HOW I CAME INTO THE FIELD
I first spent an extended period abroad as an au pair in East Berlin then as an exchange student at the University of Kiel in Germany, investigating the North Frisian dialect of Langenhorn village for my dissertation. After graduating in Linguistics from the University of Reading, I travelled across Europe and Asia, where my interest in different languages and cultures was fuelled further.
Arriving in Singapore, I taught English at the British Council for four years, then for three years in Kyoto and Tokyo I was an English language specialist and teacher trainer, helping to establish the Tokyo teaching centre.
On returning to the UK, I continued to teach international students from beginners to Masters level at Ealing College of Higher Education having completed an MA, focusing on bilingual education, at the Institute of Education in London.
During a long career in Leeds I continued my work with international students and, until July 2011, I was Professor of the Internationalisation of Higher Education and International Dean at Leeds Metropolitan University. There I led the ‘Worldwide Horizons’ drive which saw internationalisation as fundamental for all students and staff.
I am married to Steve Smith, an influential author, resource writer and teacher educator in French language teaching, and we have a son, Joel, who is a post-doctoral research associate in perovskite solar cells at the University of Oxford.
My principal higher education interests in scholarship and practice include:
1 Internationalisation of the curriculum and internationalisation at home
2 Inclusive internationalisation
3 The international student experience
4 Learning outcomes of internationalisation, including employability
5 Global citizenship and intercultural competence
6 The role of languages in internationalisation
7 Strategic leadership, organisational change and staff development for internationalisation