About the LILAC Project
Training the Teachers,
Engaging the Learners
Funded by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, the LILAC Project aims to help language teachers and learners to transform digital challenges into opportunities and acquire the digital proficiency needed to maximise the benefits afforded by e-learning.
LILAC Project team members
Dr Dorothy Ní Uigín,
University of Galway
Dorothy works in Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge at the National University of Ireland, Galway.
She is interested in Language Teaching and Acquisition and teaches modules on the History of Translation in Ireland and the History of Irish-language Media (on-line).
She holds a BA in English and Irish from the National University of Ireland, Galway as well as an MA in Irish, an MA in Literature and Publishing, an MA in Academic Practice and a PhD in Irish.
She is the principal investigator of the LILAC project.
Dott. Oriana Bologna,
University of Galway
Oriana is currently a teaching assistant and an e-tutor in Italian at the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG).
She has been working on the LILAC project as a research assistant, content creator , web site designer and developer since December 2019.
Oriana Bologna holds a BA in Theories and Techniques of Interlingual Mediation and a MA in Translation and Interpreting (English and Spanish) both awarded by Università degli Studi di Genova (Italy). She also completed a Postgraduate course (Master di II Livello) in E-Learning and Teaching Italian as a Foreign Language awarded by Università per Stranieri di Siena (Italy). She has been training as an Italian teaching assistant first at Universidad de Granada (Spain) then at NUIG.
She has been collaborating at the content creation of the Diploma in Italian Online (Intermediate Level) offered by NUIG and has been teaching online for several years. She is also an official CILS (International Certification of Italian as a Foreign Language) examiner.
Her research interests include E-learning and E-teaching, Learning Technologies, Instructional Design, Visual Design and Universal Design for Learning.
Dr Francesca Nicora,
University of Galway
Francesca is currently a teaching assistant and an e-tutor in Italian at the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG).
As a research assistant on the LILAC project, she is responsible for content creation, web site design, data analysis and dissemination activities
Francesca Nicora holds a BA in Foreign Languages and Literatures – Bulgarian and Russian – and a MA in Theoretical and Applied Linguistics both awarded by Università degli Studi di Pisa (Italy). She also obtained a Postgraduate degree (Master di II livello) in E-Learning and E-Teaching Italian as a Foreign Language from Università per Stranieri di Siena (Italy) and a Postgraduate degree (Pgcert) in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education from the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) at NUIG.
She has recently completed her Structured-PhD degree in Italian Studies from the NUIG. The PhD project, entitled “Prosodic training in foreign language: a study with Hiberno-English learners of Italian“, has been chosen as the winner of the IRAAL (Irish Association for Applied Linguistics) postgraduate award in 2019, the European Doctorate Award in April 2020 (NUI, Galway) and the Grant-in-Aid of Publication fund in January 2021 (Moore Institute, NUI, Galway).
Her research interests include second language prosody acquisition, phonetics and phonology with particular focus on intonation (Irish-English and Italian varieties), audiovisual translation practices (captioning and revoicing) and technologies in language teaching and learning settings.
Míċeál Ó Loċlainn,
University of Galway
Míċeál works in Áras Shorcha Ní Ghuairim, part of Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge at the National University of Ireland, Galway. He provides technical supervision and support to the LILAC Project and oversees web design and development.
His research interests include Internet and multimedia technologies and he has designed and taught modules related to these disciplines. He is particularly interested in the deployment of Irish and Celtic language environments in the IT domain. He has developed language management resources for Windows and Linux networks and has contributed an Irish keymap and the ga_IE.UTF‑8 locale to FreeBSD. For the WordPress platform, he has developed semantically-rich editing and notational tools; also a framework (as used here at the LILAC Project) for implementing multilingual websites. He has papers and articles written that discuss these projects in detail.
In both professional and personal capacities, Míċeál is active in the development and maintenence of a number of web publications focussing on Irish language and culture; many of which stand as teaching and learning resources. These include Cartlanna Joe Éinniú, Coisín Shiúlach and machnamh.com; along with An Músgraigheach and the websites of Cumann Merriman and Iontaobhas Uí Chadhain.
Míċeál is technical adviser and web administrator to a number of Gaeltacht community development organisations, including Fóram Chois Fharraige um Pleanáil Teanga CTR, Cumann Forbartha Chois Fharraige and Comhlacht Forbartha an Spidéil.
Dr Éamon Ó Cofaigh,
University of Galway
Éamon is a postgraduate of NUI, Galway.
He graduated in 1999 and taught English at the Université de Bretagne-Sud, Lorient for the following year. He returned to Galway to complete an MA in French and has been teaching with the department since then.
Éamon teaches French language and translation through the medium of Irish at all levels of the undergraduate programme. He also lectures on French Chanson and Cinema.
He has also taught in the applied languages sector.
Dr Pilar Alderete Diez,
University of Galway
Pilar has been a Lecturer at NUI Galway since 2006.
She holds a postgraduate masters of Education in English, and graduated with BA in English Philology at University of Valladolid, Spain, an MA Spanish from NUI Galway and a Ph.D. in Language Teaching and Learning later in 2013 with University of Valladolid, Spain.
Her research focuses on two main streams: Spanish language Teaching and Learning and the exploration of children’s identity in translation. She won the European Language Label Award in 2020 for the projecto EstudiantELE.
Current Projects: Corpus of Irish Learners of Spanish A1-A2, Community of Practice of Spanish Teachers in Ireland and Research Network of Children in Translated Products.
Dr Matteo La Grassa,
Università per Stranieri di Siena,
Italy
Matteo is Researcher (RTD type A), at the University for Foreigners of Siena.
In 2007 he received a PhD in Linguistics and Didactics of Italian as Foreign Language at the University for Foreigners of Siena. In 2008 he collaborated on the PRIN research project “The lexicon of materials, the lexicon in materials”. From 2009 to 2012 he was Young Researcher for the FIRB project “E-learning, deafness, written language: a bridge of letters and signs for the knowledge society”.
From 2012 to 2018 he was a post doc researcher at the FAST Center of the University for Foreigners of Siena, mainly dealing with analysis of models for distance learning and innovative methodologies for the teaching of Italian L2. He holds training courses in Italy and abroad on topics related to the teaching of Italian as L2.
He is scientific director of the Journal «Italiano a stranieri».
Darragh Mac Giolla Phádraig,
University of Galway
Darragh is originally from Carlow but is now living in Galway.
He graduated with first class honors in Irish and Translation Studies from the National University of Ireland, Galway in 2020.
Darragh has a particular interest in translation and language promotion.
He is currently pursuing the MA sa Léann Teanga programme.
Prof. Laura McLoughlin,
University of Galway
Laura Incalcaterra McLoughlin PhD was a Personal Professor at the National University of Ireland, Galway, now University of Galway, up until her retirement.
She was Joint Director of CALM (Centre for Applied Linguistics and Multilingualism), co-Director of the MA in Advanced Language Skills, co-Director of the BA in Global Languages and Coordinator of the Diploma in Italian Online.
Laura taught Italian language (including Italian for special purposes), translation and audiovisual translation. She has published on language teaching methodologies and technologies, e-learning and subtitling in Applied Linguistics.
She was the original principal investigator of the LILAC project.