Educational Preeminence in the Arab Gulf: An Assessment of Progress

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Educational Preeminence in the Arab Gulf An
Assessment of Progress
American University of Sharjah
March 7, 2004
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Licensure and Accreditation

• Licensure Legal requirement for operation
• Accreditation Verification of quality of
  education

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AUS Accreditation
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Accreditation Process

• The accreditation process consists of
• two interrelated phases
• Self-study, and
• Peer review.

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Institutional Self-Study

• Self-Study enables an institution to
• appraise every aspect of its
• programs and services,
• governing and supporting services,
• resources, and
• educational outcomes
• in relation to the institutions mission and
  goals.

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Aims of the Self-Study

• The aims of the self-study are
• to clarify the institutions mission and
  objectives
• to conduct a thorough, evaluative analysis of its
  resources and effectiveness in fulfilling its
  mission and achieving its objectives
• to demonstrate that the institution meets the
  accreditation standards and
• to identify ways to improve and strengthen the
  educational effectiveness of the institution.

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Milestones in AUS Accreditation
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Self-Study Organization

• Study Committees
• Mission
• Students
• Student Support Services
• Faculty
• Educational Programs
• General Education
• Assessment Institutional Effectiveness
• Governance, Administration Integrity
• Institutional Resources and Planning

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Steering Committee MembersCo-chairs Amer
Moustafa and Sallie Sheppard

• Nadia Alhasani
• Fatima Badry
• Maher Bahloul
• Mona Chehabi
• Hany El-Kadi
• Richard Mundy
• Gayle Russell
• Kassem Saleh
• John Shannon
• Sami Tabsh
• Ron Williams

• Ex-officio
• Amr Abdel-Hamid
• George DeBin
• Malakeh Dabboussy
• Christine Jensen
• Tarek El-Mourad
• Members-at-Large
• Moza Al Shehhi
• Wadiah Atiyah
• Leland Blank
• Robert Cook
• Martin Giesen

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Contributors to the Self-Study
Working with 9 committees, over 70 faculty,
students, and staff representing all university
units and activities have contributed to the
self-study report, making a remarkable community
effort.
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Self-Study Visit March 14-17, 2004

• Dr. Richard Kneedler, Chair of Team
• President Emeritus Franklin and Marshall
  College, Lancaster, PA
• Dr. Steven Briggs, Member
• Provost, College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ
• Dr. Davie Jane Gilmour, Member
• President, Pennsylvania College of Technology,
  Williamsport, PA
• Dr. Marie Cook, Member
• Professor, Georgian Court College, Lakewood, NJ
• Mr. Henry Mauermeyer, Member
• Sr VP for Administration/Treasurer, New Jersey
  Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ
• Dr. Terry Williams, Member
• Professor, The Catholic University of America,
  Washington, DC
• Dr. MaryAnn Baenninger, MSCHE Liaison
• Executive Associate Director, MSCHE,
  Philadelphia, PA

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Self-Study Visit March 14-17, 2004

• Evaluation team activities
• Study AUS Self-Study report, catalogs, faculty
  and student handbooks, R5YP, and AUS website
• Interview faculty, students and staff on campus
• Following visit outline set by MSCHE
• Provide report to Middle States Commission on
  Higher Education

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Self-Study Visit March 14-17, 2004

• Sunday March 14
• Team orientation
• Meeting with Trustee Hamid Jaafer
• Monday March 15
• Prescheduled meetings with Chancellor, Steering
  Committee, students, deans, Faculty Senate
• Dinner at Heritage Area with Steering Committee
  and campus leaders

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Self-Study Visit March 14-17, 2004

• Tuesday March 16
• Meeting with Faculty
• Other individual meetings as requested by team
  members
• Wednesday March 17
• Exit interview with Chancellor
• Exit meeting with AUS

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Accreditation Scenarios

• No accreditation decision is made in the exit
  meeting
• Visiting team submits a detailed report to
  MSCHE.
• In its June 04 meeting, MSCHE will make a
  decision as to
• either
• Grant full accreditation
• (Self-study is repeated in 5 years)
• Or
• Accreditation with Conditions

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Characteristics of Excellence in Higher Education

• AUS meets all 22 MSCHE eligibility requirements.
• AUS must demonstrate performance on 14 Standards
  that characterize an accredited institution.
• Fundamental Elements (FE) are defined for each
  standard.
• Self-Study was structured around these 14
  standards and the FEs in each
• Institutional Context
• Educational Effectiveness

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Self-Study Report Recommendations
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1. Mission, Goals and Objectives

• Findings
• AUS Mission statement clearly defines the
  purpose and what we intend to accomplish.
• A rewording can provide a concise statement as
  well as goals and measurable objectives.
• Recommendation
• That the AUS Board of Trustees deliberate and
  consider the approval of the proposed revisions

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AUS Proposed Revised Mission Statement
The Mission of the American University of
Sharjah is to achieve and maintain educational
preeminence as a coeducational, American-model
institution grounded in Arab culture.
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2. Planning, Resource Allocation, and
Institutional Renewal

• Findings
• R5YP provides plan based on mission and
  resource allocation
• Academic and Resource Planning committees have
  been established
• Recommendation
• That AUS implement a planning framework that
  integrates assessment plans and processes that
  will evaluate and lead to improved overall
  institutional effectiveness.

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3. Institutional Resources

• Findings
• Adequate human, financial, technical, physical
  facilities and other resources necessary to
  achieve AUS mission are available and accessible
• R5YP goal of self-sufficiency is being met
• Recommendations
• That participation in the annual update to the
  R5YP be expanded.
• That assessment data and academic planning be
  effectively integrated with financial planning.

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4. Leadership and Governance

• Findings
• AUS has an effective system of shared
  governance with an elected faculty senate (unique
  in UAE).
• The Board of Trustees fulfills its role in
  policy making and resource development.
• Recommendations
• That the Board of Trustees ensures appropriate
  input from faculty, staff, students and alumni
• That the Board of Trustees periodically
  assesses its performance

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5. Administration

• Findings
• Clearly defined and published lines of
  organization and authority are in place.
• Credentials of senior administrators are
  appropriate for their AUS roles.
• Recommendations
• That procedures for performance evaluation and
  selection of senior administrators be adopted
• That position descriptions for senior
  administrators be defined and made accessible

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6. Integrity

• Findings
• Procedures for handling faculty, student and
  staff grievances are in place.
• A Faculty Handbook has been jointly developed by
  faculty and administration.
• Recommendations
• That an information clearing-house role be
  established to improve communication with the
  public

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7. Institutional Assessment

• Findings
• Assessment has been an important and on-going
  activity involving faculty, staff, students and
  administrators since the earliest days of AUS.
• To date, MSCHE and UAE accreditation efforts
  have been central to our assessment activities.
• Recommendations
• That AUS implement a planning framework in which
  assessment processes are integrated with the aim
  of improving overall institutional effectiveness.

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8. Student Admissions

• Findings
• Admissions standards at AUS are considered
  among the highest when compared with local and
  regional higher education institutions.
• An enrollment management plan has been
  instituted to limit enrollment to 4,000, while
  improving the academic credentials of the
  students.
• Recommendations
• That the effectiveness of enrollment management
  be assessed and modified as necessary.

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9. Student Support Services

• Findings
• Student support services provide students with
  an American style higher education within the
  unique cultural traditions of the Arab Gulf.
• Recommendations
• That AUS review and strengthen its academic
  infrastructure support in areas such as advising,
  matriculation requirements, and student
  communications enhancement.

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10. Faculty

• Findings
• AUS has attracted a noteworthy faculty from
  diverse backgrounds with a genuine passion to
  build an emerging institution.
• Recommendations
• That AUS reduce faculty teaching and
  administrative loads.
• That AUS increase support and opportunities for
  research, scholarly activities, creative work and
  professional development

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11. Educational Offerings

• Findings
• AUS has maintained rigor and consistency in its
  commitment to liberal and professional education.
• AUS has established its reputation in the region
  as a leading, quality undergraduate educational
  institution.
• Graduate programs are a growing component of the
  educational offering at AUS
• Recommendations
• That all programs review, revise and publish
  their mission, objectives and expected learning
  outcomes
• That a committee of graduate program directors
  be formed to provide guidance and coordination at
  the graduate level

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12 . General Education

• Findings
• General education at AUS contributes to the
  students intellectual growth.
• General education component is an integral part
  of program curricula
• Recommendations
• That the general education course offerings be
  reviewed in the context of the AUS mission
• That the infrastructure to support general
  education programs be strengthened

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13. Related Educational Activities

• Findings
• AUS ensures a minimum standard of academic
  preparedness among the freshman class with a
  special consideration of the English
  communication offerings
• Recommendations
• That AUS considers raising the minimum TOEFL
  score for admission
• That AUS review and revise the communication
  component of the general education program

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14. Assessment of Student Learning

• Findings
• Assessment and evaluation activities are not
  formally linked into a coherent plan which would
  ensure that the assessment outcomes are used in
  institutional improvement.
• Recommendations
• That a formal university-wide mechanism be
  established to ensure that assessment measures of
  teaching and learning are effectively used in the
  evaluation and improvement process.

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Current Status

• Significant progress has already been made in
  meeting 15 of the 57 Self-Study recommendations.
• The focus is shifting to assessment of student
  learning and planning for institutional
  improvement.
• Next steps include
• Inventory successful AUS assessment practices
• Forward revised mission statement to the BOT
• Update mission statements and learning outcomes
  for each program
• Develop an AUS planning framework that utilizes
  assessment data