Ms Kashmir Kaur (SFHEA)

Profile

I carry out teaching, scholarship and management within the centre, school, faculty and university and contribute to academic leadership in the field of English for Academic Purposes (EAP).

I am dedicated to enriching minds globally. I am an established educator in EAP. My career is distinguished by multiple awards for innovative teaching and excellence in feedback and assessment, reflecting my commitment to enhancing academic skills and transforming educational experiences. As a specialist in transnational education and English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI), my work bridges cultural and linguistic gaps, extending from the University of Leeds to partnerships around the world, including a notable project with South-West Jiaotong University in Chengdu.

My research and scholarship interests are as varied as they are impactful. I explore themes that intersect student identity and engagement, internationalisation, and pedagogical frameworks. This includes critical approaches in EAP, fostering 'criticality' in higher education, implementing dialogic feedback, promoting self-directed learning and efforts towards 'decolonising' student education. These areas drive my teaching and curriculum development, ensuring a reflective and inclusive educational approach.

I have developed and led courses ranging from Level 2 Academic English for Postgraduate Studies to Language in Context: Sustainability and Language for Engineering. I currently lead the Foreign Language Assistants’ English Language & Culture Course and lead the In-sessional programmes for the School of Earth and Environment and the Institute of Transport.

As an active member of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures, my involvement has extended to roles on the Athena Swan Self-Assessment Team where I led the Post-Graduate Researcher Group. I was also a member of the Decolonising Student Education Working Group and I was the Staff Sustainability Architect for the School of Languages, Cultures, and Societies. Currently, I mentor peers through the University of Leeds Mentoring Programme.

Before my tenure at Leeds, I taught Academic English at Durham University and collaborated with the British Council in Beirut, developing EMI training programmes for local teachers. Prior to moving into higher education, my career began in broadcasting, where I acquired an extensive knowledge of media production, particularly in documentaries and factual programming.

Responsibilities

• In-sessional Lead for School of Earth and Environment and Institute of Transport
• Programme Director of Foreign Language Assistants' Language Course

Research interests

My research interests in education are varied. They intersect student identity and engagement, internationalisation including aspects such as Critical EAP, ‘criticality’ in higher education, dialogic feedback, self-directed learning and ‘decolonising' student education. 

Publications

• Forthcoming: Winiarska-Pringle, I., Muir, C., Kaur, K. and Watson, L. 2025. Reading groups as spaces of learning and resistance: Care, emotions & feminism in EAP. The BALEAP 2023 Biennial Conference Proceedings May 2023.
• Kaur, K., Ravi, M., Wright, C., Bawn, M. and Cutillo, L. 2024. AI in Higher Education: Nuanced Understandings of Competence, Ethics and Equity. ICERI2024 Proceedings 17th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation, Seville, Spain. 11-13 November, 2024. pp.6767-6775. doi: 10.21125/iceri.2024
• Ravi, M., Kaur, K, Bawn, M., Cutillo, L. and Wright C. 2024. Artificial Intelligence in higher education: A perfect storm. In  Abegglen, S., Nerantzi, C., Martinez-Arboleda, A., Karatsiori, M., Atenas, J. and Rowell, C. eds. Towards AI Literacy: 101+ Creative and Critical Practices, Perspectives and Purposes, pp 24-27. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11613520
• Fedorova, N. and Kaur, K. 2024. Critical EAP: A marginalised friend? In: Breen, P. and le Roux, M. eds. Social Justice in EAP and ELT Contexts. London: Bloomsbury Academic, pp.57-71.
• Kaur, K. 2023. Deliberations about Decolonisation. Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures News: Peadagogical Research in the Arts (PRiA) Blog. March. 
• Kaur, K. 2023. Communities, Sense of Belonging and Friendships. Centre for Excellence in Language Teaching (CELT) Blog. March.  
• Kaur, K. 2022. Embed sustainability in the curriculum: transform the world. Language Learning in Higher Education: Journal of European Confederation of Language Centres in Higher Education (CerclesS). 12(2), pp.605-616. 
• Fedorova, N. and Kaur, K. 2022. Native-speakerism: A thorn in the side of ELT. Journal of Second Language Teaching & Research. 9(1), pp.59-80. 
• Kaur, K. 2020. ‘Worst of times or best of times? You decide.’ Centre for Excellence in Language Teaching (CELT) Blog. July. 
• Kaur, K. 2020. 'Wrestling with Criticality'. Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence (LITE) Blog. April.
• Kaur, K. 2019. ‘Crossing borders…shifting sands: An investigation of Chinese students’ study experiences in UK and in China’. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, Special issue: Border Crossing in Language Education, 9:3, 451–472. DOI.
• Kaur, K. 2019. ‘Enhancing International Students’ Experience and Formative Feedback through Audio Feedback’ for The Language Scholar Journal. 
• Kaur, K. 2017. 'Full Steam Ahead At BALEAP': A Review of the BALEAP Bristol 2017 Conference, 7–9 April, The Leeds Language Scholar Journal. 
• Kaur, K. 2013. Developing Environmental Perspectives Through Self-Directed Learning, Student Education Bulletin, Issue 8, 8–9.
• Kaur, K. 2013. Qualitative Research in Language Education: Report on a Workshop by David Nunan, ELT Research, Issue 28, 31–32.

Conference and Symposium Talks   

• Kaur, K. and  Ravi, M. 2024. AI in Higher Education: Nuanced Understandings of Competence, Ethics and Equity.17th Annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation: ‘Transforming Education, Transforming Lives’, 11-13 November, Seville, Spain.
• Kaur, K. and Ravi, M. 2024.  A Unified Languages Blueprint: Fostering Ethical and Inclusive AI Practices in Higher Education. Advance HE Conference:  ‘Teaching and Learning Conference: Future Focused Education: Innovation, Inclusion and Impact’, 1-4 July, Nottingham Trent University.
• Ravi, M., Kaur, K. and Bawn, M. 2024. Building Artificial Intelligence Based Education Languages (BAIBEL) Project: Taking a people-centric approach to identifying shared and divergent opinions on AI terminology. Leeds Digital Summit: ‘AI and Me’, 24-25 June, University of Leeds.
• Kaur, K. 2024. Student Perspectives on Native-Speakerism in Cross-Border Education. Georgetown University Round Table (GURT): ‘Education Abroad: Language, Learners and Communities’, 1-3 March, Georgetown University, Washington D.C., USA.
• Kaur, K and Fedorova, N. 2023. Cross border student attitudes towards native-speakerism. Symposium: ‘Questioning Language Teaching Orthodoxy in Higher Education’,  28 June, University of Leeds. 
• Skipp, J. and Kaur, K. 2023. Shifting the focus from disciplinary EAP: the case for interdisciplinarity. BALEAP Conference: ‘Caution! EAP under Deconstruction’, 19-21 April, University of Warwick.
• Kaur, K. and Fedorova, N. 2022. Constructing Communities Within and Beyond Borders. SoTL Conference: ’Building Communities through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning’, 15-17 June, Manchester Metropolitan University.
• Kaur, K and Skipp, J. 2022. Making Space to Foster Interdisciplinarity in EAP.  Norwegian Forum for English for Academic Purposes Conference: ‘Beginnings’, 9-10 June, Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway.
• Kaur, K. and Al Arefi, S. 2022. Navigating Interdisciplinarity through a Sustainability Lens. Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching Conference: Mapping Interdisciplinarity: Finding our way, 7 April, University of Birmingham.
• Kaur, K. and Al Arefi, S. 2022. Sustainability: Welcome into the fold. Advance HE’s Sustainability Symposium: ‘Front, Centre and Now: Sustainability as a Core Purpose of Higher Education’, 29–30 March, Virtual.
• Kaur, K. and Alimalayeri, R. 2022. Building Bonds: Constructing Communities. Student Education Conference: ‘Belonging and Community’, 6–7 January. University of Leeds.
• Kaur, K. 2021. Reflections of Critical EAP in the Mainstream Curriculum. Language Education for Social Justice Virtual Conference, 1–3 June, University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
• Kaur, K. 2020. Criticality? Critical Thinking? As you like it? Academic English Conference, 27–29 October, Cambridge University Press.
• Kaur, K. 2020. Wrestling with Criticality in Teaching and Student Learning. EAP Conference: ‘Anybody out there: addressing audiences in academic discourse’, 29 February, St Andrews University.
• Kaur, K. and Liu, J. 2020. Blended approaches to embedding criticality for student success. Student Education Conference: ‘Student Success’, 6–7 January, University of Leeds.
• Kaur, K. 2019. Critical EAP in action: from experiment to mainstream. BALEAP Conference: ‘Innovation, Exploration and Transformation’, 12–14 April, University of Leeds.
• Kaur, K. and Fedorova, N. 2019. Convened the Criticality Symposium Questioning Criticality: What is Criticality in Higher Education? 19 December, University of Leeds.
• Kaur, K. 2019. Embedding ‘criticality’ as a blended approach in mainstream study to promote student success. Questioning Criticality: What is Criticality in Higher Education? Symposium,19 December, University of Leeds.
• Kaur, K. 2018. Crossing Borders…Shifting Sands: Investigation of Chinese students’ study experiences in Leeds and in Chengdu. EAP and Internationalisation: Building links between institutions and learning cultures Symposium,1 November, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China.
• Kaur, K. 2017. Crossing borders...shifting sands: An investigation of Chinese students' study experiences in Leeds and in Chengdu. Language Education Across Borders Conference, 8–10 December, University of Graz, Austria.
• Kaur, K. 2017. Enhancing International Student Experience Through Audio Formative Feedback'. INFORM Conference: ‘Innovative Ideas for Enhanced Student Engagement’, 15 July, University of Reading.
• Kaur, K. and Leslie, A. 2013. Critical Engagement Through Global Citizenship. Student Education Conference, 6–7 January, University of Leeds.
• Kaur, K. 2011. How do students’ writing skills compare when working alone and when working collaboratively?  English Language Connections Conference, 20–21 May, Leeds Metropolitan University. 
• Kaur, K., Parkin, M., Poole, J. and Poulson, C. 2011. One Size Fits All. Poster Presentation BALEAP Professional Issues Meeting: ‘How Low Can We Go: Issues, Insights and Innovations’, 12 February, University of Bristol.

Workshops/Seminars

• Forthcoming: Kaur, K. 2025. Deconstructing the AI Lexicon: Competence, Ethics and Equity. The Language Centre Forum, 26 February, University of Leeds.
• Kaur, K. 2022. Dialogic Feedback: What’s your take on feedback? Online Teaching in School of Languages Cultures and Societies – ‘Conversation’, 19 January, University of Leeds.
• Kaur, K. 2018. Enhancing student engagement through audio formative feedback. School of Languages, Cultures and Societies’ Digital Showcase, 7 November, University of Leeds.
• Kaur, K. 2018. Effective Formative Feedback through Audio. English Language Teaching Centre, Teacher Development Training Day, 12 January, University of Sheffield.
• Kaur, K. and Freeman, K. 2017. Criticality in EAP. Workshop. 14 December. Universidad Europea de Madrid, Spain.
• Kaur, K. 2017. Enhancing International Student Experience Through Audio Formative Feedback. Workshop: Enhancing Learning and Teaching through Effective Feedback, School of Languages, Cultures and Societies, 12 December, University of Leeds.
• Kaur, K. and Brajkovic, I. 2017. Enhancing international students’ engagement through audio formative feedback and student collaboration. Pecha Kucha, Language Scholar Journal Launch, School of Languages, Cultures and Societies’ Scholarship Showcase, 16 May, University of Leeds.

Awards

• April 2024 – Awarded the University of Leeds Partnership Award for Feedback and Assessment: ‘This category recognises commitment to students by a member of staff...who provide students with an excellent experience in assessment and feedback.’
• April 2024 – Shortlisted for the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures ‘Feedback and Assessment’ Leeds Partnership Awards.
• May 2023 – Awarded the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures University of Leeds Partnership Award for Feedback and Assessment. ‘This category recognises commitment to students by a member of staff...who provide students with an excellent experience in assessment and feedback.’
• April 2022 – Awarded the Cross-Institutional University of Leeds Partnership Award for Feedback and Assessment. ‘This category recognises commitment to students by a member of staff...who provide students with an excellent experience in assessment and feedback.’
• May 2021 – Awarded the University of Leeds Partnership Award for Feedback. This award recognises “The person who provides invaluable and supportive academic feedback in both content and delivery method, which helps others to develop and excel in their work.”
• April 2020 – Received the Mentoring award at the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures Partnership Awards. This recognises “The person’s guidance and support has encouraged and nurtured others to develop their skills and prospects for the future, helping them to grow and progress, either personally or in their learning.”
• June 2019 – Was the ‘runner up’ in the ‘Building Knowledge and Capacity’ category at the University of Leeds Sustainability Awards. This was for the successful development and delivery of the ‘Language in Context – Sustainability Module’.
• April 2018 - Received the Innovation award at the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures Partnership Awards. This recognises "The person or group who uses innovative methods and approaches to engage and excite others; such as through embracing new learning technology or through presenting challenging ideas in a way to spark discussion to further the understanding of a subject area."      
• June 2017 - Shortlisted for the University of Leeds Sustainability Awards in the category of 'Building Knowledge and Capacity’. This was for introducing, developing and producing a bank of authentic audio/visual listening materials on the concept of sustainability, primarily to be utilised in the English module of the University of Leeds Engineering degrees at the South West Jiaotong University - Leeds Joint School in Chengdu.
• May 2012 - Won a scholarship to attend David Nunan’s ‘Qualitative Research in Language Education’ Workshop at the University of Graz, Austria. 

Qualifications

• MA Race & Resistance (History) (University of Leeds)
• MA Linguistics & English Language Teaching (University of Leeds)
• PGCE Post Compulsory Education & Training (University of Leeds)
• Senior Fellow Higher Education Academy

Professional memberships

• British Association of Lecturers in English for Academic Purposes (BALEAP)
• International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL)
• British Association for Applied Linguistics (BAAL)

Student education

Research groups and institutes

• Language Centre
• PRIA