2011 NAFSA Conference

University of Kentucky and University of Kufa Linkage Program

June 2, 2011

PI – Associate Provost Susan Carvalho

PM – Tom ClaytonCoordinators: George E. Blandford – Civil Engineering Nancy Johnson – Business and Economics Liga Abolins – English as Second Language

Curriculum Review

• Centerpiece of the visits is curricular review.

• Each delegate reviews two or three classes with UK faculty members.

• Each review entails 50 hours of collaboration between the partners: review and discussion prior to arrival, on-campus, and follow-up after return to Iraq.

professional sensitivity

It is not the intention of the partnership to teach the Kufa faculty how to adopt the Kentucky curriculum or pedagogy “wholesale,” but rather that there be an open exchange of ideas, and a discussion about the possibilities for establishing a Kufa curriculum that is both aligned with US standards (including standards of professional accreditation) and appropriate for the Iraqi cultural and administrative context. 

Cultural and

Cultural and

Our contacts suggested: 

1.Remember, the faculty visitors were probably educated under the same curricular design that they will be sharing, since the Ministry of Higher Education tightly controls higher education curriculum and has not been open to change in recent decades. So it is likely that the Kufa faculty do not know any other system, and will not have a framework for taking in all of this information at once. Thus, be sensitive to that “subtext.”

professional sensitivity

Cultural and

 

2. Assure them of your professional respect, by complimenting some feature of the existing curriculum before entering into your suggestions for change. 

3. Pedagogical change is as important to this project as curricular change and, as you know, the two are quite inseparable. Be sure that you address this explicitly, in your conversations with your Kufa colleague(s).

professional sensitivity

ProductEach curricular review results in a product made up of four parts:

1. the class syllabus;

2. a books / materials purchase plan;

3. a reflective / evaluative statement by the UK faculty partner; and

4. A report / reflection by the Kufa faculty partner.

UK faculty partners submit Parts 1 and 3. Kufa faculty members submit Parts 2 and 4.

Syllabus

a. Description of the course

b.Objectives / goals

c.Student learning outcomes

d.Daily or weekly calendar

e.Materials for use in class (textbooks, or table of contents for course packet) – these should be materials that can be obtained in Iraq

f. Plan for assessing learning outcomes (types of assignments)

Prepared by UK Faculty Mentor

Other Activities

*Career Center Discussion (2.80/4)

*Library Seminars (3.17/4)

*Pedagogy Workshops (Center for Enhanced Learning and Teaching) with some UK Faculty Mentors (2.67/4)

*Needed to be focused on University of Kufa issues

*Graduate school interaction (2.83/4)

*English as Second Language (2.17/4)

*Needed a separate course for Iraqi delegation; focus on speaking and communicating – not grammar

Other Activities

*Cultural events (museums, films, lectures, Intercultural Dialogue Dinner)

*Visits to area businesses, horse farms and a civil engineering firm by the CE delegates

*Integration into regional Middle East community

*Faculty Meetings, Awards Banquets, etc.

Book Purchase Plan

Each University of Kufa faculty member was given $750 to purchase books and/or materials related to his/her professional field. Materials were discussed with University of Kentucky faculty colleagues prior to purchase.

Reflective/Evaluative Statement – KY

FacultyAt the conclusion of the curriculum review, we are to prepare a brief (1 – 2 pages) reflection on the process of the curriculum review to answer:

* What were the successes of the collaboration?

* The challenges?

* What can you recommend for the UK participating faculty for next year?

* What might the Kufa faculty member have done in advance, to make the visit more effective?

Report and Reflection Kufa

FacultyBefore leaving Kentucky, Kufa faculty prepared a three-to-five page report and reflection on their visit. The report documented their activities in Kentucky (class observations, curriculum review sessions with Kentucky faculty partner, seminars with other UK faculty [on pedagogy, the libraries, career centers, assessment, and so on], etc.). The reflection raised questions such as:

* What did you learn?

* What was successful?

* What could be improved?

Major Challenges

* Lots of issues came up about paying faculty, purchases by visitors, etc., i.e. what could and could not be done according to federal and university rules.

* Visa process needs to start at least three to four months before the visit.

* Comfort level of visitors – access to halal food, provision for kitchen facilities, closeness to university

* Too many goals in too short of a time frame – their goals and our goals.

Civil Engineering Program Issues

* Courses at the University of Kufa are taught on an annual basis rather than a semester basis.

* Assessment concepts are new – little prior experience.

* Spent substantial time discussing professional accreditation, which will require several follow-up digital video conferences.

Business and Economics Issues

* Same as first two in civil engineering

* Curricular differences are deeper and reflect cultural differences, e.g., consumer behavior or economic competition differences – NO counterpart in Iraq

* English fluency was not as strong

* Direct impact on Kufa curriculum is not as evident

* Faculty visitors were more administrative rather than teaching focused

English as Second

Language Issues* ESL Program should be taught interactively

before arrival on campus or should be the focus of their first week on campus.

* English faculty had fewer issues – they have a strong desire to move to a more communicative and student-centered pedagogy.

What was learned?

* Will conduct digital video conferences to better prepare the next set of visitors – this will be made much easier since we have had six visitors who can help with preparation.

* We will keep all three faculty groups for the same length of time – planning for four weeks.

* On campus housing is a plus.

* Expand range of Kentucky – Kufa faculty interactions.

Questions?