Ms. Ugyen Pem, Asst. Professor

Philosophy of work

“Teaching to learning and learning to teach” is my philosophy of work. I believe in enhancing my knowledge and skills in teaching Physics and professional modules for undergraduate and postgraduate students in the college. I am passionate to mentor my students to learn scientific knowledge and skills by using Place-based learning strategies. Every day I wake up with the same enthusiasm to discover something new which might prove to be useful to me and my students.

Academic/Educational Qualification

  • Sc in Physics (1998), University of Roorkee, Roorkee, India.
  • Graduate Certificate in Education Studies (2012), UNE, Australia.
  • Post Graduate Certificate in Education (1995), National Institute of Education, Samtse, Bhutan.
  • Bachelor of Science (1993), Delhi University, India.

Professional experience

I started my teaching journey as a school teacher and then as a teacher educator. This journey of 25 years endowed me with a lot of experiences of teaching mathematics and physics in schools, and teaching physics, mathematics, mathematics education, physics education, research methods, teaching skills and teaching strategies in Samtse College of Education. Currently, I am teaching Misconceptions in Physics for Master of Education in physics (M.Ed) students, supervising five research dissertation proposals, teaching Physics Education for Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PgDE) students (full-time as well as part-time) and teaching Heat and Thermodynamics for Bachelor in Education (B.Ed) students.

In the capacity as a programme leader from July 2009 to June 2016, I worked tirelessly in leading the team to develop and launch the nested programme Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education (PgDHE). I dedicated myself for the smooth functioning of the programme by working very closely with the module tutors and management of the college. This dedication made me to realize the importance of public relations and team work.

In the capacity of module tutor, I had opportunities to either review modules or develop new modules for PgDHE, B.Ed, PgDE, M.Ed  and Diploma in School Laboratory Management.

It was an eye-opening experience to take part in team research projects. We received the college research grant for studying “Factors Affecting Bhutanese School Students’ Achievement in Science.’ And we received International research grant for Engagement: ERASMUS+ project “Blended Learning Courses for Teacher Educators Between Asia and Europe”. These projects taught me how to interact and learn from each other’s experiences.

It was a quite challenging experience for me to play various roles during my 15 years of working in the college. I am a module tutor, module developer, programme leader, mentor, learner and researcher. These roles strengthened my capacity to engage my students in meaningful and purposeful learning.

Current responsibilities

  • Subject Leader for Physics
  • Member of M.Ed programme committee
  • Teaching subject modules (PHE504 Misconceptions in Physics,

PHE502 Physics Education, PHY307 Heat and Thermodynamics and

RES602 Research Dissertation)

  • Involve in research activities
  • Class advisor of B.Ed (III) Sci A

Publications (If any):

Choeda., Pem.U., Dorji,C., & Lhapchu. (2018). Effectiveness of the post graduate diploma in higher education: A tracer study report. Educational Innovation and Practice: A Biannual Journal at Samtse College of Education,1(3),1-14.

Pem, U. (2016, Dec). The effectiveness of group circus method in teaching of physics laboratory skills to undergraduate students in Samtse College of Education, Bhutan: An exploratory study. Paper presented at the International Education Conference, Faculty of Education, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India.

Giri,N., Pem,U., Choden,K. (2016, Oct). Factors affecting Bhutanese school students’ achievement in science: A case study of Samtse Dzongkhag. Paper presented at the Autumn Research Convention, Samtse College of Education, Samtse, Bhutan.

Choden, S., Tshering,L., Pem, U. & Srivastava, A.N. (2016, May). Enhancing numerical problem-solving skills through social constructivism method of teaching. Paper presented at Spring Research Convention, Samtse College of Education, Samtse, Bhutan.

Pem,U.( 2012, August). The effects of peer formative assessment on the group project in learning physics. Paper presented at the Second Faculty Research Meet, Department of Research and External Relations, Office of the Vice Chancellor, The Royal University of Bhutan.

Awards

  • Received Institute’s Certificate of Recognition from Yangchenphug Higher Secondary School, 2001.
  • Received Certificate of Award for Institute Price for Practice Teaching, NIE, 1995.

Research Interest:

Pedagogy; Assessment; Multi-media in teaching; Place-based learning; and Atmospheric physics.

Email address: upem.sce@rub.edu.bt