BA, RSA CELTA, PGCE, MA

College Team Teaching Prize 2017

Fellow of Higher Education Academy

I have been teaching for over 20 years. I first studied English Literature and French and spent a year in France as part of my undergraduate studies. Following graduation, I went abroad to teach English as a Foreign Language in Greece and Portugal before returning to the UK to obtain a PGCE in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. I then taught English for Academic Purposes in Hungary before returning to the UK and obtaining an MA in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. I joined Royal Holloway in 1995.

I currently have oversight of 2 areas: the Pre-sessional English Language Programme and Study Abroad i.e facilitating outward student mobility between Royal Holloway and our partner universities around the world. I also teach on a number of CeDAS’s programmes and courses including the Pre-Masters Diploma for International Students and Academic Writing and Communication respectively.

I am interested in exploring the notion of Intercultural competence. I am currently working with a colleague on a small pilot project looking at Royal Holloway students who are studying abroad. We aim to find out about moments in their time abroad which they considered the most significant in shaping the experience. Our hope is that by participating in the process, students will gain an opportunity to reflect on their experiences, and the awareness and skills they develop will stand them in good stead for their post university careers.

'Academic Skills and Visiting Students – the experience of the Centre for the Development of Academic Skills (CeDAS), Royal Holloway, University of London'

Presentation given at The BUTEX 12^th International  Conference - Partnerships and Networks: Connecting Learning Abroad

Bath Spa University 

8 July 2016