Ilka Kostka

Ilka Kostka, PhD is a Teaching Professor in the Undergraduate Programs.

Since joining Northeastern, Dr. Kostka has taught a wide range of English language courses to graduate and undergraduate international students. Dr. Kostka uses various instructional technologies and classroom techniques to promote active learning and interaction in her courses, such as the flipped learning approach. Most recently, Dr. Kostka has been exploring the potential of generative artificial intelligence in enhancing English language instruction and building students’ critical AI literacy skills. With Dr. Rachel Toncelli, she is a co-recipient of the 2024 Ron Chang Lee Award for Excellence in Classroom Technology given by TESOL International Association. 

Dr. Kostka has co-authored several books with TESOL Press and one with the University of Michigan Press titled Teaching Effective Source Use: Classroom Approaches that Work. She is a regular presenter at international and regional conferences and a member of the Board of Reviewers of The Electronic Journal for English as a Second Language. Dr. Kostka also serves on the Board of Directors of Literacy Volunteers of Greater Worcester, which provides English language instruction to adult learners.
 
Dr. Kostka earned a PhD in Bilingual Education from New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development in 2012.

Previously, she served as Visiting Assistant Professor of Foreign Language Certification and German, and as Foreign Language Certification Coordinator at Southern Connecticut State University, as well as Lecturer in TESOL and German. Dr. Kostka joined the College of Professional Studies as an Assistant Teaching Professor in 2014.