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On the eve of departure…

May 22, 2016 By Ayesha in GPP2016 No Comments

It is hard to believe that after months of planning for study abroad, brainstorming research ideas, applying for travel visa’s (oh the interesting process…maybe another blog post soon), figuring out all the other details related to international travel, and learning about Switzerland (and a few other European countries)  and the various universities I will be visiting, that finally the time to embark on this journey is less than 24 hours away.

On the eve of my departure for study abroad to Switzerland (plus Milan, Italy and Strasbourg, France), I am full of emotions; nervous-anxious, enthusiastic and eager to name a few. Traveling (locally or abroad), by any modes of transportation, often evokes mixed emotions  for me,  specifically this time around I am slightly nervous and a bit more anxious. With recent events in Brussels and earlier last year in Paris, security at airports and around most cities makes me nervous. Being a Pakistani citizen, I understand it may take me longer than usual at airports then previously, regardless of the fact that I have all the necessary documents and visa’s. All I can do now is to be mentally prepared and plan ahead.

Another aspect that makes me anxious is about retaining and processing all the information I will be gaining on this trip. I like to think and I like to take my time to connect the various experiences I undertake. I understand that this 10 days long program is intensive, and  we will be visiting numerous universities and meeting with outstanding colleagues from across Europe. I am afraid that I will not be able to retain, process and think about all the various aspects as I always do. So, in order not to miss all the experiences, I have decided that I will try to journal each night or at least create a list of top 5 pieces of information that I consider important from the day. Keeping track of the top information and experiences will allow me to go back and think about what I have learned even after the program is over.

As I pack and get all my necessary belongings together, I am immensely excited as well. This feeling is a combination of my passion for exploring new countries and universities abroad and studying Higher Education (my concentration).  I have been fortunate to travel to many countries in the past and the “must do” list always contains visiting local universities and colleges when possible. I believe that one of the best ways to learn about a country, their growth over time, learn about local culture and to understand their educational cultures, one must visit an educational institution. Therefore, I am thrilled that on this travel not only will I get the opportunity to visit multiple universities, I also will be able to engage in meaningful conversation with our Dean, professionals at these universities and the colleagues that I am travelling with.

Lastly, I am feeling eager and confident. I am eager to know and learn about the ways in which this experience will influence me, change me and inspire me. I believe that this change and inspiration will influence me as a PhD student, as a young professional and as individual who sees herself working in Higher Education. Additionally, I am confident that the relationships I build on this experience abroad will enrich my life now and in the future.

Planning for Study Abroad…

April 8, 2016 By Ayesha in GPP2016 No Comments

Loan Forgiveness for Students …

December 3, 2015 By Ayesha in PFP15F 2 Comments

Recently I read an article about the Teacher Loan Forgiveness program and it gave me an idea of something we should change in higher education. But first let me briefly tell you what  Teacher Loan Forgiveness program is. Earlier this year the Federal government initiated a loan forgiveness program  to encourage people to enter and continue is the teaching professions. Of course there are many stipulations they have to meet such as be a full time teacher for five complete/consecutive years at educational agencies, certain elementary and secondary schools and those who will serve low-come families. Another caveat is that the loans have to be PLUS loans (federal loans) (more information can be found at http://www.tgslc.org/borrowers/teachers/faq.cfm ). Upon meeting these requirements, their loans for up to $17,000 will be forgiven.

I believe that this is a good initiative and will benefit some teachers but not all teachers. I really believe that there are many others who would benefit from similar loan forgiveness programs who are not in the teaching profession. For example students who are going into caregiving fields where they know that if they take out loans for their education, they will not make enough money upon graduation because of the nature of their work (and it is not about the money for some but the ability to be in positions that will help others such as social work).  These individuals, similar to teachers who can benefit from the loan forgiveness program, can invest more into their passions for what they do as opposed to worrying about making ends meet and paying back their loans when their starting salary in meager as is.

College Affordability and The College ScoreCard

December 3, 2015 By Ayesha in PFP15F 1 Comment

College affordability continues to be a major issue for students, families and institutions of higher education.  Many students struggle to find accurate data about college cost and student debt when selecting a college. In order to help students and families to make informed decisions about the cost of college, President Obama, a few months ago, unveiled the online system called the College Scorecard.

The College Scorecard is an extensive federal database, developed in collaboration with teachers, parents and students,  that holds information about cost of attendance and student debt for over 7,000 higher education institutions in the U.S. This database also allows students and families to sort and compare institutions based on a number of factors: school size, salary after attending, on time graduation rates among other factors. The goal of the database is not to rank institution but instead provide information on institutions.  Another aim is to provide transparency and access to better data that will help students/families to be proactive about planning for college.

20130214-Scorecard

If you haven’t checked out the site please make sure to look up your institution and you will be surprised (some times in positive ways) about the kind of information you will find. I think this is a great initiative and the website is easy and simple. One major critique I have of this database is that although it allows students/parents to compare institutions and make decisions accordingly about the cost of college, I believe that not all institutions are the same and unless you are comparing similar institutions (by size or type) that is the only way you can easily say that you are making informed decisions about the institution you may attend.

What do you think? Is this an initiative that would have been helpful to you as you were making decisions regarding what institution to attend?

Financial Aid for Prisoners…

December 1, 2015 By Ayesha in PFP15F 1 Comment

I read an interesting article about the Obama Administration’s plan to restore Pell grants for prisoners. Pell Grants is a federal financial aid program that typically provides awards (do not have to be returned- like a scholarship) to undergraduate students from low socioeconomic backgrounds (financial need). This programs helps to increase access to education for those who are unable to pay for college. Prior to 1994 inmates had some access to state and federal funds to cover education related expenses including tuition and books but in ’94 a new law prohibited the use of Pell Grants for prisoners.

Obama administration’s plan to restore Pell Grants will once again provide educational funds to some prisoners. The program will be a small piloted program that will allow a limited number for colleges and institutions to deliver courses at prisons. The money will directly be given to the institutions. The main goal of the program is to equip incarcerated individuals with skills that will allow them to succeed in the society and will make them productive members once they have completed their time in the prisons.

Although there have been many advocates of this program, this initiatives is receiving criticisms from many fronts. One of such criticisms is that the money that will be awarded to prisoners should be directed towards low income students.  I believe that this is a great initiative. Access to education should be available to all regardless of their background, criminal history and socio economic status. I am assuming that individuals who leave prisons have a tough time adjusting to the society as is ( that’s why so many end up back in prisons) and with out the necessary credentials or vocational skills (to keep up with the pace of the society) they would have a harder time finding their place.

If you are interested in learning more about the Obama Administration’s Plan here are some helpful cites:

1)Obama to extend college aid grants to some prison inmates

2) Obama Poised to Give Financial Aid to Federal, State prisoners

3)Obama’s Plan to Restore Pell Grants for Prisoners Gets Mixed Reviews

 

Don’t Say that in the Classroom!

November 30, 2015 By Ayesha in PFP15F 4 Comments

Professors in many classrooms are encouraging students to be mindful in the kind of language they use in the classrooms. Recently, there has been a push to employ gender-neutral and inclusive terms when speaking and writing, by both the professors and the students. I recently read an article in the Chronicle of Higher education titled “Should a Syllabus Ever Tell Students What Not to Say?”, where an instructor informed the students that they would be penalize for using words like “mankind” or “illegal alien” in class and on assignments. The goal was to emphasize the importance of teaching biases inherent in language. The professor set these expectations in the syllabus and informed the students of the consequences of not following up with these expectations. The professor has received pushback from not only the students but also for other constituents at the university. So what intrigues me is that if classroom is not the place to learn about such inherent biases then where do the students learn this?

I believe that college is a place where students learn not only about their majors but also acquire life long skills. Expectations that faculty set in the classroom regarding the use of language, may not always be well received, but creates an avenue to challenge and explore different ways of knowing and communicating. Often, people use language that is learned from an early age, not always the most politically correct, but it is never too late to practice new skills and become mindful. In my opinion, I would not penalize the students (unless it is a requirement) but I would create opportunities to have dialogues with students when non inclusive language is used. Also it allows for those in the room who the language excludes to get a voice. I am not sure about others but dialogues like these allow me to be self aware and conscious of the language I use when communicating with diverse populations?

Do you think faculty can police certain types of language in the classroom and penalize those who do not adhere to such expectations?

Guns Don’t Belong on Campus…

November 30, 2015 By Ayesha in PFP15F 2 Comments

The unfortunate truth is that every few weeks we hear about threats of gun violence in university communities. If you do a quick search on any of the higher education news papers or journals you will find a ton of articles and news reports of violence or fear of safety because of guns. So the questions that baffles me is why do we continue to allow these weapons in academic settings?

I understand that the second amendment of the U.S constitution gives individuals the rights to protect and bear arms but is a college campus the right place it.  In my opinion, NO! Allowing students to carry arms on campus creates an environment of fear and distracts students from the main purpose of why they are there. I am certain that most campuses have safety and security offices (university police departments) or have partnerships with local police departments to help with providing a safe learning community. Secondly, I agree that we are all adults and should be treated as such and thus should be allowed to practice the freedoms that the U.S. Constitution provides but I also understand that not all students behave like adults. Allowing such adults to carry weapons puts a larger community at risk.

As I was reading about this topic, I was surprised to uncover that there are various states that have allowed the carrying of firearms on university premises (i.e. campus grounds, classrooms, dormitories, or parking lots). Virginia is among the states (along with 22 others) that allows each college and university to decide their decision to ban or allow concealed weapons.

The interactive image below was taken from Armed Campuses website to provides more information on how various states enforce the carrying of concealed weapons on college campuses.

United States Map

COLOR CODING KEY

RED = Concealed guns allowed by law
GREY = Concealed guns allowed by law, but schools limit locations/who carries
GREEN = Concealed guns on campus prohibited by law
YELLOW = Schools decide weapons policy
ORANGE = Concealed guns allowed only in locked cars in parking lots

Social Media is not going away anytime soon…

November 13, 2015 By Ayesha in PFP15F 1 Comment

We all have seen that in the last decade or so social media has become a huge part of most peoples lives. It has transformed the way we communicate and share information (whether we like it or not). Various avenues (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter…) have blurred international lines as people have the ease of connecting globally within seconds.

Although there are many critiques who believe that  social media does not belong in the classrooms, many faculty members are starting to embrace it and are incorporating Facebook, twitter and blogs in creative ways as part of the curriculum to keep the information and methods of delivery approachable.  I recently read the article “Using Social Media in the Classroom: Why There’s A Lot to Like”, and got some great ideas on incorporating social media in higher education. Some of the tips that were new to me are:

  1. Teachers offering  support to students via twitter. That is in addition to office hours, making your self available via twitter can allow flexible ways to provide support to students. Additionally, students can discuss assignments and requirements through twitter as well.
  2. Teachers can encourage students to great Facebook groups for team assignments and use that as information sharing platform.
  3. Instagram can be used to capture real-time visual concepts and used to submit them in place of written papers or assignments.

I believe some of these ideas are cool and more easily implemented then others but what I liked about this article was that it encourages teachers to think outside the box.

International Human Research Protections…

October 30, 2015 By Ayesha in PFP15F No Comments

As I was browsing the ORI (Office of Research Integrity) website and the various resources it provides, I was excited to come across the website for “Office for Human Research Protections” (OHRP).  In particular, I found a tab on International research. Prior to consuming this information I was unaware that there are agencies within the U.S. that works to make sure that human subjects in a research study, who do not reside in the U.S., are offered the same level of protections as research participants locally. They offer various resources for consultation and trainings prior to taking on any research.

Additionally, they offer a six page document highlighting research standards and additional information. What I found most helpful was that they list out necessary information regarding standards and requirements by country. Most of the information is organized around four categories: Key Organizations (include those groups that issue regulations or guidelines, or serve in a national oversight role for human subjects research), Legislation (encompasses statutes, statutory instruments, and legislative decrees, as well as any pertinent constitutional provisions), Regulations (refer to instruments that are created and issued in the name of governmental administrative bodies) and Guidelines (pertain to non-binding instruments). Lastly, I believe that this website is a great resource for all researchers regardless if one is conducting research on human subjects abroad or locally.

The Banking Concept of Education

October 20, 2015 By Ayesha in GEDI15F 11 Comments

using-technologies-to-develop-capabilities-with-people-living-with-intellectual-disabilities-6-638

Freire’s “banking” concept of education, was really interesting for me to read about (per his explanation students are seen as banks and the teacher is the depositor). He uses various analogies to explain this point and emphasizes that this concept can lead to oppression of students (never though of it this way but makes sense). Students are not passive recipients and Teachers are not the authority (all the time) and the knowledgeable ones.

Honestly, when I reflect on my educational experiences in the U.S, I wish I could say that none of my faculty have had this “banking” approach towards teaching and education. Unfortunately , this is not the case- even in some of my PhD classes it has been the trend. These are the classes I have been disengaged with. The classes that see students as passive objects to be acted upon are the least interesting and lack creativity in teaching. These are the classes I have been least invested in, and these are the classes in which I cannot recall the subject matter.  Frankly, it is a lazy way of teaching.

So the questions is – What do we do about it? How can we change this way of thinking?

To start I believe there are several things we must do as young teachers to not embrace the “banking” mentality:

  1. Learn to give up the power and the mentality that teachers are experts (Teachers may know a lot about a topic but that does not mean that they are perfect). We can all improve and learn from others (aka students as well).
  2. Learn to empathize- put your self in the students shoes and ask yourself: is this the way I learn? Hopefully the answer is NO and it is time to start thinking differently.
  3. Re-conceptualize the meaning of teaching and adopt a more dynamic way of learning.
  4. Lastly, know that it is not always about you (as the teacher), the classroom is a place where there should be an exchange of information, creativity and critical thinking (Freire call this a “problem-posing” approach).

 

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Recent Posts

  • On the eve of departure…
  • Planning for Study Abroad…
  • Loan Forgiveness for Students …
  • College Affordability and The College ScoreCard
  • Financial Aid for Prisoners…

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Recent Posts

  • On the eve of departure…
  • Planning for Study Abroad…
  • Loan Forgiveness for Students …
  • College Affordability and The College ScoreCard
  • Financial Aid for Prisoners…

Recent Comments

  • Diladileni Daniel on The Banking Concept of Education
  • lema on The Banking Concept of Education
  • adhyatma on The Banking Concept of Education
  • Mohammad on Social Media is not going away anytime soon…
  • Dez-Ann Sutherland on Loan Forgiveness for Students …

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On the eve of departure…

Planning for Study Abroad…

Loan Forgiveness for Students …

College Affordability and The College ScoreCard

Financial Aid for Prisoners…

Don’t Say that in the Classroom!

Guns Don’t Belong on Campus…

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