[listed alphabetically by last name]
MÓNICA ESCUDERO
Senior Lecturer, Spanish
Mónica has a BA and an MA from SFU and a PhD from UBC. She has taught Spanish at SFU since 1983 and currently teaches intermediate and advanced courses.
Her research interests are widely varied and include language pedagogy, testimonial literature, Latin American female writers, translation studies, and popular culture in Latin America. Mónica is currently involved in the “Women, Poverty, and Education” project in Tijuana, Mexico through Continuing Studies.
JIA FEI
Senior Lecturer, Mandarin Chinese
Jia holds a BA in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language from China and an M.Ed in Second Language Education from the University of Toronto (OISE/UT). She also holds a Certificate in Web-Based Instruction from SFU. Jia joined SFU in 2005. Before that, she taught Mandarin as a foreign language at the University of Toronto, Canada and in China. Jia believes “To teach is to learn twice”. She loves teaching and interacting with her students. Her professional interests include computer-assisted language learning [CALL] and language assessment. Her outside interests include traveling, photography, and writing. She has written newspaper columns and translated documentaries for the CBC. Her next goal is to become multilingual: Spanish, French, and Japanese are in the plan.
TRUDE HEIFT
Professor, Linguistics and German
Trude received her Ph.D from Simon Fraser University in 1998. Her primary research interests are Computer-Assisted Language Learning, Applied and Computational Linguistics. In 2007, she received the Dean's Medal for academic excellence in research, teaching and service.She teaches courses in the Department of Linguistics and German language courses in the LTI.
Please check Trude's website for more information.
CLAUDIA HEIN
Senior Lecturer, German, and Supervisor of the Language Learning Centre
Claudia is originally from Hamburg, Germany. She received her I. Staatsexamen from the Teacher’s College in Kiel, Germany in 1989 and her Masters of Arts in Foreign Languages from WVU, USA in 1992.
Before coming to Canada, Claudia supervised and coordinated the German program at WVU in the early 90’s. In 1992, she moved to Italy where she worked as a lecturer for German at the Università degli Studi G. d’Annunzio in Pescara until 1998. She then moved to Vancouver and has been working for SFU since 1999. She has also taught at SFU’s Goethe-Zentrum.
When teaching, Claudia’s main goal is to get students excited about the German language and encourage them to the point that they will spend some time in a German speaking country.
Multilingualism is of great interest to her, as she brings up her daughter trilingually. In her free time, Claudia enjoys reading, aerobics, surfing the internet, traveling, and relaxing with her family.
Please check Claudia's website for more information.
SUZANNE K. HILGENDORF
Associate Professor, Linguistics and German
Suzanne completed her Ph.D. in German Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition & Teacher Education (SLATE) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2001. She was an assistant professor of German at Wayne State University in Detroit, USA from 2000 to 2007, where she was the Coordinator of the Basic German Language Program and a faculty member for the interdepartmental Master of Arts in Language Learning. Her primary interests are in sociolinguistics, second language acquisition, foreign language pedagogy, and the use of technology in instruction. She has received the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Teaching Award from Wayne State University (2004-05) and the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1999).
Please see Suzanne's website for more information.
BILLIE NG
Director of the Language Training Insitute and Senior Lecturer, Mandarin Chinese
Billie joined SFU in 1993. She has been involved in Chinese language education for over twenty years. Her work has included curriculum development, language challenge exams, and consulting projects with government and business.
She is the Vice-president and Conference Chair of the Canadian TCSL Association. Her publications include four textbooks used in the Chinese Language Program at SFU and (as co-author) the Provincial Mandarin IRP (Integrated Resource Package).
NORIKO OMAE
Senior Lecturer, Japanese
Noriko has been teaching Japanese at the post-secondary level since 1981. She has an MA in Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language from the Osaka University of Foreign Studies and an M.Phil in General and Applied Linguistics from the University of Exeter.
Before doing so at SFU, Noriko developed the Japanese language programs at Capilano and Douglas Colleges. She has also published a series of Japanese language textbooks tailored to the needs of Canadian university and college students. Noriko is an active member of SCOLA (Standing Committee on Language Articulation) and has served as both its co-chair and chair.
When Noriko is not thinking about languages, she enjoys macro-photography, gardening, ballroom dancing, and singing classical art songs. She also likes watching motorcycle and bicycle road racing.
KIMIAKI SHINNO
Sessional instructor, Japanese
Kimiaki has spent many years working in educational settings in various capacities. He has travelled extensively, living and working in countries such as Japan, the Philippines, and New Zealand. He has been teaching Japanese at the post-secondary level since 2001.
In his free time he enjoys gardening, travelling, wine tasting, and Tai Chi exercise.
NAOKO TAKEI
Lecturer, Japanese
Naoko has taught at SFU since 2004 and been involved with teaching Japanese for almost 15 years. She has taught Japanese in England and China and holds an MA in language education. She is particularly interested in pedagogical methods that combine the teaching of language and culture.
In her leisure time Naoko likes to study other languages. In addition to English and Japanese, she can speak Chinese and some Italian. A big outside interest is opera ― Italian, of course!
ESTER TEJEDA
Continuing Language Instructor, Spanish
Ester has been teaching Spanish at SFU since 1986, from where she also received her B. Ed. in Spanish, French and Learning Disabilities. Ester usually teaches Span 102, 201, 202 and 305. On occasion she also teaches Span 103, 303 and 304. Ester started has been in charge of the Spanish Conversation Club and has been in charge of it since its beginning. Ester Enjoys learning other languages, to have more sympathy with her students. Other than Spanish and English, she speaks French and Portuguese, and from time to time she studies some Italian. In her leisure time, Ester enjoys foreign films, Photoshop, watching soccer and a good cup of coffee.
Please check Ester's website for more information.
CYNTHIA XIE
Lecturer, Mandarin Chinese
Cynthia has an M.A. degree in Applied Linguistics and a B.A. degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. She has been involved in Mandarin Chinese instruction and curriculum design in universities in China, Finland, and Canada since 1992. Now she teaches both intensive Mandarin Chinese courses and Heritage Mandarin Chinese courses at SFU. Her research interests include Chinese linguistics and Chinese language pedagogy.
Cynthia is responsible for the Chinese language education for the SFU-ZU Dual Degree Program. Besides language teaching, she is also working on the curricula design, course development, assessment, and coordination with faculty from SFU and the Chinese university.
LILIAN ZÚCCOLO
Senior Lecturer, Spanish
Lilian has a BA (Rosario, Argentina) and an MA (SFU). She has been involved with curriculum design and Spanish instruction since first coming to SFU in 1979. Lilian usually teaches SPAN 102 and 103 and is currently developing a new grammar course for the LTI’s Spanish program.
What Lilian enjoys most when teaching is the interaction with her students. She feels that she learns as much from them as they do from her!
A big fan of CBC radio, Lilian is always listening while in her office, driving, or at home. During her spare time she likes to travel, walk her dogs, go to concerts, and visit with her family.