Ilka Kostka

As Academic Director of the NU Immerse and Global Pathways Programs, Dr. Kostka is responsible for ensuring academic quality in teaching and learning, supporting faculty, leading the development and improvement of their language programs, and ensuring the delivery of an excellent student experience. As Teaching Professor, she teaches a range of English language courses to multilingual international students, engages in curriculum development and on-going evaluations of their programs, and serves as principal instructor of two English language courses. She has been teaching at CPS since June 2014.

Programs Affiliated: NU Immerse and Global Pathways (Undergraduate Programs)

Teaching and Research Focus Area:
She is currently exploring the use of generative AI in language teaching and learning, focusing specifically on teacher development. She’s interested in how language educators can both learn about AI and integrate it into instruction.

Professional Background:
She volunteers with two non-profit organizations, both of which focus on education. She is the Deputy Chair of the Women in Higher Education Fellowship, hosted by Professors Without Borders. The Fellowship provides professional development to women academics from around the world through learning, networking, and mentoring. She is also the Vice-President of Literacy Volunteers of Greater Worcester, which provides free English language instruction and tutoring to adult immigrants. Before coming to Northeastern, she taught at Southern Connecticut State University. She has also taught English in Wuhan, China, and at The Ohio State University.

Academic Background: B.A. in German Studies from The Pennsylvania State University; Minors: International Studies and Political Science. M.A. in German Studies from the University of Connecticut. She also holds a Graduate Certificate in Language Program Management from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Select Publications: Paiz, J.M., Toncelli, R., & Kostka, I. (2025). Artificial intelligence, real teaching: A Guide to AI in ELT. University of Michigan Press. https://press.umich.edu/Books/A/Artificial-Intelligence-Real-Teaching

Toncelli, R., Kostka, I., McMartin-Miller, C., Zhou, L., & Szelenyi, B. (2025). Charting new waters: Exploring the role of ChatGPT in post-secondary pathways programs. In C. Wang & Z. Tian (Eds.), Artificial intelligence and language education: Promises, challenges, and applications (pp. 153-168). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003426929-12/charting-new-waters-rachel-toncelli-ilka-kostka-cristine-mcmartin-miller-lin-zhou-balazs-szelenyi

Toncelli, R., & Kostka, I. (2024). A love-hate relationship: Exploring faculty attitudes towards GenAI and its integration into teaching. International Journal of TESOL Studies, 6(3), 77-94. https://www.tesolunion.org/journal/details/info/fMjY15LmNi/A-Love-Hate-Relationship:-Exploring-Faculty-Attitudes-Towards-GenAI-and-Its-Integration-into-Teaching

Kostka, I., & Toncelli, R. (2023). Exploring applications of ChatGPT to English language teaching: Opportunities, challenges, and recommendations. The Electronic Journal for English as a Second Language, 27(3), 1-19. https://tesl-ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume27/ej107/ej107int/

Marshall, H.W., & Kostka, I. (2020). Fostering teaching presence: The Synchronous Online Flipped Learning Approach. The Electronic Journal for English as a Second Language, 24(2), 1-14. https://tesl-ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume24/ej94/ej94int/

Kostka, I. (2023). Using a flipped learning approach to teach source-based academic writing in English language courses. In R. Wette (Ed.), Teaching and learning source-based writing: Current perspectives and future directions (pp. 94-107). Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Teaching-and-Learning-Source-Based-Writing-Current-Perspectives-and-Future-Directions/Wette/p/book/9781032252346?srsltid=AfmBOopiRGHNa7MUaMxbhdZVB8NnJ8618pe1nGc0U85tuFHuEGTBT4x0

Kostka, I. (2020). Teaching with collaborative technologies across borders. In J.K. Shin & P. Vinogradova (Eds.), Contemporary foundations for teaching English as an additional language: Pedagogical approaches and classroom applications (pp. 191-199). Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Contemporary-Foundations-for-Teaching-English-as-an-Additional-Language-Pedagogical-Approaches-and-Classroom-Applications/Vinogradova-Shin/p/book/9780367026356?srsltid=AfmBOop4Re792ORz6uhTFyJjxp6p951sC_WR-i-b4orpON1cqwooxmO2

Recent Awards: 

2024: Ron Chang Lee Award for Excellence in Classroom Technology (with Rachel Toncelli); given by TESOL International Association

2024: MagicSchool AI Educator Award Semifinalist, MagicSchool AI.

2024: Volunteer of the Year Award, given by Literacy Volunteers of Greater Worcester

2024: Linda Schulman Innovation Grant, given by Massachusetts Association of Teachers of Speakers of Other Languages.