6.1
6.1.a Unit Leadership and Authority
The College of Education, the unit seeking accreditation, is the only institution in Qatar that provides preparation programs for teachers and school leaders. All activities in the unit are aligned with university-wide policies, such as those in the policy manuals for program initiation, curriculum enhancement, and program review. The dean of the College of Education is head of the unit and has full responsibility for overseeing the academic, administrative, and financial matters and reports directly to the Vice President and Chief Academic Officer (VPCAO).
The College of Education has one associate dean for academic affairs and two assistant deans, assistant dean for student affairs and assistant dean for student academic support. A complete list of the duties and responsibilities may be found in Exhibit 6.3.a_1, p. 22.
The unit is composed of two departments, the Educational Sciences Department and the Psychological Sciences Department. The Department Head has the authority to manage and evaluate faculty issues and programs under the supervision of the dean. If they make changes in a program, the Academic Program Review and Curriculum Enhancement Committee at the university is responsible for reviewing curriculum related proposals and to make recommendations to the VPCAO. A list of the duties of the department heads may be found in Exhibit 6.3.a_1, p. 24.
The Department of Educational Sciences offers five programs; the Department of Psychological Sciences offers three. Each program, with the exception of the diploma programs, has a coordinator who is responsible for program development, management, and student issues. The four diploma programs have a single coordinator to provide consistency and collaboration among the diploma programs. The duties of the program coordinators are described in the Exhibit 6.3.a_1, p. 24-25. The Department of Psychological Sciences established the Early Childhood Center to meet the local community needs in promoting best practices for early childhood education; training early childhood educators; and initiating research projects to better inform pedagogical practices.
Collaboration among stakeholders in teacher education occurs at all levels of unit operations. Within the unit, the dean, the associate dean, assistant deans, department heads, and program coordinators meet together monthly in the Heads and Program Coordinators Committee (HPCC) to discuss and approve as a team the academic and administrative issues.
Collaboration is also strong within the university with other colleges that contribute to preparation of candidates. In developing the B.Ed. programs, a committee of faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies, along with the department chairs, program coordinators and faculty from the unit meet monthly to create the programs. This group continues to communicate frequently to ensure that the programs are standards-based, rigorous, and consistent with the goals and objectives of Qatar University, the teacher preparation programs according to Qatar National Professional Standards (QNPS) and Specialized Professional Associations (SPAs).
Faculty members from the unit also work closely with the Office of Faculty and Instruction Development (OFID), which provides the majority of the professional development for the university including a wide range of training workshops, general lectures and seminars to address the immediate and long range professional development needs of the faculty members and disseminates the best teaching and learning practices at the university-level. The annual report of OFID showed that thirty-four faculty members during the academic year 2013-2014 from the unit participated in workshops and were involved in follow-up and face to face consultations regarding technology usage, assessment, and research.
The Supreme Education Council (SEC) is the competent authority responsible for the development and advancement of education in Qatar and considered as one of the main local unit partners. The unit continues the efforts to maintain the strong relationships with SEC in designing, delivering, and evaluating the unit’s programs including the placement of field experiences.
The unit is also recognized as a leader in professional development in the K-12 environment through special sections within the unit. The National Center for Education Development, which, in collaboration with the SEC, provides most of the professional development for in-service teachers in Qatar; the newly formed Measurement and Evaluation Center, which will work to assist quality assurance across educational institutes in Qatar; and the Early Childhood Center, which provides child care for the children of the university’s faculty and staff. These opportunities represent a broad range of activities which support faculty members’ teaching, reflection, and growth.
The Education Partners’ Committee meets once per semester to give recommendations and suggestions to review unit programs and improve services to the community. This committee includes members from the SEC, K-12 school representatives, and from several education institutes within Qatar. Description of Educational Partners’ Committee may be found in online exhibit. The unit created formal agreement of collaboration with partner schools to provide ongoing quality field experiences and student teaching placements for candidates.
The unit’s recruiting and admission practices are described clearly and consistently in university admission policies and catalogs (exhibits from 6.3.c_1 to 6.3.c_3 at the bottom of this page). The Admissions Department at the university, is responsible for evaluating and admitting applicants to the foundation program, or for applicants who achieved a mastery level in English, Mathematics, and Computer Literacy to be admitted to programs at the unit (admission guidelines may be found in exhibits from 6.3.d_1 to 6.3.d_5 at the bottom of this page). The unit’s website outlines additional requirements for admission to each program in addition to recruiting advertisements, and brochures. The unit observes the university academic calendar (exhibits from 6.3.e_1 to 6.3.e_5 at the bottom of this page) and grading system. Courses are listed in the university’s Banner system’s online catalog.
The SEC works closely with the unit to disseminate information about the programs and encourage recruitment. The unit formed a Promotional Campaign Committee to arrange for announcements that go to each Independent School (government schools of Qatar), and make the brochures available at professional development workshops and other SEC sponsored events. In preparation for the B.Ed., the coordinator visited numerous schools to present the program and recruit potential candidates. In addition to brochures, newspaper ads, and emails to the schools, the master’s program faculty keep an ongoing listserv of all individuals who have expressed interest in the program.
Only qualified candidates for the B.Ed. and diploma programs are admitted. A committee of graduate faculty and department heads make the final selection of candidates for the masters programs, selecting those candidates who show the most promise among those who meet the admission requirements (exhibits from 6.3.e_1 to 6.3.e_5 at the bottom of this page) because the cohort size is limited. Candidates in the masters programs are required to pay full tuition. Candidates in the diploma program who intend to teach in Qatar’s independent schools may obtain a full tuition scholarship, as a result of a partnership between the SEC and Qatar University. Candidates in the B.Ed. program are eligible for a full tuition scholarship (see proposal_bed_stipend and no_fees_agreement) from SEC and a stipend during their study.
The unit supports its candidates through the newly established office of the assistant dean for student academic support.
6.1.b Unit Budget
Until 2004, the university had a centralized budget. The colleges that followed the established policies and procedures were allowed to spend based on their needs. In 2004, however, the university engaged in a systemic reform of their fiscal system. One of the elements of that reform was decentralization, giving more responsibility to the colleges to develop and use their own budgets. The university leadership is very supportive of the unit’s operations and provides the opportunity to increase the allocated budget based on need and a strong rationale to support programs tasks.
The university budgeting system is divided into three chapters of budgets. Chapter 1 covers areas under the control of the central finance department at the university, e.g. salaries. The unit usually manages budget items within chapter 2 that covers current expenditures for activities constituting of the college’s central operations, e.g. events, activities, and service contracts under the control of the college dean. In addition, Chapter 3 includes capital expenditures held for use in the supply of services and for administrative purposes, e.g. furniture, equipment and IT hardware. The Finance and Administration Coordinator Organizes the preparation of chapter 3 based on the strategic planning and College of Education priorities.
The budget process at the university is based upon the proposed operating plans of the academic programs, the administrative divisions, and the size of the college which translate into an itemized, authorized, and systematic plan of operations.
In the current academic year 2014-2015, the unit (CED) (Exhibit 6.3.f_1_Unit_Budget and Exhibit 6.3.g_1_Budgets_of_comparable_units was fourth among the colleges in the university in candidates enrollment and in the amount of funds received, surpassed by the College of Arts & Sciences, College of Engineering and College of Pharmacy (Data available on site during visit). This level of funding provides for a quality program in educator preparation. Each academic year, heads of departments, program coordinators, the associate and assistant deans, and directors of centers and divisions within the unit analyze their needs, and then submit a budget proposal to the dean based on a defined list provided in the university budget guidelines. The head of the financial department of the university meets with the dean to assist in the process, and the finalized budget is submitted to the president of the University for funding approval. In addition to requirements funded under the budget, support is provided directly to faculty members to encourage them to participate globally in the academic community through attending conferences, workshops and other professional development events. Not only is full financial support provided for presenting research papers at such events, but full financial support may also be provided for attending such events at the request of the dean to learn new information to bring back to the unit. There are many instances in which partial support may also be attained, according the type of event and level of participation. Non-budgeted funds may also be requested to host conferences that would benefit our candidates or to fund visiting professors and consultants. Faculty members are also financially rewarded for publishing in peer reviewed journals and for other scholarship contributions to the university.
The College of Education collaborates with partners to secure funding for professional development programs through its National Center for Educator Development. The unit received a grant from ExxonMobil Qatar to help school educators develop innovative mathematics and science teaching skills. In addition, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Qatar University and Qatar Petrochemical Company (in cooperation with a Japanese University) to financially support the establishment of a Research Chair in Mathematics Education in the College of Education.
In summary, the financial support from the university and the funds that come from collaborative external projects, partnerships, and the resources available for the unit are adequate to support teaching, scholarship, and professional development programs.
6.1.c Personnel
Historically QU was considered a teaching university, but in 2010, the university launched its first Strategic Plan 2010-2013 incorporating three Key Performance Areas that focus on promoting quality education and efficient and effective services. The Strategic Plan added to the initial focus on teaching by placing research and community service as key priority areas in accordance with the goals outlined in the university’s mission and vision. The revised Strategic Plan 2013-2016 committed to the previous essential pillars: providing high quality education, supporting creative and relevant research, advancing social, cultural and economic development of the society, and providing the university community with a supportive and conductive environment to reach high performance.
The unit currently adheres to the university-wide faculty workload policy (Workload Policy, Exhibit 6.3.h). The standard teaching workload for a faculty member is 18 credit hours, distributed over two semesters. In special circumstances, the Department Chair may assign a teaching overload to a faculty member not exceeding 3 credit hours per semester, and the faculty member is entitled to financial compensation. The rules for calculation of faculty workload adhere to the best practices and consider the different types of instruction that are identified.
The unit follows the university policies (Exhibit 6.3.a_3) established for regular faculty, visiting faculty, and part-time faculty. A visiting faculty member is hired for one semester or two semesters (up to a maximum of one academic year). While, a part time faculty member is hired on a semester-basis, he/she must have the same qualifications as a full-time faculty member and perform the same duties and responsibilities as a full-time faculty member from comparable academic rank except for the reduced teaching load. In some cases, a part-time faculty with a master’s degree may be considered and can serve at the unit with reduced work load. Part-time faculty can serve as lecturers and college supervisors, who work with the candidates during their field experiences. They are experienced teachers who bring a wealth of practical knowledge to the program. They work closely with full-time education faculty to ensure consistency throughout the program.
Graduate assistants (GA’s) in the unit are full time postgraduate students moving towards the fulfillment of a graduate degree requirement at Qatar University. The GA’s workload is assigned by his or her department chair or designated supervisor. The present GAs work under the supervision of a faculty member to support tasks relating to research, coursework, laboratory instruction, tutoring, and assisting with technology training, especially related to supporting candidates as they complete the e-Folios required for all programs. In addition to their role in teaching tutorials and providing help sessions, they may be assigned to further research duties as deemed appropriate by the department chair.
There are twenty-one support staff working with the fifty-three faculty members, not including the five kindergarten teachers who teach in the Early Childhood Center. Administrative staff members are distributed among the programs so that every program has at least one administrative assistant. The four technical staff members assist all programs with technology issues. To ensure that all programs have appropriate numbers of support staff, the policy is for the program coordinator to request additional support staff from the head of the department, who, if he/she approves, forwards the request to the dean. The dean will then assign a teaching assistant or administrative staff member to assist the faculty member or program that has requested the help. If a new hire is needed, the line is put into the budget for the next funding period.
The Educational Research Unit is committed to building the capacity of the unit by providing candidates and faculty with a supportive environment for scholarship and developing effective collaborative partnerships in research nationally and internationally. The Educational Research Unit engages faculty in research through the establishment of research groups based on key research priority themes. Each research group is formed by faculty members and led by a person who takes responsibility for achieving the group research goals according to unit’s research priority topics and report directly to the Educational Research Unit head.
The university also has an Office of Faculty Development (OFID) that offers frequent, high-quality professional development opportunities without charge in both Arabic and English. OFID conducts needs assessments and interest surveys at least yearly to determine faculty needs and works to offer the appropriate professional development. Unit faculty members are also active in providing professional development workshops on effective teaching and assessment for faculty in other colleges at the university through OFID. CED Faculty members have conducted a wide range of workshops, lectures, seminars, and online mini-courses including such topics as: Increasing Student Motivation, Peer Coaching for Improved Teaching, Supporting Students with Special Needs at Qatar University, Classroom Strategies for Identifying and Helping Students at Risk, and Developing Courses and Learning Outcomes.
The Unit sponsored an Annual Education Conference to provide opportunities for professional development to K-12 teachers and other local educators. In March 2014, the unit hosted its 4th Annual Conference on Educational Reform “Performance Assessment: The Road to Quality In Education.”
Research funding opportunities are provided by the university Office of Research, through which faculty may apply for internal research grants or for conference support.
6.1.d Unit Facilities
Qatar is in the midst of a systemic reform to which the government at all levels is committed. The unit and the schools thus have access to outstanding facilities on campus and with partner schools to support candidates in meeting standards. Facilities allow faculty members and mentors to use and model the use of technology for instructional purposes.
The unit building has 13 classrooms, including a large (250 person capacity) lecture hall with full multimedia capabilities and direct digital translation. In addition, the unit has two computer labs with total capacity of 45 students. During the last few years, the unit converted all classrooms into Smart classrooms. These classrooms are self-contained media classrooms with the following equipment: screen, digital projector, computer, DVD/CD player and a sound system. The computer and projector enables faculty to interact with what is displayed on the computer screen and thus actively engage students in presentations. One classroom presently has video lecture-capture, and the plans are to expand this functionality to additional classrooms. At present, the unit does have a video lab using HD video conferencing tools rather than the previous analog system and an extensive media center (described more fully in online exhibit).
The unit has the facilities to support high-quality (see Student Satisfaction Survey and Results of Student Satisfaction Survey Spring 2014) exemplary programs that ensure that candidates meet standards. The unit established a Resource Library Room in 2005, through a collaboration between Qatar University and Texas A&M University to support candidates in the initial programs. All facilities and equipment in The Resource Library are available upon request by faculty members in all programs on a checkout basis. It also offers a workspace for candidates to prepare their educational lessons and displays, in addition to a sufficient area for viewing CD’s, DVD or other video sources. The Resource Library lends out books and teaching materials (such as math manipulatives) relating to primary as well as secondary mathematics, science, including fiction, nonfiction (in both Arabic and English) and academic books relating to the field of education.
Because our different programs address different populations (undergraduate, full-time students and post-graduate, working students), times for the courses vary, thus essentially doubling the need for classroom space. As the B.Ed. programs expand admissions, as they show every indication of doing so, the unit requests additional classroom space from the university.
To guarantee the suitability of the environment, the unit follows the university policy and guideline regarding the use of hazard management for identifying, assessing, mitigating and controlling hazards in offices and classrooms. A safe working environment contributes positively to office morale, productivity, and facilitate student learning.
Each member of the faculty has either a private or shared office with a computer, desktop, printer, and a network-based Cisco Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone system, which provides telephone services over a network connection. The recently purchased Cisco system provides a wealth of improved features for supporting university business. At present, all classes are conducted at the university; however, as Qatar University is the only institution for educator preparation, the potential for in-school activities is extensive. As all schools are involved in the Education Reform, all schools are either new or under extensive renovation.
The unit will have a new building of approximately 592 thousand square feet (six floors) with a total capacity of forty classrooms, one hundred and forty offices and large enough spaces for four centers, three labs, two libraries, car parking, and cafeteria services. Construction is scheduled to begin after finishing the design phase and the approval of a new budget in 2015. The estimated time for the construction will be two years from the date of awarding the contract.
Candidates and faculty members are able to use the university library, which provides facilities through a variety of support services. The library print collection numbers 139,000 volumes in English and 204,000 volumes in Arabic, with easy access to online databases, including journals and eBooks that are available to QU members through the library’s website from both inside and outside the university campus. The library makes available more than three hundred PCs to users and thirty laptops that can be booked for onsite use; therefore, candidates have adequate access to updated resources that support learning and their attempt to become effective teachers and meet the standards.
6.1.e Unit Resources including Technology
The Resources Library provides support and services to faculty and staff. The Resource Library provides a study area, computing facilities and easy access to books in both Arabic and English, manipulatives inventory, teaching resources and materials all accessible for faculty and candidates’ use. In addition, bulletin boards, color printing, scanning and laminating services are provided for faculty and staff. Digital cameras and iPads can be checked out for special projects. Rooms are coordinated by the facilities manager and video and photography equipment through the video and photography lab managers.
To enhance teaching and learning experiences, faculty members and candidates use the Lecture Capture System located in lab 207. The lecture capture is a new teaching and classroom facility that employs cameras, wireless microphones and the lecture capture appliance. The Lecture Capture system is integrated with Blackboard V.9.1. Captured lectures are available to candidates and faculty members as a streaming media file via Blackboard V.9.1 after each class. Lectures are posted permanently (see Blended Course Educ 500 and Blended Course EDUC 502, so students can refer back to a particular lecture at any time during their study at QU.
Qatar University provides all students with access to campus email, the Internet, its networked resources, extensive electronic research portals, and an e-registration system. Also available to student and faculty, both on and off-campus is access to the course management system, Blackboard V.9.1. In addition, all faculty and candidates in all programs use TaskStream™ to develop their e-Folios and submit key assignments to the assessment system. The university has provided continual updates to technology services in the form of wireless Internet access. The Information Technology Services unit has successfully deployed a multi-gigabit backbone and ultra-high-speed Internet access, QUnet provides thousands of laptops, desktops and computer labs across campus with interconnectivity and network services.
The unit is also supporting the development of online and hybrid courses through its own Educational Technology and Development program faculty, who work with colleagues throughout the unit on the design and delivery of online and hybrid course. The hybrid instruction is conducted within a context of a combination of online and face-to-face delivery between students and instructor and where a substantial part of the course content is delivered though online (flipped classroom design). The unit also has access to an immersive virtual environment facility (I-Cube) that is being used to support candidate learning in the content areas and to introduce candidates to emerging technologies for teaching and learning.
IT services at the unit include a video conferencing facility that allows faculty members and candidates a greater flexibility to communicate with guest speakers at off campus locations using high-quality video and audio technology.
6.2 Moving Toward Target or Continuous Improvement
6.2.b Continuous Improvement
The plans for sustaining and enhancing performance through continuous improvement as articulated in this standard. (5000 characters)
- The unit is well equipped with the most recent developments in technology and facilities that allow faculty to model the use of ICT in teaching and enhance candidate learning experiences. The unit has been developing hybrid courses in Diploma Programs to ensure that candidates use the services and opportunities available by the support of facilities available in the unit. Faculty members are required to add more online curricular materials into classes that are available via Blackboard V.9.1. Continuous improvements to the online courses in the diploma programs are reflected in the continuous additions of online resources and readings within the courses.
- The unit established a strong collaboration with the Supreme Education Council (SEC), independent schools (IS), national and international partners to develop and implement Qatar-based comprehensive national educational development programs and initiatives.
- The Unit has strengthened field experiences and student teaching in initial and advanced programs and developed internship handbooks. The unit continues the training workshops for mentor teachers and partner schools where college supervisors and teaching methods instructors talk about how to strengthen the candidate teaching in schools to improve field experiences and student teaching. Candidates are required to upload their e-folio and various required performance tasks to online TaskStream system for evaluation.
- The unit has the facilities to support high-quality and exemplary programs that ensure that candidates meet standards. These resources include: a Resource Library, lecture hall with full multimedia capabilities, video lecture-capture classroom, and HD video conferencing lab, National Center for Education Development, Research Unit, Field training Unit, Early Childhood Center, and newly established Measurement and Evaluation Center. These centers provide comprehensive resources to enhance knowledge, skills and dispositions for faculty members, candidates, and education professionals. As part of its commitment to continuous improvement, the unit has plans to expand the professional development programs offered by NCED and add new workshops to meet the in-service teachers’ needs in promoting best practices in teaching and learning.
- Faculty and candidates are able to access the university library that includes updated and comprehensive resources. The unit will continue the collaborative efforts with the library to keep up to date resources in education and related fields to teacher preparation programs.
- The unit established a new office for student academic support which provides academic advices and guidance. The office designs intervention programs as the assistant dean oversee the students at risk and candidates who face academic problems during their study program in the university.
- The unit sponsored an Annual Education Conference to provide opportunities for professional development to K-12 teachers and other local educators. As a result of collaboration between SEC and College of Education, on March 2nd-3rd, 20015 the "Partners in Excellence" conference will bring together education academicians, researchers, and education professionals to exchange their knowledge, share experience, and research to learn from one another. The conference is a result of collaboration between SEC and College of Education.
- The unit has sponsored several events e.g. Shape the Future, White Cane Week, Mental Health Day, Worlds, Teacher Day, Children International Day, Women International Day, World Autism Day, and Deaf Week. The unit will continue the plans of faculty participation in community services.
6.3 Exhibits for Standard 6
Glossary
Independent schools:
Schools that are funded and supervised by government through the Supreme Education Council's (SEC), but have the freedom to outline their own educational missions and goals and hire professional teachers and staff. The school funding varies for each school according to the schools size including number of teachers, students and administrative staff.