As an educator, I believe that I play an important role in facilitating students to reconstruct their version of the knowledge received and empowering them with tools to be successful as individuals and professionals.

To accomplish this task as a facilitator, I work hard to create a communication channel with my students. I work even harder to keep it alive by making myself accessible and providing them timely feedback, and by challenging and encouraging them to do the same.

My teaching philosophy was developed through my experience in teaching and mentoring students, training people in the industry, and coaching players in volleyball. I have taught major courses, compulsory courses, elective courses, and general education courses, for small, medium and big classes.  

I do believe that mutual trust, mutual respect, and caring are crucial means to create empathy between students and teachers. This empathy is important in developing a communication channel.

I value fairness, honesty and integrity as important ethical values for their professional and individual development. To demonstrate the importance of these values, I share stories and examples for discussion and analytical thinking. 

I value bridging theory and practice, by allowing students to connect with real applications, have hands-on experience, and potentially be able to create their ideas.  

I use my enthusiasm, humour, and positive attitude to capture their attention, and hopefully, create an active and amicable learning environment. 

Learning is a continuous process, which should not be limited in the classroom, and I am ready to contribute to this process with my students.

Teaching Methodology (This section is constantly evolving, too!)

As mentioned earlier, I have taught undergraduate students from year one to final year, from different majors such as Engineering, Business Administration, Arts and Humanities, Health Science and Education, with classes from a few to a hundred students. For such a variety of audiences, I should respect the variety of skills and needs of the students, therefore different methods of teaching are required to present the material, encourage the development of their critical thinking and associate with their majors.

I made use of technology to organize, present and interact with students. The material of my classes such as lectures’ slides, reading material, homework and general news are currently centralized at UM Moodle. I use MS PowerPoint as my map during lessons, but I like to use the whiteboard, videos, simulators or any other tool whenever appropriate or necessary. For interaction, I use mobile applications that allow student engagement during class discussions and/or quick questions.

Regarding methods of assessment, I used a mix of methods like exams, quizzes, projects, assignments, multiple choices, essay questions and so on. Each of them is indicated for a specific purpose, allowing me to challenge students in different ways.