Dalia Hanna (AD) Presents Research at ICERI & Ed Tech Conferences
Last year, Dalia Hanna (Associate Dean, School of Social & Life Science) engaged in several research opportunities, highlighting the outcomes of research and development work conducted within Sheridan and extending her postdoctoral interdisciplinary work.
Dalia presented virtually and published two topics through the 16th Annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation, Seville (Spain) – ICERI2023. 13th – 15th of November, 2023 (Virtually) on:
(1) Quality Improvement for Pathway Programs: Outcomes of a Comprehensive Program Review. This presentation listed the academic review process for The General Arts and Science Pathway Programs (One Year Certificate and Two Year Diploma) and presented the Quality Assurance Process, the Data from student and faculty surveys and the Implementation plans and faculty members’ involvement in enhancing the program delivery and structure. The implementation plan covered the construction of sub-groups from faculty teaching and leading courses in the program. The groups worked on curriculum alignment, assessments, experiential learning and incorporating equity, diversity and inclusion concepts.
(2) Communication Planning for Cross-Institutional Electives: How to Enhance the Student Experiences and Streamline the Enrollment Process: In this presentation, the focus was on a case study of a sudden expansion in enrollments that positively affected the number of sections of the General Education Cross College elective courses that serve the institution’s certificates and diploma programs. The electives are designed to build creativity, communication, and critical thinking by letting students explore practices outside their study program. Enrollment data, detailed communication plans, the key stakeholders involved and the plans’ implementation that supports the student experience. The institutional-wide stakeholders engaged and consulted are the deans, associate deans, the Registrar, recruitment, students, and faculty. As a result, working closely with the program coordinator through implementation, we experienced an increase of 49% in enrollment in one semester. Also, instead of students enrolling later in the semester and right before the start of the term, there was a rise in enrollment two weeks before the beginning of the term and enrollment went from 48% to 72%. The results show that students are more aware of the electives offerings, reflecting effective communication.
The above contributions are included in the IATED Digital Library, which forms part of the organization’s database of innovative projects in Education and Technology. The ICERI2023 Proceedings are submitted for evaluation for inclusion in the Web of Science.
Finally, Dalia presented a virtual poster on Training for Search and Rescue (SAR)Teams: Online Training for SAR Teams to Locate Lost Persons with Dementia Using Drones at the International Research Conference on Education and Educational Technology (virtual), London, UK, December 11-13, 2023.
This research provides detailed proposed training modules for the public safety teams, specifically Search and Rescue (SAR) teams responsible for SAR operations related to finding lost persons with dementia. Finding a lost person alive is the goal of this training. The content for the proposed training is based on Dalia’s research work in this area. This research has demonstrated that, based on utilizing drones, the algorithmic approach could support a successful search outcome. As adult learners, SAR teams will be approaching training and learning by taking responsibility for the learning process, appreciating flexible learning and as contributors to the teaching and learning happening during that training. Through the proposed framework, the learner self-reflects, gathers information, collaborates with others and is self-directed.
