Bärbel Brash

Staff Tutor for Languages: The Open University in Scotland

As Staff Tutor in Languages, based at the OU in Scotland, Bärbel Brash leads a team of Associate Lecturers from the School of Languages and Applied Linguistics and is responsible for the successful delivery of part of the School’s curriculum. She has extensive experience in the design of and teaching on distance learning courses to upskill language teachers worldwide in learning how to take their teaching online, and a keen interest in the use of digital media in teaching. She also contributes to the innovative external engagement activities of the School across Scotland, in enterprise as well as research.  In the HEIF-funded knowledge exchange project ‘Benefits of language learning for senior learners’ Bärbel has collaborated with the social enterprise Lingo Flamingo and the Universities of Edinburgh, St Andrews, and Madrid to develop new pedagogical approaches to deliver languages teaching to senior learners, and community engagement and employability opportunities for volunteer tutors and care workers.  She has co-written the award-winning online short CPD course Learning Languages with Senior Learners.