Role
Dr Lia Blaj-Ward (SFHEA) oversees the planning, design, delivery, and evaluation of English for Academic Purposes provision in the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment and the School of Art and Design.
Lia contributes to the implementation of NTU’s learning, teaching and professional development framework through the in-house professional recognition scheme (mentoring colleagues and assessing applications) and through participating in TILT activity (e.g., reviewing funding applications and co-chairing, with Dr Rose Gann, a TILT Practice and Scholarship Group focused on advancing recognition for learning, teaching and scholarship careers in higher education).
Lia currently co-supervises one EdD student (Faith Nightingale).
In 2021 Lia received a Vice-Chancellor's Teaching Award.
In 2022-2023 Lia is involved in a TILT-funded team sabbatical project (with Charlie Pratley, Sarah Johnson, Andy Love and Aneka Bartley), focused on student-staff co-creation of life-relevant learning resources and experiences.
Research areas
Lia conducts and publishes research to inform pedagogic practice and strategy development alongside two interconnected strands:
- the development and evaluation of academic literacies provision (EAP and EMI) in higher education contexts and
- the role that university curricula and experiences play in developing students’ career aspirations (e.g., through projects involving students as pedagogic consultants or through exploring various aspects of climate change education at university).
External activity
Lia is an assessor for the BALEAP Accreditation Scheme and currently the accreditation scheme Chair (2022-2025). She set up and coordinated BALEAP's funding scheme for 2020 (Narratives of Innovation and Resilience) and the 2019 Collaborative Practice initiative. Previously, Lia held various roles on the BALEAP Executive Committee (most recently Treasurer, April 2017 - April 2020).
Lia peer reviews book proposals and journal article manuscripts and is Associate Editor for Higher Education Research and Development (https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/cher20).
Lia was external examiner for Coventry University's MA in Academic Writing Development and Research (2017-2021).
Since 2019 Lia has designed and facilitated bespoke week-long work experience programmes for pre-18 students from a local girls' school (see account by 2020 participant here).
Publications
Blaj-Ward, L., 2022. Academic Literacies Provision for International Students: Evaluating Impact and Quality. Palgrave Macmillan.
Molthan-Hill, P. and Blaj-Ward, L., 2022. Assessing climate solutions and taking climate leadership: how can universities prepare their students for challenging times? Teaching in Higher Education. ISSN 1356-2517
Blaj-Ward, L., 2021. Impactful teaching and learning in the slow lane. Wonkhe Ltd.
Blaj-Ward, L. and Matic, J., 2020. Navigating assessed coursework to build and validate professional identities: the experiences of fifteen international students in the UK. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. ISSN 0260-2938
SDGs
The main UN Sustainable Development Goals which inform Lia's work are: 4 Quality education, 5 Gender equality, 13 Climate change, and 17 Partnership for the goals.