About
I joined the University of Birmingham (UoB) in 2008 where my current role is BME (Business Management English) WebCT Coordinator & EAP Tutor at the English for International Students Unit (EISU) in the Birmingham Foundation Academy.
I am periodically tasked with designing some of the print and multimedia marketing materials for the Unit.
Qualifications
Degrees
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MA in ELT for Specific Purposes
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MA in English Literature
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MBA in Marketing
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Bachelor of Commerce
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BA in Journalism & Political Science
Certificates
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TEFLQ
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Certificate in Professional Studies in Education
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Teacher Training Certificate
Biography
My professional career began as a journalist at the age of 19, when I was appointed by The Frontier Post daily newspaper to work as sub-editor of their weekend magazine. Since then, I have worked as copywriter with Genesis Productions; voiceover artist with a number of independent production houses, including Telesman; business report writer with Mischievous Marketing Ltd; corporate trainer at NetSol Omni Ltd (training arm of Nestol Technologies Ltd, a NASDAQ company); and senior news anchor at Business Plus, satellite TV channel. I also acted as the lead character in a short-short film, The Work of Art, made for the Warwick Shootout Competition.
Since 1997, I have worked as both teacher and teacher trainer at HE institutions in Pakistan (National College of Business Administration & Economics), Oman (Polyglot Institute LLC) and the UK (University of Warwick & University of Birmingham). Currently at the UoB, in addition to my responsibilities at EISU, I work as an Online Distance Learning (ODL) TEFL Tutor with the English Language & Applied Linguistics (ELAL) Division. Biannually, I am engaged by Masaryk University in the Czech Republic for online teaching and publication projects.
Scholarships & Awards
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Full Hornby Education Trust Scholarship to study on the MA in ELT for Specific Purposes programme at the University of Warwick
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PCBA Director's Scholarship for scoring distinctions in the MBA degree programme at the University of Central Punjab
Teaching
I teach English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses for the following Birmingham Business School programmes:
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MBA Suite
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MSc Marketing Suite
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MSc Investments
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MSc Economics
Additionally, I teach lunchtime Open Access EAP classes in a range of areas, including:
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Academic Writing
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Vocabulary
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Speaking & Pronunciation
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Writing Workshops for PhD students
I also offer one-to-one tutorials run by EISU.
Other activities
Conferences
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Co-delivered a paper on 'Pedagogies for Autonomy - Booster Week' at the BALEAP Biennial Conference, University of Nottingham, Nottingham (April 2013)
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Co-delivered an interactive workshop on 'Understanding Presessional Students’ Provenance & Managing their Expectations' research project at the BALEAP Professional Issues Meeting (PIM), University of Kent, Kent (February 2012)
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Delivered 'e-Boardwork – Simple yet Smart' presentation at the BALEAP PIM, University of Bristol, Bristol (February 2011); and at the Teaching & Learning Conference, University of Birmingham, Birmingham (June 2010)
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Teacher Trainer on the theme of 'English for Young Learners in Latin America & the Caribbean' at the two-week Hornby Regional Summer School, San Nicolas, Argentina (January 2008)
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Conducted workshops on 'Developing Short Story Writing Among Adult ESL Students' at the TESL Ontario International Conference, Toronto, Canada (November 2006); 3rd AZETA International Conference, Baku, Azerbaijan (September 2006); IATEFL-HU Literature SIG Short Story Day, Budapest, Hungary (May 2006); and SPELT International Conferences, Lahore, Pakistan (2002 & 2003)
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Delivered a poster presentation titled 'ELT Issues in Developing Countries' at the 3rd Biennial International Research Festival, University of Warwick, Coventry (June 2006); and with fellow Hornby scholars at the IATEFL 40th Annual International Conference, Harrogate (April 2006)
Research
On-going research project (with J. Rees & S. Butt): Understanding UK Presessional Students’ Provenance & Managing their Expectations
Publications
I have published over 130 articles in a number of newspapers and magazines.