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 PFDP Academic Colloquium

July 2-3, 2011

Since 2005, the Palestinian Faculty Development Program (PFDP) has collaborated with USAID, the Open Society Institute (OSI) and 14 universities in the West Bank and Gaza to design and support a rich variety of programs and activities that focused on improving the quality and effectiveness of teaching and learning at universities in Palestinian higher education.  

Our major emphasis has been upon university faculty members as the obvious and critical factor in creating and sustaining a culture of teaching and learning: supporting advanced study abroad, funding special projects in curriculum development, assisting with the design of collaborative projects in teaching; recognizing excellent teachers; promoting faculty development through seminars, conferences and colloquia; producing research studies, and sponsoring seminars for excellence in teaching. More recently, PDFP has invested in two model Centers for Teaching Excellence at An-Najah University and Bethlehem University. 

All of these activities focus on the broader goal of promoting an institutional culture of teaching and learning, whether in specific academic programs on one campus or at the university level, perhaps involving many campuses working together to address a common need or problem.

As PFDP approaches the end of its program on September 30, 2012, we now must focus on the essential issue of sustainability: what will be PFDP’s legacy, and how can we and our partners maintain the momentum and impact of our shared commitment to the students who are the ultimate beneficiaries of our work? How can we not just stimulate and support needed reforms and improvements—but how can we institutionalize them and inspire a continuing passion for innovation among individual faculty members as well as entire departments, schools and universities?

The answers to such questions define the theme of PFDP’s fifth annual academic colloquium: Teaching and Learning for the Future: Leadership, Innovation and Sustainability. Below is a summary of the general structure proposed for the colloquium followed by a sample list of subjects for papers and presentations (note: the list is illustrative, not exhaustive. Proposals to discuss other topics within these themes or related to other PFDP activities are welcome).

Leadership

Leadership to improve higher education in Palestine can come from several directions.

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) can play a vital role in leading and sustaining systemic improvements to higher education in Palestine. The Ministry can engage universities, the government, the private sector and communities in a robust national debate about the role of higher education in the economic future of Palestine and the critical role of universities in developing Palestine’s most precious asset—its human capital.

At the university level, leadership at occurs at many levels. The president, vice president, deans and other administrative staff must define a vision for teaching and learning of the highest quality and become its tireless champions. Such advocacy must not be only rhetorical—as important as that can be; it must also be translated into appointing the right people in leadership positions and then setting into place  policies, procedures, and systems that will both encourage and support meaningful innovation for improved teaching and learning. Above all, it must be reflected in the development and allocation of resources—funds, space, equipment and time for faculty members who will design, test and implement new strategies for teaching and learning.

This is a challenge not only for senior university administrators; it is also a significant issue for professors. University faculty members are a boundless source of ideas and energy for the improvement of curriculum and teaching methodologies. If the senior university administration serves as an advocate for innovation, it is the professors—at every level—who must accept the challenge of suggesting new ideas, approaches, or programs that will result in tangible, meaningful and sustainable change. The faculty can provide intellectual and professional leadership for change. And because of support from PFDP and other programs, they have established meaningful linkages with universities in other counties and can identify international best practices or innovations that can be adapted to the Palestinian context.

Leadership can also come from the private sector and other key stakeholders. Employers are eager to see new approaches to linking higher education more closely with he needs of Palestine’s economy, and they will welcome programs that prepare university graduates to be productive employees more quickly. Universities around the word—from major research universities to those of more modest means and reputation—have also become energetic centers of entrepreneurial education and training—encouraging students to start their own businesses and empowering professors to commercialize intellectual property that results from their scholarship and research. The private sector can serve as an accessible and practical resource to Palestinian universities to promote entrepreneurship education. And, on a broader scale, teaching and learning can contribute to the strength and effectiveness of civic institutions and government through imaginative community engagement that enriches all segments of society.

Possible topics for presentations include:

• The role of MOHE in leading a national dialog on strategies for quality improvements in Palestinian Higher Education—especially in the realm of teaching and learning
• The qualities and characteristics of visionary leadership in higher education
• Strategies for developing the next generation of academic and administrative leaders—committed to creating a culture of experimentation and innovation on university campuses and supporting professors and staff who have new ideas that will improve teaching and learning
• Resource development to support creativity and innovation
• The role of government and the private sector in improving curricula, teaching and learning at Palestine’s universities
• Education for entrepreneurship
• New linkages between the university and the community to strengthen teaching and learning
• The value of strong international partnerships in supporting a culture of teaching and learning
• International models for innovation that can be adapted to the Palestine context
• Creating a student-centered environment on university campuses—regarding a student’s success as a university success, and a student’s failure as—in part—a university failure
• Creating new opportunities and incentives for genuine collaboration among and between universities for curriculum development or research.

Innovation

Since its launch in 2005, PFDP has been an advocate for thoughtful innovation, gradual improvement, creative change, and imaginative experimentation. We have engaged over 1,700 faculty members and university leaders in an ongoing discussion of ways to make universities better places for students and teachers alike.

An important component of PFDP’s legacy will be its investment in creating a new generation of change agents for higher education in Palestine. By September, 2012, when our program ends, we shall have engaged more than 2,000 higher education professionals in the adventure of making Palestine’s universities better. These PFDP alumni hold great potential as the next generation of educational leaders and innovators. The question will be: how can MOEHE, the universities themselves, and other key stakeholders in higher education capitalize on the experience and energy of these new educational entrepreneurs—these new agents for change and improvement? How can the MOEHE, universities and other stakeholders benefit from their new insights and convert them into reform that is meaningful for the people and institutions of Palestine?

Possible topics for presentations include:

• What innovations—on a large or on a smaller scale—would hold the greatest promise for improving Palestinian higher education in the future, especially as it affect the lives of students and the positive development of Palestinian society?
•  What are the characteristics of an entrepreneurial professor? How can universities identify and support them and their work
• What are the systemic obstacles to encouraging universities to take reasonable risks as they seek to develop innovative programs? How can they be overcome?
• Do current systems of evaluation, advancement and development of faculty work for or against those who wish to become more involved in innovative work to improve the curriculum or teaching strategies?
• Are there new approaches to curriculum design that will enhance the educational experience of students and prepare them better to contribute to economic, social or cultural development in Palestine?
• Are there possibilities for new curricular or co-curricular development that will enrich the educational experience of students (for example, internships, cooperative education, or entrepreneurship education)?
• Can Palestine’s universities forge new partnerships with government or the private sector as a way to engage the communities that they serve?
• Are Palestine’s universities doing enough to develop and promote lifelong learning and continuing education?

Sustainability

In the long run, a key issue for USAID, PFDP and OSI will be to determine the impact of the program’s activities since 2005. The final academic colloquium—to be held in June, 2012 in conjunction with a national conference on teaching and learning—will focus on defining and documenting the impact that PFDP has had on higher education in Palestine. 

In preparation for that final conference, the 2011 colloquium will focus on the critical issue of sustainability: how can—or how will—the program’s many successes continue to serve the universities, faculty and staff, and students? Are there steps that we can identify now—or recommendations that we can take forward to university presidents or MOEHE—to promote the continuation of activities—or to keep PFDP’s vision and values alive—after the program closes? We should address these questions now as we strive to create systems and policies that will institutionalize the benefits of PFDP and set the stage for future projects that may build upon what we have achieved.

Possible topics for presentations include:

• How can over 2000 PFDP alumni be organized to maintain a sense of cohesion and commitment to reform and innovation in Palestinian higher education?
• What steps can PFDP take now to encourage and support the continuing activity and professional development of its alumni?
• What is the prognosis for continuing and sustaining the benefits of PFDP beyond 2012? What are the possibilities? The obstacles?
• Are new policies, financial systems or investments required to stimulate and institutionalize changes and improvements in teaching and learning?
• What are the obstacles to universities’ providing funds to support sustainability of selected PFDP initiatives?
• What additional programs or initiatives for improvement should USAID or other donors consider for future investments as a result of PFDP?
• What lessons have we learned about the processes and resources necessary to stimulate and sustain a culture of constant improvement for Palestinian universities?
• How can universities, departments or programs become more engaged with community partners and supporters?
• What should higher education in Palestine look like in 2020? 2030 or beyond?

Invitation for Papers and Presentations

PFDP welcomes proposals for papers, panel discussions, or workshops on the many facets of this year’s theme for the annual Academic Colloquium:Teaching and Learning for the Future—Leadership, Innovation and Sustainability.

Proposals may focus on the general theme or on specific topics that address any aspect of leadership, innovation and sustainability—whether at the university level or within a specific discipline.  We invite professors, administrators, policy makers, stakeholders and friends of higher education in Palestine to contribute to the agenda. We especially encourage PFDP alumni and those who have managed successful projects to discuss their experiences and share their insights on challenges they faced and the factors that led to their success.

As in the past, we also encourage presentations or programs that involve the participation of and international colleagues with whom PFDP participants have established significant partnerships.  If a PFDP Fellow has returned to Palestine and will be attending the Academic Colloquium, PFDP can cover expenses for travel and per diem for a US colleague’s participation in the colloquium—followed perhaps by a seminar or faculty development workshop following the colloquium.  

This year we shall also welcome proposals for presentations in Arabic (with translation).

The deadline for submitting presentation abstracts and accompanying materials is March 31,2011