The TELSIG Podcast

Today I’m talking to Samantha Curle from the University of Bath about her recent article, Generative AI and the future of writing for publication: insights from applied linguistics journal editors.
The peer review process is under increasing strain. With the explosion of submissions to academic journals since ChatGPT became available to all, editorial boards are struggling to keep pace. Peer reviewers are in short supply, and this has prompted (pardon the pun) an increased use of AI in the review process itself, leading to concerns that some articles may be making it to print without having been subjected to the appropriate level of scrutiny.
Samantha and I dig into the data from her study of journal editors and discuss the cracks that are appearing in the system. We also talk about pressure to publish, questionable research practices, the replication crisis, opaque data sets, the future of publishing and more. Samantha also offers advice to teacher researchers looking to publish, and her plans for future projects.
Guest bioSamantha Curle is a Reader in Applied Linguistics at the University of Bath & Adjunct Professor at Khazar University, Azerbaijan. She is Co-founder of the Cambridge ReachSci Mini-PhD on Multilingual Education & a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy & the Royal Society of Arts. She read for her DPhil in Education (Applied Linguistics) at the University of Oxford, having previously read for two MSc degrees there. Her research focuses on English Medium Instruction (EMI) in higher education, examining factors that influence academic achievement, such as English proficiency & psychological constructs. Her research spans across four continents (Africa, Asia, Europe, South America) and she has published in journals such as Language Teaching & Journal of Engineering Education.
ReferencesMoorhouse, B., Consoli, S. and Curle, S. (2025). Generative AI and the future of writing for publication: insights from applied linguistics journal editors. Applied Linguistics Review. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2025-0021 
Samantha’s Research Gate profile https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Samantha-Curle Follow Samantha on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthacurle/
Further readingHinz, A. (2025). Navigating Generative AI in Academic Publishing: An Interview With Benjamin Luke Moorhouse. De Gruyter Conversations. Available at: https://blog.degruyter.com/navigating-generative-ai-in-academic-publishing-an-interview-with-benjamin-luke-moorhouse/
Gibney, E. (2025) Scientists hide messages in papers to game AI peer review. Nature. Available at:doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-02172-y
Kurzgesagt - In a nutshell. (2025). AI Slop is destroying the internet. [Video]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zfN9wnPvU0 [Accessed 16th October 2025].
Simons, J. (2024) Harvard’s Gino Report Reveals How A Dataset Was Altered. Data Colada. Available at: https://datacolada.org/118 [Accessed 11th August 2025]
Timecodes00:00 Introduction01:49 Samantha Curle06:22 The spike in submissions11:05 Why the peer review process was already struggling13:09 AI generated reviews15:50 The importance of rigorous peer review24:31 Rethinking the process29:03 Questionable research practices34:05 What has changed in the wake of the replication crisis?35:34 The difficulty of accessing data sets40:35 Who can instigate change?44:07 Advice for teachers looking to publish48:39 Samantha’s future projects

Many of the skills and language conventions that we see in academia can serve as barriers to students, especially to those for whom English is not a first language. Translanguaging argues for a more inclusive approach to these conventions, and looks for ways in which we can take a more pluralistic view of what kinds of communication are seen as acceptable. 
Kelly Webb-Davies joins us to talk through some of the core tenets of translanguaging, how it can help students and the role of technology in levelling the playing field. We also discuss some of the practicalities around translanguaging’s implementation in the classroom, recent developments in assessments, authorship and intelligibility, and a whole lot more.
Kelly delivered a webinar for TELSIG last year that also offers a clear and comprehensive introduction to translanguaging: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-600GB8w-WQ
Guest Bio
Kelly Webb-Davies is a Lead Business Technologist at the Centre and her academic background is in linguistics, with degrees from the University of Western Australia and the University of Melbourne. Before joining Oxford, she lectured on phonetics and phonology at the University of Bangor and was a Trinity DipTESOL-qualified English for Academic Purposes tutor and Technology Enhanced Learning and Language Lead at Bangor University International College, where working with international students and responding to their specific needs informed her practice of integrating AI productively to assist with their academic and linguistic proficiency.
Her focus is thoughtfully integrating AI into higher education in ways that enhance communication, reduce bias, and expand access to knowledge. She is particularly interested in how AI can be used to address the unique challenges of groups facing linguistic barriers and neurodivergence, creating more inclusive and accessible educational environments. She advocates for a balanced approach that maintains human involvement and fosters critical thinking alongside AI implementation and her work explores innovative ways to incorporate this philosophy into pedagogical and assessment design, ensuring that AI tools complement and enrich education.
Deanne Cobb-Zygadlo has been an EAP tutor at Nazarbayev University since 2015. She is the co-coordinator of the Technology-Enhanced Learning Special Interest Group (TELSIG) with BALEAP, which is the accreditation organization for the NU Foundation Year Program. She is also a member of the ENAI (European Network for Academic Integrity) Policies Working Group.
Further reading 
Lee, J.W., (2016) Beyond Translingual Writing. College English. Available at https://www.jstor.org/stable/44805916
Jacob, S., Tate, T., and Warschauer, M., (2025). Emergent AI-assisted discourse: a case studyof a second language writer authoring with ChatGPT. De Gruyter Brill. Available at: https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/jccall-2024-0011/html
Tan, S. (2024) Translanguaging in second language writing processes. Linguistics and Education. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0898589824000664?via%3Dihub
Wei, L. (2022). Translanguaging as a political stance: implications for English language education. ELT Journal. Available at: https://academic.oup.com/eltj/article/76/2/172/6483197
Zhou, S., Zhao, S., Groves, M. (2022). Towards a digital bilingualism? Students’ use of machinetranslation in international higher education. Journal of English for Academic Purposes. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1475158522001138?via=ihub
Timecodes
00:00 Deanne takes over01:46 Kelly Webb-Davies03:11 What is translanguaging?05:11 Breaking into academic English08:11 Disrupting the hegemony 13:30 The origins of translanguaging and overlap with World Englishes17:33 The art of simple communication21:16 Judith Butler’s use of academese 27:00 Is translaguaging too woke?32:20 Writing isn’t always thinking35:45 Shifting the responsibility from the speaker to the listener40:25 Increasing variety in assessment48:00 Is it fair to ask students to deal with non-standard language?54:01 Applying inclusivity to journal submission guidelines 

This is the last in a three-part series exploring responses from the EAP community following three years of Chat GPT induced mayhem. We talk through adaptations in the classroom, transferability and AI skills in the workplace, how to prepare students for higher education, the lack of consistency both within and among universities, reducing students’ reliance on gen AI, the dangers of confirmation bias, the need for change, the future of assessment, and other topics.
Contributing to this conversation is Jim Merry from Nottingham Ningbo University in China and Dr Vic Wilson-Crane from Kaplan. Jim is at the EAP coal face working to adapt his teaching and course design to the realities of student gen AI use, while Vic’s role in the Centre for Learning Innovation and Quality has given her a bird's eye view of institutional responses from across higher education.
We also manage to get Deanne Cobb-Zygadlo's mic and echo cancellation working to get her view of the response from Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan. Are clear policies and declarations of use enough, or are more far-reaching changes needed for EAP and higher education to stay ahead of the curve?
Guest bios
Jim Merry is an EAP tutor at University of Nottingham Ningbo China. He has worked in EAP and test preparation for over twenty years. Jim is interested in syllabus design, and is currently trying to navigate how to integrate AI more meaningfully into his work. 
Dr Victoria Wilson-Crane has worked in education, in a variety of settings, for over 25 years.  Vic has worked for Kaplan, one of the world’s largest global educators, for eighteen years. She leads Kaplan International Pathways’ Centre for Learning Innovation and Quality, a team of educational experts and developers, responsible for directing quality assurance and innovative learning and assessment in the Kaplan Pathways colleges in the UK.  Vic has a particular interest in employability: her doctoral studies explored transition from school to further education and employment.  A keen lifelong learner herself, she is a Senior Fellow of the Staff and Educational Development Association and a Certified Member of the Association for Learning Technology.
Deanne Cobb-Zygadlo has been an EAP tutor at Nazarbayev University since 2015. She is the co-coordinator of the Technology-Enhanced Learning Special Interest Group (TELSIG) with BALEAP, which is the accreditation organization for the NU Foundation Year Program. She is also a member of the ENAI (European Network for Academic Integrity) Policies Working Group.
Timecodes
00:00 Intro to Vic Wilson-Crane
06:38 Changes brought about since COVID
07:11 Intro to Jim Merry
10:30 Intro to Deanne Cobb-Zygadlo
13:00 Educating students about the risk of AI dependency 
17:55 difficulties in merging AI literacies with EAP
19:25 Developing transferable AI skills
22:10 The kindness curriculum 
22:33 What do we lose when we modernise academic skills?
26:25 Student awareness of AI limitations
27:27 What do employers want?
33:26 Gen AI tells us what we want to hear.
35:45 The future of assessment

In part two of ‘are we still language teachers?’ I’m joined in the studio by Thuy Thai and Charles Lam from the University of Leeds. Thuy and Charles argue for the continued relevance of language proficiency in education and in the role of EAP. We also examine the broadening scope of ‘academic skills’ that has come to include AI literacy, and raising awareness among students about things like overreliance and ethical use. 
We discuss Thuy’s research into green traffic lights, and give thoughts on the precedents and pitfalls of cognitive offloading, revisiting territory from earlier episodes with Danny Liu and Michael Gerlich. Thuy and Charles also give their take on the findings of the notorious MIT study.
Thuy Thai is a lecturer in English for Academic Purposes at the Language Centre, School of Languages, Cultures and Societies at the University of Leeds. She has a background in academic language instruction, test and assessment development and student support. She previously worked at Leeds Trinity University as a student achievement adviser, where she supported diverse student cohorts in navigating academic challenges and developing effective study strategies. Earlier in her career, she served as a test development researcher at the University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University-Hanoi. Alongside her research role, she also developed and taught EAP courses, helping students gain the academic language needed for success in Vietnam’s higher education.
Charles Lam is a Lecturer in English for Academic Purposes in the Language Centre, School of Languages, Cultures and Societies at University of Leeds. He graduated at Purdue University in the US. Prior to joining Leeds, he taught linguistics and EAP for several years in Hong Kong. His teaching interests lie in academic communications in STEM. Currently he co-leads Academic Literacies for Biological Sciences and Language for Engineering. His research includes corpus linguistics and digital humanities. 
Further reading
Kosmyna, N., Hauptmann, E., Yuan, Y. T., Situ, J., Liao, X. H., Beresnitzky, A. V., and Maes, P. (2025). Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task. arXiv preprint arXiv:2506.08872.

Today I’m in conversation with Paul Breen, Senior Digital Learning Developer at UCL to get his take on how EAP and ‘hub’ disciplines should be adapting in the wake of AI. We often hear about the need to ‘embrace’ AI, so we try to unpack what this actually means. 
EAP practitioners and learning developers are often looked at as the ones to help students navigate the demands and conventions of academia, so who better than to set students straight on what constitutes appropriate use, what a purple traffic light means on an assignment brief and the myriad capabilities and limitations of Chat GPT. But how many EAP teachers feel qualified to deal with these issues? Paul and I talk about this and a range of other topics, such as how EAP teachers from the past would react to today’s EAP, the need for language proficiency, translanguaging, the relevance of certification, and more. 
Paul Breen is Senior Digital Learning Developer and Lecturer in EAP at UCL Centre for Languages and International Education. His research interests are in educational technology, language and identity and social justice. He is the author of Developing Educators in the Digital Age.
Further reading
Breen, P. (2018). Developing Educators for the Digital Age: A Framework for Capturing Knowledge in Action. London: University of Westminster Press.
 

Today I'm talking with Danny Liu about assessment in the age of AI. So far, the idea of a 'traffic light' approach to assessment has been gaining traction in higher education in response to the widespread availability of generative AI. Using the traffic light metaphor, assignments are colour coded according to the level of AI use deemed to be permissible. However, as these systems rely solely on student self report on the level of AI use, Danny argues that there is a danger that they lose their value as valid assessment tools. 
Danny talks us through the two-lane approach to assessment that has been adopted at the University of Sydney, distinguishing between 'Lane One' supervised assessments aimed at measuring student capability and 'Lane Two' assessments that encourage learning and engagement with AI. We talk through the process of making structural assessment changes, responses from academics, retaining student engagement, and a range of other topics.  
Guest bio
Danny is a molecular biologist by training, programmer by night, researcher and faculty developer by day, and educator at heart. A multiple international and national teaching award winner, he works at the confluence of artificial intelligence, student engagement, and educational technology. A Professor of Educational Technologies at the University of Sydney, he co-chairs the University's AI in Education working group, and leads the Cogniti.ai initiative that puts educators in the driver's seat of AI.
Find Danny on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannydotliu/ and check out the University of Sydney’s AI for Educators resource page at https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/63765
Further reading
Corbin, T., Dawson, P. and Liu, D. (2025). Talk is cheap: why structural assessment changes are needed for a time of GenAI. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, pp. 1–11. Available at: doi: 10.1080/02602938.2025.2503964.
Liu, D. (2025). A "two lane" approach to assessment in the age of AI: Balancing integrity with relevance. Digitally Enhanced Education Webinars. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf8-b1H3qOU [accessed 16th May 2025]
Liu, D., and A. Bridgeman. (2023). 'What to Do about Assessments If we Can’t out-Design or out-Run AI? Teaching@Sydney. Available at: https://educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au/teaching%40sydney/what-to-do-about-assessments-if-we-cant-out-design-or-out-run-ai/

Today I’m talking to Michael Gerlich about his recent study on the potential effects of AI on critical thinking. While much ink has been spilled discussing the value of the traditional essay in a post GPT landscape, much of the conversation has focused on assessment and questions of authorship. Perhaps unsurprisingly, less time has been given to the impact on the learning process itself. The phrase ‘I write to know what I think’ alludes to the value of putting one’s ideas under the microscope, and of sometimes having to rethink cherished beliefs as we spell them out to ourselves at sentence level. If we outsource this process to ChatGPT, are we losing something valuable? We talk through Michael’s data, his own interpretations, and continue the conversation on whether generative AI is ‘just another tool’, or something more.
Guest bio
Prof. Dr Michael Gerlich is Professor of Management and Head of Centre for Strategic Corporate Foresight and Sustainability at SBS Swiss Business School, a Swiss University of Applied Sciences Institute. His academic and professional work focuses on the societal implications of artificial intelligence, change management, and strategic foresight, with a particular interest in bridging research and practice in both policy and business settings.
With prior experience in government advisory and leadership roles across Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East, he has supported a range of public and private institutions in matters related to economic development, export strategy, and organisational transformation. His research on artificial intelligence has addressed topics such as cognitive offloading, critical thinking, and the ethical dimensions of technology in education and society. His work has been mentioned globally by media including Forbes, Financial Times, The Economist and many more.
Prof. Gerlich has contributed to academic and public debates through his writing and through speaking engagements at international conferences, including events hosted by the United Nations. He holds full, visiting and affiliated teaching roles in Zurich, London (LSE), and Cambridge (ARU), and remains actively involved in interdisciplinary work at the intersection of technology, sociology and human behaviour.
Further reading
Bunn, P.D. (2025). The AI Crisis in Higher Education: Or, on the importance of doing things badly. Everything was beautiful. https://everythingwasbeautiful.substack.com/p/the-ai-crisis-in-higher-education?utm_campaign=posts-open-in-app&triedRedirect=true
Gerlich, M. (2025). AI Tools in Society: Impacts on Cognitive Offloading and the Future of Critical Thinking. Societies, 15(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15010006
Lee H.P, Sarkar A, Tankelevitch L, Drosos I, Rintel S, Banks R, Wilson N. (2025). The impact of generative AI on critical thinking: Self-reported reductions in cognitive effort and confidence effects from a survey of knowledge workers. Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/lee_2025_ai_critical_thinking_survey.pdf 
 
 

In this episode of TELSIG does SoTL, we are joined by Jane Pritchard to discuss the evolving landscape of scholarly teaching. Jane describes her transition from a material scientist to an educational developer at the University of Glasgow, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based educational enhancement. We go on to cover the historical development of SoTL since the early '90s, the role of interdisciplinary collaboration, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teaching practices, the intricacies of assessment and inclusivity in higher education, and the importance of challenging traditional practices and encouraging purposeful inquiry. 
Jane Pritchard is the head of Educational Development at the University of Oxford's Centre for Teaching of Learning. She is widely published in the field of educational development and scholarship of teaching and learning, particularly in the field of institutional support for SoTL.

What do academic skills do students need in higher education today? Does ‘embracing’ AI come at the cost of developing higher order thinking skills? I’m joined by Computer Science Lecturer Mike O’Dea and Associate Lecturer in Academic Skills Paulina Melichova to get their take on this. We reflect on Mike’s recent AI training session, and talk about how much curriculum time should be given to AI literacies, whether authentic assessments come at the cost of validity, the merits of the traffic light system, and how to make digital skills training accessible to all students and staff.
Michael O’Dea is a Lecturer in Computer Science at the University of York and a Senior Fellow of the HEA.. He holds an Ed.D. from the University of Leeds, which was a  technology Enhanced Learning study looking at Serious Games. His current research interests are focussed on AI literacy, Technology Acceptance and Computer Science Education. He is particularly interested in the application and integration of AI into learning and teaching.
His recent publications include articles for Policy Futures in Education, The Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, The Times Higher Education Campus, Wonkhe and Emerald Publishing. He is an Associate Editor for the Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice. He has delivered a number of workshops and invited talks on AI literacy and on the impact of GenAI in education, including for the Chartered Association of Business Schools, QAA, SRHE and the Open Access Publishing Association. Currently he is the Principle Investigator on a QAA Collaborative Enhancement Project looking at the impact of disruptive technologies on Graduate Attributes.
Paulina Melichova is an Associate Lecturer in Skills Development at the University of York, and a Fellow of the HEA. Currently completing her MSc in Applied Social and Educational Research, her research focuses on wellbeing in academia as well as diary and other creative research methods, with a particular emphasis on emotional labour among academics. As a coach, Paulina integrates coaching and mentoring techniques into her teaching of academic and communication skills, empowering students to take ownership of their personal and professional development. 
In addition to her academic work, Paulina is also a professional mindset and communication coach, drawing on her expertise to equip ambitious individuals with the tools to create the career they aspire to. 
Further reading
HEPI (2014). Student Academic Experience Survey 2024. [Online]. HEPI, UK. Available at: https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2024/06/13/student-academic-experience-survey-2024/  
O'Dea, M. (2025). AI: an introduction to the basics. Available at : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1egvD8Y-MSyWctEQID_3_WN1ZXPBSd2Sj/view 
Perkins, M. and Roe, J. (2024). Rather than restrict the use of AI, let’s embrace the challenge it offers [Online]. Times Higher Education. Available at https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/rather-restrict-use-ai-lets-embrace-challenge-it-offers 
 

As we approach the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we discuss the impact of the war on Ukrainian higher education. Many university buildings have suffered extensive physical damage, especially those in the east of the country, and online teaching, a distant memory for most, is for many Ukrainian students and teachers still a reality. Despite the hardships, learning and teaching carries on, and technology and innovative teaching techniques have helped Ukrainian education to thrive.
In this episode we talk to academics from the field of Geography: Dariia Kholiavchuk, Kate Borysenko, Liz Hurrell and Simon Hutchinson about their collaborative paper on the role of digital technology in supporting geographical education in Ukraine during the ongoing conflict. We discuss the practical applications of virtual field trips, and the implications of teaching geography under war conditions. Topics include using tools like Google Earth and ThingLink to provide remote and hybrid learning experiences, the importance of fieldwork, sustaining student motivation and mental health, and the importance of the field of Geography to the eventual reconstruction of Ukraine. Finally we also talk about how the international academic community can contribute to educational resilience in Ukraine.
Further reading
Hutchinson, S.M., Hurrell, E.R., Borysenko, K., Popov, V., Kholiavchuk, D. & Popiuk, Y. (2024) Resilient education: The role of digital technology in supporting geographical education in Ukraine. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 00, e12728. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/tran.12728 
Guest bios
Kateryna Borysenko is Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Geography and Cartography Faculty of Geology, Geography, Recreation and Tourism at V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. She is dedicated to the development of education and science in the city of Kharkiv, is widely published in the field of Geographical training and education, and leads educational practices in her department. 
k.borysenko@karazin.ua 
Daria Kholiavchuk is an Associate Professor at the Department of Physical Geography, Geomorphology, and Paleogeography at Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University in Western Ukraine. As the program leader for bachelor students in Geography, she is dedicated to fostering the next generation of geographers skilled in sustainability and postwar recovery. Her research focuses on climate change and natural hazards management. Daria is involved in projects to build adaptive capacities in the Ukrainian Carpathians and promote cross-border ecological management. Currently, she participates in the resilient education and research initiative, supported by British colleagues through digital tools. d.kholyavchuk@chnu.edu.ua 
Dr Simon M Hutchinson is a Reader / Associate Professor at the University of Salford. He believes that Environmental Education should be accessible to everyone and the using Digital Visualisation Tools (DVTs) can help to achieve this equity. His research on palaeoenvironmental records(e.g., peat, cave and lake sediments) in the Carpathian Mountains (mainly in Romania) mean that his own field work has taken him close to the border; he hopes one day to be able to extend this into Ukraine. s.m.hutchinson@salford.ac.uk 
Liz Hurrell is a Senior Lecturer in Physical Geographer in the Department of Environment and Geography at York and an Associate Lecturer for the Open University. She has a passion for Geography Higher Education with interests in climate education, equality, diversity and inclusion, hybrid/online education as well as fieldwork. The latter opened up a conversation between York-Salford-Kharkiv on how virtual field trips can support education during the war. liz.hurrell@york.ac.uk