As the US universities and higher education institutes are transitioning to online methods due to the widespread of COVID-19, I’m sitting here reflecting on this quote by the undying Salinger in his marvelous book “Franny and Zooey” which goes on as “An artist’s only concern is to shoot for some kind of perfection, and on his own terms, not anyone else’s.” What a better statement to express the challenges and beauty of combining every pedagogical tool to face the challenges of non-traditional issues such as this one? Consider the current status: We are all trying to practice social distancing to … Continue reading Sometimes, you need to mix it up a bit.

One of the most impactful classes that I have ever taken is the “statistical consulting” course by Prof.Richard Einsporn at the University of Akron. The course provided hands-on experience giving consulting to clients that will approach the center of statistical consulting at the university. Contrary to a traditional stat class, each session we would have a meeting to discuss the request of several clients and then would team up based on our preferences and projects needs to work in small groups. The responsible group then would follow up with clients as their own individual projects. Although There was no limitation … Continue reading The Joy of statistical consulting: a case-based course in statistics

Looking at the current political and societal climate in the US, it is more important that ever, to make sure everyone knows that they are welcomed in a classroom. This sounds as a common sense: while certain public figures and media outlets do not hesitate to divide us more and more everyday; to create a state of insecurity about certain groups of people, and to push their agenda, we have a responsibility to be more pro-active when it comes to the inclusion. However, the first step is to acknowledge hidden bias and privilege. If you have never “walked in their … Continue reading Everyone is welcomed here!