'Education is my passion'
Three graduates share their experiences studying the MA Education: Learning, Pedagogy and Assessment in the UEA School of Education and Lifelong Learning.
I enjoyed making friends from different parts of the world. We learnt from each other and we shared ideas
Mukhtar Abubakar
I had heard about UEA from an agent. He told me about the university and its ranking, and I investigated the University website. Teaching and learning is my profession and that was what made me choose to study Learning, Pedagogy and Assessment.
My ambition was to gain skills to equip me with academic and professional experiences in teaching and learning processes. Furthermore, I wanted to have the knowledge and understanding of international literature and gain a research base relevant to teacher education, curriculum development, development of educational reform, issues of educational policy and implementation.
I gained a lot of experience at UEA. I had lectures and seminars from different tutors and different modules; we shared ideas and experiences from the lectures. I learnt English language (speaking, academic writing, listening, and reading) from the English extra classes. Educational facilities at the university helped immensely toward my studies.
I enjoyed making friends from different parts of the world. We learnt from each other and we shared ideas.
Norwich was very nice. The people are always ready to help if you are looking for a particular place or get lost. I miss Norwich city football stadium, and I miss places like Chapelfield where I used to go shopping.
I would recommend UEA because it has good facilities, experienced tutors and a good library available 24/7. There are also sport and health facilities, and a student support centre.
My advice to current students is to work hard and to ask about what you don’t understand. The staff in the university are always ready to help.
After graduation, I worked at a factory in Norwich for four months as a store controller, and at the same time I prepared my PhD proposal at UEA. I want to conduct PhD research on the challenges of girls' education in my region.
Timur Khazbiev
Before joining UEA I realised that education is my passion. Therefore, I took the decision to eliminate my gaps in the field of education and pedagogy and study. Another UEA student from Chechnya (Russia) advised me to continue my education at UEA.
I had the ambition to promote and to develop the activity of my non-profit organisation (NGO), of which I am the CEO, in the field of education. I believe that NGOs have a very important role regarding the development of communities and I want my NGO and my team to be able to popularise education in Chechnya.
While at UEA, I joined the TEDx community and participated in the organisation of a TED talk. This experience will be useful as I hope to conduct the same sort of event in Chechnya. Also, I found new friends who kindly agreed to help me remotely organise TED talks in Chechnya.
Norwich has amazing nature and very friendly citizens. I miss Norwich. It is very quiet place that helps you to focus on studying.
I have recommend UEA to several people because of its high positions in national rankings, and the comfortable conditions provided for students to study. UEA and their staff are determined to help students to develop and finish their studying.
I would advise future students to utilise all opportunities provided by UEA. Join communities and clubs, use opportunities to attend extra workshops and ask for help if you have issues. UEA will help you.
Studying at UEA has given me new ideas to implement in the education system in Chechnya.
After going back home, my past two employers offered me a job and I accepted their offer. Later, as the CEO of a NGO, together with my team, we were able to develop a project that has been chosen by the Presidential foundation in Chechnya. The purpose of this project is to teach school students about their rights and responsibilities to prevent violation of their rights. Also, I am working at a school where I have the project to implement formative assessment.
Ali Tamimi
I came to study in the UK to complete my postgraduate studies with funding from the Ministry of Education, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I chose MA Education: Learning, Pedagogy and Assessment due to its focus on the most important elements of learning.
Studying at UEA was a new world for me in the field of education. What I liked most about studying here is the practical application of what is in the curriculum, such as teaching and assessment methods, through lectures. You absorb the curriculum, and academic tasks become interesting. It was also good to be among the multiple global cultures of my fellow students, which it gave me an opportunity to learn about different educational systems and their pros and cons.
Also, the presence of the University in the wonderful city of Norwich gave a special and distinctive character to my study, because the city is very quiet, and this suits the educational atmosphere of the university student. The community is very friendly, which helps the foreign student to cope easily.
Of course, I faced some difficulties during my studies, but the most difficult part for me in this wonderful scientific journey was to enter the field of critical thinking, and I think that, without the presence of highly qualified professors and doctors, this would be an obstacle and I would have suffered from it a lot.
My mind is currently concerned only with the implementation of my experiences and adding them to the educational field in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. My job as an educational supervisor will be the way to communicate these experiences to teachers and leaders.