Dr. Samia Khan is taking the helm as the new Director of the Master of Educational Technology (MET) program on July 1, 2021.
Dr. Khan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy. An early contributor to the MET program, Dr. Khan designed and taught Technology in the Mathematics and Science Classroom (ETEC 533) and Constructivist Strategies for e-Learning (ETEC 530). Dr. Khan also actively teaches in the Faculty of Education Science Teacher Education Program and through the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy.
As a professor, Dr. Khan charts new methods to teach and learn, and explores the unique role of digital technologies in doing so. She is a recipient of the New Scholar Award from the Canadian Society for the Study in Education and a UBC Research Award for her studies on educational technologies. Her research has been published widely in prominent international peer-reviewed journals in her field such as: Technology, Instruction, Cognition and Learning; Educational Technology, Research, and Development; Computers and Education; and the Journal of Science Education and Technology. Dr. Khan’s work has been cited in Tech Trends as top research that has shaped the field of educational technology and teacher education (Bakir, 2016).
Dr. Khan’s work has international impact. She currently leads international research projects in Rwanda, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, and Scotland and has vibrant partnerships in Germany. Her research in South East Asia was recently featured by the UBC Vice-Provost International. Dr. Khan has held the roles of Associate Dean of Research and Chair of Education for a School of Education and Social Work in the UK. She has consulted with governments in the UK on teacher education and STEM education policy, including the Academic Reference Committee at the Scottish Parliament (2017-2020) and the UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Diversity and Inclusion in STEM.
Dr. Khan will be a featured keynote speaker at the 2021 International Conference for Science Educators and Teachers in July. Her previous keynote presentation topics include: “Simulations for the Advancement of Science and Education” at the Learning with Simulations SLACTIONS Conference in Portugal and “Foresee: Social Media for Mobile Researchers in Education, Techniques and Applications” for Mobile Commerce (TAMOCO) International Conference in Spain. Dr. Khan has also served on numerous editorial boards and is currently on the International Editorial Board of The Curriculum Journal.
Prior to joining UBC in 2002, Dr. Khan was a Canadian public school science teacher. During this time, she initiated two STEM in-and-out of school programs. The first program led to a mandatory science project-based inquiry course and the second to retention of vulnerable youth in science. Both efforts garnered the national Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Technology and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Award. With questions arising from her teaching practice, she embarked upon a masters and dissertation work in science education and technology at the University of Massachusetts, USA. Her dissertation examined the use of computer simulations to teach chemistry.