My last post for this Blog - Letter to a newbie teacher

Dear Newbie Teacher,

Welcome to one of the most gratifying experiences in life where you will not only educate others but also yourself. For that to happen you have to be passionate about what you do and believe in your students ability to learn. I love teaching and would like to share with you some of the things which I have learnt over the years:

·        We should always bear in mind that we are facilitators in the learning process for the students. Encourage your students to give you feedback and incorporate it in your teaching strategy.

·        Teaching pedagogy should be student centered, identifying students with different learning abilities in a classroom and addressing them accordingly.

·        Individual feedback in a timely fashion to motivate students and encouraging them to work on the weak areas collaboratively and through peer mentoring

·        Engage students with a variety of classroom activities from an article discussion to online simulation game to in-class team competition. Our students are digital natives, talk to them in their language using education technology.

·        Teaching strategies should be mapped with the cognitive level of learning outcome and with the level of student maturity

·        Assessments should be both formative and summative comprising of short quizzes, time constraint assessments, case studies, group projects and presentations to name some. Cumulatively they will reflect the true learning for any student.

·        Be energetic in class, passion is infectious which is good J

Happy teaching

Trying a New Teaching Strategy & How effective was the teaching strategy

The two new teaching strategies which I tried were Flipped Classroom and Simple Jigsaw.

Flipped Classroom video links of lecture on specific topic were, are accessible to students. Students went over the lesson at their own pace and time before coming to the class. Concept engagement and understanding were then gauged through class exercises. The feedback was mixed as some of the students felt that the flexibility of time and space gave them a better opportunity for understanding. Whereas some of the students felt lost on their own before coming to the classroom.

Simple Jigsaw Class was divided into groups of three. Each group was assigned a specific sub outcome which entailed the concept explanation, application of formula for calculation and interpretation of the result. Student’s feedback was positive and they felt that they gained much from the collaborative exercise.

Teaching strategies – Individual Reflection

There is no single most appropriate teaching strategy which can be applied throughout the semester. Teaching strategy will vary with the cognitive level of the learning outcome in the course content and student’s maturity level. After going through all the four teaching strategies it is quite clear that each one of these can be mapped to a certain cognitive level.

Cognitive level varies with different learning outcomes and student’s maturity level also changes as the semester progresses. Different teaching strategies can then be mapped to Blooms taxonomy for example Direct Instruction can be mapped with Remember and Understand. This will be applicable to students in initial semester levels or while introducing a brand new numerical concept at higher levels. This is reinforced with interactive class activities, exercise sets and problem solving activities.

Blooms taxonomy at higher level of Apply, Evaluate and Create can be mapped to Collaborative Learning and Project Based Learning. Sometimes students are the best teachers to each other. They reinforce their concepts while they explain and discuss with each other. Real life projects give them an opportunity to build an in-depth understanding of the text book concept. This teaching strategy is more appropriate for mature students in higher semesters.

Group Presentation

Hi Everyone,

Here is the link to the Group Presentation for Module III :)

Collaborative Learning

Aligning Goals with my course

The content material to be covered in different learning outcomes has to be delivered at different cognitive levels. These cognitive levels vary from learn to understand to evaluate to apply. Based on these cognitive levels a suitable teaching strategy needs implemented and an appropriate assessment strategy devised.

Some of the assessments are formative thus providing students timely feedback where as some of the assessments are summative. Comprehensive real world projects with presentation and oral defense cover all the cognitive levels effectively: Learn the basic definition; Understand the concepts behind them; Evaluate and apply these concepts to a given scenario and give recommendations.

100 Ideas for Assessment (part 2)

Not all the assessment ideas are applicable to all the courses. Some of the assessments are standard but some can be varied according to the nature and level of course.

Giving students answers and asking them to construct questions in as many different ways as possible is a very effective learning technique. This type of flipped learning technique can lead to more in depth learning compared to conventional question answer exam.

Also, students can write case studies based on the topics they had learnt. As they build the scenario, starting from concept to solution it will be a complete learning experience for them for that particular level.

Giving a quiz before the lesson and then the same after the lesson can give us some interesting results. It will also motivate the students to go over the course material before coming to the class. This will also reflect the effectiveness of lesson delivery and teaching methodology.

Blog is gives them a platform for self-reflection. What they did, what did they expect the result to be, how was it different, what would they change next time etc reflects their understanding of the matter and develops an analytical and critical approach to it.

What about your students?

The particular body of students I was teaching while doing the Module III was year 3 bachelor students at HCT. Most of them were full time students with the exception of few who were full time students as well as working in the evenings.

The common motivating factor for everyone in the class was to be able to engage them in a particular topic and create a healthy sense of completion through class tasks assigned in pairs or groups.

BMFS N300 Financial Management Fundamentals gives them the necessary skills to calculate and interpret the results to comment on the financial health of a company.

Learning process is based on a variety of class activities ranging from numerical exercise sets to presentation of the finding to recommendation for the future. Learning is assessed using a variety of assessment tools both individual and group. Timed assessments, real world projects, presentation and oral defense being part of it.

Module III - Final Group Presentation

Hi Everyone,

Here is the link to the Group Presentation for Module III :)

Collaborative Learning
 

Module II Project Presentation

Hi everyone!

My project presentation is on the Glogster (my first Glogster attempt!) You are welcome to view and feel free to comment on the Blog or the Glog J

Please click on

Module II Project Presenation

Digital Literacy in my Work

‘Supporting information age Literacy in Higher Education’ is an interesting article by Justin Marquis. It outlines the eight essential skills needed for students to become leaders in the digital age.

I always encourage students to use new technology in the class specially if they are presenting and communicating. Prezi was a good experience which made the presentations more interesting and alive. Also, maintaining a Blog really helped them in reflecting on their learning process. As to develop their analytical thinking and application, assignments are designed which entail seeking information from a variety of sources. For example in one of my Finance courses, while comparing two financial institutions and coming up with recommendations, students need to search online sources as well as meet the manager and gather task specific information. Projects based on real life situation help build their critical thinking. They get an opportunity to apply the skills they have learnt during the semester in the course to solve real life problems. Integrative projects have proven to be very useful in some of my courses where my part of the course complements the other course and students use both the courses as building blocks to complete structure. This plays a very important for them in understanding the bigger picture.

With overabundance of information available at a click away comes the temptation for short cuts such as plagiarism. Transparency, accountability and a proper bibliography are pivotal to authentic learning. Safe assign should be used and students should be encouraged to submit drafts periodically and a presentation & oral defense must accompany the report to ensure that it was really a product of teamwork.

Change and the 21st Century Learners

Should teaching methodology be any different in 21^st century compared to before? This question is addressed in the two articles ‘The 21^st century learner’ by Dr. Michael Rodgers and ‘Authentic Lwaerning for the 21^st century’ by Marilyn M. Lombardi.

Both the articles emphasize the shift from conventional lesson delivery to the use of new technologies that are available in the field of education. I agree with the teacher’s role as no longer being that of the professor dispensing facts and theories. Faculty must learn to communicate in the language and style of today’s students facilitating peer-to-peer learning. Moreover, the traditional learning space of classroom which was physical in nature can be connected with a virtual space for a blended learning approach.

Authentic learning can only happen when students learn-by-doing. The education technology with different simulation programs enable students to learn through real-world problem solving. One of the courses which I teach to bachelors offers them a similar learning experience. Business decision simulation is a capstone course which gives students a simulated real business environment. They compete against other business companies in a macro environment. Make real life business decisions and face the outcomes.

As for the concept or rather distinction between ‘digital natives’ and ‘digital immigrant’ which was coined by Marc Prensky, I partially agree with it. Siemens critique of the above is his opinion; I don’t take any offence as being referred to as a digital immigrant. I consider myself a proud digital immigrant, why because I learnt and adapted to technology as and when I needed to. I did not grow up in a digital environment because there was none at the time but that did not pose a learning barrier. Rather, it’s been a challenging and invigorating experience learning various education technologies to engage students and facilitate authentic learning.

Student Engagement in my Project - Gamification

I must confess that before reading the article I was not really aware that ‘Gamification’ was such an intricate science and can play such an important role in significantly increasing our intelligence quotient…my exposure to video games started from Pac man to Tetris and then thanks to my kids, Crash the Bandigot! I can’t help but wonder, could I have been any brighter J

Raymer’s article Gamification: Using game mechanics to enhance eLearning is a very enlightening read. I completely agree with part where ‘wanting and liking’ are mentioned as the two essential components of ‘engagement’. Understanding the subject matter is not enough, understanding our audience is also a necessary ingredient for the development of good software. The importance of ‘cognitive fatigue’ should also be kept in mind while designing the activity be it in the form of software or conventional teaching tools.

My project is the use of Wimba Live for blended learning. I have implemented it in my class lessons and the student response was strong positive. My experience with Wimba, so far does not give the flexibility to imbed interactive software for gamification. I have, though, used an online ‘Lemonade Game’ in one of the earlier courses to engage students and prepare them for a more intense ‘Business Simulation Game’ later on in the semester. Both of these games gave them a feel of the real business environment and its dynamics. They had to face the consequences of stock outs and make decisions such as quantity, price and R&D in an environment where the simulation controlled the macro economic factors. It turned out to be quite a completive experience as the teams competed against each other and the results were quarterly.

New Technologies, new pedagogies: Mobile learning in higher education

An insightful e-book by A.Herrington, J. Herrington and Jessica Mantei which delves deeper into the discussion of the usefulness of incorporating mobile devices in higher education. The chapter that I chose in addition to ‘Design Principles for Mobile learning’ is ‘Faculty development for new technologies: Putting mobile learning in the hands of the teachers’.

‘Faculty development for new technologies: Putting mobile learning in the hands of the teachers’ investigates the potential of two mobile devices, a smartphone and digital audio/video player. As faculty is usually hesitant to invest their time and energy into learning new technology, emphasis is put on the combination of practice and theory. Many successful faculty development activities move beyond the idea of ‘one-off’ workshops to integrate long term programs that focus on developing relationships and reflection as well as skill and knowledge development (Carew, Lefoe, and Bell & Armour 2008).

It was interesting to see twelve staff volunteers go through an action learning framework based on both formal and informal learning activities over six months and then implement their projects with students over the following twelve months. Five initial key understandings were required for implementation: Understanding of the theoretical framework and mobile learning, affordances of the technology at hand, identifying the new pedagogies, model the practice through authentic tasks and the reflection on the implications for the development of new pedagogies.

‘Design Principles for Mobile learning’ refer to characteristics of a planned learning design - what it should look like, or its procedure - how it should be developed (Van den Akker 1999). Such designs are not fixed. For example the summary of substantive and procedural elements of the findings of the project is presented in the form of a table in this chapter with emphasis on purpose, characteristics and methodology. While much has been learnt about the capabilities of the devices and appropriate designs for teaching and learning through this project, these ‘first generation, studies may well be insufficient to prompt the widespread uptake of mobile learning in higher education institutions (Traxler 2005).

Reflection on relevant literature

After sifting through heaps of literature, I found the following two papers extremely useful and relevant to my area of research:

·       “Using Wimba live Class room for Student Engagement at a Distance” author Larry Moore, Columbus State University; published in Perspectives in Learning: A Journal of the College of Education & Health Professions Columbus State University, Volume 11, Number 1, Spring 2010

·       “Pedagogical Usage of Wimba” author Joanna ( Xuan) Zhang; published in DEORACLE@UMUC, An Online Learning Magazine for UMUC Faculty, Centre for Support of Instruction, March-April 2009

What experiences have others had with similar technology?

Almost all the experiences have been favorable. Guest speakers and lecturers from anywhere in the world can be invited into your Wimba Class session bringing students exposure to expert content specialists. Many learners who participate less in traditional settings participate more in the virtual world of synchronous online interactions. Many instructors who have used Wimba live recommend a gradual phased approach of incorporating the various tools into the virtual experience. The technique of progressively incorporating new Wimba tools into the live class sessions will prevent students and teachers from being overwhelmed by all of the technology (Rich, Cowan, Herring & Wilkes, 2009)

What about the pedagogical approach?

Overall, the Wimba classroom has a variety of pedagogical uses. The most important one, access to sessions both synchronously and asynchronously to enhance learning at a distance. My pedagogical approach is of blended learning and developing a hybrid learning program where both traditional face-to-face sessions and Wimba classroom sessions are combined to facilitate learning and ensure student success.

Did you get new ideas from discussion in Moodle?

Discussion on Moodle was stimulating but it was not specific to any single technology. Some of the suggestions were useful and I had already incorporated them in my lesson plan.

What questions remain open?

Few questions still remain open and will continue to surface as we I continue to use Wimba classroom and try new tools each time. Currently, my biggest question is how to improve the legibility of stylus in Wimba Live?

What new questions arise?

I am comparing theoretically heavy sessions with numerical problem solving sessions on Wimba Live. Sessions which are number intensive, can they be facilitated just as effectively as the ones which are not?

What are you planning to do next?

Although the first session gave the option to students to speak and participate but the WhiteBboarding option was not utilized. I used the stylus and text typing extensively though alongside Wimba Voice tools. In the next wimba classroom session, I am planning to give students more access to use White Boarding and Wimba Voice Tools both.

What kind of support do you need to proceed?

Mainly, I need technical assistance from my Ed Technology Department. Before introducing some new features, I would like to run a mock session with the Ed tech help. This will ensure a smooth delivery of my next Wimba Classroom synchronous session.

Project Step III - Implementation plan

EMGT N417 Basic Accounting and Finance, the course introduces concepts and skills for using basic financial and accounting information.

There are Five Learning Outcomes/Goals and they are spread over three parts in the course.  The first part deals with financial accounting for engineering managers which examines the assumptions and decision usefulness of financial statements that are prepared for creditors and shareholders.  Emphasis is placed on interpretation of financial statements.  The second part of the course provides an introduction to management accounting techniques that are useful in management decision-making situations.  The last section provides an opportunity to learn about financing and investment.  Ethical considerations and management in the global context are integrated into these topics.

There are five assessed tasks four of which are individual timed assessments and account for 90% of the grade. The remaining 10% is for a Group Project based on real life Industry Financial Statements.

The fundamental learning objective in any course is an in depth cognitive understanding of the concept which is then assessed through a variety of assessment techniques. ‘Wimba’ is the education technology that I have selected to implement in one of my courses this semester. I do not have any previous experience with Wimba but I think it will help my students accomplish their learning goals more effectively. Wimba will give them expansion of time and space as it allows them to learn anywhere and anytime. It also gives them the flexibility of individual pacing and sequence. It permits them to break step with the class and go at a pace and order that suits each student better.

My pedagogical approach is individual student oriented. I intend to blend conventional classroom learning with online distance learning so that I can reach out to all the students in my classroom, even the ones who are physically not present in the class room. As almost all the students are working, they come to college after work. Some of the students are off-shore students which imply they might need to travel frequently or have to be away for on-site duties for two or more weeks in a row! Also, a fairly large proportion of students commute from other emirates to reach in time for the class. Inevitably, there are frequent delays and at times they are too exhausted after a hectic day at work to drive all the way to Dubai for any class. I strongly feel that these working and off-shore students can immensely benefit from the use of Wimba in this particular course.

There is no substitute for face to face classroom learning environment but it can be supplemented through technology. I am already using BBVista but mainly as a repository. Wimba allows them real time interaction as well as they can benefit exponentially from repeated interaction with content and collaborative experiences. I intend to embed a wide range of activities within the Wimba classroom environment to engage all the students. These activities will be using technology-as-partner in the learning process relating to the article by Jonassen. We will be using technology not just for the delivery of lesson but as social medium to support learning by conversing and for collaborating with others. It will support student learning as intellectual partner when they reflect on what they have learnt and how they came to know it.

I am really looking forward to implement it and see how it goes!

Project Step II - Technology Selection

In one of my earlier blog posts titled Project step I – Course Selection, I selected a course to implement education technology. I explained the nature of the course and the challenges that particular group of students face due to their work commitments.

‘Wimba’ is the education technology that I have selected to implement in one of my courses this semester. I do not have any previous experience with Wimba.

While choosing a suitable education technology for the course, article ‘Ten Fundamental Reasons’ by John Page proved to be a great guide. Wimba will give them expansion of time and space as it allows them to learn anywhere and anytime. It also gives them the flexibility of individual pacing and sequence. It permits them to break step with the class and go at a pace and order that suits each student better.

Learning Network

Learning and professional development should be an ongoing process. Having access to printed resources like professional and academic journals is always an option. The other option is having a group of professional and academic people who can guide you and inspire you.

I have had an informal learning network which has expanded over the years. This learning network comprises of my university professor from MBA days and class fellows, my boss from my first job as an investment banker and my colleagues, my second boss who was/is the dean of business department and fellow teachers at the university I used to teach at up until 2008. But because life is so busy and we all live so far apart, I feel hesitant to reach out to them now but I am still in contact with them through email and Facebook. My learning network grew organically as over the years my students graduated and became professionals. I am in contact with almost 500+ alumni from the university I taught at through Facebook. At my current place of work, my first Supervisor is very supportive. Again, over the last three years here, some of my students have graduated and I see them and share work place experiences with them. But my contact with them is very limited once they graduate.

I do feel the need for a professional learning network. There are times when I would like to reach out to a colleague or supervisor seeking their professional opinion on an assessment I just drafted or how I handled a discussion in class. But everybody has tons of work and I don’t want to disturb anyone. It feels great when you are able to share with another teacher your teaching experiences and challenges. But such genuine opportunities are rare.

Project Step I - Course Selection

I am a finance teacher and mostly teach courses which are quantitative in nature. This semester I am teaching a course in Engineering department EMGT N417 Basics of Accounting and Finance. It entails a lot of numerical calculations along with conceptual application.


This is a pm section as almost all the students are working and come to college after work. Some of the students are off-shore students which imply they might need to travel frequently or have to be away for on-site duties for two or more weeks in a row. Also, a fairly large proportion of students commute from other emirates to reach in time for the class. Inevitably, there are frequent delays and at times they are too exhausted after a hectic day at work to drive all the way to Dubai for any class.


I strongly feel that these working and off-shore students can immensely benefit from the use of technology in this course which can give them the expansion of time and place.

MODULE II - Experiences with Education Technology

Hi everyone and welcome to Module 2.

Over my last fourteen years of teaching experience, I have seen the use of educational technology take a quantum leap! When I started teaching in 1998, my first education technology was overhead projector with slides which I used instead of the white board; then I moved on to overhead projector hooked to a laptop and more sophisticated power points. Over the years Blogs, YouTube, TED and Black Board Vista have played a major role in my journey as a teacher and educator. I am a very big fan of Black board vista and use it regularly for class lessons, assignments, assessments and other course material.

The benefits of using educational technology cannot be contradicted. Of ‘The Ten Fundamental Reasons’ by John Page, I agree with #6 Going Global; and  #7 Individual Pacing and Sequence the most. Going global because Educational technology transcends the geographical boundaries. Thus, making the learning experience a virtual reality across borders without entailing significant financial cost. Individual pacing and sequence because one of the biggest challenge for a teacher is addressing different learning abilities in a single classroom. This, ideally, would imply catering to all the students’ individual learning needs which with growing class sizes is becoming more and more difficult. Educational technology where the lessons can be recorded, replayed and assignments reviewed unlimited times, create a more conducive and effective learning environment for individual students.

 I have always found the students to be more receptive to technological advancements as long as they perceive it not to increase their work load. The youth of today is much more techno savvy than what we used to be and what we are even now… I am very keen to stay abreast of these technological developments and often share the desire to do so with my kids. They always give me a reassuring pat at the back and explain to me '… mama, you are doing good for someone who was born in the last century' :)

Lifelong Learning – More than Training

Learning is a perpetual process, not just confined to the walls of educational institutions!

Fischer in his article, emphasis the need to promote effective educational opportunities in many learning settings through which people pass, including home, school, work…organizational and collaborative learning must be supported because the individual human mind is limited. And teachers, more than other members of society, need to be lifelong learners.

Teaching is often fit ‘into a mold in which a single, presumably omniscient teacher explicitly tells or shows presumably unknowing learners something they presumably know nothing about’ (Bruner, 1996). Has this impoverished and misleading concept been reformulated? Lifelong learning needs to be supported by new media and new technologies. It’s a co-evolutionary process between fundamental human activities and their relationship and independency with media.

We have to break away from conventional forms of learning and take risks leading to innovative learning. Each teacher has its own unique teaching style and pedagogy. We try different activities in class to motivate and engage students to facilitate the learning process. But teachers have to deliver within parametric constraints, which are mostly conventional. We are progressing and evolving, but not quite there yet.

Teaching in the 21st Century Knowledge Society - Change in Society and Education

Hello Eutopia,

Isn’t it great to be back at the university after holidays! Fresh batch of students awaits us with new dreams and aspirations…and we as teachers make them come true!

All the students come from the same educational system, consistent through all the educational institutions. Similar curriculum, common learning practices and a wide range of assessment tools. A smaller number of students ensure individual attention and the opportunity to bring out the pupils maximum potential. Those who attend the classes are in the class on their own free will, no penalty for being absent…they can always catch up on the recorded class session online. This fosters a sense of responsibility and self- accountability.

A time and a place where you learn what you really want to learn!

Towards Knowledge Societies

The discussion is about how learning has evolved over the years in an increasingly complexed world. We talk about ‘Learning Society’, a term given by Robert Hutchins and Torsten Husen. A society where learning is a lifelong process and is not confined to just the formal education system but extends to work, press and audiovisual media.

A faster production and growing thirst for knowledge throughout the society poses the threat of obsolescence to educational techniques and institutions. Learning and knowledge has become diverse in terms of descriptive knowledge, procedural knowledge, explanatory knowledge and behavioral knowledge. The concept of multiple intelligences like spatial, bodily-kinesthetic and naturalist intelligence go hand in hand. The ultimate aim of education is not to develop all forms of intelligence equivalently in everyone but to identify approaches best suited to each learner.

The availability of knowledge is no longer confined to geographical boundaries. Texts, books and reading archives have migrated to computer screens with new attributes like ubiquity, fluidity, interactivity, integral indexation and fragmentation.

My Practical theory...

As a teacher I am on a constant learning curve and my Practical Theory is still evolving. The recognition of the fact that each teacher is an individual, the professional and the person are neither mutually exclusive nor two separate entities makes teaching a way of life for me. As an individual, each teacher has a respective set of values, beliefs, principles and metaphors which eventually makes one teacher different from the other. Having said that, teacher’s ability to adapt and incorporate ever evolving challenges unique to different teaching environments is also pivotal to effective pedagogy.

The value of a well prepared class lesson can never be undermined. No matter what the level of proficiency in the subject area or how seasoned a teacher, a well prepared, pragmatic approach to lesson delivery in class room always fosters student’s confidence in the teacher. This in turn serves as the foundation for a student teacher relationship based on mutual respect, trust and confidence. In my experience it helps bring the barriers down in a classroom and students are more receptive to the teacher. A well prepared class lesson will always have a variety of class activities and margin for improvisation, thus fully catering to the variations in learning abilities in a single class room.

I firmly believe that my role as a teacher does not end with my students passing my course and moving on to the next level. For me teaching is not something of an assembly line operation but an experience comprising of human relationships, where we as teachers are the 'chosen ones' facilitating learning at so many different levels. When, after having delivered a lesson, one of the student walks up to me for further clarification, sits down and prunes out all the ambiguities, I will then ask him to demonstrate his grasp of the concept on the board to a bigger audience. It was not just his grades but also his self-confidence and self-esteem which just went up - an ultimate fulfilling experience for me as a teacher!

In principle, my pedagogy as a teacher is 'individual-oriented' who is multifaceted, student being just one of the facets of that individual sitting in my classroom. If I can reach out and connect to that 'individual' as a person on different levels then connection at a student level will just follow by itself. It helps me harness all the energies in that individual in a more effective and productive way, redirecting them to accomplish goals and desired results.

"A hundred years from now, it will not matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in the bank…but the world may be a better place because I made a difference in the life of a child" Forest Witcraft

Most memorable learning experience...

After working for about two plus hours and finishing the challenging math’s assignment, a snack break was surely overdue. Fresh orange juice with barbecue flavor crisps, a perfectly balanced diet :) should rejuvenate me for my science assignment.

I looked at the clear blue sky on that crisp winter morning and called out to Tipy, my pet dog, to come along. She also deserved a snack, as she had been giving me company and the much needed moral support while I finished my weekend homework. She didn’t respond as i kept walking towards the house, so I thought I will grab something for her too. Had been a productive start to the weekend, one big assignment down and just one more to go before I head out with family for picnic!

I got the snacks for us and walked back but as I came out of the house towards the nook in the lawn where my table and chair were, I found Tipy going all hyper and running in circles. When I came closer, to my horror, my two and a half hours of sweat and toil were in shreds all over!!Tipppyyyyy had succumbed to her sense of curiosity and destroyed not just the assignment but also the work book it was in!! In tears and shouting at Tipy, I desperately picked up what was left of my assignment. How would I look when I tell my teacher the next morning that my dog ate my homework?! She will kill me, I will be the laughing stock of year 8, nobody will believe me.

I learnt the hard way, my most memorable learning experience on that eventful day years ago and I promised I will never leave my assignments/homework unattended with my pets -my cat brownie had spilt a whole ink pot on one of my earlier assignments but I leave that story for another day…

MODULE I - Welcome :)

Hi, my name is Seema Omer and i am part of Business Faculty here at Higher Colleges of Technology.

My area of expertise is Finance. I was  an investment banker in my former life and ventured into academia after my first child. After teaching for 10years at one of the best universities in Pakistan, i relocated to Dubai and joined HCT in 2009. I have never had any formal training in teaching and am therefore very keen to see what this course has to offer. My concern is the amount of work load it might entail given my current teaching committment.

I love motherhood, like listening to music, travelling and am a big time foodie!