Cristina García Hermoso serves as Principal Teaching Fellow and Assessment Officer for the School of Arts and Humanities at the University of Southampton, where she joined in 2007. She is Programme Lead for the MA Languages and Cultures, Coordinator for Spanish Stage 5, and teaches Spanish stages, Translation into English, and Public Service Interpreting (PSI) within the Languages, Cultures and Linguistics Department. Her academic leadership includes past roles as Erasmus Coordinator for Spain and Senior Tutor for undergraduate pastoral support. Her educational background includes: Modern Languages degree from Universidad Complutense of Madrid García Hermoso's research prioritizes improving students' communicative competence through pedagogical strategies that foster autonomy and self-reliance in language acquisition. Key interests span creative writing skill development via literary texts, gamification for advanced Spanish learners, and student-centered text organization techniques. Her work emphasizes practical application over theoretical frameworks, targeting real classroom outcomes in Spanish as a Foreign Language (ELE) education. Her 2016-2020 publications reveal a focused trajectory on Spanish language pedagogy, with recurring themes of student autonomy and creative expression. The nine works include three book chapters on literary text-driven writing skills (2020), a Routledge book on Spanish text organization (2019), and multiple resources for the 'El Mundo de Custodio' series addressing primary/secondary education needs. This body consistently bridges communicative competence theory with actionable classroom activities. Key recognitions include: Staff achievement award for Santander Language Courses leadership (University of Southampton, 2012) Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) via PREP framework (2015) Second Prize for ELE Teacher of the Year 2015 (awarded July 2016) García Hermoso actively shapes academic governance as External Examiner for Spanish departments at Cardiff Metropolitan University (2014-2018), Edinburgh Napier University (2017-2021), and Canterbury Christ Church University (2021-present). Her PURE profile indicates ongoing pedagogical research, though specific grants are unmentioned. She became a UNILANG assessor in June 2018 and consistently collaborates with Carmen Martín de León on award-winning projects like 'Manos a la obra'. Her departmental work integrates into the School of Arts and Humanities' teaching ecosystem, particularly through Santander Language Courses coordination and the 'El Mundo de Custodio' educational series. She partners with colleagues on cross-institutional examiner roles and curriculum validation, reflecting embedded collaboration within UK language education networks.
