Profile

Panagiota (Penny) Tzanni is an Educational Developer at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) and a doctoral researcher at Lancaster University. Her work spans academic development, digital education, technology-enhanced learning, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), and the professional development and recognition of educators in higher education.

At XJTLU, Panagiota contributes to the design and delivery of professional development initiatives that support faculty members in enhancing their educational practice. Her work encompasses curriculum and learning design, innovative pedagogies, digital education, educational technologies, and the critical and responsible integration of generative AI into teaching, learning, and assessment.

She is Module Leader for EDS432: Education in a Digital Society, part of the MSc Digital Education at XJTLU. The module explores the relationship between education, technology, and wider social change, providing students with opportunities to critically engage with contemporary developments and debates surrounding digital education.

Panagiota is also the Coordinator of the ULTRA-XJTLU Senior Fellowship Programme, which supports experienced educators in working towards recognition as Senior Fellows of Advance HE (SFHEA). In this role, she coordinates the programme and supports and mentors faculty members as they develop their applications, reflect on their educational leadership and impact, and evidence their professional practice against the Professional Standards Framework (PSF).

Panagiota is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE (SFHEA), a Fellow of the Staff and Educational Development Association (FSEDA), and a Certified Member of the Association for Learning Technology (CMALT). These professional recognitions reflect her sustained engagement with educational development, academic professional learning, digital education, and the enhancement of teaching and learning in higher education.

Alongside her professional role, Panagiota is undertaking a PhD at Lancaster University in Technology Enhanced Learning and E-Research. Her doctoral research uses a design-based research approach to investigate the design, implementation, and iterative development of professional development for English for Academic Purposes (EAP) educators engaging with generative AI. Her research examines educators’ professional learning, needs, experiences, and developing practices as they navigate rapid technological change.

Her wider research interests centre on the intersection of educational development, generative AI, professional learning, and academic practice. She is particularly interested in how emerging technologies influence educators’ practices, professional identities and roles; how higher education institutions can support meaningful professional learning around technological change; and how educators negotiate the opportunities, tensions, and professional norms associated with AI adoption. Her emerging research also considers issues such as AI literacy, human–AI collaboration, AI-supported assessment and feedback, attitudes towards AI use within academic communities, and the changing role of educators in increasingly AI-rich educational environments.

Prior to joining XJTLU, Panagiota worked at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), where she held roles across English for Academic Purposes and academic professional development. She served as Academic Director of the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE), contributing to the professional development of university educators and the enhancement of teaching and learning practice. Her background in EAP, academic development, educational technology, and professional learning informs her interdisciplinary approach to both research and practice.

Panagiota holds an MA in Applied Linguistics from the University of Birmingham and an MRes in Technology Enhanced Learning and E-Research from Lancaster University.

Research Interests

• Educational development and academic professional learning

• Generative AI in higher education

• Technology-enhanced learning and digital education

• AI literacy and responsible AI use

• Educator professional identity and the changing role of academics

• Professional development for AI-enhanced education

• English for Academic Purposes (EAP)

• AI-supported teaching, assessment and feedback

• Human–AI collaboration in education

• Professional recognition and development of higher education educators

• Design-based research

• Practitioner research, autoethnography and qualitative inquiry

• Future academic and educational practices in AI-rich environments