Professor of Education

School of Education & English, IEB Building 323

Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences (FHSS)

Biography

In addition to his Adjunct Professor role at Tung Wah College, Douglas Bell serves as a full-time Professor of English Language Education at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), where he is currently the Director and Admissions Tutor for the MA TESOL programme and supervisor for 11 doctoral students.

Professor Bell has been involved as an international educator in various aspects of English Language and Modern Foreign Language teaching since the late 1980s. His main area of specialization is in the field of English for Specific Purposes (ESP), particularly the teaching of English for Academic Purposes (TEAP) and English for International Business (TEIB). In 2008, he was one of the original team responsible for creating the now widely-recognised Competency Framework for Teachers of English for Academic Purposes (BALEAP).

Professor Bell’s most recent single-authored publications deal with the historical development of English for Academic Purposes, and also a handbook for students planning to embark on Masters’ programmes in TESOL or Applied Linguistics:

Bell, D.E. (currently in press; expected publication date September 2024) English for Academic Purposes: Perspectives on the Past, Present & Future. Multilingual Matters.

English for Academic Purposes by Douglas E. Bell (multilingual-matters.com)

Bell, D.E. (2023). Studying for a Masters in TESOL or Applied Linguistics: A Student Reference & Practical Guide. Routledge.

Studying for a Masters in TESOL or Applied Linguistics: A Student Reference and Practical Guide eBook : Bell, Douglas E.: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Professor Bell also has personal and professional interests in English Literature, particularly poetry, and has recently presented on the work of the British poet, Philip Larkin:

Bell, D.E. (2024). ‘One of those old-type, natural fouled up guys’: A Comparative Investigation of Larkin’s poetic persona and voice in ‘The Whitsun Weddings’ and ‘High Windows’. Paper delivered at the Philip Larkin Society Annual Conference hosted by the University of Hull, March 14-16.

Bell, D.E. (2023). The Poetry of Philip Larkin. Universal Themes Viewed Through a Peculiarly English Lens. Public professorial lecture for Ningbo Library delivered on September 23.

Fluent in Japanese and German, and with varying levels of proficiency in several other languages, Professor Bell has a genuine and ongoing interest in different cultures. To date, his international career as an academic has spanned appointments in the United Kingdom, Austria, Japan, Turkey, the United States, Australia and China.