Dr Miriam Neigert

Lecturer in German Studies - School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

Miriam Neigert

Phone: +61 267732712

Email: mneigert@une.edu.au

Biography

Dr Neigert joined UNE in 2018 as a Lecturer and Discipline Convenor of German Studies.  She completed her PhD thesis at Justus-Liebig Universität Gießen and Macquarie University Sydney (Cotutelle) on the topic of older language learners at community colleges in Germany. She is passionate about learning and teaching languages and has more than 15 years of teaching experience in a variety of adult and higher education contexts in both Germany and Australia. During her studies at Justus-Liebig Universität, she was part of an e-learning team creating digital language learning material in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut and teaching German online via chats, wikis and on SecondLife. Dr Neigert has taught a variety of lectures and seminars for teachers of TEFL/TESOL and trained teachers in the teaching and learning of German as a foreign language (DaF/DaZ).

Miriam’s research interests include motivation and the language learner self, age and language learning, using digital media in the foreign language classroom, and assessment for language learning.

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy (Cotutelle: Justus-Liebig Universität Gießen and Macquarie University Sydney)

MA in Foreign Language Teaching and Learning for the languages English and German as well as Arabic & Islamic Studies (Justus-Liebig Universität Gießen)

Certificate for Professional Higher Education Teaching (Hochschuldidaktisches Netzwerk, Gießen)

Awards

Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, Australian Awards for University Teaching (AAUT), 2023

VC Citation for Education Excellence, UNE 2023

Faculty Citation for Education Excellence, UNE 2022

School Citation for Education Excellence, UNE 2021

Dr Neigert has received Unit Commendations in 2021 and 2022 for: GRMN101, GRMN201, GRMN202, GRMN307, GRMN308

Teaching Areas

  • German language, literature and culture
  • TESOL
  • Language learning skills and strategies
  • Research and writing skills
  • Translation

Research Interests

  • German Studies
  • TESOL
  • Language Learning and Teaching (in particular: assessment, digital media/online learning, literature)
  • Individual Learner Differences (age, self-concept, motivation, neurodivergence)
  • Mixed Methods in SLA research
  • Educational Linguistics
  • Adult Education
  • Higher Education
  • Educational Technology

Research Supervision Experience

Dr Neigert has supervised and examined research projects at PhD, MA and Honours level. She welcomes students wishing to undertake research in the areas of German studies and TESOL, and other projects related to learning and teaching languages.

Current supervision:

Jennifer Evans: "Expanding Ripples: Long-term perceptions of in-country experience" (PhD project)

Successful Completions:

Dr Cecilia White: "Intertextu(r)ally Mapping an Odyssean Homecome: (de)(re)forming reason, rime and parody’s invitation to journey in the poetry of Helmut Schrey" (MA project)

Publications

Research UNE Profile

Book

New Perspectives on Older Language Learners. A Mixed Methods Study on the Temporal Self of Young-Old EFL Learners in Germany. Narr/Francke/Attempto, Tübingen 2019.

Book Chapters

‘”Kopfkino.” Tracing a Doctoral Student’s Mental Cinema.’, Autoethnographische Beiträge zur Professionalisierung in der Fremdsprachenforschung, edited by Maike Berger and Constanze Dreßler, Narr/Francke/Attempto, Tübingen 2017, 49-56.

Book Reviews

"Winke, Paula; Gass, Susan M.: Foreign Language Proficiency in Higher Education. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2019 (Educational Linguistics, 37)." (2021), Informationen Deutsch als Fremdsprache, 48(2-3), p. 347-349

Articles

with Geoffrey Miller (2024). "Lost in translation: the geopolitical risks of declining foreign language learning in Australia and NZ."The Conversation.

Entries in Reference Works

"DaF in Australien" (2021),  DigiDaFZ: Didaktik und Methodik des Deutsch als Fremd-/Zweitsprache-Unterrichts digital

Interviews

Interview with Dr Jacinta Kelly (2018) Virtual Reality in the language classroom: PVC(E) and V-Kaiwa

Conference Papers and Presentations

'Humanising Assessment - Portfolios in German language units as an authentic and personalised approach to assessing language learning', Teaching Symposium, UNE 2023

'Distance not Distant: Soziale Nähe im universitären online DaF-Unterricht'  (Invited speaker together with Jennifer Evans) Finnische Germanisten Tagung, Oulu 2022

'Introduction to Flipped Classrooms and Student Engagement in Face-to-Face German Classes' (Workshop presented together with Jennifer Evans) University of Newcastle, NSW, 2019

'Innovation in Assessment: Implementation of Portfolios in German Studies.' FASS Research and Teaching Conference, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2017.

‘My Mixed Methods Project Revisited. Getting to the Final Stage of Data Merging’ International Graduate Conference, Macquarie University, Sydney, 2016.

‘Caught between the Textbook and Teacher Autonomy? A Study on the Usage of a Language Textbook in German Language Classes.’ Languages & Cultures Network for Australian Universities Conference, Macquarie University, Sydney, 2015.

‘Finding the Right Mix. Using Mixed Methods to Investigate Language Learner Self-Concept of the Young-Old.’ International Graduate Conference, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 2015.

‘Back to School? Studying Language Learner Self-Concept of the Young-Old.’ International Conference “Matters of the Mind: Psychology and Language Learning”, Karl-Franzens-Universität, Graz, 2014.

Forthcoming Works & Work in Progress

  • With: Evans, Jennifer: "Distance not Distant: Enriched, enlivened Online-Learning."
    In R. Whittle (ed.) Handbook of German Teaching. London: Routledge. (In press).
  • "Humanising Assessment: Portfolios in the German as a Foreign Language Classroom." In R. Whittle (ed.) Handbook of German Teaching. London: Routledge. (In press).
  • "Children's literature and Nostalgia: Positive Impacts on Language Learning." (Work in progress)

Memberships

Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities (LCNAU)

Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE)

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Fremdsprachenforschung (DGFF)

Fachverband Deutsch als Fremd- und Zweitsprache (FaDaF)

Consultancy Interests

Language learning and teaching

Higher education

Assessment

Further Information

Grants and Scholarships

Special Studies Programme (SSP), UNE 2022-2023

Academic Leadership Programme (AleaP), UNE 2020

Postgraduate Travel Grant, Macquarie University 2015

International Macquarie Research Excellence Scholarship (iMQRES), Macquarie University 2014-2016