Research Philosophy___________________________________________________
As a teacher of undergraduate students at Centenary College of Louisiana, I approach and integrate research with my teaching through three distinct ways. First, I always try to incorporate individual and group research components in all my courses because I feel that these are one of the best ways to move students from the lower levels of Bloom’s taxonomy of learning domain to its higher levels. I believe that when students think about a research problem over the semester, they tend to analyze it from all sides and angles. This helps to cultivate their analytical and critical thinking abilities. I also implement reliable feedback mechanisms and continuous reevaluation of these components to ensure that students engaged in research can improve their written, communication, and problem-solving skills as well as their ability to work in groups throughout the semester.
Second, since I consider myself a teacher-scholar, as my scholarship evolves it naturally flows into my teaching giving students familiarity with my areas of research interest. My primary vehicle for the inclusion of students in my research is the classroom where I convey to them the passion that often goes with the pursuit of research. Also, the inclusion of individual and group research components in my courses help the students answer a real research question, in turn encouraging them to get involved in my research. Lastly, I incorporate field trips and guest lectures into my courses exposing students to real-world problems. This has the potential to spark questions from the students which I can then use to draw them into a line of research related to that interest.
Third, I incorporate aspects of community engagement into course design by using partnerships with local stakeholders, so that students get exposure to real-world problem-solving. Moreover, I apply for research grants through which students can work in conjunction with the local stakeholders on longer term research projects.
Ali, M., & Villa, K. M. (2023). Persistence and Catch-Up in Mathematics Skills in Ethiopia: Evidence from Childhood and Adolescence. Journal of African Development, 24(2).
Ali, M., Joshi, J., & Zhang, B. (2022) Self-Reported Health and Nutrient Availability: Do Perceptions Matter? International Journal of Food and Agricultural Economics, 10(4), 311-323.
Ali, M., & Villa, K. M. (2022). We are how much we Eat: Nutrient-Specific versus Calorie-Based Adult-Equivalent Scales. Agriculture and Food Sciences Research, 9(1), 32-38.
Ali, M., Wang, J., Thacher, J., & Himmelberger, H. (2021), An Economic Perspective on USA Fiscal Sustainability of Water Utilities: What we Know and Think we Know. Water Economics and Policy, 7(1), 1-30.
Ali, M., Lim, P. (Centenary alumni), & Purpura, A., & Joshi, J. (Centenary alumni) (under review). How do Idiosyncratic and Covariate Shocks affect Human Capital Outcomes for Ethiopian Children?
Ali, M., & Villa, K. M. (in preparation). Are Healthy Kids All Work and No Study: Unpacking the Effect of Current Health on Time Allocation and Cognitive Production in Ethiopia.
Ali, M., Zhang, B., & Joshi, J. (in preparation). Female-Headed Households, Time Constraint, and Diet Quality.
Ali, M., & Rayamajhee, V. (in preparation). Coping Collectively: A Test of Consumption Insurance Hypothesis. Ali, M. (in preparation). Variety after Tragedy: Do Idiosyncratic and Covariate Shocks affect Dietary Diversity?