Contact

• workRoom C53 Trent Building
  University Park
  Nottingham
  NG7 2RD
  UK
• work0115 82 32253
• Shialing.Kwa@nottingham.ac.uk

Biography

I was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, but raised in the United States. After graduating from Dartmouth College with a BA in Spanish Language, Culture, and Society, I completed my MPhil in Medieval Studies and PhD in Spanish Literature at Yale University. As an undergraduate, I began teaching Spanish at Dartmouth in 1998 as an Apprentice Teacher and also taught Spanish language at Yale while completing my doctorate. I have worked in educational tourism for secondary school students in Spain, corporate translation in the United States, and higher education in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Before joining the University of Nottingham in 2022, I taught and coordinated Spanish language and culture modules at all levels at the Catholic University of America and Nottingham Trent University.

I am Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and have spent many years working with both small and large groups of students from a wide range of backgrounds. I have taught modules on medieval Spain as well as Spanish culture in the 20th century, and have experience with blended and on-line delivery. I am Module Convenor for Inter Faculty Spanish Stage 2, and currently teach both Stages 1 and 2 in the Language Centre.

Research Summary

My research interests include:

1. New technologies in language teaching and learning
2. Developing confidence in language learners
3. Innovations in language assessment

Presentations:

• June 2023: "Breaking Boundaries in Language Assessment." 8^th LanGW4 Colloquium: Transition and Transgression, Cardiff University
• April 2023: "Community in the Classroom: Students and Teachers in Partnership and Practice." Co-presented with Emanuelle Zagbayou. Teaching and Learning Conference 2023: Beyond Satisfaction, Student Engagement and Partnership in Teaching and Learning, University of Nottingham
• May 2022: "Asynchronous Student Engagement Via Writing Prompts on MS Teams." TILT FOLG Symposium, Nottingham Trent University
• June 2021: "Formative Speaking Tasks Online: Asynchronous and synchronous activities with feedback." Nottingham Language Centre Good Practice Sharing Day, Nottingham Trent University
• June 2020: "Let's Break The Ice: Using speed dating to promote speaking confidence in the classroom." Co-presented with María Barcenilla. Nottingham Language Centre Conference: The Future of Language Teaching and Learning: Scholarship and Practices, Nottingham Trent University
• June 2019: "Cultivating Speaking Confidence in the Classroom Community." Nottingham Language Centre Conference: Language Teaching and Scholarship - Making the Link, Nottingham Trent University
• September 2005: "La curiosa pertinencia del Curioso impertinente." Don Quixote at 400: An Appraisal, Yale University