Catherine (Kay) Engels

Biographical Information

Born and bred in Scotland, Kay started her working life in Glasgow. After graduating from what is now known as Glasgow Caledonian University and a variety of student jobs (ranging from hotel receptionist in the Highlands to car hire rep with Hertz), Kay's first permanent job was as a trainee computer programmer/operator for the Greater Glasgow Health Board. In those days the magnetic disks were bigger than she was. During these two years, Kay also worked as a Telephone Samaritan on a voluntary basis. After her traineeship, Kay decided that working in windowless computer rooms was not for her (little did she know that in the following millennium she would be teaching in windowless language labs in Essen). Kay went back to college and completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Education.

However, Kay has actually spent most of her working life in Germany. She started, as many native speakers do, teaching English in private language schools and then she moved on to a Berufschule in Essen. After a break of a few years to bring up her three sons, Kay started working at a Berufskolleg for about five years. During this period, she decided to do a B.A. with the Open University (distance learning). It was around this time (1998) that she started teaching at the University of Duisburg (now Duisburg-Essen). A firm believer in lifelong learning, Kay continued with her O.U. studies and completed an Advanced Diploma in Language and Literacy (2000), and in 2001 was awarded an M.A. in Education (Applied Linguistics).

Kay enjoys having been a part of the language practice team at the University of Duisburg-Essen.

Areas of Teaching and Research

Language Practice

MA degree focused on aspects of Information and Communication Technology in Teaching

Classes and Course Materials

KUWI Courses:

Previous Courses Taught:

Cultural Studies: