skip to primary navigation skip to content

The Language Centre  The Language Centre

The Language Centre

 

Staff List

Professor Karen Ottewell

Positions:

  • Professor of Contrastive Rhetoric and Written Articulacy 
  • Director of Academic Development & Training for International Students (ADTIS)
  • Fellow & Tutor of Lucy Cavendish College
  • Senior Esquire Bedell
  • External Examiner: University of Winchester

Contact Information

Telephone: +44 (0)1223(3)35004
Email: ko201@cam.ac.uk

Dr Karen Ottewell

Profile

Previous Positions

  • Abteilungsleiterin Englisch für Philologen, Sprachenzentrum, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany (April 2007-August 2008)
  • University Teaching Associate on the Postgraduate Development Programme, University of Cambridge (2007-2011)
  • Supervisor and Examiner for Paper 7 (German) of the Part I English Tripos, University of Cambridge (Oct. 2006-May 2014)
  • Head and Trustee of The St. Luke’s Institute, Cambridge UK (August 2004-March 2007)
  • Translator – Campus Germany, Deutsche Welle, Bonn, Germany (2002-2007)
  • Seminar Leader for UN Entrance Exams, German Foreign Office, Berlin, Germany (2003-2005)
  • Senior Lecturer in Banking English, Deutscher Sparkassen- und Giroverband, Bonn, Germany (2001-2004)
  • Lecturer in English, German Foreign Office Training Institute, Bonn, Germany (2002-2003)
  • Lektorin, Englisches Seminar, Universität Bonn, Germany (1999-2004)
  • Part-time Lecturer in German, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK (1996-1998)

Research Interests

  • Cultural Influence on Writing
  • Contrastive Rhetoric
  • Assessment Design
  • Academic Literacy

Education

  • Ed.D. ‘Looking behind the Writing: The design and implementation of a framework to provide transitional support for the development of written articulacy at PG level – a University of Cambridge Case Study’; Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge (2021)
  • PhD ‘Lessing and the Sturm und Drang’, Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge (2000)
  • MPhil. in European Literature, Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge (1995)
  • M.A. (Hons.) in German Language & Literature, University of St. Andrews, (1994)

Awards and Fellowships

  • Pilkington Teaching Prize (2016)

External Examiner Appointments

  • University of St. Andrews
    International Foundation Programme - January Intake (Oct 2015-August 2019)
    In-Sessional Programme (Oct. 2016-August 2019)
  • University of Winchester
    Certificate of English for International Students (Oct. 2011-June 2015)
    International Foundation Programme (Oct.2011-June 2014)
  • University of Leeds (April 2010-June 2014)
    English for International Communication
    English for Interpreters
    English for Translators
    English for Public Speaking
    English for Precis and Document Drafting
  • Aston University (April 2012-April 2014)
    English for Medicine (MSc)
    English for Medicine (PhD)

National Memberships

  • British Educational Research Association (BERA)
  • UK Association for Language Testing and Assessment (UKALTA)
  • British Association of Applied Linguistics (BAAL)
  • Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE)
  • Chartered Institute of Linguists (Status: MCIL)

Current Projects

  • International consultancy on academic literacy assessment practices 
  • Development and delivery of a suite of workshops on academic written articulacy for L2 and L1 postgraduates 

Publications

Ottewell, K.  Looking behind the Writing - the cultural difficulties facing novice postgraduate second language (L2) writers in English, In Lee & Bongaardt (Eds.), The Future of Doctoral Education (Routledge: 2021).  

Burnard P. A, Dragovic T, Ottewell K, Lim W.M. (2018). Voicing the professional doctorate and the researching professional's identity: Theorising EdD's uniqueness. The London Review of Education Special Issue 

Ottewell, K. (2017). Notes on a Proposed Test of Academic Literacy for PG Entry, Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on ESP/EAP/EMI in the Context of Higher Education Internationalisation (NUST MISiS, Moscow).

Ottewell, K. & Lim W.M. (2016). PhD: Been There, Done That: So, why do a (second), Professional Doctorate?, In Burnard, P.a.. et.al (Eds). Transformative Doctoral Research Practices for Professionals (Sense Publishers: Rotterdam), pp. 29-42.

D. Litman, S. Young, M. Gales, K. Knill, K. Ottewell, R. van Dalen and D. Vandyke (2016). Towards Using Conversations with Spoken Dialogue Systems in the Automated Assessment of Non-Native Speakers of English. Sigdial. (Los Angeles, CA).

Lu, Z, Li, L & Ottewell, K. (2016). Rhetorical diversity and the implications for teaching academic English, Asian Journal of Applied Linguistics (Vol.3:1), pp.101-113.

Ottewell, K (2008). Das Eignungsfeststellungsverfahren mit anschließender Studienfachberatung der Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg – Ein Erfahrungsbericht, Conference Proceedings of the AKS (Arbeitskreis der Sprachenzentren, Sprachlehrinstitute und Fremdspracheninstitute) 2008: Sprachen als akademische Schlüsselkompetenz? (Bochem), pp.185-192.

Ottewell, K. (2003). Aspects of foreign language competence in business communication, In Ashauer, G. (Ed.) Bildung – Führung – Veränderung: Deutsche Sparkassenakademie 75 Jahre Lehrinstitut 1928-2003 (Bonn), pp. 209-231.

Ottewell, K. (2003). English … the sine qua non of global communication, Die Sparkassen Zeitung (Deutsche Sparkassenakademie: Bonn), pp10-11.

Ottewell, K. (2002). Lessing and the Sturm und Drang: A Reappraisal Revisited (Pere Lang Verlag: Essen).

Conferences

2021
Higher School of Economics, Moscow: Academic Writing Center: Supporting Faculty in Their Publication Efforts: Best Practices

  • Plenary: Writing across cultures: Supporting EAL students to develop their discipline-specific academic literacy
  • Workshop: Getting Published: Pitfalls to Overcome

Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology: 3rd International Conference on Academic Writing - Teaching Research Writing: Approaches and Assessment

  • Plenary: Effective Assessment Criteria for Academic Literacy in English

2020
Inclusion 2020, Inter American Academy, Guayaquil, Ecuador INVITED SPEAKER

  • Writing across Cultures

Casa Grande University, Guayaquil, Ecuador INVITED SPEAKER

  • Writing across Cultures

BERA-CERA Writing for Publications Workshop 2020, Durham University

  • OPENING KEYNOTE Writing across Cultures

2019
Norwegian Forum of English for Academic Purposes (NFEAP), Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway

  • Writing across Cultures: supporting PG students whose first language is not English to develop their discipline-specific academic literacy
European Association of Teachers of Academic Writing (EATAW), Gothenburg, Sweden
  • Writing across Cultures: supporting PG students whose first language is not English to develop their discipline-specific academic literacy

2018
XXIVth Annual NATE Russia: International Convention & English Language Expo, Samara University

  • Plenary: Why academic writing is so hard – and what we can do to help
  • Workshop: The Craft of Academic Argument
  • Workshop: Writing for Publication – The pitfalls and strategies for avoiding them…

2017
Centre for Advanced English Studies 2 (CAES): Teaching and Researching Academic & Professional English, Hong Kong University

  • Postgraduate EAL Writing and the overlooked influence of Rhetorical Transfer
  • Encouraging better preparation – a new Test of Academic Literacy for entry onto postgraduate EMI courses

European Association of Teachers of Academic Writing (EATAW): Academic Writing Now: Policy, Pedagogy and Practice, Royal Holloway University

  • Postgraduate EAL Writing and the overlooked influence of Rhetorical Transfer

Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE): Researching, Supervising and Working in and with Other Cultures and Languages, SRHE (London)

  • Writing across cultures: Supporting PG students whose first language is not English to develop their discipline-specific academic literacy

Association of Language Testers (ALTE) 6th International Conference, Bologna

  • Encouraging better preparation – a new Test of Academic Literacy for entry onto postgraduate EMI courses

2016
3rd International Conference on ESP/EAP/EMI in the Context of Higher Education Internationalisation (NUST MISiS, Moscow): PLENARY

  • Encouraging better preparation – a new Test of Academic Literacy for entry onto postgraduate EMI courses
  • Cultural Mechanics of English – or: What makes English tick…

British Association of Applied Linguistics (BAAL)/Routledge Workshop Series, Manchester Metropolitan University

  • PG entry requirements to HE: What should we be testing?

2015
University of St. Andrews EAP Conference: Assessment in EAP – What’s the score?

  • PG entry requirements to HE: What should we be testing?

2nd International Conference on ESP/EAP/EMI in the Context of Higher Education Internationalisation (NUST MISiS, Moscow): PLENARY

  • Test of Academic Literacy for PG Entry: What should we be testing?

International Association of Research Universities (IARU), University of Oxford

  • What studying in English actually means… And what we should be making explicit

British Association of Lecturers of English for Academic Purposes (BALEAP): PIM Process and Practice in EAP, University of Sheffield

  • PG entry requirements to HE: What should we be testing?

University of the Arts: LCF College Conference: Attainment (London) INVITED SPEAKER

  • Is language a barrier to attainment?

Centre for Advanced English Studies 1 (CAES): Teaching and Researching Academic & Professional English, Hong Kong University

  • Rhetorical Diversity and the Implications for Teaching Academic English

Tsinghua University EAP/ESP Conference, Beijing

  • Rhetorical Diversity and the Implications for Teaching Academic English

Association of University Language Centres (AULC): Superdiversity in Language Centres, University of Cambridge

  • Rhetorical Diversity and the Implications for Teaching Academic English

2014
University of St. Andrews EAP Conference: Innovation in EAP

  • Cambridge’s Online EAP Courseware: What we’ve done; what we’re doing; and what we’re going to do

1st International Conference on ESP/EAP/EMI in the Context of Higher Education Internationalisation (NUST MISiS, Moscow): PLENARY

  • Cultural Modes of Argumentation: The Mechanics of English
  • The Cambridge Approach: An overview of our Pre-Sessional and In-Sessional Programmes

2013
British Association of Lecturers of English for Academic Purposes (BALEAP) Conference, University of Nottingham

  • EAP Best Practices for the wider University: Teaching International Students: Facts – Myths – Strategies

University of St. Andrews EAP Conference: Materials for Thought: moving best practice in EAP forward

  • EAP Best Practices for the wider University

2012

Cambridge University Press (CUP): Cambridge Day (London) INVITED SPEAKER

  • English for Academic Purposes courses are not just language courses…