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Academic Management
Viv joined KIMEP University as Professor of English and Cultural Studies in August 2019. In her capacity as the Research Director for the College of Humanities and Education at KIMEP, she initiated a wide-range of research strategies to define KIMEP more prominently in a global context. In October, KIMEP launched five new Research Associations in five disciplinary areas to encourage international research collaborations: http://environmentalresearchassociation.com
A new journal, Language, Culture, Environment, was launched to reflect cross-disciplinary research interests and, in particular, to assert KIMEP’s increasing involvement in international environmental issues: https://www.kimep.kz/lcej/
The College’s first conference was to have been held in May 2020 but was postponed on account of the COVID19 pandemic till May 2021. Please click on the link for details: https://www.kimep.kz/college-humanities-education/che-conference/
Viv is a member of thirteen committees and groups at university and college level, several of which she instigated, and directs, others she volunteered for and the rest was elected to serve on. She serves on Academic Council, Promotions and Retention, Strategic Research, Research Directors’ Committee/Awards, Library, Humanities Curriculum, Systems Centralisation, Journal and Web-Design committees and the Language Research Association, Culture Research Association, Education Research Association and the Environmental Research Association. She is currently involved in the development of strategies to increase efficiency and promote professional profiles as KIMEP maximises its potential, innovates and expands its services to local and international educational and business sectors. Viv has also just launched a training site for busy academics: https://www.vivwestbrooktraining.com
At National Taiwan University, Viv focused her attention specifically on research and teaching strategies. She revolutionized teaching in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures by designing six to eight new courses every year, both compulsory and elective, for undergraduates and graduates, and by introducing new metacognitive methods of teaching and learning.
She directed numerous dissertation students, both undergraduate and graduate, and although she encouraged her own Renaissance Studies students to pursue Ph.D. study abroad, she enabled many other N.T.U.-registered Ph.D. students working in broader research areas to succeed.
She organized faculty lectures and hosted international guest speakers, as well as international conference sessions and workshops, including the facilitation of the DFLL’s first graduate conference. When she was not teaching and developing the curriculum, she was formulating new international projects and book series, securing and managing research budgets.
As the screenwriter of the Teaching Business English popular television series, she was able to provide an invaluable consultancy service for the National Taiwan Language Testing Centre.
She served as a Project Assessor for the Ministry of Science and Technology in Taiwan and participated in a range of recruitment processes, from setting graduate entrance exams through to assessing prospective Ph.D. students and faculty.
She was instrumental in setting up collaborative faculty research and teaching groups and directed two in Metacognition and Renaissance Paratext. Just prior to her departure she directed the Taiwanese Shakespeare Forum, which organizes conferences, supports workshops and funds faculty research on Shakespeare, and in this capacity she was also a conference organizer for TACMRS.
Since 2013 she has been very involved with work at both the University of Western Australia and Cambridge University. In her capacity as Senior Research Fellow and Adjunct Professor across three schools at UWA and as St. John’s College’s Lady Margaret Beaufort Fellow she initiates and develops high quality international research networks, projects and publications.
Business Management
Technical Illustrations Associates, Manchester: Business Systems Manager, (1984-1991).
Viv revolutionized the working systems of a newly established company, reduced working hours and increased profits. She graduated in Business Studies and began her career within a newly established company which was an offshoot of ICI. She introduced computers to the company and designed databases to run the business more efficiently. She managed the working systems of eight employees, trained assistants and eventually introduced Computer Graphics using prototype technologies and software that had to be self-taught. Viv could have started a new software company at that point but decided to pursue academic studies instead. By the time she left the company it was virtually fully automated.
Dillons (Waterstones) Book Store: Academic Bookseller, (1991-1993).
She dramatically increased sales in the Education and Psychology sections of the store by paying attention to trends, for instance, the development of Counselling, the introduction of the Key Stage early education system and Open University student ‘block-purchasing’ behaviour. She liaised with publishers, purchased books, organized public events and offered a range of book services to the public. The job fitted in with her decision to return to university and pursue an academic career.
Cheadle Hulme School, Cheadle, Cheshire: School Librarian, (1995).
Viv managed the school library initially in order to supplement her M.Phil. tuition scholarship at the University of Manchester, but she enjoyed the opportunity of working with younger students. Here, Viv redesigned the library according to the school’s curriculum to facilitate student access to pertinent resources. She was responsible for every aspect of developing and maintaining library processes as well as for providing library guidance services for teachers and students.