Maria Bliss

Senior Tutor in English for Academic Purposes

英语语言教学中心

MA Applied Linguistics and TESOL, University of Leicester

BA (Hons) Open, The Open University

Certificate in Education (Post-Compulsory Education and Training), University of Greenwich

I joined the Centre for English Language Education (CELE) at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China in September 2026, having previously worked at Loughborough University in the UK. I have over 14 years of experience in English for Academic Purposes (EAP), teaching and supporting undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students across a range of academic disciplines.

At Loughborough University, my responsibilities included leading pre-sessional EAP courses, curriculum and assessment development, teaching observations and supporting colleagues with course delivery. I also coordinated academic writing provision for doctoral researchers and played a leading role in the collaborative development of a doctoral academic writing course, designing most of its teaching materials with a particular focus on clarity, structure and critical engagement with academic literature. Alongside this, I worked closely with academic schools, particularly Business and Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, to design and deliver bespoke academic language and skills support tailored to students’ disciplinary needs.

A particularly rewarding aspect of my work has been providing individual academic writing consultations. I enjoy helping students recognise how they can communicate their ideas more clearly through effective structure, coherence, logical progression and argument development. Seeing students gain a better understanding of their own writing, sometimes within a single consultation, has been one of the most satisfying aspects of my teaching.

My teaching experience includes:

• Pre-sessional EAP

• In-sessional and discipline-related academic language and skills provision, including academic communication, presentations, critical thinking, and responsible use of GenAI in academic writing

• Doctoral academic writing and research communication

• Individual academic writing consultations and personalised feedback for undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students

At UNNC, I teach on the Year 1 EAP programme and will take on module convenorship responsibilities for English in Specific Academic Contexts A (ESACa) in Semester 2.

Professional and Pedagogical Interests

My main professional interest is academic writing development, particularly how students can learn to communicate their ideas clearly and effectively. I am interested in the role of individualised feedback and writing consultations in helping students develop coherent arguments, make purposeful choices about structure and meaning, and become more independent academic writers. I am also interested in critical thinking, source-based academic writing and the responsible use of generative AI in teaching and learning. More broadly, I enjoy exploring practical, student-centred approaches that encourage active engagement, reflection and learner autonomy.