Dalia Salloum PhD Gets Awarded the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Grant
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| Dalia Salloum PhD, Assistant Professor in the Biology Department |
Dalia Salloum, PhD, assistant professor in the Biology department here at Salt Lake Community College, has been awarded the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion grant. The award will allow Dalia to attend and present at the annual HAPS conference. The award came with hard work, perseverance and passion for providing all her students with a safe and equitable classroom space where they can be themselves and learn.
“The opportunity to attend the national conference is why I applied for the grant in the first place,” says Dalia. “It is a place where there are a lot of like-minded people, such a strong sense of community. It is nice to see other people doing different things with the same goal of increasing student success and retention.” Dalia highlights how expensive attending such events are and having the opportunity to not only receive an award but also share her experience on how she works on making her classroom a more diverse and equitable and inclusive environment for the students.
As a professor, Dalia has implemented different approaches to ensure students get an equitable opportunity to learn and succeed in her class. Focusing on universal access through ‘flipped classroom,’ a non-traditional method implemented to help her teaching become equitable across the board, has increased her students’ academic performance.
“Learning anatomy, biology and physiology is like learning a new language; now imagine how difficult it must be for those whose English is not their native language,” says Dalia. “And on top of that, there is so much pressure as a college student to perform well.” To help her students better understand the subject, she provides them with lectures on Canvas, and in class, they get to address what they did not understand and work on their assignments.
College classes can be challenging, but having a professor who supports students, sees them as people, and explains the science happening in their brain while taking their exams, what is causing that anxiety and how to overcome it, is extremely helpful. As Dalia continues to lead her teaching career with empathy and understanding, her students will continue to succeed in and out of the classroom, for empathy will lead to classroom safety. It may not be biology, but it is science.
Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) Grant
Dalia was first introduced to HAPS in 2021 by a colleague who recommended her for a research project, which she and her fellow team members could present at the annual conference in 2022—the year in which she officially first attended the conference.“The opportunity to attend the national conference is why I applied for the grant in the first place,” says Dalia. “It is a place where there are a lot of like-minded people, such a strong sense of community. It is nice to see other people doing different things with the same goal of increasing student success and retention.” Dalia highlights how expensive attending such events are and having the opportunity to not only receive an award but also share her experience on how she works on making her classroom a more diverse and equitable and inclusive environment for the students.
In the Classroom with Professor Dalia Salloum
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| Dalia Salloum teaching |
“We talk about inclusion and universal access. If I shift the way I teach to ensure it is accessible for the person who has the accommodations, then it is accessible for everyone,” says Dalia.
“Learning anatomy, biology and physiology is like learning a new language; now imagine how difficult it must be for those whose English is not their native language,” says Dalia. “And on top of that, there is so much pressure as a college student to perform well.” To help her students better understand the subject, she provides them with lectures on Canvas, and in class, they get to address what they did not understand and work on their assignments.
College classes can be challenging, but having a professor who supports students, sees them as people, and explains the science happening in their brain while taking their exams, what is causing that anxiety and how to overcome it, is extremely helpful. As Dalia continues to lead her teaching career with empathy and understanding, her students will continue to succeed in and out of the classroom, for empathy will lead to classroom safety. It may not be biology, but it is science.
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