Dr. Farook Al-Shamali

Academic Coordinator

Contact information

E-mail: farooka@athabascau.ca

Current courses

Dr. Farook Al-Shamali

Academic Coordinator

Contact information

Email: farooka@athabascau.ca

Phone:

I graduated from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia with double major: B.Sc. (Honors) in Physics and a B.Sc. (Honors) in Geophysics. I then obtained an M.Sc. in Physics from the same institution.

I continued my graduate studies at the University of Alberta and received my Ph.D. in theoretical particle physics in 1998. I also did post-doctoral fellowship and worked as a sessional lecturer at the University of Alberta.

I joined Athabasca University in 2001, and I am currently the Academic Coordinator for the physics courses. I also served as Director of the BSc Program and lead the efforts to restructure the BSc Program, including the introduction of many options for Science minors.

During my academic journey, I accumulated teaching experience in conventional and distance education systems at multiple institutions and different learning environments. I also published in particle physics, geomagnetism, and physics education.

Research interests

Current interests include the design of effective online courses and the development of low-cost home lab experiments. In addition, I am involved in research projects to explore the effectiveness of personalized learning in online physics courses.

Educational credentials

1998, Ph.D., Theoretical Particle Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. Supervisor: Prof. A. N. Kamal. Topic: Nonfactorization and Two-Body Hadronic Decays of B Mesons.
1992, M.Sc., Theoretical Particle Physics, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Supervisor: Prof. Riazuddin. Topic: New Flavor Symmetry and Nonleptonic Decays of D and B Mesons.
1989, B.Sc. (honors), Physics, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
1989, B.Sc. (honors), Geophysics, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
1984, Completed (with honors) the orientation year, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. It included an intensive program in the English Language.

Professional affiliations

American Association of Physics Teachers

Conference proceedings

F. Al-Shamali, H. Yan, S, Graf, and F. Lin. Educational Data Mining and Personalized Support in Online Introductory Physics Courses. Proceedings – Educational Data Mining 2020 (virtual conference due to COVID 19). https://educationaldatamining.org/files/conferences/EDM2020/papers/paper_241.pdf

Published papers

M. Chang, D. Lachance, F, Lin, and F. Al-Shamali. Enhancing Orbital Physics Learning Performance through a Hands-on Kinect Game. Education and Science. 40, No. 180 1–12 (2015).
M. Connors and F. Al-Shamali. The Magnetic Torque Oscillator and the Magnetic Piston. Phys. Teach. 45, 440–444 (2007).
M. H. Heimpel, J. M. Aurnou, F. M. Al-Shamali and N. Gomez Perez. A Numerical Study of Dynamo Action as a Function of Spherical Shell Geometry. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 236, 542–557 (2005).
F. M. Al-Shamali, M. H. Heimpel, and J. M. Aurnou. Varying the Spherical Shell Geometry in Rotating Thermal Convection, Geophys. Astrophys. Fluid. Dynam. 98, 153–169 (2004).
F. M. Al-Shamali and A. N. Kamal, Factorization and Non-Factorization in B Decays. Physical Review D. 60: (114019-1)–(114019-8) (1999).
F. M. Al-Shamali and A. N. Kamal, Nonfactorization in Cabibbo-Favored B Decays. Physical Review D. 59: (054020-1)–(054020-9) (1999).
F. M. Al-Shamali and A. N. Kamal, Nonfactorization and Final State Interactions in (B, Bs) → P and  V Decays. The European Physical Journal C 4: 669-677 (1998).

Books

F. Al-Shamali and M. Connors. Assessment in Physics Distance Education: Practical Lessons at Athabasca University. A chapter in the book titled “Teaching Science Online: Practical Guidance for Effective Instruction and Lab Work”, edited by D. Kennepohl (a series forwarded by Michael Grahame Moore). Stylus Publishing, 2016.
M. Connors, C. Bredeson, and F. Al-Shamali. Distance Education Introductory Physics Labs: Online or In Home. A chapter in the book titled “Using Remote Labs in Education”, edited by Javier García Zubía and Gustavo R. Alves (eds.). Published by University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain, 2011.
F. Al-Shamali and M. Connors. Low Cost Physics Home Lab. A chapter in the book titled “Accessible Elements: Teaching Science Online and at a Distance”, edited by D. Kennepohl and L. Shaw. Published by AU Press, 2010.