drs. A.R.O. (Ruben) Comadina Granson

A fully qualified, adaptable, inspiring and resourceful English language instructor and intercultural trainer with extensive experience worldwide in designing blended-learning courses and cultivatig true intercultural competence.

Employment History

2018 - present       Intercultural Competence trainer

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) team - Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) - University of Groningen

Language Centre - University of Groningen

• Teaching effective communication strategies for interacting with people from diverse cultural backgrounds, involving understanding non-verbal cues and adapting communication styles

• Designing learning activities that support students' development of intercultural competences

• Fostering cultural sensitivity and competence among participants to help individuals recognise their own cultural biases and stereotypes and provide tools to mitigate them

• Conducting and building intercultural assessments using the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) and the Intercultural Effectiveness Scale (IES)

• Assessing and adjusting intercultural training to meet the needs of participants

• Leading workshops, seminars, and training sessions in group settings

1995 – 2023             Senior Lecturer in English and Spanish

University of Groningen Language Centre, the Netherlands

• Teaching in faculty programmes for staff and students
• Developing English and Spanish undergraduate programmes
• Producing, conducting and assessing language proficiency examinations
• Creating and maintaining VLE course sites to integrate computer-assisted language learning and task-based activities into the language programmes
• Attending and contributing to in-house training sessions

2007 – 2019            Head of Foreign Modern Languages (MFL)

University of Groningen Language Centre, the Netherlands

• Designing and implementing policy for the MFL section
• Managing and coordinating staff within the MFL section
• Supporting training development and curriculum overhaul
• Organising didactic and intercultural workshops
• Writing teachers’ material and guidelines for the use of material
• Holding career development interviews with staff members
• Supervising, mentoring and coaching less experienced as well as new on-call language trainers
• Organising and supervising CEFR standardization sessions
• Supervising students in their work placement to enhance their familiarity with the world of work

 1991 – 2003                English and Spanish Trainer

Dagnall Language Institute, Assen, the Netherlands

• Designing and delivering programme and teaching materials for international business and commerce participants

• Delivering staff training about different customs, values, norms and communication styles to help participants develop an understanding of cultural differences and similarities