Biography
Biography
I am a lecturer in the Department of Higher Education at the University of Surrey. I started my career in higher education as a demonstrator and tutor in mathematics and physics whilst being involved in postgraduate studies. Following my PhD, I became a quantitative analyst/ research assistant on the ESRC Project, The Net Generation: Encountering E-Learning at University where we researched students' use of technology in their first year. After my stint as a research assistant and before joining the department here in Surrey, I was at the Faculty of Education at Liverpool Hope University where as a lecturer I was involved in a range of teaching as well as supervising masters and EdD students in areas of mathematics and technology education. The courses I contributed to in terms of teaching were research methods, education studies, mathematics education and undergraduate mathematics/ statistics.
I hold a BSc in Physics from the University of Guyana, a MPhil in Industrial Engineering from the University of the West Indies, a MSc in Research Methods from the Open University and a PhD in Educational Technology, also from the Open University. My PhD focused on undergraduate students' metacognitive activities in understanding mathematics when using different modes of software. I am currently interested in undergraduate students' metacognitive strategies in learning particularly within mathematics as well as developing a body of work in undergraduate research methods pedagogy.
Research interests
The following are the recent funded projects that I have been involved in:
- SEDA Project (2016): Immigrant academics in the pedagogic 'foreign-land': Factors influencing their pedagogic acculturation
- QAA Research Projects (2015): An Impact Study of the Guidance Documents for Higher Education Providers Published by QAA in 2013
- ESRC-UKDS Grant (2014): Data Relator
- British Academy Skills Acquisition Grant (2013): Investigation of the factors that influence a student's choice to study a STEM subject: a longitudinal data analysis
- HEA Social Sciences strategic project - Assessment in Research Methods: A Literature Review (2013)
- HEA Workshop/Seminar Series - Re-energising Undergraduate Research Methods in Education Pedagogy (2013)
- HEA Departmental Grant: International Experience for Engaged Global Citizens in Education (2012-2013)
- HE STEM Project: Problem Solving in Undergraduate Mathematics (2011-2012)
Teaching
My teaching philosophy is based largely on educational psychology principles. I draw heavily from the work of Marton & Säljö (1976) who described students approaches to learning as being either deep (building and trying to relate concepts) or surface (memorising and reproducing work).My teaching therefore tends to involve trying to encourage students to take a deep approach to learning by building their conceptual knowledge or relational understanding (Skemp, 1986). I do this by encouraging students' to use metacognitive strategies such as self-explanations (Chi, Bassok, Lewis, Reimann, & Glaser, 1989) together with evaluative reflections.
ReferencesChi, M. T. H., Bassok, M., Lewis, M. W., Reimann, P., & Glaser, R. (1989). Self-explanations: how students study and use examples in learning to solve problems. Cognitive Science, 13(2), 145-182.Marton, F., & Säljö, R. (1976). On qualitative differences in learning I. Outcome and process. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 46(1), 4-11.Skemp, R. R. (1986). The Psychology of Learning Mathematics (2nd Edition ed.). London, UK: Penguin Books Ltd.
My publications
Publications
Journal Articles
Hosein, A. and Rao, N. (2017). Pre-Professional Ideologies and Career Trajectories of the Allied Professional Undergraduate Student. Research in Post-Compulsory Education (in post-production).
Rao, N., & Hosein, A. (2017). The limits of HEI websites as sources of learning and teaching information for prospective students: a survey of professional staff. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13603108.2016.1227386 (Winner of the John Smith Essay Prize)
Hosein, A., & Rao, N. (2016). Students' reflective essays as insights into student-centred pedagogies within the undergraduate research methods curriculum. Teaching in Higher Education, 1-17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2016.1221804
Timus, N., Cebotari, V., & Hosein, A. (2016). Innovating Teaching and Learning of European Studies: Mapping Existing Provisions and Pathways. Journal of Contemporary European Research, 12(2). http://www.jcer.net/index.php/jcer/article/view/729
Rienties, B. and Hosein, A. (2015) 'Unpacking (in)formal learning in an academic development programme: A mixed method social network perspective' International Journal for Academic Development, 20(2), p.163-177
Kinchin, I.M., Hosein, A., Medland, E., Lygo-Baker, S., Warburton, S., Gash, D., Rees, R., Loughlin, C., Woods, R., Price, S. and Usherwood, S. (2015) Mapping the development of a new MA programme in higher education: Comparing private perceptions of a public endeavour. Journal of Further and Higher Education, DOI: 10.1080/0309877X.2015.1070398
Hosein, A., Ramanau, R. and Jones, C. (2010), "Learning and living technologies: a longitudinal study of first year students' frequency and competence in the use of ICT", Learning, Media and Technology, 35(4), pp. 403-418
Jones, C., & Hosein, A. (2010), "Profiling university students' use of technology: where is the net generation divide?", The International Journal of Technology Knowledge and Society, 6(3), pp. 43-58.
Pun, K.F. and Hosein, A. (2007), “Identification of performance indicators for poultry agribusiness operations”, The Asian Journal on Quality, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp.11-22
Hosein, A. and Pun, K.F. (2004), "Sustaining performance improvement in the poultry industry in Trinidad and Tobago: a decision support paradigm", West Indian Journal of Engineering, Vol. 26, No. 2, pp.45-54
Reports
Hosein, A., & Rao, N. (2015). An impact study of the guidance documents for higher education providers published by QAA in 2013. Gloucester: Quality Assurance Agency. http://www.qaa.ac.uk/publications/information-and-guidance/publication?PubID=3014#.V_9eLvnx5Mw
Hosein, A., & Rao, N. (2014). The role of assessment in teaching research methods: A literature review. York, UK: Higher Education Academy. https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/resources/The%20role%20of%20assessment%20in%20teaching%20research%20methods.pdf
Book Chapters
Rao, N. and Hosein, A. (2013). Comparative education. In Curtis, W., Ward, S., Sharp, J., & Hankin, L. (Eds.). Education Studies: An Issue Based Approach. Learning Matters.
Peer Reviewed Conference Proceedings
Rienties, B. and Hosein, A. (2014) "A need to look beyond the boundaries of professional development - a SNA perspective", EARLI
Rigg, J., Hosein, A. and Psycharis, S. (2014), "Researching children's 'self' constructs and their success at solving word problems: a pilot study", In Pope S. (Ed) Proceedings of the 8th British Congress of Mathematics Education, Nottingham, pp.287-294
Hosein, A. and Rao, N. (2012), “Students' conceptions of research and research methods”, Proceedings of the 8th International Conference in Education, July 5-7, Samos, Greece
Rao, N. and Hosein, A. (2012), “Opportunities and complexities of two synchronous distance research supervision modes”, Proceedings of the 8th International Conference in Education, July 5-7, Samos, Greece
Ramanau, R., Hosein, A. and Jones, C. (2011), “ Net generation distance learners and patterns of their digital technology use”, In M.B. Nunes and McPherson, M. (Eds) Proceedings of the IADIS International Conference on E-Learning, Rome, Italy, July 20-23, pp. 21-27
Ferguson, R., Clough, G. and Hosein, A. (2010), “Shifting themes, shifting roles: the development of research blogs”, In: 'Into Something Rich and Strange' - Making Sense of the Sea-Change. The 17th Association for Learning Technology Conference (ALT-C 2010), 7-9 September 2010, Nottingham, UK, pp.111-117.
Hosein, A., Ramanau, R., and Jones, C.R. (2010), “Are all net generation students the same? The frequency of technology use at university”, Proceedings of the IADIS International Conference on e-Learning, Frieburg, Germany, 26th-29th July, 2010, Vol. 1, pp.340-348.
Ramanau, R., Hosein, A. and Jones, C.R. (2010)., “Learning and living technologies: A longitudinal study of first-year students' expectations and experiences in the use of ICT”, In Dirckinck-Holmfeld L, Hodgson V, Jones C, McConnell D & Ryberg T. (Eds) Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Networked Learning, Aalborg 3-4th May 2010.Hosein, A., Aczel, J., Clow, D., & Richardson, J. T. E. (2008), “Comparison of black-box, glass-box and open-box software for aiding conceptual understanding”, In Figueras, O., Cortina, J., Alatorre, S., Rojano, T. and Sepúlveda, A. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 32nd annual conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME 32), Vol. 3, Morelia, Mexico, pp. 185-192
Hosein, A., Aczel, J., Clow, D., & Richardson, J. T. E. (2008), “Mathematical thinking of undergraduate students when using three types of software”, Proceedings of the International Congress on Mathematics Education, Monterrey, Mexico, http://tsg.icme11.org/document/get/531
Hosein, A., Aczel, J., Clow, D., & Richardson, J. T. E. (2007), “An illustration of student's engagement with mathematical software using remote observation”, In Woo, J.-H., Lew, H.-C., 2. Park, K.-S. & Seo, D.-Y. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 31st annual conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME 31), Vol. 3, Seoul, Korea, pp. 49-56
Ferguson, R., Clough, G. and Hosein, A. (2007), “Postgraduate blogs: beyond the ordinary research journal”, In Wheeler, S. and Whitton, N. (Eds.), Beyond Control: Learning Technology for the Social Network Generation, Research Proceedings of the 14th Association for Learning Technology Conference ALT-C Conference 2007, 4-6 September 2007, Nottingham University, England, UK, pp. 179-189.
Hosein, A., Aczel, J. and Clow, D. (2006), "The teaching of linear programming in different disciplines and in different countries", Proceedings of the International Conference on the Teaching of Mathematics - at the Undergraduate Level, 30th Jun - 5th Jul, Istanbul, Turkey
Pun, K.F. and Hosein A. (2003), "Improving performance of agribusiness operations and production in Trinidad and Tobago - a research agenda for the poultry industry", Proceedings of the APETT Annual Technical Conference, 19th-20th Mar, 2003, pp. 132-141
Pun, K.F. and Hosein, A., (2003), "Development of a journal information system for engineering research studies”, Proceedings of the 2003 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Nashville, Tennessee, USA, no.2003-1588, June (CD version), 11 pages
Hosein, A. and DeFreitas J. (1999), "The feasibility of using bsi bsi (Cyperus articulatus) as a textile fibre", Proceedings of the Caribbean Academy of Science, Paramaribo, Suriname, 7th-9th October