Carolina Castro Huercano, PhD
she/her/they/them
Carolina is an experienced global educator with over 23 years of work across Spain, Asia, the U.S., and Australia. She earned her PhD in education from Flinders University in Australia where her research focused on project-based learning. This work emphasized the importance of leveraging digital technologies and emotional engagement to enhance motivation and develop 21st-century skills.
She has served as a lecturer at prestigious institutions including UNC Chapel Hill, Flinders University, the International University of La Rioja, and the Open University of Catalonia. Additionally, Carolina has collaborated as an education consultant and teacher trainer with international organizations such as the British Council, the Regional Governments of the Basque Country, Galicia, and Andalucía in Spain, as well as Alpha Bank, and in other roles for the European Commission. In these roles, she designed and delivered high-quality teacher training programs in digital pedagogy, social and emotional learning, project-based learning, and active pedagogies in both Western countries and emerging economies. These experiences have refined her ability to create engaging and effective learning environments for diverse audiences, offering students valuable practical insights.
Dedicated to mentoring future leaders, she advises master’s students and facilitates learning experiences in international education and policy for SIT. Her extensive background as a global educator and teacher trainer makes her an invaluable resource for those pursuing careers in study abroad programs, international education, and education consulting. Driven by a passion for intercultural understanding, social justice, and ethical practices, she integrates these values into her guidance, helping students excel in the global education landscape by combining both academic insights and industry perspectives.
Courses Taught
Educational Practice and Policy in Spain
Reflective Practice
IE Program Planning & Design
Selected Publications
Castro Huercano, C. (2011). Creación de tareas integradas para jóvenes y adultos usando WebQuest. In 22nd ASELE International Congress: “La Red y sus Aplicaciones en la Enseñanza-Aprendizaje del Español como Lengua Extranjera” (pp. 601–608). Valladolid, Castilla y León; Universidad de Valladolid.
Castro Huercano, C. (2011). CLIL in Teaching Spanish for Foreign Languages: A proposal with WebQuests (dissertation). Marcoele. https://marcoele.com/descargas/13/castro-clil_webquests.pdf
Selected Presentations
Castro Huercano, C. (2023). Teacher Training: On how to support LGBTQIA+ students at school. III Congreso de Educación LGBTI de Andalucía de Fundación Triángulo. Sevilla, Spain.
Castro Huercano, C. (2023). Project-Based Language Learning and the use of Social and Emotional Learning in second language classes. [National Teacher Training Conference]. Conference on Foreign Languages organized by the Galician Regional Department of Education, CAFI. Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Castro Huercano, C. (2021). Project-Based Language Learning. Doctoral Seminar on PBLL organized by State Iowa University. Iowa, USA.
Current Research Interests
Social and emotional learning in higher education
Supporting LGBTQIA+ students in formal education
AI for academic writing
Instructional design
E-pedagogy
Teacher training pedagogy
Feminist pedagogy
Education
- PhD, Education and Applied Linguistics, Flinders University
- MA, Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language, Universidad Pablo de Olavide
- BA, English Language and Literature, Universidad de Sevilla
