THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO
FALL 2017
Presentation to BOT, Schools and Students March- May 2018
Aziza EllozyAssociate ProvostTransformative Learning and Teaching
Task Force Mandate
• appraise the quality of education at AUC
• devise mechanisms that would enhance and improve good teaching practices across departments
• develop a comprehensive teaching evaluation process that would include a multifaceted approach
Task Force Members
• Aziza Ellozy (Chair) Associate Provost, Acting Director, CLT
• Aliaa Bassiouni, Chair Management Dept. & Associate Professor of Finance
• Heba Eldeghaidy, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Education
• Mariam Osman, Instructor, ELI
• Matthew Hendershot, Associate Dean, Office of Undergraduate Studies
• Omar Moataz, Undergraduate Student (Senior, MENG), Student Union
• Rob Switzer, Interim Dean School of HUSS
• Sherine el Alaily, Graduate Student
• Zeinab Amin, Associate Professor & SSE Associate Dean for UG Studies
Task Force Facilitators
• Hoda Mostafa, Associate Director, and Associate Professor of Practice, CLT
• Iman Megahed, Executive Director, Data analytics and Institutional Research
• Maha Bali, Associate Professor of Practice CLT
Part-time consultant: Adham Ramadan, Dean of Graduate StudiesObserver: John Swanson, associate Provost -Assessment, Evaluation and Special Projects
HIGHLIGHTS OF REPORT • EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
• BACKGROUND AND TASK FORCE MEMBERS
• MANDATE OF THE TASK FORCE
• SUBCOMMITTEE DIRECTIVES
• RELEVANT DATA COLLECTED FROM PREVIOUS SOURCES
• QUALITY EDUCATION AT AUC: ATTEMPT AT A DEFINITION
• TASK FORCE’S DATA COLLECTION: FOCUS GROUPS AND SURVEY RESULTS• FOCUS GROUPS RESULTS
• SURVEY RESULTS: QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
• DEMOGRAPHICS
• QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS: QUALITY OF TEACHING AT AUC
• QUANTITIVE ANALYSIS: QUALITY OF EDUCATION AT AUC
• SURVEY RESULTS: QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
• OVERALL RECOMMENDATIONS AND ACTION PLAN
23%
23%
21%
20%
12%
Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior Graduating Senior
ALA GAPP HUSS BUS SSE GSE
RHET.
AND
COMP.
7 JRMC 8 Arts 15 MNGMT 10 ARCHITECTURE 81
CORE 6 LAW 1 SEA 6 ECONOMICS 4MECHANICAL
ENGINEER6
ALI 5 Total 9 PSCH 6 ACCOUNTING 2 SCIENT. TH. 5
Total 18 PHIL 4 Total 16ELECTRONICS &
COMMUNICATIO
NS ENGINEERING
4
POL. Sc. 4
MATHEMATICS &
ACTUARIAL
SCIENCE
4
ARIC 4CONSTRUCTION
ENGINEERING4
HISTORY 3 CHEMISTRY 3
APPLIED
LINGUISTICS1 PHYSICS 3
ECLT 2 BIOLOGY 2
Total 47 PETROLEUM AND
ENERGY
ENGINEERING
1
Total 45
STUDENT REPRESENTATION- N=285 FACULTY REPRESENTATION- N=146
DEMOGRAPHICS
22.97%
21.53%
22.49%
23.92%
9.09%
Freshman Sophomore
Junior Senior
Graduating senior
77.51%
9.57%
8.13%4.78%
No
Yes, undergraduate studies
Yes, both undergraduate and graduate studies
Yes, graduate studies
Why Choose AUC? Top Three Reasons
• Best Education in Egypt 67%• Employability of Graduates 52%• Reputation 54%
What is your child’s standing at AUC? Are you an Alumnus/Alumna of AUC?
PARENTS REPRESENTATION, N= 209
DEMOGRAPHICS
Highlights of somesurvey results
Q U A L I T Y O F E D U C A T I O NQ U A N T I T A T I V E A N A L Y S I S
QUALITY OF EDUCATIONWhich of the following would you rank as the top 3 factors influencing the quality of education at AUC?Faculty by School (N=146)
43.75%
9.38%
81.25%78.13%
21.88%
12.50%
46.88%
0.00%
6.25%
25.00%
62.50%
81.25%
25.00%
12.50% 12.50%
56.25%
6.25%
18.75%
44.44%
66.67%
77.78%
44.44%
11.11%
22.22%
11.11%
0.00%
11.11%
64.44%
40.00%
77.78%
42.22%
8.89%
15.56% 15.56%
0.00%
31.11%31.11%
40.00%
66.67%
60.00%
35.56%
13.33%
31.11%
8.89%11.11%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Liberal arts education &core curriculum course
content
Content of major courses Quality of teaching Learning transferableskills (e.g. research,
writing, critical thinking)
AUC academic support(e.g. libraries, classrooms,
labs)
Exposure to diversity (e.g.of faculty, of student
body)
Exposure to real-lifeexperiences (includingcareer preparation and
extracurricular activities)
Advising and registration Quality of facultyresearch
ALA BUS GAPP HUSS SSE
QUALITY OF EDUCATIONWhich of the following would you rank as the top 3 factors influencing the quality of education at AUC?Students by School (N=285)
46%
59%56%
27%
39%
17%
44%
10%
2%
47%
60%
65%
38%
15%
10%
57%
2%5%
55% 55%
45% 45%
35%
15%
30%
0%
20%
56%
63% 63%
28%26%
9%
35%
5% 5%
43%
65%
60%
32%
26%
10%
44%
10%
5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Liberal arts education &core curriculum course
content
Content of major courses Quality of teaching Learning transferableskills (e.g. research,
writing, critical thinking)
AUC academic support(e.g. libraries,
classrooms, labs)
Exposure to diversity(e.g. of faculty, of
student body)
Exposure to real-lifeexperiences (includingcareer preparation and
extracurricular activities)
Advising and registration Quality of facultyresearch
UNDECLARED BUS GAPP HUSS SSE
QUALITY OF EDUCATIONWhich of the following would you rank as the top 3 factors influencing the quality of education at AUC?Parents by School (N=209)
44% 44%
68%
47%
29%
9%
35%
15%
6%
26%
52%
67%
43%
22%20%
50%
11%
7%
56%
22%
67%
56%
33% 33% 33%
0% 0%
42%38%
69%
50%
35%
15%
42%
8%
0%
36%
47%
64%
41%
35%
12%
40%
14%11%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Liberal arts education &core curriculum course
content
Content of major courses Quality of teaching Learning transferable skills(e.g. research, writing,
critical thinking)
AUC academic support(e.g. libraries, classrooms,
labs)
Exposure to diversity (e.g.of faculty, of student
body)
Exposure to real-lifeexperiences (includingcareer preparation and
extracurricular activities)
Advising and registration Quality of faculty research
Undeclared BUS GAPP HUSS SSE
Q U A L I T Y O F E D U C A T I O NQ U A L I T A T I V E A N A L Y S I S
Q u a l i t a t i v e A n a l y s i s
Three open ended questions common to all surveys
1. In your opinion, how can AUC improve the quality of education it offers?
2. In your opinion, how can AUC improve the quality of teaching it offers?
3. How would you define a good quality education?
Almost 1550 entries
Q u a l i t a t i v e A n a l y s i s
Methodology
A grounded-theory approach was used: categories were not pre-determined, but rather evolved from the data• One coder per open-ended question, across stakeholders (students, faculty,
parents and chairs)• Started with granular categories, later grouped into larger categories (e.g.
“real-life application” grouped with “career preparation” in defining quality of education)
• Discussion between coders regarding categories that applied across questions.
In your opinion, how can AUC improve the quality of education it offers? Total N=540
11.9%
17.6%
22.5%
47.6%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Curriculum development/update
Application/Career Preparation &Relevance/CBL
Teaching assessment &evaluation/Teacher PD & mentorship
Teacher quality/skills/hiring criteria
Top Themes – Students (N=227)
13.7%
16.3%
12.6%
27.4%
17.4%
62.6%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Course registration,declaration,course…
Include international element(s)
Curriculum development/update
Application/Career Preparation &…
Teaching assessment &…
Teacher quality/skills/hiring criteria
Top Themes – Parents (N=190)
13.5%
9.6%
11.5%
24.5%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Research
Administration-faculty relationship,communication & transparency
Faculty Motivation/Load/Focus
Application/Career Preparation &Relevance/CBL
Top Themes – Faculty (N=104)
10.5%
15.8%
10.5%
26.3%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Include international element(s)
Student exchange programs/international exposure & collaboration
Administration-faculty relationship,communication & transparency
Faculty Motivation/Load/Focus
Top Themes – Chairs (N=19)
Q U A L I T Y O F T E A C H I N GQ U A N T I T A T I V E A N A L Y S I S
QUALITY OF TEACHINGFactors related to the quality of teaching in terms of importance and exposureStudents (N=285)
For each of the following factors, howimportant do you consider them as part of quality of teaching, and how oftenare you exposed to them at AUC?
QUALITY OF TEACHINGFactors related to the quality of teaching in terms of importance and exposureStudents (N=285)
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
English language proficiency
Addressing student diversity within assessments (e.g. to pursue topics of…
Caring about students and their circumstances/needs outside the classroom
Challenging students beyond their comfort zone
Choice of good quality course materials
Effective ways of presenting course material (e.g. videos, text, images)
Faculty member’s accessibility (via email, office hours) and responsiveness
Fairness of grading
Group projects
In-class group activities
Opportunities for students to apply their learning in real-life contexts (e.g.…
Opportunities to interact with people across the globe (e.g. via video…
Promoting critical thinking
Quality of feedback on submitted work
Teaching for understanding beyond memorization
Timeliness of feedback on submitted work
Use of in-class discussions, debates, etc.
Use of real-life applications as examples in class
Variety of methods of assessment (e.g. not all exams/written papers)
Teachers providing career mentoring
Clarity of teacher explanation
Importance
Very important Important Moderately important Slightly important Not at all important N/A
*
*
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Exposure
Almost all courses Many courses Some courses Few courses No courses
*
*
**
*
*
QUALITY OF TEACHINGFactors related to the quality of teaching in terms of importance and exposureFaculty (N=146)
How important do you think each of the following is to quality of teaching and how often do you do each when you teach?
QUALITY OF TEACHINGFactors related to the quality of teaching in terms of importance and how often they do it Faculty (N=148)
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Addressing student diversity within assessments (e.g. to pursue topics of…
Caring about students and their circumstances/needs outside the…
Challenging students beyond their comfort zone
Choice of good quality course materials (used inside and outside of class)
Effective ways of presenting course material (e.g. videos, text, images)
Faculty member’s accessibility & responsiveness
Fairness of grading
Group projects
In-class group activities
Opportunities for students to apply their learning in real-life contexts…
Opportunities to interact with people across the globe (e.g. via video…
Promoting critical thinking
Quality of feedback on submitted work
Teaching for understanding beyond memorization
Timeliness of feedback on submitted work
Use of in-class discussions, debates, etc.
Use of real-life applications as examples in class
Variety of methods of assessment (e.g. not all exams/written papers)
Providing career mentoring
Ensuring students find teacher explanation clear
Importance
Very important Important Moderately important Slightly important Not at all important N/A
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Frequency
Almost always Frequently Sometimes Rarely Never N/A
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Almost always Frequently Sometimes Rarely Never N/A
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Addressing student diversity within assessments (e.g. to pursue topics…
Caring about students and their circumstances/needs outside the…
Challenging students beyond their comfort zone
Choice of good quality course materials
Effective ways of presenting course material (e.g. videos, text, images)
Faculty member’s accessibility (via email, office hours) and …
Fairness of grading
Group projects
In-class group activities
Opportunities for students to apply their learning in real-life contexts…
Opportunities to interact with people across the globe (e.g. via video…
Promoting critical thinking
Quality of feedback on submitted work
Teaching for understanding beyond memorization
Timeliness of feedback on submitted work
Use of in-class discussions, debates, etc.
Use of real-life applications as examples in class
Variety of methods of assessment (e.g. not all exams/written papers)
Teachers providing career mentoring
Clarity of teacher explanation
Almost all courses Many courses Some courses Few courses No courses
Students: N=285How often are you exposed to thefollowing at AUC?
Faculty: N= 148How often do you do each of the following when you teach?
QUALITY OF TEACHING
QUALITY OF TEACHING
High quality/challenging/rigorous courses?
QUALITY OF TEACHINGTo what extent have your courses so far challenged you to do your best work?Students by Standing (N=285)
10%
15%
10%
4%
18%
53%
36%
38%
26%
36%
29%
41%
39%
49%
36%
7%
8%
11%
19%
9%
0%
0%
2%
2%
0%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Graduating Senior
All the time Most of the time Some of the time Rarely Never
QUALITY OF TEACHINGOn average , how many courses per semester would you consider high quality courses?Students by Standing (N=285)
9%
8%
5%
2%
6%
19%
18%
11%
11%
21%
32%
27%
31%
19%
21%
28%
36%
33%
46%
33%
10%
11%
18%
18%
18%
1%
0%
2%
5%
0%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Graduating Senior
Five or more Four Three Two One None
QUALITY OF TEACHINGAbility to teach a course with the level of rigor you would like.Faculty by School (N=146)
22%
19%
13%
17%
27%
47%
50%
75%
34%
44%
28%
25%
13%
36%
24%
3%
6%
0%
11%
4%
0%
0%
0%
2%
0%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
ALA
BUS
GAPP
HUSS
SSE
All the time Most of the time some of the time rarely Never
QUALITY OF TEACHING
Top three factors?
QUALITY OF TEACHINGWhat are the top 3 factors that influence the quality of teaching at AUC? Students By School (N=285)
70.7%
34.1%
39.0%36.6%
29.3%
34.1%
56.1%
81.7%
28.3%
56.7%
26.7%
16.7%
38.3%
50.0%
85.0%
20.0%
60.0%
20.0%
30.0%
15.0%
60.0%
80.7%
29.8%
36.8%
24.6%
31.6% 35.1%
57.9%
72.0%
40.2%
46.7%
23.4%25.2%
31.8%
54.2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Teacher preparation,explanation and
presentation
Teacher accessibility andcare for students
beyond the classroom
Real-life application Interaction betweenstudents via discussions
and/or group work
Variety of assessmentmethods and topic
choices
Quality and timelinessof feedback and fairness
of grading
Challenging studentsand encouraging critical
thinking
UNDECLARED BUS GAPP HUSS SSE
QUALITY OF TEACHINGWhat are the top 3 factors that influence the quality of teaching at AUC? Faculty By School (N=146)
78.13%
46.88%
21.88%
28.13%
18.75%21.88%
78.13%
87.50%
43.75%
75.00%
25.00% 25.00%
0.00%
43.75%
100.00%
50.00%
37.50%
0.00%
25.00%
12.50%
75.00%
84.78%
28.26%
23.91%26.09%
19.57%
30.43%
84.78%
66.67%
42.22%
37.78%
28.89%
33.33%
20.00%
68.89%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Teacher preparation,explanation and
presentation
Teacher accessibilityand care for studentsbeyond the classroom
Real-life application Interaction betweenstudents via
discussions and/orgroup work
Variety of assessmentmethods and topic
choices
Quality and timelinessof feedback and
fairness of grading
Challenging studentsand encouragingcritical thinking
ALA BUS GAPP HUSS SSE
Q U A L I T Y O F T E A C H I N GQ U A L I T A T I V E A N A L Y S I S
In your opinion, how can AUC improve the quality of teaching it offers? Total N=372
26.1%
32.4%
29.7%
11.7%
11.7%
-10% 10% 30% 50% 70%
TeacherQuality/ Skills/Hiring Criteria
Teaching Assessment &Evaluation/ Teacher PD &
Mentorship
Faculty Motivation/ Load/Focus
Institutional Support/Funds/ Grant Policies
Student Selection/Admission Criteria
Top Themes – Faculty (N=111)
59.9%
26.0%
13.6%
9.1%
9.1%
-10% 10% 30% 50% 70%
TeacherQuality/ Skills/HiringCriteria
Teaching Assessment &Evaluation/ Teacher PD &
Mentorship
Application/ CareerPreparation & Relevance/
CBL
CurriculumDevelopment/Update
Assessments/ Grading/Feedback
Top Themes – Students (N=242)
47.4%
47.4%
15.8%
21.1%
10.5%
-10% 10% 30% 50% 70%
Teacher Quality/ Skills/Hiring Criteria
Teaching Assessment &Evaluation/ Teacher PD &
Mentorship
Faculty Motivation/ Load/Focus
Resources (Incease F:Sratio; Retreats , Lab
Facilities ; Pay Scale of…
Promoting Inter/Multi-Disciplinarity
Top Themes – Chairs (N=19)
QUALITY OF EDUCATION: OTHER FACTORS
• Quality and Readiness of Students Admitted
• Admission and Registration Process
• Content of Courses in the Major
• Real-life Experience and Career Preparation
• Facilities/Learning Spaces
R E C O M M E N D A T I O N S A N D F O L L O W - U P
• Learners who are ready to participate and learn;
• Processes through which trained faculty use student-centered teaching approaches in well-managed classrooms and skillful assessment to facilitate learning and reduce disparities;
• Environments that provide adequate resources and facilities;
• Content that is reflected in relevant curricula and materials for the acquisition of the needed skills,
• Outcomes that encompass knowledge, skills and attitudes, and are linked to job markets and positive participation in society.
1. Adapted from UNICEF’s Document No. UNICEF/PD/ED/00/02
Quality of Education1
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Develop an Updated Comprehensive Teaching Evaluation Process
2. Develop and adopt different models (and criteria) for promotion, tenure and renewal of contract
3. Establish a set of departmental expectations for high-quality teaching that are clearly conveyed to all instructors.
4. Revise the ‘First year’ review to make it more effective
5. Address the barriers that hinder good teaching
RECOMMENDATIONS
6) Establish a year-long robust Faculty Development program for new faculty
7) Address the lack of faculty and TA English proficiency
8) Embed critical and creative thinking as well as innovation and entrepreneurship throughout the curriculum
9) Create a channel for communication between Deans/Chairs and students
10) Establish a working group on learning spaces
Spring 2018: QoE WORK GROUP-
Follow up ACTION PLAN
QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROGRESS REPORT -PROPOSED ACTION PLAN
SPRING 2018
Board of Trustees meeting May 10-11, 2018
THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO
OTHER DATA IF NEEDED
NSSE 2017 Challenging StudentsStudent responses*
Challenging Students to Do Their Best Work Academic Emphasis
First-year
Senior
First-year Senior
How much did students say their institution emphasizes
spending significant time studying and on academic
work? Response options included "Very much," "Quite a
bit," "Some," and "Very little."
To what extent did students' courses challenge them to do their
best work? Response options ranged from 1 = "Not at all"
to 7 = "Very much."
55%49%
70%
44%
40%49%
26%
54%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
AUC NSSE 2016& 2017
AUC NSSE 2016& 2017
81%
88%
82%
79%
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
NSSE 2016 & 2017
AUC
NSSE 2016 & 2017
AUC
Percentage Responding "Very much" or "Quite a bit"
*Student Engagement Survey | Office of Data Analytics and Institutional Research
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