PhD in Language Learning and Assessment (Graduated 2019)

Current role

I am a Test Development Researcher for the British Council.

How my course benefited me

Like any PhD, my studies at CRELLA gave me an in-depth understanding of the field that my PhD was in, namely language testing in EAP. Beyond that, it gave me skills in statistics, research methodology, and academic writing as well as the confidence to continue to develop in these areas.

What I most enjoyed about my degree and studying at the University of Bedfordshire

What I enjoyed most about my degree was really developing myself in my field. As for studying at CRELLA, the support from the CRELLA team was excellent! Not only my supervisory team but also other CRELLA colleagues were always there if I needed help or wanted to bounce ideas around. And feedback on anything I sent in was almost instantaneous!!

Campus life

As I was a part-time student, I didn’t get to experience campus life in the same way as full-time students but I have to say that Putteridge Bury is a truly wonderful location! It is extremely conducive to studying and has great facilities and a very collegial atmosphere. I also appreciated the wide range of journals that I had access to through the university library, which is key as a research student.

A memorable moment/s

The moment I got the e-mail to say my PhD had been confirmed was pretty memorable!

My future aspirations

My future goals are to continue to work and develop much more in this field, and also to increase the number of research publications considerably. In the longer term, I would possibly like to move back into academia as an Applied Linguist with a specialism in language testing rather than as an EAP lecturer.

My top tips for current students

My top tip comes from an Apollo XIII mouse mat I bought at Kennedy Space Center in Florida two years ago: ‘Failure is not an option!’. Keep that in mind and you’ll get there!