Professional

Currently - Head of Learner Development for Middlesex University, London, UK. I am responsible for University policy and practice around learner development and manage several teams including: The Academic Writing & Language Department, Numeracy Support, Dyslexia Support, the Student Learning Assistants programme, the Learner Development Profile, and the Learning Lounge.

Currently - Adjunct Professor, University of Groningen, the Netherlands.

2007-2008 - Southeast Asian Ministers of Education, RELC, Senior Lecturer, CALL Specialist.

2000-2006 - Founding Director of the English Language Self Access Centre, at the University of Auckland, Department of Applied Language Studies and Linguistics.

Projects and visiting positions

2006-2007 - Adjunct lecturer at the Department of Applied Language Studies and Linguistics, University of Auckland. Course taught: Learner Language, with Rod Ellis and Gary Barkhuizen.

2006-2007 - Educational technology consultant for King Mongkut University of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand.

2005 - Visiting professor at Meiji University, Tokyo, Japan.

2004-2005 - Project manager for the TOEFL IBT listening/reading test materials study, University of Auckland.
2004 - Visiting lecturer at King Mongkut University, Bangkok, Thailand.

2004 - Visiting scholar at the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom.

2003 - Project manager for the TOEFL CBT validation study, University of Auckland, New Zealand.

2003-2004 - Project manager for the Adult Literacy Project, University of Auckland. Contestable funding from the Tertiary Education Committee of the Ministry of Education.

2003 - Rater for the Diagnostic English Language Needs Assessment (DELNA), University of Auckland

2002 - Project Manager for the TOEFL validation study. 2000 Project coordinator at the University of Auckland, Department of Applied Language Studies and Linguistics.

2000 - Web-editor for the Open Directory Project (scientific search engine), category Applied Linguistics.

2000-2004 - Freelance translator for the New Zealand Translation Company in Wellington, New Zealand.

2000 - Academic consultant (CALL specialist) in the Department of Languages and Communication at the University of Groningen.

1999-2000 - Internship at the department of Linguistics and Applied Linguistics at Victoria University Wellington, New Zealand.

1999 - Research consultant in the Research and Consultancy Centre for Educational Linguistics (ETOC), the Netherlands.

1999 - Research assistant in the Department of Applied Linguistics at the University of Groningen.

1998 - Teaching assistant in the Department of Applied Linguistics at the University of Groningen. Course development: ‘CALL: Theoretical Aspects and Design Practice’.

1997-1998 - Teaching assistant in the Department of Applied Linguistics at the University of Groningen.

1994-1999 - Volunteer teacher of Dutch and English to refugees, Educas, the Netherlands.

Academic and professional affiliations and achievements

Currently - Founding editor of Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, tri-annual peer-reviewed journal, published by Taylor & Francis. With Terry Lamb. See the Second Language Acquisition page for more information about this journal.

Currently - Associate Editor of the International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching (IJCALLT).

Currently - Convenor, AILA Research Network for Technology and the Language Learner, with Glenn Stockwell.

Currently - Editorial board member of Language Learning & Technology (2011-2014).

Currently - Editorial board member for the Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments. See here.

Currently - Editorial board member for rEFLections Journal, Thailand.

Currently - Editorial board member for English Language Teaching World Online.

Currently - Editorial board member for the International Journal of Research in ELT.

Currently - Editorial board member for JALTCALL Journal.

Currently - Advisory board member for PASAA Journal, Chulalongkorn University, CULI, Bangkok, Thailand.

Currently - Advisory board member for Studies in Self-Access Learning.

Currently - Executive committee member of the Pacific Computer-Assisted Language Learning Association New Zealand Chapter President.

Currently - Associate Researcher on the ‘Web 2.0 European Language Portfolio’ project at teh European Centre for ModernLanguages

Currently - Panel member for the Masters and Doctorate in Professional Studies Programme Approval Panel and Research Ethics Sub Committee membership, at the Institute of Work-based Learning, Middlesex University, London.

Currently - Member of IMS global learning consortium.

Currently - Member-at-large of the JALT Learner Development SIG.

Currently - Member of a number of professional organisations in the areas of applied linguistics and language teaching (including Stets, SAAL, BAAL, Alanz, JALT, AULC, Cercles)

Currently - Member of FOSSFA (the Free Software and Open Source Foundation for Africa)

Currently - member of Teachers without Borders.

Currently - member of the International Virtual Environments Research Group

Currently - member of The Teaching and Learning Committee, the International Business Group, the Progression & Achievement Committee, the Senior Learning Resources Management Committee, and the Student Experience Committee, at Middlesex University. In March 2010 I was elected to the Academic Board. I chair the Learner Development Steering Group.

Currently - member of the Language, Literacy and Digital Education group at UCLAN, Lancaster, UK.

2011 - Guest editor (with Cynthia White) of Language Learning & Technology. Special issue on CALL and Learner Autonomy.

2011 - Reviewer for Language Awareness.

2011 - Reviewer for Computer-Assisted Language Learning.

2010 - Guest editor of JALTCALL Journal. Special issue on ‘CALL and the Learner’.

2003-2010 - Coordinator of the Learner Autonomy Project Inventory.

2009 - Guest editor (with Cynthia White) of a special issue of Innovation in Language Learning & Teaching on Teacher Education and CALL.

2008-2009 - Materials developer for Macmillan English Campus (academic English materials for online study: see here).

2005-2010 - Reviewer for System.

2009 - Conference committee member for the 4th Independent Learning Conference in Hong Kong, 2009.

2004-2008 - Co-editor of the refereed journal of the PACCALL (Pacifc Association for Computer-Assisted Language Learning) (see: journal).

2008 - Editorial board member for ‘Language Acquisition Technologies: Web 2.0 Transformation of Learning’, by Thomas, M. (Ed.), published by IGI.

2002-2007 - Member of the Languages Support Taskforce, University of Auckland.

2007 - PhD examiner for the University of South Australia.

2008 - Reviewer for Applied Linguistics.

2008 - Reviewer for the 2008 SLRF Conference.

2007-2008 - Reviewer for Language Teaching Research.

2007-2009 - Reviewer for Language Learning.

2008 - Reviewer for the 2008 JALTCALL conference.

2004 - grant from the Royal Society of New Zealand for ‘establishing a comparative research methodology framework for the investigation of independent language learning and related teacher development’.

2004 - Member of the organising committee for the inaugural conference of the Pacific Association for Computer-Assisted Language Learning conference, December 1-3, 2004.

2003 - Travel award to present at the e-ducation conference in Abu Dhabi February 22-24, 2003.

2003 - External examiner for Otago University.

2002-2003 - Co-convenor of the Independent Learning conference in Melbourne September, 2003 (see under ‘Autonomy’).

2002 - Co-founder of the Independent Learning Association (see under ‘Autonomy’).

2002-2003 - Member of the Diagnostic English Language Needs Assessment reference group at the University of Auckland.

2001 - Research grant from the Department of Applied Language Studies and Linguistics for the project ‘A Study of Tertiary Level English Language Self Access Centres in Australia and New Zealand’.

2000 - Finalist of the Dutch AILA (Anela) thesis prize.

1997-1998 - Member of the Commission of Education of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Groningen.

1997-2000 - Vice-president of the Departmental Commission of Languages and Cultures of the Middle-East at the University of Groningen.

1996-1999 - Member of the Departmental Commission of Applied Linguistics at the University of Groningen.

1996-1997 - Member of the Departmental Board of Semitic Languages and Cultures at the University of Groningen.

Qualifications

2011- Wine and Spirits Education Trust certified instructor.

2011 - Wine and Spirits Education Trust advanced certificate, with distinction (I know, I know, not very academic!).

2010 - Wine and Spirits Education Trust intermediate certificate, with distinction.

2005 - PhD. University of Auckland, Department of Applied Language Studies & Linguistics. Recipient of a Top Achiever Doctoral Award from the Foundation for Science, Research and Technology for a period of 3 years.

2000 - Masters degree (Honours) in Applied Linguistics from the University of Groningen. Finalist of the Dutch AILA (Anela) thesis prize.

1999 - Study in Damascus at the University of Damascus. Courses : Fusha, Syrian colloquial, pre-Islamic poetry, journalistic Arabic.

1996 - Scholarhip to Study in Cairo at the Dutch Institute for Arabic and Archeological Studies.

1995-1998 - BA degree (Honours) in Applied Linguistics from the University of Groningen.

1994-1999 - BA degree in Languages and Cultures of the Middle East at the University of Groningen. First language Arabic, second language Hebrew. Specialisation: Arabic language acquisition, Dutch language acquisition by Arabic speakers, Civil Society.

1993 - Italian Language and Culture in Siena, Italy at the ‘Università per Stranieri’. Italian language advanced levels, Italian 19th century poetry, Renaissance art, Italian phonology, Italian art history.

Selection of courses taught

• Graduate academic courses
• Analysing Learner Language
• Technology in Language Learning and Teaching
• Computer-Assisted Language Learning (various courses)
• Research in Applied Linguistics
• Resource-based language teaching
• Introduction to Second Language Acquisition (undergraduate)

Teacher Education

• Certificate in TESOL
• Teaching Writing Through Text Types for Secondary School Teachers
• Teaching Oral Presentation Skills
• Structure of English
• Classroom Management
• Instructional Design
• Strategy instruction
• Learner Autonomy
• Discourse Analysis and Language Teaching
• Materials Design

Language Proficiency

• Academic Writing, Listening to Lectures, Presentations Skills and many other academic English topics
• English Proficiency for L2 English Teachers
• Dutch as a second language for refugees
• General English classes: all topics from lower secondary to adult learners
• Beginner level Arabic
• Beginner level Italian
• TOEFL and IELTS preparation classes
• English for Government Officials and other ESP classes
• A wide range of self-access workshops
• Language counselling sessions.