Staff profile

Based in the Durham Centre for Academic Development (DCAD), I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and Deputy Head of Pre-sessional Programmes - intensive academic language and literacy courses that prepare 300–400 international students annually for study across the University. Overseeing curriculum design, development, and quality assurance, I deputise for the head, liaise with stakeholders across the university, recruit, train, and lead approximately 30 fixed-term educators and four coordinators for the summer sessions, and I run the undergraduate and postgraduate 10-week courses from induction through to final assessments and exam boards. I have taught and/or coordinated Pre-sessional programmes, both online and in person, since 2016.

During the academic year, I work primarily within Academic Language and Literacies, contributing to a broad range of pedagogic and developmental activities aligned with my commitment to accessible, empowering, and inclusive higher education. I lead ‘Speak with Confidence’, ‘Write with Confidence’, and AI literacy sessions for the Academic Skills Centre - the most popular of which, Using Generative AI to Make You a Better Writer, builds on my presentation Navigating AI-assisted writing while keeping critical human voice, delivered at the 2023 British Association of Lecturers in English for Academic Purposes (BALEAP) conference. I also run workshops and departmental outreaches supporting student success across disciplines, and have lectured on the MA TESOL and Applied Linguistics (Global Englishes and Language Teaching Methodology) and the Foundation Programme (Scholarship in Higher Education).

Holding a BA from the University of Toronto, an MA from the University of Cape Town, and a PhD from Queen Mary, University of London, I bring an international perspective shaped by teaching and leadership experience in Australia, Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and the UK. Within DCAD, I contribute to the Creative and Active Pedagogies Research Group, the Education Committee, the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and the AI Policy Group, and I also participate in peer mentoring.

My recent scholarship of teaching and learning has explored the pedagogical implications of artificial intelligence and the rethinking of assessment and curriculum design for international students; the integration of critical digital literacies into English for Academic Purposes courses; creative curriculum redesign in pre-sessional contexts; and inclusive, effective one-to-one academic skills provision. I have also produced reports and led Talking about Teaching sessions on academic literacy and consultation practices across UK, Australian, and South African universities.

An external PhD examiner for the Universities of Pretoria, North-West, and Western Australia, my academic interests span world literatures and cultural studies, Global South perspectives, the affordances of artificial intelligence in higher education, critical digital literacies, and creative and inclusive pedagogies.

I am an active member of the British Association of Lecturers in English for Academic Purposes (BALEAP) and the Britain Zimbabwe Society (BZS), embracing inter-university and international collaboration. Through my leadership, teaching, and research, I aim to foster academic growth through innovative, inclusive, and research-informed practice.

For more information, see my LinkedIn profile.