March 9, 2020

Ramy Shaaban Accepts Assistant Professor Position

ramy shaaban headshot
Dr. Ramy Shaaban

The Department of Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences in the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services at Utah State University is very pleased to announce the selection of a new assistant professor. Dr. Ramy Shaaban has accepted the new position and will start in the fall of 2020.

Shaaban’s qualifications in education and experience make him a very qualified and most welcome addition to the ITLS teaching and research team. Dr. Kristy Bloxham, faculty member and chair of the hiring committee, said that Shaaban brings a mixture of talents to assist with the department’s new Human Experience Design and Interaction (HEDI) degree.

“From Esports to research on using augmented reality in medical training Dr. Shaaban brings some unique and cutting edge experience to our department and our new bachelor’s program,” Bloxham said. “His enthusiasm, background, and desire to help students succeed make him a perfect fit. We are all looking forward to working with him to help create a one of a kind experience at USU."

Dr. Shaaban will have earned two doctorate degrees when he arrives in August. While he worked to obtain his first doctorate, a medical degree from the Alexandria University School of Medicine, he realized that technological innovation could be used to improve the way medical students acquire clinical knowledge. He decided to combine his knowledge in the medical field with his talents in the technological field to that end. Shaaban first pursued his master’s degree in Adult Education and Communications Technology (AECT) at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) and is scheduled to receive his second doctorate in May in Communications Media and Instructional Technology (CMIT) at IUP.

These degrees, as well as valuable experience as an instructor for the past six years, have equipped Shaaban with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively teach classes in a variety of fields in educational technology. Dr. Shaaban said his professional interests have been developed in three technology based areas: instructional design, simulation, and interactive game-based media production.

Shaaban has experience in teaching game studies/design/development, media production classes such as digital video editing, online media production, 2D/3D animation, and 2D/3D digital game development. At the Department of Medical Education in Alexandria University School of Medicine, he was one of the founders of the E-Learning Unit. He also was one of the developers of Alexandria Virtual School of Medicine (AVSM), the project that was awarded the Khalifa Award for the best innovative interactive educational project in the Middle East. In the Department of Communications Media at IUP, Shaaban successfully won a grant to build a simulation lab in the department, which introduced a new class in virtual reality (VR) video production.

Dr. Andy Walker, ITLS faculty member and department head, said he is impressed with the amount of curriculum design Dr. Shaaban has already done as a graduate student.

“I am excited about his ideas for our new undergraduate program,” Walker said. “I also think it’s great that he negotiated a research role as part of his position. It’s an important part of our department culture.”

Dr. Shaaban’s research interests include exploring the impact of emerging technologies on learning in the educational field. He believes that gamification and game-based learning, aided with scaffolding and collaborative learning, are gateways to the future learning style and students’ preferences.

“I am researching the effects of computer-based learning on the performance of students,” Shaaban said. “My specific area of interest focuses on the role of web-based simulations and virtual collaboration on students’ learning process. Specifically, my research is focused on enhancing clinical reasoning skills and satisfaction of students using interactive simulations.”