1. Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures
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  4. Profile

Deirdre McKenna

  • Position: Associate Professor in English for Academic Purposes
  • Areas of expertise: EAP; ESAP; Academic Literacies; Curriculum Development; Education for refugee-background students
  • Email: D.McKenna@leeds.ac.uk

Profile

Since joining the University of Leeds in June 2020, I have led in the following areas:

  • The RefugEAP programme (an online, free pre-university course for refugee-background students) which I set up and run in partnership with Aleks Palanac at the University of Leicester. Leading a team of 30 volunteer EAP tutors, and working with partner organisations, we support students through our bespoke course, designed based on trauma-informed pedagogy and social justice education principles. 
  • Language Centre Sanctuary Initiatives. I have set up scholarships for refugee-background students, and an EAP mentoring scheme for displaced/ at-risk academics
  • Module Leader for Academic English for Postgraduate Studies (AEPS) Level 2 (pre-master’s pre-sessional programme). I lead the provision for pre-Master’s international students. 
  • Academic Literacies for Film Studies. I designed and ran the in-sessional programme for MA Film Studies for 3 years. 
  • Co-leader on Language for Marketing pre-sessional module. 

I previously worked as a Teaching Fellow in ELT at the University of Sussex, Brighton (2016-2020) where my responsibilities included convening the Pre-Sessional, the PGT Business Communication Skills module, and the FY Academic Skills module for Psychology students. I have also held EAP posts at the Arts University Bournemouth (2015-2016), and the University of Nottingham Ningbo, China (2013-2015), specialising in ESAP for Architecture and Design. Prior to my work in EAP, I taught Business English in Germany for 2 years and GE in South Korea for 5 years. 

My research interests include: the role of trauma-informed pedagogy in EAP; working effectively with refugee-background students, challenging barriers to accessing education and resources; the cross-over in skills development and language needs for students using English as an additional language vs students using English as an L1; the impact of curriculum and materials development in supporting tutors new to EAP; communities of practice in the EAP teaching sphere. 

Research interests

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Qualifications

  • PG Cert in HE & SFHEA
  • MA in Applied Linguistics & TESOL
  • Licentiate Diploma in TESOL
  • BSc Psychology

Professional memberships

  • BALEAP

Student education

The RefugEAP Programme

Research groups and institutes

  • Language Centre