Irena Kola, Ph.D.

Educational Credentials

• Ph.D., Educational Policy Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• M.A., Teaching English as a Second Language, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Biography

Irena joined ELP in 2013, after over 15 years of teaching extensively in the area of EFL/ESL communication for graduate and undergraduate students. Her teaching philosophy stems from the belief that students perform best when they are trusted with challenging projects and study in an inclusive environment that stimulates free, yet respectful exchange of ideas. Irena's research interests focus on Second Language Writing, Second Language & pedagogies, and cultural communication, with a focus on the integration of international students in the US academic culture and their representation in the media. She pursued her graduate work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she completed her M.A. in TESL and her Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies, specializing in the Internationalization of Higher Education and how it has promoted English as a lingua franca.