Robert Smith

Head of CELE / Director of CELE Year 1

Centre for English Language Education

MSc TESOL, Stirling, Scotland

BA (Hons) Film & Media Studies, Stirling, Scotland

I have been teaching English in China since 2003 - I previously worked at universities in Suzhou and Zhuhai near Macau before moving to UNNC in 2006 as a Course Tutor in English for Academic Purposes (EAP). I think part of my longevity with the Centre for English Language Education (CELE) is that I am fortunate to have worked in most of the key areas of the department, and in October 2018, I became the Director.

CELE has over 100 staff in EAP/ESP, Academic Literacies and our CELE Professional Services Office. We have a strong management team and have created opportunities for staff development and engagement, and I am very encouraged by decent feedback over recent years and from tutors returning to work with CELE again.

I continue to teach classes and am very active in promoting and developing areas that I have been heavily involved with in the past, such as Year 1 assessment (I was the CELE Exams Officer for 7 years), In-sessional English language and study skills support through the Writing Lab and digital learning and AI literacy via the CELE Digital Hub (I set up its predecessor, the Online Materials Development team).

I was also the university’s first Campus Senior Tutor for three years and Chair of the UNNC Senior Tutor Network (STN), a panel of all of the School/Divisional Senior Tutors at the University of Nottingham who coordinate the pastoral care support for students. I am currently part of the wider UNNC Senior Leaders Forum.

Undergraduate

• Reading and Writing in Academic Contexts
• Oral Communication Skills
• English in Specific Academic Contexts: Science and Engineering
• Module Convenor – British Film & Contemporary Society (2006–2009)

My particular field of interest and academic research is Computer Assisted Language Learning, which was a key component of my MSc in TESOL at the University of Stirling in Scotland. This is especially relevant now, as advances in AI have impact on education and learning. I am also interested in film theory from my BA in Film and Media Studies and have module development and lecturing experience in ‘British Film & Contemporary Society’ at UNNC.