Fellows will go through an extensive training on Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) and then have their students work together on joint projects. The Fellows will work towards the Project’s mission of mutual understanding in diverse societies and innovation in higher education through global collaboration.
Meet the Fellows
Fellows from Bridgewater College
Ady Dewey
Ady Dewey is a practitioner in residence at Bridgewater College, Virginia, where she teaches in the Communication Studies and Theatre Department. She joined the faculty in 2015 after a 35-year career as a speechwriter and strategic communication consultant in New York and Washington, D.C., as well as teaching as an adjunct at Rutgers University and the University of Maryland. Among the courses she teaches are introduction to news writing, oral communications, strategic public relations and the leadership development seminar. Dewey also serves as the advisor of the student-led campus news organization, BCVoice (https://bcvoice.org/). Her undergraduate degree is in education from Virginia Tech and she has a master’s in public administration.
Emily Goodwin
Emily Goodwin is the Director of Instructional Designer at Bridgewater College, where she is responsible for new faculty training, administrator of the course management system, and facilitating professional development opportunities for the faculty. Emily was the Co-Creator and Co-Facilitator of the Digital Scholarship Working Group. She is creator and supervisor of the Digital Scholarship Gurus, students trained by IT staff to support peers with digital projects. Emily has presented at annual conferences of the Virginia Library Association, the national Association Supporting Users in Education, and Virginia’s Association of Collegiate Computing. She also received the Virginia Foundation of Independent College’s Excellence in Instructional Technology Award.
Melissa Hoover
Melissa Hoover is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Bridgewater College. She joined the faculty at Bridgewater College in 2004 after finishing her PhD at the University of Virginia. Melissa teaches a wide variety of math courses from precalculus to calculus to abstract algebra. Her favorite courses to teach are the ones that allow students to focus on mathematical writing and communication. She loves to participate in pedagogical workshops and try new things in her classroom.
Nancy B. Klancher
Nancy B. Klancher is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Bridgewater College in Virginia. Her lifelong concerns have been in the areas of group dynamics, particularly belonging, exclusion, and identity formation; the effects of religious hegemony and anathema; and the possibility of reconciliation and reunion through effective public discourse. She earned her B.A. in English Literature and her M.A. in Medieval European Literature from Boston University. She earned her joint Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Her scholarly interests include biblical interpretation and transmission, reception history, feminist theory, and interfaith studies.
Fellows from International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)
Amal A. M. Elgharbawy
Amal A. M. Elgharbawy is an Assistant Professor at the International Institute for Halal Research and Training (INHART). She obtained her PhD in Engineering from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) in 2018, and her Master’s in Biotechnology Engineering in 2013. She obtained Amal obtained her B.Sc. (Hons.) from King AbdulAziz University, Saudi Arabia, and was awarded First Honor and Excellence Award, and worked as chemistry and biology teacher for two years. Amal started her research career as Research Associate in 2017 at University of Malaya and joined INHART as a research fellow in 2018. Her research interests are in the areas of:
- Ionic Liquids and Deep Eutectic Solvents and their applications in Halal Industry
- Enzymology
- Fermentation Technology
- Nanomaterials.
Atiah Abdullah Sidek
Atiah Abdullah Sidek is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Manufacturing and Materials, Faculty of Engineering, IIUM. She received her B.Eng(Hons) from International Islamic University Malaysia, MSc from University of Warwick and PhD from Loughborough University. Her research interests are in the general areas of green technology and industry, environmental sustainability, operation research and management and engineering education. She is a member of the Malaysian Higher Education Teaching and Learning Council, Board of Engineers Malaysia, Institute of Engineers Malaysia, Project Management Institute, Malaysian Muslim Scientists Association, Malaysian Association of Problem Based Learning practitioners.
Hamzah Mohd Salleh
Hamzah Mohd Salleh completed his tertiary education at the Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Canada. Upon submission of his doctoral thesis, he spent 15 months as a postdoctoral fellow at the College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He is among pioneers of the Biotechnology Engineering program at IIUM and is the founding director of the International Institute for Halal Research and Training (INHART). In 2018, Hamzah made a permanent move from the Dept. of Biotechnology Engineering to the International Institute for Halal Research and Training (INHART) at IIUM where he serves as the current Dean.
Mira Kartiwi
Mira Kartiwi is the Deputy Director (Elearning Unit) of Centre for Professional Development, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). She completed her studies at the University of Wollongong, Australia achieving a Bachelor of Commerce in Business Information Systems, Master of Information Systems and her PhDin Economics. Currently, she is an Associate Professor in the Department of Information Systems, Kulliyyah of Information and Communication Technology, IIUM. Dr Kartiwi is an experienced consultant specializing in health, financial and manufacturing sectors.
Mohamad Haniki
Dr. Mohamad Haniki is the Head of Internationalization and Network Linkages at the Faculty of Pharmacy, IIUM. He graduated with a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Tennessee (UT), in 1996 and completed one year post-doctoral fellowship at UT before joining Universiti Sains Malaysia from 1997-2005. He has held various posts at IIUM, including Head of the Department of Pharmacy Practice, Deputy Dean of Academic Affairs, and acting Dean of Centre for Foundation Studies. He has been actively involved in tobacco control research, teaching and advocacy for more than 18 years. His contribution in tobacco control has been recognized domestically and internationally with awards and scholarships.
Fellows from Shenandoah University
Alanna Tierno
Alanna Tierno teaches music history and literature courses at Shenandoah University. She received her Ph.D. in musicology from Case Western Reserve University, where she was awarded a Fulbright grant to conduct dissertation research in Germany on early Lutheran music. She was the recipient of a postdoctoral fellowship at the Herzog August Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel for research on her monograph about the polyphonic Mass Ordinary in the early Lutheran liturgy. Dr. Tierno’s other academic interests include online learning and international education, and she is currently pursuing an M.Ed. in Global Studies in Education with a concentration in International Education Administration and Leadership.
Catherine Dunn Shiffman
Catherine Dunn Shiffman, Ph.D., has been a faculty member at Shenandoah University since 2007. She is Professor, Chair of the Leadership Studies Department, and Program Coordinator for the Doctor of Educational Leadership program in the Division of Education and Leadership. She teaches graduate courses in policy, societal factors, and qualitative research methods. As a social science researcher, she studies problems of practice in the field of education with emphasis on questions of equity and access. Her current research interests center on improvement science, international exchange for graduate students, family-school-community relationships, adult learning, and doctoral preparation.
Emily Hollins
Emily Hollins is the registrar at Shenandoah University. In her role, she oversees the transcript, class scheduling, and graduation processes. She also works with the school faculty committee to develop and approve curriculum. Emily has 13 years of experience in higher education, working at two different institutions. Emily was a delegate with the pilot Barzinji Project and travelled to Bosnia-Herzegovina and Malaysia to discuss matters of higher education with overseas colleagues. She has a strong interest in international relationship building. She is looking forward to this opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from other countries.
Ting-Yu Chen
Ting-Yu Chen, MFA, EdD is the Shenandoah Conservatory Associate Dean for Student Affairs and professor of dance at Shenandoah University (SU), and a grant recipient of the National Arts Council of Cultural and Educational Development and foundations in Taiwan, the Greater Columbus Arts Council in Ohio, and Shenandoah Arts Council in Virginia. Chen’s performances, choreography and teaching have spanned the globe in countries including Argentina, Canada, China, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Macedonia, Spain, the Netherlands, Russia, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, and across the USA. Her research in interdisciplinary, cross cultural teaching and learning has led her to develop curriculums to support singers and instrumentalists to advance their professional goals and wellbeing.
Vicky G. Spencer
Vicky G. Spencer, Ph.D, BCBA-D, LBA has been an Associate Professor and the Director of the Applied Behavior Analysis Graduate Program at Shenandoah University in the Department of Psychology since 2019. She has over 25 years of experience as a university professor and researcher. During this time, Dr. Spencer, a Fulbright Scholar, developed a strong interest in international education and has traveled extensively for the past 15 years serving as both an educator/researcher and, most recently, as a faculty member at Dar Al Hekma University in Saudi Arabia. She is the past president of the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division of International Special Education and Services (DISES).
Fellows from University of Sarajevo (UNSA)
Amela Livnjak
Amela Livnjak graduated in 2017 from the University of Sarajevo – Veterinary faculty, where she started working in 2018 as a teaching assistant in the Department of Clinical Sciences. She teaches courses in Veterinary pathophysiology, and her main research interest are blood disorders of domestic and wild animals. She is pursuing a PhD with the University of Sarajevo – Veterinary faculty. As a student, she volunteered at the Clinic for Internal Diseases within the Veterinary faculty; participated in numerous international and domestic congresses; participated in the Dogs Trust training program ; and went on student exchange to the Istanbul University.
Dina Sijamhodžić-Nadarević
Dr. Dina Sijamhodžić-Nadarević is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Islamic Studies of the University of Sarajevo, teaching courses in General Pedagogy, General Didactic, Religious Pedagogy. She is the Head of the Chair for Religious pedagogy and religious psychology. Dina holds two bachelor degrees in Islamic Theology and general Pedagogy. She received her MA in Religious pedagogy and PhD degree in Pedagogy at the Univeristy of Sarajevo. She is the author of 3 books, several book chapters and more then 20 academic articles. Dina participated in numerous international conferences, seminars, symposiums and is a member of several professional committees in B&H and abroad. She speaks Bosnian, English, Arabic and German language.
Virtual Exchange Trainer
Greg Tuke
Greg Tuke, Virtual Exchange Trainer and Going Global U founder, is a leading international authority in the design, teaching and training of Collaborative On-line International Learning (COIL) courses, training faculty across the US and internationally for the past decade. Additionally, he has provided consultation and training to university leadership teams in Morocco, United Arab Emirates, Canada, the US, Indonesia and India, helping them develop capacity for the support and expansion of COIL courses throughout their university system. Students in his courses have partnered with university students in Rwanda, Vietnam, India, Iraq, Egypt, Morocco, Peru and the Philippines. He has a particular interest and history in working with students and faculty in the Middle East.
