Teaching Excellence Awards

Winners of the 2010 Teaching Excellence Awards

 
Bassem Shraydeh is a Professor of Chemistry at An-Najah University. Professor Shraydeh has over thirty years of service to the field of education in chemistry. One of the subjects he teaches is what his colleague and Chemistry Department Chairman Dr. Samar al-Shakshir calls “the most difficult branch of chemistry”—Quantum Chemistry. After receiving his PhD from the University of Wales/Cardiff in 1980 Dr. Shraydeh mentions having accidentally discovered his teaching abilities at Bethlehem University—and he has not left teaching since. In discussing his love for teaching he notes that he sees his students as very important people he goes to meet for class sessions. Many of his colleagues in the science department at An-Najah University were his former students.  He also produced the lab manual that has been used at An-Najah University since 1984. In an interview with him, Dr. Shraydeh demonstrated some of his strategies for linking his chemistry lectures to the real world so that his students can have an easier and more dynamic time understanding the material. In his lesson plans he also includes demonstrations of chemical reactions and, while they are conducting experiments he encourages his students to look for new chemical research ideas.
 
Ahmad Atawneh is Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics at Hebron University, where he began teaching in 1991 after completing his PhD. His philosophy as a teacher was affected by his own professors when he was a student. He recalls that his most inspiring teachers were those who were caring and appreciative towards their students. Dr. Atawneh makes his private home and office libraries available to his students for their research. The care and attention that Dr.

Winners of 2010 Teaching Excellence Awards

PFDP is proud to announce the following winners of the Teaching Excellence Awards for 2010:

Teaching Excellence Awards

The Palestinian Faculty Development Program (PFDP) supports improvement in higher education sector in the West Bank and Gaza and reform in teaching and learning practices.  The PFDP has three main objectives: 1) to promote the expansion, retention, and professional development of promising academics teaching in the social sciences and humanities; 2) to revitalize and reform the teaching of the social sciences and humanities at Palestinian higher education institutions, 3) to promote an institutional culture of teaching and learning.

There are two types of award: 

  1. The Senior Teaching Excellence award is to honor exemplary performance and service to Palestinian higher education.  An academic must have at least 10 years of teaching experience to be eligible;
  2. The Junior Teaching Excellence award is to honor relatively new teachers in academia with 3-10 years of teaching experience.  

The application deadline for both awards is May 30, 2010.

The value of each award will be $2,000.  Both awards will be given to faculty for their outstanding achievement in teaching.  Faculty who can demonstrate superior commitment to teaching, who use especially effective teaching strategies, and who have inspired notable achievements by former students are encouraged to apply.

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