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Ibtisam ابتسام pronounced "eeb-tee-sam"
Ibtisam ابتسام pronounced "eeb-tee-sam"
Age: 19 years old
Work: Looking for a job on campus but it is difficult because international students are not eligible for work-study jobs.
Major: Chemistry sophomore
Family: Single, youngest of two siblings
Challenge: English learner, Culture Shock, PTSD, Homesick.
Location: Orono, ME
Where is home? Lebanon
Pronouns: She/her
Accessibility accommodations: None
A bit about her:
A bit about her:
Ibtisam was born in Syria. Her family moved to Lebanon when she was a teenager. She had never been far away from her family prior to coming to UMaine. Ibtisam is a practicing muslim. She joined several student groups, including the International Student Association and the Muslim Student Association, and that helps a little with her homesickness and culture shock. Ibtisam has always loved chemistry and she is studying hard to achieve her goal to become a pharmacist.
What are her frustrations so far?
What are her frustrations so far?
“I am a bit of a perfectionist and I struggle with spelling in English. I like take-home assignments better because then I have an opportunity to go to the writing center before I turn anything in.”
“One of my professors makes a lot of references to TV shows and baseball. I don’t mind when it is just to make the class laugh, but when it is to draw an analogy, I often miss the point.”
“I know my name is hard to pronounce for English speakers but I wish people would try to learn it instead of asking me if they can call me “Sam”. I don’t mind if they don’t pronounce it perfectly.”
“Some of my professors share videos with us but the closed captions are all wrong. I like to turn on the closed captions because it helps me make sure I understand everything correctly. It also helps me learn how to spell technical words.”
Five teaching strategies focused on digital equity that will help Ibtisam succeed:
Five teaching strategies focused on digital equity that will help Ibtisam succeed:
Accurate transcripts and captions on video recordings from classes so that she can use them for note-taking and comprehension.
Faculty who allow her to record live classes
Assignment due dates and turnaround times were scheduled in a way that allow time for her to consult with the writing center
Allowing extensions or flexible deadlines in the LMS helped her perform well during Ramadan
Faculty using name tags (in person) or self-naming (in Zoom) inviting the phonetic pronunciation of names and encouraging the use of names.
Many more students can benefit from these teaching strategies. Learn more about who benefits from these strategies.
What has helped Ibtisam feel included in the UMaine community?
What has helped Ibtisam feel included in the UMaine community?
“One of my professors asked us to write the phonetic pronunciation of our names on our Zoom profile and this has made a huge difference for me. Now, my classmates call me by my name when they speak to me.”
“I like it when professors ‘force’ us to work with different groups of students. This has helped me meet more of my classmates. When they don’t, I have noticed that international students and students of color often end up in the same group, maybe because we feel that we have more in common?”
Quotes from UMaine students
Quotes from UMaine students
[coming soon]
Learn More...
Learn More...
Dos and Don’ts When Working with International Students in the Classroom (opens in a new window), by Stefanie T. Baier (Faculty Focus)
If you don’t know how to say someone’s name, just ask (opens in a new window), by Ruchika Tulshyan (Harvard Business Review)
Explore resources and training sessions offered by CITL by visiting the Equity and Inclusion in Teaching section of the CITL website
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