Written by senior student Sara Asender under the supervision of Dr. Nahla
Educational Psychology & Counseling Program
The Department of Education chaired by Dr. Nahla Moussa hosted their orientation adopting a new idea of “Students-Faculty Gathering Night” virtually for the Fall semester of 2020/2021 in line with the safety measures set during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department Chair, Dr. Nahla Moussa, started off the gathering by welcoming everyone, presenting a brief talk about the goals of the department of education, congratulating the first graduate student with Bachelor of Educational Psychology and Counseling Fall 2020 , Sara Khalil Asender, and then introducing the agenda for the meeting and introducing all guest speakers. Then the Associate Dean to the College of Education, Dr. Nessrin Shaya, discussed the college’s mission as well as strategic goals that align to ensure delivery of excellent curricula and teaching practices as well as ensuring active engagement of students in community services. She also spoke about AUE’s virtual learning environment that is contemporary in its teaching and learning practices which has elevated the university’s status to become among the top 10 universities in UAE that provide the best online learning services.
Next on the agenda was Ms. Heba Ibrahim, the assistant to the dean. Ms. Heba’s orientation was about plagiarism. Ms. Heba provided a new perspective on the topic by differentiating between knowledge and facts and then encouraging students to find motivation and passion in what they write about to avoid plagiarism. Attendees were then shown a video brought by Dr. Wael Ali, the director of Counseling and Disability Office in AUE, to introduce himself and the department of education. He explained to attendees the role of school counselors in helping students in educational environments and promising students with confidentiality unless they are harming themselves or other people. Finally, we had a guest speaker, Ms. Hiba Bahsoun, the Director of the Inclusion in the Pulse Center for Learning Disabilities and a special education and psychology specialist working with schools and government entities in Dubai. She presented an enlightening talk on the future of counseling career in the UAE. She provided students with detailed options of what to do after graduation, as well as the trending professions in the field. The students were then given a chance to ask questions and have discussions with her.
This orientation was brief and highly informative. Even though we were not able to meet physically like we do every semester, it was pleasant to be able to meet virtually thanks to the excellent services provided by the Department of Education, AUE and the continuous support that the Department Chair, Dr. Nahla does to achieve the strategic goals and objectives of the Department of Education. It helped eliminate any sense of isolation or boundaries between everyone. May everyone stay positive and test negative!
