Role
Elena works within the Flex team as a Learning Designer. The Flex team supports NTU’s University Reimagined strategy to deliver personalised, flexible and online learning to students. Elena collaborates with academics to develop modules on NOW (NTU's Virtual Learning Environment) that are run either fully online or as part of various blended learning models. As a member of the NTU TILT ALTC Steering Group and the NOW Operations Group Elena contributes to feasibility assessments of updates to NOW.
Career overview
Elena has worked at NTU since 2012 and played a key part in the development and rollout of NTU's Grade-Based Assessment (GBA). Elena's work has also improved learning and development provision for Banner, Student Dashboard and NOW, and implemented a holistic model to support academic colleagues in their use of technology for learning, teaching and assessment.
Elena has a passion for deciphering complex processes and engaging stakeholders to work towards enhancing students’ and colleagues’ experiences, improving the usability of technologies, and reducing user effort associated with different workflows.
With an educational background in linguistics, language teaching methodologies and cross-linguistic interference, Elena has worked as a language teacher in HEI in the UK and abroad. She is particularly proud of re-vamping the Persian language teaching curriculum at the University of Manchester and personalising students’ learning.
Elena has over 20 years of experience in staff development, and has a Business Analysis and Project Management qualification. She also has extensive expertise in systems analysis and improvement, organisational change and project and portfolio management. Elena's most significant achievement from a previous role was developing sustainable processes and interfaces aimed improving user experience as part of the rollout of a new business management software in a global organisation.
Publications
Teaching strategies to overcome phonetic interference in second-language acquisition (RGGU, 2000)
Use of NOW tools to simplify the Learning Room administration process and to enhance monitoring of student progress (case study, 2012)
Use of groups and release conditions in the online Banner induction training (case study, 2012)
Blended learning in action: a case study (case study, NTU e-learning showcase, 2012)
Monthly contributions to the NTU Digital Practice Blog (2016-2018)
Supporting NTU staff to develop digital capabilities during the pandemic (NTU FOLG symposium, 2021)