Ms. Upeksha Rathnasena

Senior Lecturer

Faculty of Humanities & Sciences | English Language Teaching Unit

Career Summary

Upeksha Rathnasena is a senior lecturer in English with more than 12 years of tertiary teaching experience. In addition to her teaching, she serves as the Module Coordinator for EAP (Faculty of Computing) and the Coordinator / Teaching Associate for PELA Programmae (Faculty of Computing- Curtin University Module).Upeksha is the coordinator for CAE ( Certificate in Advanced English- Faculty of Humanities and Sciences) She serves as the Senior Treasurer of SLIIT Art Circle. She is also an executive committee member of Sri Lanka English Language Teachers’ Association (SLELTA) and is the co-editor of the Quarterly of SLELTA.

11/2016 to date-Senior Lecturer in English – English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU),Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology
02/2014 – to 10/ 2016 Head/ Senior Lecturer in English (Centre for English Learning and Teaching-CELT) Saegis Campus-
07/2010 to 10/2014 – Lecturer in English- English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU), Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology
05/ 2009 – 05/2010 Consultant/ English Lecturer - National Institute of Business Management, NIBM
01/2005– 05/2009 English Lecturer – Degree Division, Royal Institute of Colombo, RIC (affiliated to University of London)
01/2002- 05/2002 Visiting Instructor- (GELT Course- General English Language Teaching), English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU), University of Kelaniya
06/2004- 09/2004 Visiting Instructor-(IRQUE PROJECT) English Skills Programme for Final Year students ,English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU), University of Kelaniya

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

BA (Hons) in English, University of Kelaniya
MA in Linguistics, University of Kelaniya
Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching English as a Second Language (PGDE :TESL),University of Colombo
M phil in Education (Curriculum Study), University of Colombo
British Council Certified IELTS Trainer
Certificate in Teaching Methodology in Higher Education conducted by the Internal Quality Assurance Unit (SLIIT)

HONOURS AND AWARDS

Award for the Best Participant/Lesson Delivery at Staff Development Programme conducted by Staff Development Centre (SDC), Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology
Merit Award ( Teaching English as a Second Language (PGDE :TESL),University of Colombo, Faculty of Education)

Research Interests and Memberships

Research Interests

Teacher Agency and Learner Motivation in the ESL classroom
Teacher Identity and its impact on university EAP curriculum
Role of L1 in the ESL classroom
University ESL curriculum design
Usage of Online Bilingual Translators among undergraduates in the ESL context

Memberships

Sri Lanka English Language Teachers’ Association (SLELTA)

Ongoing Research

The preferences and attitudes of first year undergraduates towards online (LMS: Moodle based) English summative assessments ( Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology)
Offline Bilingual Dictionary App usage and preferences of Sri Lankan undergraduates in the context of English for Academic Purposes (EAP)
Plagiarism among undergraduate non-native speakers of English in Sri Lankan Universities

My Publications

Conference Presentations

Upeksha Rathnasena " �Facebook group as a learning tool for young adults in ESL� Presentation, at 9th International SLELTA conference on �The role of English and ELT in Reconciliation� , 2017
Upeksha Rathnasena (Co-author) " �Analysis of Common English errors found in the writing of the first year students at the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology� Presentation, at 7th International SLELTA conference on �changing paradigms in English Language teaching, 2012
Upeksha Rathnasena (Co-author) " How ICT can be used effectively to enhance English language learning in tertiary education: a study focusing on speaking and listening skills� Presentation, at � South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine RSEA , 2012

Journal Publications Under Review

Upeksha Rathnasena & Lakshman Wedikkarage " An Evaluation of the University ESL Curriculum: Insights " Under Review
Upeksha Rathnasena " An Action research on improving the ability of using pre-nominal possessives in ESL writing among Grade Seven students at a government school " Under Review