Yasamin Alami
UCW’s Yasamin Alami brings new ideas to the classroom
Yasamin Alami aims to inspire students at University Canada West by balancing her real-world applications and innovative teaching methods. Alami is an Assistant Professor in UCW’s MBA Department of Quantitative Studies, where she teaches Accounting and Financial Management. The Chartered Professional Accountant joined UCW full-time in 2021.
“At UCW, everyone is so passionate and open to new ideas and learning. You get a lot of freedom in how you want to teach and the pedagogy you want to explore. Everyone is so supportive behind the scenes and just a phone call away if you have any questions,” Alami said.
Alami’s educational path was inspired by her parents: her father is an engineer and her mother is an accountant. She began studying engineering at university but quickly realized that she was more interested in numbers and strategies than the structural integrity of concrete.
Her education includes a Master of Professional Accounting from the University of Saskatchewan, a Bachelor of Arts in International Banking and Finance from the University of Applied Sciences BFI Vienna in Austria, a Bachelor of Technology in Accounting from BCIT and a Diploma of Financial Management from BCIT. She studied abroad for one year in Vienna, so she can relate to the “joys and challenges” of being an international student.
Alami articled at a variety of firms in Vancouver, specializing in public company audits and corporate taxes. She worked her way up to senior accountant, becoming a manager and has experience in dealing with a variety of industries, including mining, oil and gas, technology, and, once they became legalized, publicly traded cannabis companies. While working, she had a wish to teach one day—a colleague mentioned, “Why wait until you’re older? Why not try now and see if you like it?” So Alami taught a course at Yorkville University, caught the teaching bug and started looking for full-time teaching work, which brought her to UCW.
Alami enjoys the diversity of UCW’s students from 110 different countries, something that extends to the experiences students bring to the classroom. In fact, a question she asks at the beginning of each term is, “Do we have enough people to start our own business right here in the classroom?”
“It’s so exciting as a teacher to see so many different cultures in the classroom. I can have a classroom with a fashion designer, MD or computer engineer bringing so many different perspectives on business.”
Through participation, encouragement and applying real-life examples, Alami ensures her class is as current and applicable as possible for students’ future careers in all aspects of business. She uses the flipped classroom and guided learning models, giving students videos and exercises to do before class. In class, she follows up with hands-on activities and real-world examples to make sure students understand and can apply what they learn to today’s work world.
Alami’s research areas of interest include applications of technology in academia and the workplace, different management styles and what good management looks like. She is fascinated by shareholder behaviour and business psychology.
She is an active member of the UCW Community as a member of the Faculty Engagement Committee, Marker Pilot Program and the UCW Mascot Committee. She’s also on the Innovation Committee, exploring how to integrate new technology into the classroom and enhance student learning.
