AUS faculty and staff complete FTCP

Thirteen faculty and staff members completed the year-long AUS Faculty Teaching Certificate Program (FTCP) conducted by the Faculty Development Center (FDC) at American University of Sharjah (AUS). The program offers AUS faculty members and teaching staff the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from different colleges to deepen their understanding of teaching and learning.

The FTCP is an example of AUS's commitment to teaching excellence and is delivered in a blended learning format. Over the course of two semesters, the participants attend 16 face-to-face classes as well as maintain an online presence. Participants also work on a capstone project which is designed to encourage them to try something new and innovative in their classes and to actively reflect on its impact on student learning.

"One of the strengths of this program is that it gives faculty the opportunity to experience new approaches, assessment techniques, course design, etc., as students. For example, being a student in the flipped classroom allows faculty to get a better idea of the pros and cons of this approach before they try it out with their students," said Dr. Cindy Gunn, Director of the Faculty Development Center.

Certificates were awarded to the following successful candidates who completed the course:

College of Arts and Sciences: Dr. Mariam Al-Attar, Dr. Sandra Knuteson, Dr. Jeniece Lusk, Dr. Sreya Mitra, Mohammad Shehab, Susan Smith, Barbara Stewart, and Dr. Thomas Wunderli.

College of Engineering: Dr. Amani Al-Othman and Dr. Tarik Ozkul.

School of Business Administration: Hong Ho and Mary Kay Klein.

Office of Advancement and Alumni Affairs: Abdullah El Shazly.