Cultural Studies PhD Student, Tauheeda Yasin, has received a prestigious fellowship in recognition for her work as an associate professor at Northern Virginia Community College. In recognition of this achievement, Adam Proctor recently conducted a short interview with Tauheeda to find out more about her role as a VCCS Faculty Fellow.
You've been awarded the VCCS Chancellor's Faculty Fellowship for 2017-18. Tell us a little about your experience as an associate professor at NVCC.
I've been teaching at NOVA since 2007 as a full-time professor. I have had the great privilege of teaching in several departments. Primarily, I teach ESL, which includes courses in advanced reading, writing, and oral communications. I have also taught in the Religion Department through the College's ELI program (Extended Learning Institute), which is an online learning platform. I have also taught in the Developmental English program, and I also developed a course in Humanities titled, "Islam in the African-American Experience". Aside from my teaching, I also served as Assistant Dean for the ESL Department a few years ago.
How will you be spending your year?
I hope to successfully defend my dissertation proposal this Fall and complete my research in the Spring 2018 semester.
What advice do you have for fellow colleagues who are looking to break into teaching at the community college level?
The primary role of a professor in the community college system is teaching, which is different from being in a research university. I have really appreciated the diversity of students. I have had 70-year-olds and 18-year-olds in the same classroom, people from various countries, and they are all in the classroom for different reasons. If that appeals to you, you would enjoy teaching in a community college. Teaching in a community college also affords you the opportunity to really engage with students on a one-on-one level due to the smaller class sizes, depending on the department. if your schedule allows, I would suggest signing up to teach a course as an adjunct to see if you enjoy it.
The primary role of a professor in the community college system is teaching, which is different from being in a research university. I have really appreciated the diversity of students. I have had 70-year-olds and 18-year-olds in the same classroom, people from various countries, and they are all in the classroom for different reasons. If that appeals to you, you would enjoy teaching in a community college. Teaching in a community college also affords you the opportunity to really engage with students on a one-on-one level due to the smaller class sizes, depending on the department. if your schedule allows, I would suggest signing up to teach a course as an adjunct to see if you enjoy it.
October 25, 2017