Introduction

Access is regarded as a flagship programme for UKH.  It is unique in the region and it will provide the strongest guarantee that entrants to the UKH undergraduate programmes are adequately prepared and more likely to achieve success in their chosen subjects.
Access is a two-year programme integrated with UKH 3-year undergraduate programmes.

The first three semesters of the Access programme concentrates on developing the academic English language skills and study skills while the fourth semester provides the fundamental knowledge, understanding and skills needed to progress to the intended UG programme. The subject specific modules are grouped in two categories:
•    Arts and Humanities – for students who want to pursue a degree in Business, management, economics, finance, politics and social sciences.
•    Science and Technology – for students who want to pursue an undergraduate degree in natural resources and computing.
After successful completion of Access year 2, the student’s performance is assessed against the requirements of his/her intended programme of study.  Progression to the intended field of study is subject to satisfying the requirement of the programme and available places.

Aims of the Programme
The specific aims of the Access programme are:
•    To prepare students for studying in the English medium at an undergraduate level at UKH or international universities in a range of subjects including management, humanities, social sciences, sciences, computing and engineering. Particular attention is paid to developing the language and skills necessary to write assignments, take part in discussions, listen to lectures and read academic texts.
•    To provide an opportunity for students to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills to enable them to progress to their intended undergraduate Honours degree programme at UKH.
•    To enhance students’ abilities to be independent learners.
•    Student Support and Guidance
Each student in Access is allocated a Personal Tutor who will monitor the academic progress of the student and provide guidance and support.

Further Information
For further information please contact the Head of Access Department:
i.smallwood@ukh.ac
Internal Extension: 1114




Staff Biographies

Ian Smallwood
MSc, MEd, B.A., Dip Ed, DELTA
Head of Access Department
 
After gaining his B.A. degree in English language from Stirling University, in Scotland, Ian has worked for 35 years in academic institutions in the UK, Africa, Sweden, India and, as Senior Lecturer of English for Academic Purposes, in Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. During this time he has been awarded a Master of Education from the University of Hong Kong, currently ranked 22nd in the world ranking tables, and an MSc in Educational Management and Leadership from Leicester University - both degrees awarded with distinction.

Ian's most recent role as Associate Director of Kaplan International Colleges, working within the Centre for Learning Innovation and Quality, was primarily to design and implement Access Programmes, articulating into a range of UK Universities and to manage the design, development and implementation of learning and teaching materials for use across all Kaplan colleges worldwide. This role included exploring possibilities for commercial publication of materials wherever possible and the provision of professional development training and support to colleagues in the authoring of learning and teaching course materials. His most current publication project was as series editor and co-author of a set of six academic language and skills books published by Cambridge University Press. He has also been responsible for coordinating the development of the Kaplan International College's e-learning strategy and Virtual Learning Environment.

For much of his career Ian has also worked as an ELT/EAP consultant with overseas Education Authorities and as an author with Macmillan and Longman/Pearson Publishers. His commercial publications include over 30 English Language and Academic Skills course books and 10 works of children's fiction.

Contact
Ext:1114
Email: i.smallwood@ukh.ac


   
Andrew Shaben
B.A., M.A.
Instructor
 
Andrew, who is originally from Northern California, graduated from California State University with a Masters degree in History with a concentration in I.R.. His Post Graduate TESOL Certification was completed at the University of California, Santa Cruz.  He has been teaching university ESL English for nearly 12 years in countries like China, Colombia, Korea, and Afghanistan.

Andrew was one of the original teachers who helped start the English Access program when UKH first opened in 2007. Andrew has been in Kurdistan for nearly 5 years and he has worked in several local universities as well as being a radio announcer for Zagros’s Zed Radio. In addition, he was involved in several U.S. Embassy R.R.T. projects at Hawler Medical University and in Sulimania working with underprivileged children.

Contact
Ext: 1104
Email: a.shaben@ukh.ac


   
Suham Merkhan
M.A.,B.A.
Instructor
 


Contact
Ext: 1126
Email: s.merkhan@ukh.ac


   
Kevin Ottely

Instructor
 


Contact
Ext: 1123
Email: k.ottely@ukh.ac


   
Stacey Xaelani
B.A.
Instructor
 


Contact
Ext: 1125
Email: s.xaelani@ukh.ac


   
Judith Baban

Instructor
 


Contact
Ext: 1113
Email: j.baban@ukh.ac


   
Binar Shareef Jawhar
Departmental Secretary

Contact
Ext: 1116
Email: b.jawhar@ukh.ac


 
Kristin Crawford
Kirstin Crawford graduated from The University of Southampton in 1995. Having completed the initial Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate in 1996, she started teaching English abroad. She taught at two of the Grandes Ecoles in Paris before returning to teach in the UK in 2001. She completed her Post-Graduate Certificate in Education in 2004 and went on to complete her Masters in Education in 2007.

Contact
Ext: 1101
Email: k.crawford@ukh.ac


 
Hediyeh Golmohamad
Hediyeh is qualified with a B.A.(hons) combined degree in Educational Studies & TESOL (University of Wolverhampton, UK), MA Education in International Management and Policy (University of Birmingham, UK). Currently undertaking PGCert in Higher Education.
She is currently an access year one English instructor at the University of Kurdistan, Erbil. She has carried field work research in the subject of inclusion and creating an inclusive environment for learning and teaching. She is interested in developing the individual capacity of students an encouraging them to serve in rebuilding their local communities. One of her current interests is student centered approach to learning as well as learning from the experiences of students in UKH Higher Education institutions, both during and after their studies.
Hediyah Research interests includes Education and development, Global citizenship education, Teacher professional learning, Management of education in the context of stringencies, Comparative research? methods, Disability rights and inclusion and Gender research in higher education.

Contact
Ext: 1107
Email: h.golmohamad@ukh.ac



Christina Ludwig
Originally from State College, Pennsylvania, Christina spent five years in Chicago where she pursued an interdisciplinary education in a variety of subjects including religion, history, literature, ESL, and counseling. Her first experience with ESL learners was in 2002 with a diverse group of refugee children from Bosnia, Kosovo, Serbia, Sierra Leone, and Iraq as the co-director for Children’s Programming at World Relief. After graduating with a B.A. in Counseling, she came to Arbil, Iraq in June 2005, and was employed as an English Language Instructor at the University of Salahaddin Language Center. In 2007, she began teaching at UKH where she has been employed ever since. In 2009, she completed her TESOL certificate, and in 2010 she began a Master’s program in the Humanities from Tiffin University.

Contact
Ext: 1106
Email: c.ludwig@ukh.ac
 


 
Joshua Hamilton
M.A.

Joshua Hamilton is from Kenton, Ohio. He completed his Master's Degree in the field of Liberal Studies from the University of Findlay in 2008. He has been working in academic environments for five years and wishes to continue teaching and learning every day of his life. Prior to arriving at the University of Kurdistan-Hewler, Joshua taught in South Korea, Germany, and the United States. Joshua is currently working in the Access department as an EAP Instructor, in which his main teaching focus is in the development of students' academic skills abilities. He has a particular interest in computer enhanced teaching methodologies.

Contact
Ext: 1095
Email: j.hamilton@ukh.ac



Lone Bendixen Goulani
B.A. M.A.

Lone Bendixen Goulani gained a B.A. in Comparative Literature and Religion and a M.A. in Modern Culture and Cultural Dissemination from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. She worked as a journalist and editor with the Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she made homepages about Danish development projects around the world. She has a great interest in cultural communication and has published and edited various articles and books. Since 2003 she has worked for various international NGOs in Kurdistan Region before entering the field of education in 2008. Because of her NGO background, she has set up various extracurricular activities to empower students at UKH such as the Female Academic Network, the Sunshine Club in Erbil orphanage, the English Learning Centre in Halabja, and UKH's Writing Club. Since joining UKH in 2010, she has taught Language for Study and Academic Reading and Writing.

Contact
Office: S8
Ext: 1108
Email: l.bendixen@ukh.ac



Martin Y. Sarkis




Contact
Ext: 1067
Email: m.sarkis@ukh.ac



Zeno Hassan Agha




Contact
Ext: 1102
Email: z.shaker@ukh.ac



Natalia Danilovich
Ph.D.

Natalia Danilovich holds a Ph.D. in Medicine from McGill University, Canada, and a Master of Science Degree from Southern Illinois University, USA, on top of her Soviet MD Degree. Natalia has been teaching a variety of health related courses at university level in several countries over 10 years. Having practiced medicine for over a decade and having conducted medical research on reproductive health in the U.S. and Canada for 10 years, Danilovich's teaching is interdisciplinary par excellence. Health Lifestyle, Research Methods, Health Policymaking, Leadership and Management in Health Sector, Public Policy Issues in Women's Health are among the courses she has taught. She has authored a book ('The Biology of Reproduction,' Germany) and over 40 scholarly articles published in major academic and professional journals in the USA (such as 'Endocrinology,' 'Neuroscience, 'Biology of Reproduction' and in the UK ('Journal of Public Health Policy,' 'Journal of Reproductive Medicine,' 'Neuroreport', etc.) in two fields-reproductive endocrinology and health administration and policy. She is currently applying her expensive knowledge and experience of research and scholarly writing in the teaching of Academic Skills in the Access Department.



Contact
Ext: 1117
Email: n.danilovich@ukh.ac



Neven Shahab Wali




Contact
Ext: 1126
Email: n.wali@ukh.ac



Danielle Cozier




Contact
Ext: 1066
Email: d.cozier@ukh.ac



Dawand Jalil Sulaiman




Contact
Ext: 1123
Email: d.jalil@ukh.ac



Shanaaz Begg




Contact
Ext: 1100
Email: s.begg@ukh.ac



Stewart Dillon




Contact
Ext:
Email:



Kristin Neuman
PhD. MSc. BS.

Kristin is originally from Berlin, Germany. She graduated in 2012 with a PhD in Experimental Physics from Loughborough University, UK. In 2004, she successfully completed a Master's degree in the Physics Department at Loughborough University. Her research interests are in the areas of Ferromagnetic Shape Memory Alloys, Magnetism and Phase Transitions. She has published both in conference proceedings and leading papers. In addition to doing research Kristin enjoys teaching. She gave her first lecture course in Physics to students of Packaging technology in Berlin in 2004. She has been living in the Kurdistan region since August 2012 and enjoys working with the local people.