Elia Lorena López
Lecturer in Spanish

Profile

Biography

Lorena joined Language and Linguistic Science in October 2012 after graduating from a PhD in Education at the University of York. 

She currently teaches for the Spanish Degree Programme and is the Year Abroad Coordinator for German and Spanish placements in the Department.

Prior to coming to the UK, Lorena worked as programme developer and trainer in gender equality issues in Mexico, and part of her earlier experience also includes having taught Management and IT modules in higher education. 

In addition, her former experience at the University in the area of Student Support as College Welfare representative for over three years has been instrumental in allowing her to provide effective and encouraging pastoral support to students. 

Former roles:

• Coordinator of the Languages for All (LFA) Spanish Programme (2012-2017)
• Coordinator of the Spanish Degree Programme (2017-2019)
• Coordinator of the ‘Modern Languages and Intercultural Peer Assisted Learning (PAL)’ scheme (2017-2020)

Education

• University of York
  PhD in Education (2011)
• University of Nottingham
  MA in Information Technology (2002)
• Universidad Mesoamericana
  Bachelor of Business Management (1999)

Departmental roles

• Local Safeguarding Officer (LSO) (2023 - present)
• Year Abroad Coordinator (2019 - present)

Certifications

• 2015: Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP)
• 2015: Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Teaching

Undergraduate

• Understanding Spanish-speaking Cultures and Societies - LAN00063C
• Spanish Language & Cultures: Advanced - LAN00012I
• Hispanic Culture Through Film - LAN00019I
• Hispanic Culture Through Film - LAN00041H

Publications

Full publications list

• López, Elia Lorena (2019). Awareness poster campaign for the development of presentation skills in Spanish. In Becerra, Nelson; Biasini, Rosalba; Magedera-Hofhansl, Hanna; Reimão, Ana (Eds), Innovative language teaching and learning at university: a look at new trends (pp. 115-122). Research-publishing.net. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2019.32.908
• López Ramírez, E. and López Ramírez, E. L. (2017). Intervenciones basadas en evidencia: experiencias y resultados. Revista Electrónica de Investigación Educativa, 19(2), 1-4. Available from http://redie.uabc.mx/redie/article/view/1614

External activities

Overview

External examining

University of Sheffield
Modern Languages Teaching Centre (2022 - present)

University of Reading
University Wide Language Programme, Department of Languages and Cultures website (2018-2022)

Memberships

• The Association for Language Learning (ALL)
• University Council of Modern Languages (UCML)

Invited talks and conferences

• Poster presentation 'Peer Assisted Learning for Languages at York'. Learning and Teaching Conference. University of York. 2019 (June)

• ‘Awareness poster campaign + slogan + hashtag’ for the development of presentation skills in Spanish’.  Innovative Language Teaching and Learning at University (Innoconf18). University of Liverpool. 2018 (June).

• ‘Improving Spanish students’ formal writing skills through online exercises based on common grammatical errors’. LLAS 11th annual E-Learning Symposium 2016. University of Southampton. 2016 (January).

•  ‘Leeds-York project: using Padlet for collaborative learning and peer review (CEFR B1-B2 Levels)’. LLAS 11th annual E-Learning Symposium 2016. University of Southampton (with Ricardo Michue-Bendezú). 2016 (January).

• ‘Reflection as a key learning tool in Ab initio language delivery’. Reshaping Languages in Higher Education Conference 2014. Southampton. 2014 (July).

• Poster presentation ‘Engaging Students and Promoting Dynamic Learning through Technological Tools: The case of LFA’. Higher E-Learning Conference. York St John University (with Ella Tennant). 2012 (April).