Nuria Ballesteros Soria
Special Faculty Member, Dietrich College
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Education: PhD (2022), Carnegie Mellon University, Second Language Acquisition. MA (2018), Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo (Spain), Teaching Spanish as a Second Language. MA (2016), West Virginia University, Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language. BA (2014), Universidad de Valladolid (Spain), Translation and Interpreting (English, German). Sworn EN<>ES Translator and Interpreter accredited by the Spanish Department of Foreign Affairs
Bio
As a researcher, I investigate pedagogical arrangements aimed at supporting language learners’ interactional abilities. My goal is to maximize my students’ learning opportunities during class time and to prepare them to succeed in their interactions outside of class.
My teaching practices are informed by my academic background in SLA and language pedagogy as well by my research on L2 interaction. For example, I collaborated with the Eberly Center in Spring 2020 on a Teaching-as-Research project that examined the effectiveness of scenario-based tasks to promote interactional abilities among beginning learners of Spanish.
Since joining CMU, I have also served as a Teaching Fellow at Dietrich College and as a Graduate Teaching Fellow at the Eberly Center. At Dietrich College, I provided pedagogical support for two Grand Challenge seminars and offered language and cross-cultural mentoring for international students. At the Eberly Center, I support graduate student instructors through classroom observations, teaching workshops, and consultations. In 2020, I was awarded the Dietrich College Graduate Student Teaching Award for my commitment to educational research and pedagogical innovation.
I received my PhD in Second Language Acquisition in the Department of Modern Languages at Carnegie Mellon University in 2022. After graduation, I joined Carnegie Mellon University as a special faculty member in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences’ Dean’s Office.
Areas of Interest
- Interactional competence; conversation analysis
- Foreign language teaching methodologies
- Teacher training
- Pedagogical materials development
- Technology-enhanced learning
Courses Taught
- 82-342 Spain: Language and Culture
- 82-141 Elementary Spanish I
- University of Virginia: SPAN3010: Grammar and Composition
- West Virginia University: SPAN203: Upper-intermediate SPAN102: Intermediate
Selected Awards and Honors
- Graduate Student Teaching Award – Dietrich College, CMU, 2020
- Teaching Fellowship – Dean’s Office of Dietrich College, CMU, 2020
- William S. Dietrich II Presidential Ph.D. Fellowship – Department of Modern Languages, CMU, 2020
- National Valedictorian Excellence Award – Spanish Department of Education (Spain), 2018
- Academic Excellence Award – Spanish Department of Education and Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo (Spain), 2017
Selected Community, University, and Professional Service
- Teaching & Learning Summit Advisory Board – CMU, 2020
- Excellence in Academic Advising Award Selection Committee – CMU, 2020
- Academic Review Board – CMU, 2019 - present
- Graduate Student Assembly Representative – CMU, 2019
- Organizing Committee Member, SIP FILMFEST 2018: Contemporary Women’s Visions from Spain, Italy, and Latin America – University of Virginia, 2018