Cara Syria Programme, 2022 SRHE Conference Plenary Session: Reframing Education in Emergency
‘This plenary session provides a space to discuss and better understand the challenges facing higher education in situations of conflict. We will hear from Cara (the Council for At-Risk Academics) UK partners and Sham University collaborators, who will present on the work they have been doing as part of the Cara Syria Programme. Topics will include key considerations in creating and supporting this kind of partnership; the challenges and barriers faced by researchers on both sides in situations of instability and persecution; and the research frameworks and methodologies employed and adapted to facilitate this work. It will focus, in particular, on displaced academic communities in Northwest Syria, and ways in which the global HE sector can support and advocate for those seeking to sustain access to HE in conflict-affected contexts.’
Register: SRHE Conference 2022, Mobilities in Higher Education | Society for Research into Higher Education.
‘This plenary session provides a space to discuss and better understand the challenges facing higher education in situations of conflict. We will hear from Cara (the Council for At-Risk Academics) UK partners and Sham University collaborators, who will present on the work they have been doing as part of the Cara Syria Programme. Topics will include key considerations in creating and supporting this kind of partnership; the challenges and barriers faced by researchers on both sides in situations of instability and persecution; and the research frameworks and methodologies employed and adapted to facilitate this work. It will focus, in particular, on displaced academic communities in Northwest Syria, and ways in which the global HE sector can support and advocate for those seeking to sustain access to HE in conflict-affected contexts.’
https://srhe.ac.uk/plenary-speakers/
PANEL MEMBERS
- Prof. Miassar AlHasan, Head of Sham University Studies and Research Centre.
- Dr Tom Parkinson, Reader and Programme Director of the MA and PGDip in HE, University of Kent.
- Dr Abdulkader Rashwani, Sham University Deputy Rector and Ex-Dean of the Faculty of Engineering.
- Prof. Aysha Divan, Faculty of Biological Sciences Director of Student Education, University of Leeds.
- Prof. Tejendra Pherali, Prof. of Education, Conflict and Peace, IoE UCL (Discussant).
BIOS
Prof. Miassar Alhasan is Head of Sham University’s Studies and Research Centre, Director of Sham’s Institute for Graduate Studies and a member of the university’s Quality Assurance Committee. Although his field is in electronic engineer, given the fragile situation in NW Syria, he has focused on supporting continued access to higher education for local and internally displaced Syrian communities and, more specifically, on research relating to the question of quality in higher education in conflict-affected areas. His most recent co-authored paper ‘Evaluating the effectiveness of student-record systems in conflict-affected universities in northwest Syria relative to student transition and mobility’ was published in the International Journal of Educational Research Open (IJEDRO) in 2022.
Dr. Abdulkader Rashwani is Sham University’s Vice-rector for Scientific Affairs and Head of Sham’s Quality Assurance Committee. He works in the field of applied chemistry with the recycling of concrete rubble as a construction material a major area of interest, looking to the future reconstruction of Syria. However, as a key member of Sham University’s senior management with the desire to ensure continued access to quality higher education for both local and internally displaced communities, his research interests also encompass the question of higher education in conflict. Most recently, he participated in a study looking at a risk-based approach to quality management in higher education, and co-authored the paper: ‘Exploring the value of a risk-management quality-assurance model to support delivery of quality higher education in the conflict-affected northwest of Syria.’ published in the International Journal of Educational Research Open (IJEDRO) in 2022.
Prof. Aysha Divan is Professor of Higher Education and Pro-Dean for Student Education at the University of Leeds, UK, with over 10 years of leadership experience in HE, driving teaching enhancement and quality across a number of subject areas (STEM and non-STEM), within and beyond the UK. This encompasses development of quality benchmarks and associated accreditation of degree schemes, including international schemes. Her experience is highly multi-disciplinary with an emphasis on promoting evidence-informed curriculum development, interdisciplinary collaboration and capacity and leadership building in higher education.