LCTL and Indigenous Languages Partnership Grant (2023-2024)
“Enhancing Multidialectal Basis in Resources for Arabic Contemporary Education” : Under a LCTL partnership grant (2023-2024), the EMBRACE project will culminate in a textbook that will serve as an open source for advanced Arabic learners and instructors. EMBRACE encompasses 8 instructional modules that cover contemporary Arabic culture and society (e.g., education, media, religion, genres of music). The unique feature of the project is the infusion of multidialectal perspectives and incorporating these variations lexically and grammatically through listening and speaking. Samples of the projects are available in Pressbooks.
AT&T Awards for Excellence in Teaching with Technology (2023)
This awards program, generously funded by AT&T, recognizes outstanding contributions to the use and development of information technology for teaching and learning in courses at Michigan State University. These educators are recognized as campus leaders in contributing to student success through technology integration and enhancement in their courses.
When COVID-19 struck, we were ready for the challenge. I saw this as an opportunity to redesign my classes, with inclusivity in mind. My choice of technology focused on fulfilling the following: free access, engagement, enhanced feedback, sustainability, and adaptability. For example, the online book material is enriched with interactive learning tools utilizing self-check H5P modules, which enhance students’ self-study experience. As MSU’s Arabic classes have moved back in person, I embraced a hybrid modality with a flipped communicative approach because I have seen how it has benefited students and allows them more flexibility. In general, the use of technology in my classes was meant to enhance the approach of delivery so that it can be adapted for different modalities, serve diverse learners, and consider factors of accessibility and inclusiveness. My vision was not only to respond to the pedagogical emergency but to set the model and learn from others to expand it to other less commonly taught languages. I believe that equity, diversity, and inclusion in the classroom is critical for academic success. With the ever-changing world around us, it is our mission to ensure that we provide up-to-date learning experiences to our students to equip them with vision and empower them to function as creative global citizens. In this video I demonstrate how my redesigning of classes can serve as a model for enhancing instruction and assessment in less commonly taught languages.
CERCLL Grant : Socio-pragmatic competence in Arabic curricula (2022-2025)
University of Arizona VI CERCLL grant: Open-source socio-pragmatic competence in Arabic curricula. Co-project with Dr. Mahmoud Azaz. We are developing video-based modules for teaching speech acts and pragmatics in a systematic manner. The modules adopt a multidialectal approach as they present the pragmatic functions in Egyptian and Levantine dialects. The videos have been recorded and annotated with linguistic and cultural notes. The modules will be published as open-source material along with lesson plans and teacher guides.
The ViVID Fellowship (2022-2023)
The ViVID Project (2022-2023): This fellowship, titledVirtual Video-Based Inquiry for Development of Less-Commonly-Taught Language Teachers, provides opportunities for teachers of less-commonly-taught languages to form a lasting virtual community and use video-based feedback to develop skills in reflective teaching and peer observation. It was very insightful to video record my teaching and annotate it then discuss it with peers in different institutions.2022-2023 : Virtual Video-based Inquiry for the Development of LCTL Teachers Fellowship (ViVID), sponsored by the (NLRC) at MSU: Creating and exchanging teaching videos with LCTL teachers.
College of Arts Inclusive Pedagogy Fellowship (2022-2023)
College of Arts and Letters Inclusive Pedagogy Fellowship: establishing and promoting intersectional and inclusive learning environments in teaching and curriculum development. This college of Arts fellowship provided me with a professional venue to connect with peers in different disciplines to explore issues of diversity and inclusivity in our classrooms. We explored critical topics of inclusion like accommodating disabilities and translanguaging pedagogy. I learnt a lot about different ways to think about inclusivity and I appreciated the opportunity and space to discuss ideas with my colleagues.
Adams Academy Fellowship (2022-2023)
Adams Academy Fellowship for Instructional Excellence and Innovation: cross-disciplinary professional development for teaching excellence. The Adams Academy provided me with a relaxed and friendly platform to connect with colleagues from different disciplines and share expertise as educators. Engaging in research-informed dialogue with fellow educators and scholars has enriched my understanding of current practices and empowered me to take initiatives in my own language program through refining my open-source curricula.
OER Leadership Award (2021)
OER leadership award: International Education Week. The Associated Students of Michigan State University (ASMSU) and the MSU Libraries recognize faculty who have adopted, adapted, and created OER for their courses. By using openly licensed educational materials (OER and open textbooks), these educators exemplify MSU mission of advancing affordability, accessibility, equity, and student success.
OER Library Awards (2020-2021)
OER MSU Library awards for developing open-source textbooks for elementary Arabic: collaborative project with Dr. Sadam Issa, MSU. In an effort to promote equal access to information and spaces for all, MSU Libraries have awarded nine MSU faculty members funding assistance for the creation and adaption of open education resource materials for the 2020-21 academic year as part of a new program designed to help instructors reduce costs for students, improve access to required text, and increase student success.
The award culminated in two open source textbooks :