Areas of expertise
Biography
I have been a University Teacher (English) at the University of Turku's Centre for Language and Communication Studies since 2015. I graduated with a BA in Linguistics (Brigham Young University) and an MA TESOL (American University of Sharjah). I have taught English for Academic/Special Purposes at the American University of Sharjah as well as Amideast in Amman, Jordan and Damascus, Syria.
Teaching
I teach English Academic and Professional Skills for Social Sciences and Education students, as well as Intercultural Communication, Academic Presentation Skills, and Technical Writing.
Research
Most of my research falls into the area of Intercultural Communication. My MA Thesis, Culture in the EFL Classroom: Western Instructors and Arab Students in the UAE explored areas of and solutions for cultural conflicts between instructors and students of different backgrounds. A part of this research was adapted into a journal article entitled Understanding Cultural Conflict in EFL Classrooms in the UAE, published in the Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics in 2015,
I have also conducted and presented or published research about TOEFL washback in the EFL classroom, YouTube and motivation in the EFL classroom, portfolio assessment, and intercultural communication as viewed through the FInnish Nightmares comic series.