Priti Chopra

Dr Priti Chopra has built an extensive portfolio as an outstanding (Grade 1) English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher and teacher educator in the British post-compulsory education sector over a period of 13 years. In 2009, she developed high-quality technology enhanced resources for post-compulsory ESOL teacher education courses using Moodle and Learning Activity Management System (LAMS). This work formed part of an externally funded action research pilot project for developing innovative teaching practice.

She has worked as a researcher and education practitioner for the design, delivery and impact assessment of adult education programmes in India over a period of 16 years. She has conducted research for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) sponsored evaluations, ActionAid and the Ministry of Human Resource Development in India.

Dr Chopra is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and Institute for Learning (IfL).

Responsibilities within university

• International Co-ordinator
• PhD supervision
• Teaching on the Professional Doctorate in Education (EdD) and MA programmes.

Research/scholarly interests

• Borderless education and the internationalisation of HE
• Intercultural learning and developing inclusive curriculum
• Multilingualism and second language acquisition
• Technology enhanced learning and digital literacies
• Global education policy and practice
• Widening participation,equity and social justice in education.

Research awards and grants

• £11,134 Promising Researcher Award, Greenwich University (February 2010 to August 2010)
• £5,300 Skills for Life innovation research project grant, CfBT (September 2009-March 2010)
• £1,500 Universities Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET) Award Winner (January 2009)
• £5,000 Self-review framework (SRF) research grant, Greenwich University (November 2008)
• £500 Experiences of E-Learning Specialist Interest Group (ELESIG) research grant (December 2010-June 2011).

Research projects

Moving beyond access: Widening participation through Learning Activity Management System (LAMS). (10/09-03/10). Greenwich University: sponsored by CfBT.

Developing inclusive teaching through intercultural learning in the HE context (10/09-07/10). Greenwich University: sponsored by Greenwich University.

Using qualitative, collaborative action research to develop an innovative pilot framework for a whole organisation approach to Indian government adult education programmes for women in the rural areas of Northern India. (11/08-07/09). Greenwich University: sponsored by Greenwich University.

Job interviews, Ethnicity and Disadvantage. (04/04-01/05). King’s College, London. Sponsored by the Ethnic Minority Employment Unit, Department for Work and Pensions.

Case studies in ESOL provision and learner’s needs and resources. (01/03-07/03), King’s College, London & London Language and Literacy Unit. Sponsored by The National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy.                                                                        

Qualitative evaluation of an urban continuing education programme.  (03/02-10/0). Kusumpur, New Delhi, India. Sponsored by Uppingham Seminars in Development (UK).

Impact of Post Literacy in India (08/01-01/02). Co-ordinated by Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samithi (New Delhi, India) and Sponsored by UNESCO

Research project investigating the demand for literacy in rural areas. (07/01-02/02), Begusarai, & Sitamarhi, Bihar, India. Sponsored by Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

Micro level research on REFLECT. (02/98-07/99), Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, India. Sponsored by ActionAid India.

Recent conference papers

Chopra, P. 2012. Widening Participation through Intercultural Learning. In: International Conference Discourse Power and Resistance: Impact. 2-4 April 2012. University of Plymouth. Plymouth: UK

Chopra, P. 2011. Transforming epistemological invisibility: (re)claiming intercultural learning within an ESOL teacher education programme. In: American Association for Applied Linguistics Conference 2011: In the Changing Contexts of Globalization. March 26-29, 2011. Chicago: Illinois, USA.

Chopra, P. 2011. (Re)claiming 'truth': (de)constructing learning identities through (un)validated knowledge. In: Mobility Language Literacy: An international conference examining transnational, translocal and global flows of people, language and literacy through the lens of social practice, 19-21 Jan 2011. Vineyard Conference Centre, Claremont, Cape Town, South Africa.

Chopra, P. 2011. Multimodal meaning-making: a critical engagement with LAMS. Fostering learner and teacher autonomy in educational practices. In: International bilingual conference in English and French. 6–7 January, 2011. Ramnarain Ruia College. Mumbai: India.

Chopra, P. 2010. Seeking conditions of possibility: conceptualising the space for democratic discursive practices in adult education programme processes. In: British Association of International and Comparative Education Conference, Education and Social Justice in Challenging Times, 10–12 September 2010, University of East Anglia. Norwich: UK.

Chopra, P. 2010. Moving beyond access: widening participation in post compulsory teacher education through the integration of LAMS. In:UK-India Education and Research Initiative Conference 2010, 13–14 September 2010, University of Hertfordshire. Hatfield: UK.

Chopra, P. 2010. Multimodal meaning-making: a critical engagement with the use of LAMS for teaching. In: RaPAL Conference 2010, 15-17 July 2010, University of Greenwich. London: UK.

Chopra, P. 2009. (In)visible voices: exploring a whole organisation approach to gender and literacy. In:School of International Development (DEV), DEV/EDU Seminar, 19 March 2009, University of East Anglia. Norwich: UK .

Chopra,P. 2009. Betrayal and solidarity: (de)centring ethnographic images of the literate-self-in-illiterate-others. In: 30th Annual Ethnography in Education Research Forum, 27–28 Feb 2009, University of Pennsylvania. USA.

Chopra, P. 2009. Para-cites re-citation ex-citation: issues of representation, gender and power in Indian adult education. In: Gender and Education Association 7th International Conference, 25–27 March 2009, Institute of Education, University of London. London: UK.

Chopra, P. 2009.(Un)veiling desire: re-defining relationships between gendered adult education subjects and adult education programmes. In: UEA Literacy Inequalities Conference 2009, 1–3 Sep 2009, University of East Anglia. Norwich: UK.

Selected publications

Chopra, P, Datta,S. and Mishra, V. (2013) India. In: The Global Student Experience: An International and Comparative Analysis. International Studies in Higher Education.London: Routledge (In press).

Chopra, P. (2012) Moving Beyond Access: Widening Participation in Post-Compulsory Teacher Education through the Integration of LAMS. In Thornton.M & Wankhede.G (eds) Widening Participation and Social Cohesion amongst Diverse, Disadvantaged and Minority Groups in Higher Education. Mumbai: TISS

Chopra, P. (2011) (Un)veiling desire: re-defining relationships between gendered adult education subjects and adult education programmes. International Journal of Educational Development. Special Issue: Literacy Inequalities and Social Justice. Volume 31, Issue 6, November 2011, Pages 634-642. 

Chopra, P., Roberts, C., and Shrubshall, P. (2004) Heterogeneity, Responsibility and Resourcefulness in Community ESOL Classes. In: Roberts, C. et al. English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)-case studies of provision, learners’ needs and resources. Research Report. London: NRDC.

Chopra, P. (2004) Distorted Mirrors: (de)centring Images of the ‘Illiterate Indian Village Woman’ Through Ethnographic Research Narratives. In: Women, literacy and development:alternative perspectives. London: Routledge.

Chopra, P. Book Review of Jones et al (eds.) Students writing in the university: cultural and epistemological issues. John Benjamins. Amsterdam: 1999. BAAL Newsletter (Autumn 2002)

Chopra, P . (2002) An Innovative Qualitative Framework for Assessing Literacy Demand in ‘Low Literacy’ Rural Areas. National Literacy Mission, Ministry of Human Resource Development: Government of India. New Delhi.

Chopra, Priti (2001) Betrayal and solidarity in ethnography on literacy: revisiting research homework in a North Indian village. In: Literacy and Development: Ethnographic Perspectives. Literacies . London: Routledge.