Effective Teaching Exchange
This project brings together key administrators and faculty members to address the question of improving the quality of Al-Quds and Brandeis faculty members' teaching and research. Key activities have included a series of short-term faculty exchanges in 2009, holding two workshops in 2007-08, as well as establishing a new Committee for the Support of Teaching at Al-Quds University.
The exchange was launched when six faculty members from Al-Quds visited Brandeis in October 2006 to work with Brandeis faculty members, develop new pedagogical strategies, plan for Al-Quds teaching workshops, identify future research collaborations, and develop "teaching effectiveness" action plans. Brandeis professor Susan Lanser and senior associate dean of arts and sciences Elaine Wong took leading roles in hosting these faculty members and developing the exchange plans.
A year later, the partnership established an Effective Teaching Workshop at Al-Quds, which included topics such as pedagogy and orientation for new faculty. That program was followed by two-day workshop in May 2008 that focused on assessment of student performance, led jointly by Brandeis faculty and the new Al-Quds Committee for the Support of Teaching. Several potential curricular and research collaborations were discussed in English language, psychology, and political science. In addition, a conversation about science education is scheduled to take place as part of the exchange.
The exchange continued in May 2009, when selected Brandeis faculty "in residence" at Al-Quds taught short modules, and consulted on curriculum and research development, in partnership with their Al-Quds faculty counterparts. The Committee for the Support of Teaching at Al-Quds University also continued its work with a workshop on faculty mentoring.
Reports on the short-term faculty exchanges
Update on the mentoring project
Download the report of the May 2008 Effective Teaching visit (PDF).
Download the report of the October 2007 Effective Teaching visit (PDF).
Download the May 2006 report (PDF).