CILTER Newsletter 1(10) is published
Dear IELLI Staff and Students, and friends of CILTER,
What a start to July! Between the final stretch of our Postgraduate Summer School and the exciting momentum from the launch of our Centre for International, Language and Teacher Education Research (CILTER), it has been a buzzing couple of weeks.
This issue comes with a particularly exciting opportunity: CILTER’s new Edu-X Research Fund. We are looking to support up to four projects next academic year, each with up to £1,000 in funding. But here is what makes this scheme really special: we are planning to ring-fence two of those grants for proposals led by professional services staff and postgraduate students.
Importantly, this fund is not only for formal research. We are equally interested in projects that sit close to your day-to-day work and make a difference to learners, colleagues, or the wider field. We strongly encourage cross-group collaborations: proposals that bring together academic staff, professional services colleagues, and PGT/PGR students are particularly welcome. We are now seeking feedback on this funding idea and other ways to spend the fund that will best support the work that you do with a “research mindset”. Submit your feedback and ideas by 31 July; I would love to build this fund with your input.
Also in this issue, we reflect on the successful launch of CILTER itself. The hybrid event, attended by around 80 participants in-person and online, brought together colleagues near and far, with some inspiring reflections from Lorraine Ow on the dynamic between research, policy, and practice. If you missed it, the recording is definitely worth a watch, especially the keynote starting at 25’30”.
We also spotlight the creative ways research is being brought into action across IELLI: from Ally Malcolm-Smith’s AI sessions in a Science Foundation module, to the DProf Research Salon, led by Virginia Parker, Jing Yun, and Ming Sum Kong, where students shared their work on systematic literature reviews. We are also delighted to celebrate Dr Rebecca Wilson’s national award recognising her outstanding contributions to learning development. Congratulations, Rebecca!
Also not to miss are Dr Blair Matthew’s latest publication on generative AI and learner agency and a recap of the Inform conference held at King’s College London, where IELLI staff and students presented on international pathway provision.
As always, there is much to be proud of and much more ahead. I hope to hear from you about how research (whether by you or others) has inspired the work that you do.
Best regards,
Sin-Wang
CILTER Director, IELLI Director of Research and Director of Impact and Innovation