Ian Collen

Dr Ian Collen is a Reader (Education) at Queen's University Belfast's School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work. He leads the PGCE in Modern Languages and oversees Initial Teacher Education for 138 annual student teachers across all pathways. His research focuses on Modern Languages Education in instructed settings, particularly through the Language Trends series funded by the British Council.

Qualifications:

• MA (Hons) from St Andrews University
• PGCE, M.Teach, GradDipSpanish
• EdD (Doctor of Education)

Research Interests: Dr Collen explores language teaching trends across the UK, policy impacts on language education, and teacher training methodologies. His work aligns with UN SDG 4 (Quality Education) through curriculum development studies and teacher workforce analysis.

Key Contributions: Principal Investigator on multi-nation Language Trends projects, Academic Lead at NICILT, and Director of the Centre for Language Education Research (CLER). Active in policy advisory roles with the British Council and government bodies.

Professional Recognition:

• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA, 2023)
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA, 2018)

Advising & Grants: Supervises postgraduate students in Language Education and Applied Linguistics. Leads five active research projects including £2.3M Language Trends initiatives and further education language provision studies.

Labs/Teams: Academic Lead at the NICILT (North Ireland Centre for Information on Language Teaching) and Director of Queen's CLER (Centre for Language Education Research).