Dr Weronika Fernando, PhD in Applied Linguistics and Education Research (KCL)

Profile

My research focuses on language and literacy in specialised educational and societal contexts, with a particular interest in how they shape participation, knowledge and relationships. In higher education, a central focus of my work is assessment and its relationship with academic literacy development, disciplinary knowledge and student learning. I am interested in assessment design and feedback, and in what disciplinary approaches to literacy mean for curriculum and pedagogy. I also consider the role of emotions in literacy development, including how anxiety, confidence and a sense of belonging shape experiences of becoming a writer and communicator. My work includes learning support technologies and the ways emerging technologies, including generative AI, are changing writing, authorship, assessment and feedback. Beyond higher education, I am interested in the wider societal dimensions of specialised communication, particularly health communication across cultures, including how language shapes expert knowledge, institutional relationships and public understanding, and can reinforce or challenge inequalities.

I completed my undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the Institute of English Studies at the University of Wrocław before teaching English as a Foreign Language in Poland and the UK. I later taught College Composition and Rhetoric at an American university in London and served as Chair of Writing Across the Curriculum. These experiences led to my PhD at King’s College London, which focused on academic literacies and assessment in higher education.

At Queen Mary University of London, I lead QM Elevate, a university-wide programme in Academic and Professional Communication, and teach on the MA TESOL programme. My teaching and curriculum development focus on specialised varieties of English, teaching English to young learners, curriculum design, and social justice and ideology in language education.

Alongside my academic work and teaching, I have a strong professional interest in institutional-level education policy and staff development, particularly in relation to teaching, assessment and curriculum. I currently serve as Co-Director of Education for the School of the Arts.

I am a qualified teacher of English as a Foreign Language and of Polish Language and Culture. I am a native speaker of Polish and also hold a Level 1 British Sign Language (BSL) Certificate, with a passive working knowledge of French and conversational proficiency in Italian.

Research

Examples of research funding:

Funded projects as project lead

Inclusivity, interactivity and communities of practice: exploring principles of an instructional design in a post-pandemic online programme in English for academic study. 

British Association of Lecturers in English for Academic Purposes (BALEAP)
£5,000 | 2023–25

Get spotted! a podcast series and a masterclass on communicative practices that make you stand out at university and in your dream job! 

This project was developed with Dr Saima Sherazi and Debra Hills.

President and Principal’s Fund for Educational Excellence, Queen Mary University of London
£10,000 | 2023/24

Funded projects as collaborator

Future Ready: Integrating Artificial Intelligence, Interdisciplinary Practices, and Entrepreneurial skills for Enhanced Student Employability

Project lead: Aisha Abuelmaatti (School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science)

Collaborators: Jo Elliott (Medicine and Dentistry), Karen Watton (School of Law), Leon Vinokur (School of Economics and Finance), Paraskevi Argriou (School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences), Pedro Elston (Institute of Health Sciences Education), Veronica Veleanu (School of Economics and Finance), Weronika Fernando (School of Languages, Linguistics and Film) and Xue Zhou (School of Business and Management)                                                                                                              

President and Principal’s Fund for Educational Excellence, Queen Mary University of London
£10,000 | 2024/25

AI-assisted development of feedback literacy skills to improve student progression and graduate employability

Project lead: Eileen Tipoe (School of Economics and Finance)

Collaborators: Paolo Oliva, Lilian Schofield, Yuan Zhao, Giulia De Falco, Daniela Tavasci, Luigi Ventimiglia, Adrian Armstrong, Weronika Fernando.                                                     

President and Principal’s Fund for Educational Excellence, Queen Mary University of London
£10,000 | 2026/27

 

Publications

Fernando, W. (2020). Moodle quizzes and their usability for formative assessment of academic writing. Assessing Writing, 46, 100485.

Fernando, W. (2018). Show me your true colours: Scaffolding formative academic literacy assessment through an online learning platform. Assessing Writing, 36, 63-76.

Supervision

I welcome applications from prospective PhD students. I am particularly interested in supervising research on assessment in higher education and language education; academic language and literacies; and specialised discourse and communication, particularly in health and other socially significant contexts. I also invite interdisciplinary projects that explore language, communication, and education across diverse cultural settings.

Current PhD students

Norah Ibrahim Saad Almohizea - Thesis title: Metaphorical Conceptualisation of Covid-19 in British and Saudi Political Discourse: A Critical Metaphor Analysis