Irena joined the Department of Media, Journalism, and Film in 2026 and teaches Business Communication at Miami University. With approximately 15 years of teaching experience, she specializes in developing students’ strategic, adaptable, and confident communication skills for academic and professional contexts. Her scholarly interests include second-language writing and pedagogy, intercultural communication, and language and culture in diverse contexts.
Education
Ph.D. — Educational Policy Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 2011
Dissertation — Global Pressures and the Local Dynamic of Change: A Case Study of an English Department at an Albanian University
M.A. — Teaching English as a Second Language, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 1999
M.Ed. — Educational Administration, University of Toledo 1996
B.A. — Teaching English as a Foreign Language, University of Tirana 1990
Courses Taught
BUS284 - Professional Communication for Business - currently teaching
ELP112 - Advanced ELL Reading and Vocabulary and ELP113 - Advanced ELL Writing and Grammar
ACE112 - Advanced Communications Strategies: Speaking and Listening for Academic Contexts
ACE113 - Reading and Writing in Academic Contexts
ACE619/ELP129 - Advanced Speaking and Presentation for International Graduate Students
ENG108 - US Culture and Composition for Second Language Writers
ENG109 - English Composition for Second Language Writers
ENG119 - English for International Graduate Students
