Balbina Moncada Comas
Balbina Moncada (MA in TESOL, Univeristy of Westminster and PhD in English Philology, UdL) is an assistant Professor of English for Specific Purposes at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) at the Department of Theory & History of Architecture and Technical Communication and has been a member of the research group Cercle de Lingüística Aplicada (CLA) since 2017. She is a vocal member of the executive committee of Asociación Europea de Lenguas para Fines Específicos (AELFE) and the community manager of the ICLHE Spanish Regional Group. She teaches undergraduate technical English communication courses in the fields of engineering and optics/optometry.
At the moment, Balbina’s research primarily focuses on English-medium instruction (EMI) and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) learning-teaching contexts in Higher Education institutions. She takes a qualitative approach to investigate language teaching and learning dynamics, with a specific emphasis on understanding teaching practices. Balbina’s work encompasses plurilingualism and also delves into the use of multimodal and multichannel strategies, including digital literacies and ICT, to enhance teaching and learning experiences. Her research interests extend to exploring the interplay between identity and emotions.Balbina was the Principal Investigator (PI) of the project Virtual reality applications for the development of professional communication skills (VR-Apro-Comm). Funding source: Call for grants for the realization of teaching improvement and innovation projects Galàxia Aprenentatge 2023. Funding Agreement: Agreement CG/2023/02/30, dated February 21, 2023, from the Governing Council – Vice-Rectorate of University Policy.
Llibres/libros/Books (to 2024):
- Aguilar-Pérez, M., Moncada-Comas, B., & Tatzl, D. (2024). Developing Language competence through English for specific purposes in English-medium university Settings. Multilingual matters.
Capítols de llibre/capítulos de libro/book chapters (2018-2024):
- Diert-Boté, I., & Moncada-Comas, B. (forthcoming, 2024). Navigating the emotional landscape of an ESP lecturer: Stories of vulnerability and resilience in the implementation of a digital genre. In M. Nazari (ed.), Emotional vulnerability of language teachers in digital settings. Springer.
- Tatzl, D., Aguilar-Pérez, M., & Moncada-Comas, B. (2024). Introduction to Developing Language Competence through English for Specific Purposes in English-Medium University Settings. In M. Aguilar-Pérez, B. Moncada-Comas & D. Tatzl (eds.). Developing Language competence through English for specific purposes in English-medium university Settings (pp. 3-18). Multilingual matters.
- Moncada-Comas B., Tatzl D., & Aguilar-Pérez, M. (2024). Conclusion: Finding Common Ground with EMI and Reappraising ESP. In M. Aguilar-Pérez, B. Moncada-Comas & D. Tatzl (eds.). Developing Language competence through English for specific purposes in English-medium university Settings (pp. 3-18). Multilingual matters.
- Moncada-Comas, B., & Sabaté-Dalmau, M. (2024). The role of multimodal competence in ‘doing EMI lecturing’: Exploring the effectiveness of non-linguistic resources in EMI. In V. Beltrán-Palanques & E. Bernad-Mechó (eds.) Current trends in EMI and Multimodality in Higher Education (pp. 96-129). Routledge.
- Diert-Boté, I., & Moncada-Comas, B. (2023). Analyzing EMI lecturer perceptions about the Self: Insights into their identities and self-concepts. In S. Karpava (Ed.), Handbook of research on language teacher identity (pp. 131-153). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-7275-0.ch008
- Moncada-Comas, B., & Diert-Boté, I. (2023). Moving beyond language in EMI research: A multimodal and multichannel analytical framework to visualise classroom practices. In S. Curle & J. Pun (Eds.), Qualitative methods for English medium instruction for emerging researchers: Theory and case studies of contemporary research. (pp. 76-93). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003375531-7
- Moncada-Comas, B., & Diert-Boté, I. (2022). Good practices in ESP: The interplay between technology and interaction through multimodality and multichannelity. In S. García-Sánchez & R. Clouet (Eds.), Intercultural communication and ubiquitous learning in multimodal English language education (pp. 146-183). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-8852-9.ch008
- Moncada-Comas, B. (2021). ‘Being a student’ and ‘doing education’: A multimodal analysis of backstage and frontage interactional episodes in EMI. In D. Block & S. Khan (eds.) The secret life of English-medium instruction in higher education: Examining microphenomena in context. Routledge.
Articles/artículos (revisats per parells/revisión por pares/peer-reviewed) (2018-2024):
- Diert-Boté, I., & Moncada-Comas, B. (2024). Out of the comfort zone, into the learning zone: An exploration of students’ academic buoyancy through the 5-Cs in English-medium Instruction. System, 124, 103385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2024.103385
- Sabaté-Dalmau, M., & Moncada-Comas, B. (2023). Exploring the affordances of multimodal competence, multichannel awareness and plurilingual lecturing in EMI. System, 118, 103161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2023.103161
- Moncada Comas, B. (2022). The role of the L1 in EMI classroom practices. CLIL Journal of Innovation and Research in Plurilingual and pluricultural Education, 5(2), 23-36. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/clil.84
- Moncada Comas, B. (2022). What students have to say about EMI: exploring university students’ perspectives on changing the learning/teaching language to English. ESP today, 10(2), 263-285. https://doi.org/10.18485/esptoday.2022.10.2.4.
- Block, D., & Moncada-Comas, B. (2022). English-medium instruction in higher education and the ELT gaze: STEM lecturers’ self-positioning as NOT English language teachers. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 25(2), 401-417. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2019.1689917.
- Moncada-Comas, B., & Block, D. (2021). CLIL-ised EMI in practice: Issues arising. The Language Learning Journal, 49(6), 686-698. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2019.1660704.
2024-2025· Professional Communication in Healthcare: Effective Patient-Clinician Interaction (degree in Optics and Optometry, UPC)
· Written Academic Skills for Engineering (degrees in engineering, UPC)
· Teaching professional communication to engineers through Virtual Reality I (degrees in engineering, UPC)
· Teaching professional communication to engineers through Virtual Reality II (degrees in engineering, UPC)
2023-2024:
- Professional Communication in Healthcare: Effective Patient-Clinician Interaction (degree in Optics and Optometry, UPC)
- Written Academic Skills for Engineering (degrees in engineering, UPC)
- Teaching professional communication to engineers through Virtual Reality I (degrees in engineering, UPC)
- Teaching professional communication to engineers through Virtual Reality II (degrees in engineering, UPC)
2022-2023:
- Academic and Professional Communication (degree in Optics and Optometry, UPC)
- Written Academic Skills for Engineering (degrees in engineering, UPC)
- Teaching professional communication to engineers through Virtual Reality I (degrees in engineering, UPC)
2021-2022:
- English for business I (degree in Business Administration and Management, UdL)
- English for business II (degree in Business Administration and Management, UdL)
- Grammar and meaning in English (degree in English Studies, UdL)
- Second Language Acquisition and Learning (master in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, UNIR)
- Master’s Dissertation (master in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, UNIR)
- Master’s Dissertation ( master in Technology-Mediated Language Teaching and Learning, UOC)
2020-2021:
- English for business I (degree in Business Administration and Management, UdL)
- General English I (degree in English Studies, UdL)
- Second Language Learning (degree in Primary Education, UNIDAM)
- Educational processes and contexts (master in Academic staff of secondary education and high school, UNIDAM)
2019-2020:
- English for business I (degree in Business Administration and Management, UdL)
2018-2019:
- English as a Global Language (degree in English Studies, UdL)
- English I (degree in Catalan Philology and Occitan Studies, UdL)
2017-2018:
- English I (degree in Catalan Philology and Occitan Studies, UdL)