PhD in Language Learning and Assessment (Graduated 2019)

Current role

I am a Senior Lecturer/Subject Coordinator at Oxford Brookes University. My duties involve overseeing the University English Department, which helps foreign students to prepare for their Undergraduate or Postgraduate Courses. I really enjoy this job as it gives me the opportunity to work with students and lecturers alike. It also enables me to actively contribute towards material development as well as decision making regarding assessments carried out in the department. In addition, I also teach an MA module focusing on language assessment.

How my course benefited me

My dissertation topic on my MA course was on the field of pragmatics and its importance in an L2. This knowledge gave me opportunities to become involved in item writing for OUP and MacMillan with a special focus on testing pragmatic language use in L2. I became so interested in this work that I have decided to gain deeper knowledge in assessing L2 pragmatic competence by doing a PhD. The experience was invaluable as I extended my knowledge of this field greatly (by reading a lot!), learned a lot about carrying out research and was given an opportunity to attend and present at conferences. It also enabled me to develop abilities required for my current job, in specific, decision making regarding assessments in the department.

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

I studied remotely but the support I received from tutors was amazing. They really looked after me and helped in any way they could. Also, as they are all actively involved in research, I got to hear about the most up-to-date research in language testing as well as about conferences. In fact, there were conferences held at CRELLA, where I met well known practitioners and was given an opportunity to present my own work.

My future aspirations

In future, I would like to be more involved in research carried out in this area as well as applying this knowledge when lecturing.

My top tips for current students

First of all, you need to be really interested in your topic! Secondly, be very, very organised and methodical. Thirdly, be prepared for ups and downs during your studies and never give up!