menntakvika 2015 – annual research conference at the School of Education, University of Iceland, Iceland. Chair and session organiser: Language teaching in virtual worlds. Presentation: Clarification requests in interaction between virtual agents and human users.
Technical University of Lisbon, Portugal, 2014. Talk at INESC-ID Lisbon: The Virtual Learning Experience.
Nordic Seminar on IT in Language Teaching, Reykjavik, Iceland, 7 February 2014. Presentation on Icelandic Language and Culture Training in Virtual Reykjavik.
CIDLES 2013. Interdisciplinary Center for Social and Language Documentation in Minde, Portugal. Talk at a summer school: Virtual Reykjavik.
2012 CALPIU CRTC 2012. Summer School at Roskilde University, Denmark. Data session: Conversational analysis of a teacher-learner dialogue.
Teaching
2018 - 2019 University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland. Class on Vocabulary and Grammar I & II. Course of Icelandic as a second language, practical diploma. Sessional teacher.
2018 University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland. Class on Bilingualism. Sessional teacher.
2011 Lingua Language School in Nitra, Slovakia. Portuguese as a foreign language teacher for beginners.
2005 Private Conservatoire in Nitra, Slovakia. English and German as a foreign language teacher.
2003 English as a foreign language teacher in private companies in Nitra, Slovakia.
2002 Shirley Junior School, Southampton, UK, assistant teacher for IT (volunteer).
Projects
2018 - present LARA - the Learning and Reading Assistant. User evaluation, usability and user interface, Icelandic content.
2017 – 2021 COST Action CA16105: EnetCollect – European Network for Combining Language Learning with Crowdsourcing Techniques – group leader of WG3.
2017 University of Cambridge: assisting with a summer project for natural data collection and creating conversational scenarios for "Virtual Cambridge" (working name).
2015 – 2016 NIS – Improving Quality of Higher Education Based on Development of Multilateral Institutional Cooperation Member of the University of Iceland Project Team.
2012 - 2015 Icelandic Language and Culture Training in Virtual Reykjavik.
2009 NIL - From Language Competence to High Quality Joint Degree Contact person at University of Iceland.
Other Academic
Reviewer for Research Publishing in the area of affordances in gaming in language learning and L2 listening activities for EUROCALL 2016.
Languages
Bulgarian (beginner)
Czech (second language)
English (fluent)
German (fluent)
Icelandic (fluent)
Polish (intermediate)
Portuguese (intermediate)
Russian (advanced)
Slovak (native language)