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)
RESEARCH INTERESTS AND MEMBERSHIP
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)
Research Clusters
Language and Culture
The research that has been produced and research in progress by this cluster addresses: 1) the challenges of teaching and learning English grammar, vocabulary, and syntax; 2) approaches to critical evaluation of all genres of English literature identified as drama, poetry, fiction, and non-fiction belonging to different literary periods; 3) stylistic analyses of functional texts produced for a variety of purposes arising in different domains of life such as academic, social, political, industrial, commercial, legal, etc.; 4) production of standard texts in accordance with legitimate social norms to satisfy various public requirements in society; and 5) development of a literate culture with values and morals that can be respected worldwide.
PUBLICATIONS
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An Action research on improving the ability of using pre-nominal possessives in ESL writing among Grade Seven students at a government school
Upeksha Rathnasena,
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An Evaluation of the University ESL Curriculum: Insights
Upeksha Rathnasena & Lakshman Wedikkarage,
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How ICT can be used effectively to enhance English language learning in tertiary education: a study focusing on speaking and listening skills”
Upeksha Rathnasena (Co-author),
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“Analysis of Common English errors found in the writing of the first year students at the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology”
Upeksha Rathnasena (Co-author),
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“Facebook group as a learning tool for young adults in ESL”
Upeksha Rathnasena,