Innovation in Language Learning

Dietmar Tatzl is a faculty member of the Institute of Aviation, where he has taught English language courses to aeronautical engineering and aviation management students for 22 years. He holds a doctorate in English Studies as well as two diploma degrees (English and American Studies / History and Media Studies) from the University of Graz, Austria. As part of his education, he spent a full academic year at Hendrix College, Conway, AR, USA, from 1996 to 1997.

In addition to teaching and research, Dietmar Tatzl contributed to the development of the bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes at the Institute of Aviation from 2007 to 2008. He is a permanent member of the institute’s curriculum development team. Dietmar Tatzl further supervises students’ internships and graduation theses, and he coaches student teams who participate in international engineering design contests. He is also involved in the conduction of the institute’s entrance tests and admission interviews.

His publications include:
Aguilar-Pérez, M., Moncada-Comas, B., & Tatzl, D. (Eds.). (2025, in press). Developing language competence through English for specific purposes in English-medium university settings. New Perspectives on Language and Education (123). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters. ISBN: 978-1-80041-686-4

Arnó-Macià, E., Aguilar-Pérez, M., & Tatzl, D. (2020). Engineering students’ perceptions of the role of ESP courses in internationalized universities. English for Specific Purposes, 58, 58–74. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2019.12.001

Tatzl, D. (2019). Building a model engine for language learning with tertiary engineering students. In A. Kostoulas (Ed.), Challenging boundaries in language education (pp. 121–139). Second Language Learning and Teaching (Series). Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17057-8_8

Tatzl, D. (2018). A higher-education teaching module for integrating industry content and language through online recruitment advertisements. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 8(3), 643–672. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2018.8.3.6

Tatzl, D. (2017). An intensive presentations course in English for aeronautical engineering students using cyclic video recordings. Language Learning in Higher Education, 7(2), 275–309. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/cercles-2017-0011

Gkonou, C., Tatzl, D., & Mercer, S. (Eds.). (2016). New directions in language learning psychology. Second Language Learning and Teaching (Series). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-23491-5

Tatzl, D. (2015). Case meetings for teaching English for specific academic purposes in a tertiary aeronautical engineering programme. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 9(3), 191–217. DOI: 10.1080/17501229.2014.904871

Tatzl, D. (2015). A constructionist English language teaching project based on an aeronautical conceptual design challenge. Technical Communication, 62(1), 29–47. URL: http://techcomm.stc.org/2015/04/a-constructionist-english-language-teaching-project-based-on-an-aeronautical-conceptual-design-challenge/

Tatzl, D. (2015). Constructionist experiential learner-enhanced teaching in English for academic purposes. Frankfurt/Main, Germany: Peter Lang. DOI 10.3726/978-3-653-05552-8

Areas of expertise: English for specific purposes, English for academic purposes, English-medium instruction, engineering education, learner autonomy, and materials development.