DOHA, Qatar – Yasser Majeed, an assistant teaching professor of biological sciences at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q), has received a Wimmer Faculty Fellowship from Carnegie Mellon University’s Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation. The fellowship will support Majeed’s work to enhance an advanced immunology course at CMU-Q.

Wimmer Fellowships are awarded to junior faculty members to support them in creating innovative educational tools and enhancing their teaching strategies.

Majeed’s project will integrate student-driven journal clubs into the immunology curriculum. Journal clubs are learning sessions where students lead discussions on selected scientific articles. They commonly take place in medical and graduate school settings. 

“I have reviewed the literature, and the literature does not reflect that other instructors have used this method in undergraduate immunology courses,” said Majeed. “My goal is to use a journal club component to complement traditional lectures,” Majeed said. 

The journal club sessions will employ a “flipped classroom” model. Students will receive research articles in advance, prepare to discuss them, and then lead the in-class discussions, with Majeed serving as a facilitator. 

“Immunology is a complex and rapidly evolving field. Journal clubs help students develop critical skills in scientific literacy, communication, and collaboration, and see the real-world applications of what they’re learning.”

During his Wimmer Fellowship, Majeed will collaborate with consultants from the Eberly Center to refine learning objectives, develop resources, create more inclusive in-class engagement strategies, and design robust assessment rubrics. He plans to share his findings through Eberly’s teaching and learning summit, and through an international educational conference or journal.

“The Eberly Center’s support is invaluable,” Majeed noted. “Their expertise will help ensure this initiative is as effective as possible for our students.”