AN OVERVIEW
It has increasingly been recognized that academic faculty in Higher Education need more than knowledge and expertise in their area of specialty to be effective teachers. They require an understanding of the teaching process and how students learn. Many universities in the Higher Education sector are offering such support to their faculty through taught programs or self-study routes.
Such an opportunity is offered by the Unit of Teaching Excellence and Leadership (UTEL) to academic faculty at the University of Bahrain (UoB) and the other Higher Education Institutions. The Unit currently offers four programs that are accredited by the UK Advance HE (AHE). Details of these four programs follow:
- The Post Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice Program (PCAP)
- The Continuous Professional Development Program (CPD)
- New to Teaching in Bahrain (NTB)
- The Continuous Professional Development Program (CPD) in Arabic
The programs aim to achieve the following objectives:
- To encourage academic faculty/participants to adopt a reflective approach to improve their teaching practice. They help academics to generate new practices, and to think critically about current practices and performance with respect to the UK Professional Standard Framework (UKPSF) dimensions.
- To offer opportunities to academic faculty/participants to engage in constant analysis, critical review and evaluation of their own and others’ teaching practices. This will, consequently, lead to the overall improvement of their teaching practice.
- To guide academic faculty/participants to investigate the areas of interest pertinent to their specific area of practice and experience.
- To encourage academic faculty/participants to engage with subject and pedagogic research and/or scholarship to improve their teaching practice.
- To support the faculty/participants in these programs to perform within the international standards of academic practice in Higher Education and to obtain recognition of the UK Higher Education Academy (HEA).
- To nurture a culture of continuous professional development within the educational institution .
- Contrary to many other staff development programs, these programs do not dictate the areas of investigation and research to the participants. Instead, they guide the participants to investigate the areas of interest pertinent to their specific area of practice and experience.
- In addition, these programs assist faculty members to improve their teaching practice through adopting a reflective approach to critically think and investigate various ways to making learning happen.
- Encouraging continuous professional development.
- Fostering a reflective approach to professional practice.
- Assisting the participants to identify and address issues pertaining to their teaching practice within the context of their higher education institute.
- Developing cooperation and exploration of common issues related to teaching between the participants and fellow academics at their institute.
- Fulfilling the quality assurance requirements for the Education and Training Quality Authority (BQA) in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
- Allowing the participants to demonstrate their successful practice in relation to teaching and learning through professional recognition as Fellows or Associate Fellow of the HEA.
- Application for the programs will open during April.
- You will be informed of your acceptance by the end of May and invited to a compulsory induction day during the first week of June.
- The program delivery will start at the beginning of September.
The duration of the programs is one academic year. The intensive workshop start during the first week of September and the last assignment is submitted towards the end of May.
CONTACT US
Director’s office
Dr. Amal Mohammed Alrayes
E-mail: aalrayes@uob.edu.bh
utel@uob.edu.bh
