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Our Team

Nancy W. Gleason, Director

Nancy W. Gleason, PhD is the inaugural Director of the Hilary Ballon Center for Teaching and Learning and a Professor of Practice in Political Science at New York University Abu Dhabi. In her role, she guides faculty in the pedagogy of liberal arts education which transfers interdisciplinary competencies for a digital economy, such as critical thinking and creativity. She teaches a signature course, Industrial Revolutions and the Future of Work in the University’s unique Core Curriculum. This course speaks directly to her current research project on the cognition gaps in the global workforce. Her research has focused on climate change and the Fourth Industrial Revolution’s impacts on higher education, workforce training, and the future of work. 

Previously, Dr. Gleason directed the Centre for Teaching and Learning at Yale-NUS College in Singapore, and served in the Global Affairs Majors as a Senior Lecturer. She also taught at Tufts University in Boston, MA, USA for six years. She has published and consulted widely in these areas. She is the editor of Higher Education in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Springer, 2018). She is the co-editor of Diversity and Inclusion in Global Higher Education: Lessons from Across Asia (Palgrave March 2020). She holds a PhD from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, an MSc from the London School of Economics, and a BA from George Washington University.

 

Post-Graduation Research Fellows

Chenyu Yi
September 2022 - August 2023

Chenyu Yi was appointed the 2023-2024 post-graduation research fellow at the Hilary Ballon Center for Teaching and Learning. At NYUAD, Chenyu majored in Psychology with a minor in Social Research and Public Policy and is passionate about action-oriented research and initiatives that address education equity. 

In her capacity as a fellow, under the mentorship of Dr. Nancy Gleason, Chenyu is exploring the integration of ChatGPT in undergraduate social sciences programs at NYUAD. This research aims to understand how social sciences faculty are using state-of-the-art GenAI like ChatGPT to support their teaching and highlight potential challenges for GenAI integration. 

She is currently participating in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Certificate Program and helping with coordination. Chenyu also works in tandem with Dr. Gleason to provide support to faculty and instructors at NYUAD in teaching and pedagogy. 

Chenyu looks forward to assisting the center’s development, working on her research project with Dr. Gleason, and gaining qualitative research expertise in education.

Student Assistants

Hallelujah Abe

Hallelujah is a freshman from Ethiopia planning to major in Economics. She is passionate about improving teaching and learning methods, and is eager to participate in programs that allow her to share her skills with the HBCTL. As a student assistant, she hopes to develop engaging and effective pedagogy and to contribute to future projects and research in the field of education.

David Ho

David Ho is a Social Research and Public Policy junior from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He is passionate about education, specifically how to bring high-quality education to developing countries like Vietnam. His research interest is how higher education institutions could help prepare the workforce for the demands of the future economy. David has had much experience working in the education sector, from an education start-up in New York, a consulting firm in Washington DC to the Hilary Ballon Center for Teaching and Learning at NYUAD. He looks forward to working with faculty to further NYU Abu Dhabi's mission of creating the next generation of global leaders that will unite the world.

 

Minseo Park

Minseo is from South Korea and is a junior majoring in Economics. As an HBCTL Student Assistant, she will work on researching teaching and learning methods for educators. Minseo will also contribute to research and expand the new HBCTL website. She hopes to gain experience in the field of education as well as telling the story of HBCTL.

Bianca Mandapat

Bianca Mandapat is a student assistant from Benguet, Philippines. With the concepts and skills she acquires as a Social Research and Public Policy major, she hopes to contribute to the center's expanding body of research and resources, aiming to enhance the learning experience of students from diverse backgrounds. She is interested in the intersection of education, community development, and evidence-based policymaking, particularly within Global South contexts. She looks forward to the mentorship and collaborative learning opportunities with the HBCTL team and all who find themselves at the center.

Past Student Assistants