Prof. Dr. Yasemin Bayyurt is full professor of Applied Linguistics at Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, Turkey. She holds a PhD degree in English Linguistics from Lancaster University, UK. Her current research on English and English language teaching/learning focuses on ELF-aware pre-/in-service teacher education; ELF-awareness in English language teaching/learning; EMI in higher education; and CLIL in K12 schools. She also carries out research projects on blended/mobile learning in higher education programs (engineering, education, ...); and EAP/ESP in ELF contexts from an interdisciplinary perspective. Her publications include articles in various indexed journals (World Englishes, Language Culture and Curriculum, Journal of English for Academic Purposes…); edited books and book chapters published by national/international publishers. She co-edited a book entitled “Current Perspectives on Pedagogy for English as a Lingua Franca” (2015), published by De Gruyter; and edited one of the volumes of Bloomsbury World Englishes series entitled “Bloomsbury World Englishes Volume 3: Pedagogies” (2021), published by Bloomsbury.
Dr. Yavuz Kurt is a post-doctoral researcher at Boğaziçi University. His research focuses on English medium instruction (EMI) in higher education, English as a lingua franca, English as an international language, and second language assessment. He co-authored articles published in national and international journals. He is currently involved in two research projects in the area of EMI, one funded by Boğaziçi Research Council and the other by The Scientific and Technological Research Institution of Turkey.
Dr. Pınar Yeni-Palabıyık is a lecturer of English at Sakarya University of Applied Sciences. She received a BA and an MA degree in English Language Teaching (ELT). She holds a PhD degree in ELT from Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey. She has been teaching English in many different contexts, varying from teaching young learners to teaching adults, for more than 12 years. Her research interests include language policy and planning, instructional policy alignment, English language teaching methodology, in-service teacher education, identity research, language learner agency, and curriculum research.
Dr. Merve Selçuk is a graduate of METU, Department of English Language Teaching and holds a PhD degree in the same field. Attending various assessment and evaluation trainings abroad, she completed assessment and evaluation certificate programs at Lancaster University (UK), University of Innsbruck (Austria) and Auckland University (New Zealand). She has given multiple presentations on ‘language assessment and evaluation’ and ‘teacher training’ both in Turkey and abroad. Merve Selçuk currently acts as the Director of School of Foreign Languages at Altınbaş University and teaches ‘Language Assessment’ classes at Bahçeşehir University, English Language Teaching Department. She is the founder and trainer of Language Assessment and Testing Academy (LATA), which offers language assessment and evaluation trainings as well as consultancy services to instructors and education institutions.
Instructor Saime Kara Duman is currently working at Yildiz Technical University. She received her BA and an MA degree in Foreign Language Education (FLED) from Boğaziçi University and she continues her education in English Language Education at Boğaziçi University as a doctoral student. She has been teaching adult learners for many years in different institutions and her research interests are adult learning/learners, skill instruction, individual differences and instructed SLA.
Roger Cohen is the Regional English Language Officer (RELO) at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara. In his career in TESOL, he has taught at universities, K-12 schools and intensive English programs. He has also spent a number of years in teacher training, curriculum and materials development, and oral proficiency testing. He is the author of Explorations in Second Language Reading and other books and articles.
Instructor Fevzi İşsever is an instructor of English at Kadir Has University and one of the project developers for CONNECT. He studied English Language and Literature at Bogazici University and received CELTA from International House in London. After working at Beykent University for three years, he moved to Bilgi University and completed his MA in Maltepe University. He has been teaching English as a second language for 11 years, with a strong focus on communicative practice. He develops projects to provide students opportunities to have authentic conversations in English with the belief that real-life experiences such as the one shared on Connect are equivalent to over 100 classroom hours. He is an advocate of lifelong education, and takes every opportunity to learn something new.
Teacher Scholar Dilara Avcı is pursuing her MA in Teaching English as a Second Language at the University of Arizona. She has taught writing and literacy across diverse backgrounds and age levels, from elementary school to college. She is currently teaching First-Year English Composition. In 2022, she was honored with the University of Arizona Johnnie Raye Harper Teaching Award. Her research interests are the role of individual learner differences in language learning and material design with a focus on digital literacies and critical pedagogy. She believes in the importance of sharing experiences and creating an inclusive learning environment.