OU Associate Lecturer Dr Hadeer Elshafie

To mark World Teacher's Day 2022, the Strategic Research Area in International Development and Inclusive Innovation (SRA-IDII) has commissioned a series to celebrate the exceptional Associate Lecturers who teach Global Development at The Open University. The SRA-IDII is a multi-million pound, interdisciplinary research network led by Professor Giles Mohan, leading ground-breaking research designed to feed directly into OU teaching.

This interview features Dr Hadeer Elshafie who came to the UK as an international student to study for a PhD in Development and Development Studies with the University of Sussex, where she now teaches. She has a BA in Political Economy, an MA in Professional Development, is a certified professional life coach, and has been a presenter on Brighton and Hove Community Radio. 

Why did you become an Open University tutor? 

Because of the OU’s new Masters programme in Global Development launched in 2020 - I was one of the first tutors to join. I was intrigued it was called ‘global’ rather than ‘international’ development. Global means that development issues are not geographically fixed in certain places, they are everywhere – which aligns with my own values.

What do you teach at the OU? 

I teach the module DD870 Understanding Global Development. I like it because it’s comprehensive, and it’s holistic in the sense that it approaches change not just as something that flows down from the state or decision-makers, but as something communities and societies can create by themselves from the bottom up. And I like its practical side: it encourages students to bring the conceptual framework we teach into the practical realm and to make empirical change.

Does the OU’s interdisciplinary approach feed into your teaching?

One hundred percent. We are drawing on gender studies, technology, future studies, economics, sociology, anthropology, psychology. Not only does it make students more rounded as persons, it invites them to investigate a topic from multiple angles.

And you link interdisciplinarity with curiosity, which is a theme in your teaching, isn’t it?

Yes. We need to embrace our curiosity and not be afraid to look at unconventional or unusual – but logical – factors in life that help us create better change. In my approach to students, I encourage them to embrace their passion, and not to be shy about it. So if a student says to me: ‘Do you think I can talk about Artificial Intelligence and Development?’  I would say ‘By all means’.

What kind of students do you have? 

We have all ages, some from the UK and some international. I have met immigrant students who shared the same background as me; they have told me they feel empowered, especially the women, talking to a minority tutor, and more confident that they can voice themselves better. That speaks to the diversity of the OU.  

Any students whose stories stand out for you? 

I had a student who was inspired by studying the colonial history and roots of development to dig into her own heritage. She discovered her ancestors could have fallen victim to the slave trade. She merged this personal story with her study, and wrote some fantastic papers. 

What do you feel makes the OU distinctive? 

The OU is working to achieve inclusivity and diversity. I think societies change because they learn and it’s wonderful to see the OU has this mindset. We don’t just teach change, we are trying to change within.

What is the most rewarding part of the role?

Tutors are the ones who are the most consistently ‘at the gates’ of the OU, seeing students, and this is the most rewarding. I really do want every one to achieve every goal they want to.

I hear you also had your own show on Brighton and Hove Community Radio?

Yes, with a friend of mine. We are Hadi and Adi so we called it the HAdi Enough Show. We asked people to tell us about an issue they had had enough of, and how they decided to make a change for the better. Our guests included a band, and a woman trying to make Brighton and Hove beach inclusive for disabled people. In a way, this sort of thing is at the heart of development, because one way to define development is ‘responsive change’.