Department of English
K 2 102
University of Kelaniya
Sri Lanka
E-mail: dinalif@kln.ac.lk (University)
            dinali.fernando6@gmail.com

• Since July 2015 Senior Lecturer Grade II, Department of English, University of Kelaniya (currently on study leave) 
• Head of Department (3 yrs) (1 Jan 2016 to 31 Dec 2018) 
• Senior Lecturer (probationary), Department of English, University of Kelaniya (2012-2015)
• Senior Lecturer (on contract), Department of English, University of Kelaniya (2011-2012)
  

Teaching/administration at the Department of English: 

Course Coordinator/Lecturer of the following undergraduate courses: Writing Skills, Research Skills, Introduction to Grammar, Varieties of English, Language Pedagogy. Formerly: Sri Lankan English, Literary Pedagogy, Foundations in Professional Writing Genres; coordinator of department’s undergraduate courses for the Centre of Distance and Continuing Education of the university; course unit writer for forthcoming MA in Interdisciplinary English Studies of the department.

 Visiting Lecturer on the course World Englishes, Master of Arts in English Studies, Department of English, University of Colombo (2014-2018)

Visiting Lecturer on the course unit Pedagogical Issues in Teaching Literature of the Master of Arts in Teaching Literature in a Second Language Context, Postgraduate Institute of English, The Open University of Sri Lanka, Nawala. (2015-2016)

Dissertation supervisor, MA in English Studies (University of Colombo) MA in Teaching English as a Second Language and MA in Teaching Literature (Postgraduate Institute of Education, The Open University of Sri Lanka), BA in English (University of Kelaniya) (2012-present)

Reviewer of papers for Kalyani, the Journal of the University of Kelaniya; VISTAS, the journal of the Open University of Sri Lanka;  Nivedini, the journal of the Women’s Education and Research Centre;  Sri Lanka Journal of Advanced Social Studies, the journal of the National Centre for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences  (applied linguistics and ELT)

Faculty-level and University-level contributions at the University of Kelaniya:

Acting Dean, Faculty of Humanities 3–12 July 2017, 10–17 January 2018
Member, University Senate, and Humanities Faculty Board of Studies (2016-2018)
Member, Quality Assurance and Accreditation Committee, Faculty of Humanities; (2017-2019)
Faculty representative, Management Committee of the QAAC, University of Kelaniya (2018)
Resource person, Staff Development Programme, Faculties of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Science.
Conference committee member, International Conference of the Humanities 2015, 2016, 2017
Session chair at various faculty-level conferences, including the Postgraduate Research Conference of the FGS, University of Kelaniya.

Assignments as freelance teacher / ELT consultant:

Coordinator, 100 Hour Course in English, Language and Cultural Studies Division,
Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies, Colombo. The course, for beginner level adult learners, was taught in six locations in the country by a team of teachers. Overall coordination of the course including organizing a national level final examination and implementation, feedback and academic guidance for the team. (Sept 2010 to Dec 2012)

Team Member, Committee to develop General English Intensive Course for
new university entrants. Writing sections of the coursebook and teacher guide, and training of trainers for the Pre-Orientation Programme (POP) for new university entrants, University Grants Commission and Higher Education for the 21st Century (HETC) Project, Ministry of Higher Education, Sri Lanka. (April to August 2011)

Coordinator, Project to develop a 60 hour advanced course in English for
those who complete the 100 Hour Course, Special Initiatives Unit, English as a Life Skill Program, the Presidential Secretariat. Syllabus designer, writer and team leader for team of writers.

Coordinator, Project to develop a 100 hour Certificate Course in Basic English for the
Special Initiatives Unit of the English as a Life Skill Program, the Presidential Secretariat. Responsible for overall design, methodological approaches, content, and compiling of the course book, coordinated a team of teachers and teacher trainers to develop the material. This course book, in the form of a Teacher Guide, was published and used by the Ministry of Education in a national level programme to teach English to 9000 secondary school principals in all the districts of the country. (April 2010 to Nov 2011)

Visiting Lecturer, Department of English, University of Kelaniya.
Taught topics in academic writing skills, sociolinguistics, poetry, and Sri Lankan fiction. (Dec 2009 to Sept 2010)

ELT Consultant, Department of Commerce and Financial Management (DCFM),
University of Kelaniya. Consultancy to develop language proficiency of the academic staff and undergraduates of the department, under the World Bank funded IRQUE project. Activities included planning, designing and conducting language development workshops for the academic staff and students, designing a course module to develop English for Academic Purposes of first year students, and providing training, by networking with the English Language Teaching Unit, to the Instructor in English in the DCFM. (Dec 2008 to July 2009)

ELT Consultant, Department of Accountancy, University of Kelaniya.
Three month fulltime consultancy with similar aims as above consultancy. Activities included designing and conducting language development workshops for the academic staff and students, designing a module of Business English for the undergraduate degree, observing lectures, training English language instructors in the English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU) of the University and formulating a strategic plan to develop language proficiency in the department. (January to May 2008)

Resource Person, Academic Staff Development Program of the Faculty of Arts,
University of Colombo. Designed and taught weekly sessions a 40 hour course to develop English language proficiency of the academic staff of the Faculty of Arts (January to May 2008)

Project Coordinator, Muslim Women’s Research and Action Forum (local NGO)
Project implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of a USAID-funded livelihoods rehabilitation project in a tsunami-affected community in Kalmunai in the Eastern Province, developing and writing proposals for funding for livelihoods, English language improvement and conflict resolution projects for tsunami and conflict affected communities in the same area.(July 2005 to Aug 2006)

Other academic engagements as a lecturer in English:

External examiner - University of Kelaniya and Sabaragamuwa University, 2010-2011 Rajarata University (formally North-Central Affiliated University College [AUC] at Anuradhapura), Sabaragamuwa University (formally Uva AUC at Rahangala, and the Sabaragamuwa AUC at Belihuloya) and the Eastern University (formally Eastern AUC at Trincomalee). 1994, 1995 and 1996

Coordinator - Diploma in English for Teachers of English (DETE), Department of English, University of Sri Jayawardenapura (USJP). September 2003 – June 2004

Visiting Lecturer - Department of English, USJP, September-October 2009, June 2004 to 2006
Department of Languages, Sabaragamuwa University, 1997
Department of Language Studies, the Open University Sri Lanka, 1996, 1997
Department of Languages and Cultural Studies, USJP, 1991 – 1993

Member - English Literature Advisory Committee, Affiliated University Colleges. Syllabus design and course material development, 1991-1993

Contributions at national level to secondary English education:

Reviewer - GCE Ordinary Level English literature syllabus (2016), Teacher’s Instruction Manual for GCE Advanced level English (2018)
Teachers’ resource book, GCE A/Level English, 2009 - Editor and one of team of writers of the Teachers’ Instruction Manual for the G C E Advanced Level English literature
Syllabus Committee member, NIE - G C E Ordinary Level English literature syllabus, 2005-2006, G C E Advanced Level English literature syllabus 2007-2009
Chief Examiner - G C E Advanced Level General English, 2003 and 2004, English 2016
Member, panel of Examiners - G C E Advanced Level English, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2014, 2015

Fellowships and awards:

Fulbright fellowship for the American Studies Institute on Contemporary American Literature at the Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, USA. July 1 to August 15 2002. One of 18 international participants selected.

ICH 2015: Selected papers from the International Conference on the Humanities: new dynamics, divergences, directions. Conference proceedings, co-edited with Kusum Herath. Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya. 2016

Words from the ‘margins’: Exploring Sri Lankan English borrowings in the classroom. In Kalyani, The Journal of the University of Kelaniya Vol 30, 2013-2015. Pp 39-62, 2015.

Towards and inclusive Standard Sri Lankan English for ELT in Sri Lanka: Identifying and validating phonological features of Sri Lankan English of L1 Tamil speakers. With Karuna Sivaji, University of Jaffna. In Changing paradigms in English language teaching: Selected papers from the 7th International Conference of the Sri Lanka English Language Teachers’ Association (SLELTA), edited by Kamal de Abrew, Nayomi Abayasekera and Christine Jayasinghe. SLELTA, Colombo, 2014. Pp 17-26

Sri Lankan English or not? Lexical negotiations in Post-colonial Women’s Writing in Sri Lanka. In Continuities/Departures: Essays on Post-colonial Sri Lankan Women's Creative Writing in English, Women’s Education and Research Centre (WERC), Colombo. March 2011.

Sri Lankan English and Teaching English in Sri Lanka. Article in Teacher Guide: Resource Material for Teaching Spoken English, English as a Life Skill Project, Presidential Secretariat and the Ministry of Education, Colombo. 2009, revised 2010. 

Carl Muller’s Trilogy on the Burgher community: a reaction to “the Global Orthodoxy”. In Sahitya Vishesha Kalapaya, Journal of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Colombo. 2009

English for equality, employment and education: proceedings of the 4th International SLELTA Conference. Co-edited with Dr Dushyanthi Mendis. Published by the Sri Lanka English Language Teachers’ Association, August 2008

A Dictionary of Sri Lankan English, by Michael Meyler. Co-edited with Vivimarie VanderPoorten, 2007.

Creating an interest in Reading as a Second Language. Article published in The SLELTA Quarterly Vol 7 Issue 2, Sri Lanka English Language Teachers’ Association, Colombo, 2007

Domestic Goddess to ‘black bitch’: the representation of women in Carl Muller’s fiction. Paper published in Gender, Society and Change, Centre for Women’s Research, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2005 

A Selection of Modern Short Stories in English. Co-edited with Rajiva Wijesinha. Published by International Book House, Kurunegala. 2005. 

Carloboy Outdoors: Trees and the Jungle in Carl Muller’s Writing Article published in Voice of Women, Vol 6:3. August 2004

Child's Rights in Literature Article published in Voice of Women, 3rd quarter, September 2001

Chitra Fernando’s Fiction: In Retrospect. Article published in Voice of Women, 3rd quarter, August 2000

Sri Lankan English and the Sri Lankan English speaker: changing nature vs unchanging attitudes Paper published in Fact and Fable: Aspects of East West Interaction (Conference Proceedings), Ed. Rajiva Wijesinha, published by the Sabaragamuwa University Press, 1999

Studying Literature and Society Handbook co-authored with Oranee Jansz and Ranjith Goonewardena, published by the English Association of Sri Lanka and the British Council, 1993

Studying Sri Lankan Literature in English Handbook co-authored with Geetha Premaratne and Rajiva Wjesinha, published by the English Association of Sri Lanka and the British Council, 1992

Studying Poetry for Students of English Handbook Co-authored with Geetha Premaratne and Rajiva Wjesinha, published by the English Association of Sri Lanka and the British Council, 1992

Studying Literature for students of English Handbook co-authored with Geetha Premaratne and Rajiva Wjesinha, published by the English Association of Sri Lanka and the British Council, 1992

A Selection of Sri Lankan Short Stories in English co-edited with Rajiva Wijesinha, published by the English Association of Sri Lanka and The British Council, 1992, reprinted 1998.

An Anthology of Contemporary Sri Lankan Poetry in English. Member, editorial committee and student representative, published by the English Association of Sri Lanka, 1988, reprinted 1992 and 1998.

Editor, The SLELTA Quarterly, Journal of the Sri Lanka English Language Teachers’ Association, Colombo. 2009-2012.

Textbooks :

General English for General Certificate of Education (Advanced Level).  Prescribed textbook for all AL students. Chief writer and coordinator of the panel of writers.  Education Publications Department, Ministry of Education, Battaramulla, 2018

Step by Step. Textbook and Teacher Guide for Sri Lankan undergraduates. Member of the panel of writers. World Bank/Higher Education for the 21st Century Project, Colombo. 2016.

Keynotes :

“The Importance of Foreign Language Competence in International Studies” (topic predetermined by the organizers)

Inauguration Ceremony of the Foreign Language Programmes of the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies, Colombo. 7 January 2017. 

• World Englishes in the classroom: A critical literature review of attitudes towards variation in English among teachers of English. Presentation at the Annual Research Symposium, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Colombo, 15 December 2020. Available at: https://fgs.cmb.ac.lk/annual-research-sessions-2020-abstract-book-2/ Pg 30. 
• Teaching literature in times of COVID 19: Experiences from Sri Lanka. Invited Presentation at international webinar titled “A Discourse on Culture, Literature and Nationalism in the Present Scenario”, Government Maharajah Postgraduate College, Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. 12 June 2020
• Sri Lankan English in the classroom: teacher educators’ views of SLE as a local model. Presentation at the conference of the International Association of World Englishes (IAWE 2019), University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland. 20 June 2019
• Sri Lanka Portuguese and the Portuguese Burghers: Attitudes and Identities. Presentation at panel discussion on Portuguese Burghers and their Heritage, University of Lisbon and International Centre for Ethnic Studies, Colombo, 31 October 2017
• ‘Kuppi, koku and kaakko’: An exploration of the linguistic and ideological significance of contemporary campus slang. Presentation at the International Research Conference on the Humanities and the Social Sciences (IRCHSS 2016), University of Sri Jayawardenepura, 11 November 2016
• Culinary narratives: Foodways in contemporary Sri Lankan women’s writing. Presentation at Perkumpulan, research session at the English Language Teaching Unit, University of Kelaniya, 29 March 2016
• Do ‘hall’ and ‘hole’ still matter? A study of university students’ perceptions of Sri Lankan English pronunciation. Presentation at the 8th International Conference of the Sri Lanka English Language Teachers’ Association, Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, 3 October 2014, Colombo.
• Exploring the sociolinguistic reality of Sri Lanka Portuguese and its speakers in Trincomalee: An endocentric view. Presentation at the National Conference on General Linguistics, Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya. 12 December 2013, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.
• Investigating the sociocultural competence of ESL learners through Sri Lankan English borrowings in the classroom.  Presentation at the Annual Research Symposium of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 22 November 2012. Kelaniya. 
• Towards an inclusive Standard Sri Lankan English for ELT in Sri Lanka: Identifying and validating pronunciation features of L1 Tamil speakers. Co presented with Karuna Sivaji at the 7^th International SLELTA conference, 7-9 September 2012, Colombo. 
• Sri Lankan English in recent Sri Lankan women’s writing: linguistic conformism or liberation? Presentation at the Seminar on Post Colonial Sri Lankan Women’s Writing in English at the Women’s Education and Research Centre (WERC), Colombo. 25 March 2008
• A Study of teachers’ awareness of Sri Lankan English. Presentation based on MA research study at the Research Forum of the Postgraduate Institute of English (PGIE), the Open University of Sri Lanka. 14 December 2007.
• Undergraduates’ Perceptions of English and Employment: Presentation at “English for Equality, Employment and Empowerment”,  Fourth International Conference of the Sri Lanka English Language Teachers’ Association (SLELTA), Colombo, Sri Lanka, 4-6 August, 2006
• Domestic Goddess or ‘Black Bitch’?: Representation of Women in Carl Muller’s Fiction. Paper presented at the Biennial Convention of the Centre for Women’s Research, Colombo, March 2004
• So What for Putting Parts?: The Representation of Language in Carl Muller’s Fiction. Paper presented at the Annual Research Sessions of the University of Sri Jayawardenepura, March 2003 
• Toucan on a Baobab Tree:  An analysis of Carl Muller’s ‘Burgher English.’ Paper presented at the Annual Research Sessions of the University of Sri Jayawardenepura. March 2003 
• R K Narayan and Carl Muller: Kindred Souls? Paper presented at the Annual Research Sessions of the University of Sri Jayawardenepura. December 2001 
• Turning Inward: The Sri Lankan Short Story in the 1990s. Paper presented at the international conference, "Cross-Cultural Identities: contemporary Sri Lankan and British Writing" at the British Council, Colombo, 29 March - 1 April 2000.
• The Sri Lankan Short Story in English: A Woman's Perspective in a Woman's Genre? Presentation at the Annual Research Sessions held by the Faculty of Graduate Studies of the University of Sri Jayawardenepura. October 1999.

Memberships : 

• Women’s Education and Research Centre, Colombo - 2012 to present:  Member of the board of directors.
• Sri Lanka Federation of University Women - 2008-2011 President; 2006-7 Coordinator, International Relations; 2007-8 and 2004-5 Press & Publicity officer; 2006-2008 Editor, SLFUW newsletter; 1992 onwards - life member
• SAARC Federation of University Women - 1998 Founder member; 1998-2002 Committee member.
• Sri Lanka English Language Teachers’ Association (SLELTA) – 

            2009-2012 Editor, SLELTA Quarterly

            2006, 2007-2011 Committee Member

            2006, 2008, 2010 Member, conference committees   

            2006 Co-editor, conference proceedings 

• British Association of Applied Linguistics - 2019-present, member