(The American University in Cairo, n.d.)

Human relations have always been a significant focus in shaping the way we understand, learn, communicate, and engage with others. In a world of digitization, human element can be perceived to have a lack of focus within this realm. Without the human brain, AI and technology would have not evolved to its current optimization and foreseeable ambitions.

Dr. Hoda Mostafa, an MD that transitioned her career to education, is a professor of practice and the director of the Center for Learning and Technology at the American University in Cairo (AUC) (The American University in Cairo, n.d.). Dr. Mostafa bridges human-centric pedagogy and educational technology. After she reflected upon her personal experience within a didactic system during medical school, she developed a curiosity for experiential learning (Stachowiak, 2017).

Dr. Mostafa co-developed a scientific thinking course at the AUC, embedding the human element within the learning process, merging design thinking with experiential learning. She assimilated a design thinking approach primarily utilized by large corporations into education. The learning process transformed into a reflective and personal approach as students shared the relevance of their learning on their blogs, unfolding their learning connection to their personal environment. The learning process became empathy centered and iterative with a focus on problem solving with a creative approach, bridging a human centric approach to learning and technology (Stachowiak, 2017).

Further to Dr. Mostafa’s work, she shifted the narrative to a human-centric approach in the age of AI by co-developing AI guidelines with, for and by students and faculty to ensure academic integrity throughout AUC (Bertram Gallant, 2025). Her work further emphasizes the importance of merging a human-centric approach to learning and technology.

Direct Links to Dr Hoda Mostafa’s work:

Teaching Creativity, with Hoda Mostafa

https://www.theoppositeofcheating.com/post/episode-38-maha-bali-hoda-mostafa

Reference List

Bertram Gallant, T. (2025, November 24). Episode 38: Maha Bali & Hoda Mostafa [Podcast episode]. The Opposite of Cheating. https://www.theoppositeofcheating.com/post/episode-38-maha-bali-hoda-mostafa

Marie, K. (2022, June 22). Creativity with compassion. AUC Today. https://auctoday.com/2022/06/22/creativity-with-compassion/

Stachowiak, B. (2017). Teaching creativity, with Hoda Mostafa [Audio podcast episode]. Teaching in Higher Ed. https://teachinginhighered.com/podcast/teaching-creativity/

The American University in Cairo. (n.d.). Hoda Mostafa. https://www.aucegypt.edu/fac/hoda-mostafa

Transparency Statement: Generative AI, ChatGPT, was used to create the reference list and in-text citations. It was also utilized as a search engine to find professionals who made significant contributions in this field. All text and conclusions were written by me.