Subhah Khan: An Interdisciplinary Path to Pedagogy
A Fulbright Scholar from Kashmir, Pakistan, Subhah Khan’s journey to educational technology began with a rich, interdisciplinary background that bridges economics, political science, and anthropology. It was during her undergraduate years that she discovered a quiet but persistent passion for the transformative power of education. From designing curricula on environmental conservation to researching learning analytics, Khan realized how deeply pedagogy impacts real-world equity.
Now pursuing her M.Ed. in Teaching, Learning, and Technology, she has found a program that channels her drive for systemic change.
"Sometimes you don't choose a place so much as you grow into it, and that is precisely what Lehigh has been for me. Through the research, the real-world projects, and the hands-on application, Lehigh began to feel like exactly the right place."
Learning by Doing: Research and Fellowships
At Lehigh’s College of Education (COE), Khan has stepped out of the traditional student role to become a designer and practitioner. She has actively shaped educational environments through her involvement in several high-impact initiatives:
- The Lehigh RiVR Project: Collaborated with Dr. Alec Bodzin and his team to develop a Virtual Reality (VR) educational initiative highlighting the Lehigh Valley's industrial history and environmental impact to foster conservation awareness.
- Lehigh Valley Social Impact Fellowship: Partnered with Dr. Juan Zheng on an AI Literacy project aimed at ethical AI development. Subhah designed digital curricula, case studies, and interactive activities to guide undergraduate Computer Science students to think critically about bias, fairness, and transparency in tech.
- International Rescue Committee (IRC) Internship: Serves as a Social Emotional Asset Development Intern, designing culturally responsive Social Emotional Learning (SEL) activities for a diverse, multilingual population of refugee children in New Jersey.
A Portfolio with Global Vision
Equipped with practical skills in educational psychology, instructional design, UX/UI design, and educational game creation, Khan has a concrete vision for the future. She plans to bring her expertise back home to Pakistan and Kashmir to tackle systemic inequities in the educational landscape.
Her goals include:
- Bridging the Public-Private Divide: Partnering with NGOs and government bodies to co-design equitable, culturally responsive curricula across socioeconomic lines.
- Combating Linguistic Singularity: Disrupting the systemic disadvantage faced by non-English-speaking students by utilizing pedagogical frameworks learned at Lehigh—such as scaffolded instruction, translanguaging, and culturally sustaining pedagogy.
- Low-Cost Immersive Tech: Leveraging educational games to make active learning accessible to under-resourced schools.
- Elevating Learners: Shifting the classroom dynamic away from rote memorization to the top of Bloom's Taxonomy, empowering students to analyze, evaluate, and create knowledge.
Enjoying the Lehigh Valley
Khan loves capturing the world through her camera lens, traveling, and baking her favorite "brookies."
She also enjoys exploring her temporary Pennsylvania home by getting breakfast at The Flying Egg or indulging in a dulce de leche crepe at Tapas on the Main, unwinding beneath the trees at Monocacy Park, or spending an afternoon apple picking at a local orchard.
