Education

  © Copyright Ian Taylor and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

I'm a PhD candidate with Lancaster University, researching the assessment of digital literacies. My supervisor is Dr Luke Harding. I have a separate ePortfolio for my PhD work. Lancaster University is a top UK university with a highly reputable linguistics department that is ranked among the world's best. Specialisms include Language Teaching, Learning and Assessment, and Literacy Studies, among others. 

My interest in language assessment began when I was a Master of Applied Linguistics student at the University in Melbourne. The University of Melbourne is a top Australian university. Its linguistics department has a world ranking comparable to Lancaster University's. Language testing is one of its specialisms.

Despite being relatively new to the field of linguistics, I was able to do well in this programme. I wrote my thesis on the topic of 'Test-taker discourse and assessment criteria in the OET speaking subtest', under the supervision of Prof Tim McNamara. (Download a version of my thesis.) This very positive experience encouraged me to eventually continue my postgraduate studies at Lancaster.

Prior to my Master's studies, I obtained the Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA), the most widely recognised entry-level ELT qualification in the world. 

I have also completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education from National Institute of Education, prior to teaching at the same institution. The National Institute of Education is one of the top teacher education institutions in the world, and part of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.