FEATURE: Dr.Ayesha Khan
Leadership in Teaching and Learning Fellowship & Research
MacPherson Institute, McMaster University
Part of MacPherson Institute’s core business is to engage faculty in scholarly exploration, innovation, implementation, evaluation and dissemination of teaching and learning practices. One concrete way to achieve this goal is through MacPherson Institute’s new 2-year Fellowship program - Leadership in Teaching & Learning. The Fellowship program is grounded in the evidence-based philosophy that faculty involvement is key to leading change that enhances students’ learning experiences in higher education. Leading change in teaching and learning, a contextual and complex process at its core is fostered through collegial efforts and implementation of new ideas and innovations within courses and programs.
Ayesha Khan completed her Ph.D. in behavioural neuroendocrinology in 2009 from McMaster University. After, she held several appointments at the University of Toronto and at Ryerson University until she returned to McMaster in 2013. Dr. Khan is now an Assistant Professor with a cross-appointment in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour and the Life Sciences Program where she teach a variety of courses covering topics such as animal behaviour, physiology of reproductive behaviour, and neuropsychology. Her passion for teaching is largely driven by her interactions with the enthusiastic and inquisitive students she meets on a regular basis. Her goal as an instructor is not simply to introduce students to course content but also to create a non-threatening, engaging, and an intellectually stimulating environment that allows for regular student-instructor interaction and discussions. Ayesha is a strong believer in empowering students to demonstrate leadership by engaging in activities that produce transferable skills (e.g., goal setting, time management, project management, group collaboration) through non-traditional experiences in the classroom.
LTL Research Project:
'Impact of Community Engaged Education & Use of the Learning Portfolio in a 2nd Year Large Enrollment Course in Clinical Neuroscience'
There is growing literature supporting the benefits of community-engaged education in undergraduate students (e.g., review in Davis & Jordan, 2010). Less work has investigated the impact of this experience in science students. One Canadian survey noted that community-engaged curriculums are more common in faculties of Arts and Social Sciences (Hayes, 2006). This project will investigate the impact of a community-engaged assignment in a second year, large enrollment course in the faculty of science on two major domains of student experience: academic engagement and civic responsibility. It will also assess whether use of a Learning Portfolio leads to increased awareness about the value of reflective thinking. A final aim is to document the experience of third-year students who serve as peer mentors and assist second-year students in developing their assignments so that best practices can be developed for how to effectively incorporate the assistance of student mentors in a course setting.