Centre for Teaching Excellence and Learning Innovation

Introduction

The Centre for Teaching Excellence and Learning Innovation (CTELI) is initiated at Iqra University, Karachi with the aim to transform the University curricula in the light of the University’s specific context, indigenous research and the current trends in global education. Moreover, the centre is committed to looking at faculty and staff development with the objective to support them in their professional and career development, and keeping them abreast with the modern developments in higher education. Keeping in view the role of higher education in national development, CTELI aims to create a professional learning community by offering regular training workshops and diplomas in various disciplines in education.

Our Vision at CTELI

Our vision is to apply the best practices in professional development and training through the use of cutting edge strategies, innovative methodologies and advanced technology. CTELI envisions itself to be an unwavering advocate of a diverse, open learning environment which fosters active learning and collaboration among all participants.

Our Mission at CTELI

Our mission is to:

• Support excellence in teaching and learning through successful research and professional development endeavors through partnerships at national and international levels.
• Institutionalize professional development through well-structured faculty and staff development programs
• Enable the faculty to practice innovative teaching skills
• Strengthen the curriculum through alignment with current trends in the field of higher education
• Align all campuses of Iqra University in order to create a strong network of communication and collaboration so as to ensure uniform provision of world class academic and non–academic services to all students.

Our Values

Areas of Focus

Goals

Professional Development Goals

Goal 1: Enhance Faculty and Staff Development

• Recruit, develop, retain and promote an excellent and diverse staff and faculty.
• Ensure that professional development programs offered for staff and faculty development are up to international standards, offer diverse intellectual perspectives, and advance global awareness.
• Develop new programs that meet global, regional, national and specific needs.

Goal 2: Enhance Student Learning Experience

• Enhance student opportunities for active learning and participation within the university, regional, and global communities.
• Enhance student learning opportunities through the continuous professional development of faculty.
• Connect student learning experiences with practical real life applicable programs and skills.

Goal 3: Use of Technology

• Create opportunities to develop the faculty and student capacities in technological use.
• Integrate technology in teaching and learning
• Provide access to the latest and most innovative technologies possible.

Goal 4: Promoting Self Directed Learning

• Motivate faculty, staff and students to be learners of high self- direction who are both willing and able to plan, execute, and evaluate their own learning with or without the help of an expert.
• Foster transformational learning as central to self-directed learning.
• Promote emancipatory learning and social action as an integral part of self-directed learning.

Goal 5: Promoting Curriculum Development

• Revise curricula in the light of local practices
• Update curriculum in tandem with global

Goal 6: Language Development

• Plan, design and execute language development opportunities for students and faculty.
• Introduce new languages to meet global trends and needs.

Personal Development Goals

Goal 1: Social and Emotional Awareness and Trainings

• Develop awareness of social and emotional skills in faculty, staff and students.
• Ensure inclusion of social and emotional skills in the teaching and learning process.

Goal 2: Time Management

• Ensure faculty time is well utilized and spent in academic/ research endeavors.
• Consciously control time management in order to maximize personal and professional productivity.

Iqra University Diploma in Higher Education TeachingIU Diploma in Higher Education Teaching: Program Layout  Objectives of the IU Diploma in Higher Education The objectives of the IU Diploma in Higher Education are to:

1. Apprise university faculty about the importance of teacher education and training at the tertiary level.
2. Acquaint them with the current and modern trends in teacher education.
3. Make them distinguish between traditional and current teaching practices.
4. Enable them to use the knowledge of curriculum development to develop courses.
5. Enable them to analyze teaching practices in foreign contexts through blended learning programs.
6. Encourage them to use newly developed knowledge of instructional practices in classrooms.
7. Provide faculty with the opportunity to practice teaching under clinical supervision.
8. Use reflective inquiry as a tool to resolve classroom based issues.

Iqra University Continuous Professional Development Workshops and Training’s“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think”– Albert Einstein. Continuous Professional development (CPD) is a focused and concentrated training activity which intends to support educators to improve their professional knowledge, competence, expertise, and effectiveness. Such programmes can help the faculty and staff to develop expertise in areas such as methodology of teaching, management of students and student learning, assessment practices, mentoring, social-emotional learning, reflective inquiry and many more. The development of skills in such areas together with increased focus on content knowledge enhancement can be the formidable combination which can help faculty augment student achievement and learning and make institutions seats of world class learning. CPD at Iqra University, Center for Curriculum and Professional Development is designed to:

• Enable the faculty to use cutting edge knowledge and teaching skills to enhance student learning.
• Ensure that faculty’s skills and knowledge is up to date with the current and ever changing trends.
• Make the faculty fully abreast with the latest technological trends in education.
• Create a professional learning community where ideas are shared and learnt in a congenial and professional environment.
• Increase public confidence in the faculty of Iqra University as providers of quality education.

Programs under CTELI are:

• Diploma in Higher Education
• International Diploma in ELT
• Continuous Professional Development Workshops/Courses

Meet the CTELI Team

Director, Dr. Fatima Dar

Dr Fatima Rehan Dar works as Director, Curriculum and Professional development and Director Centre for English Language at Iqra University, Karachi. She has earned her Phd from the School of Education and Cognitive Science, Asia e University, Malaysia. She also has an MA in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University (USA) and an MA in English Language and Literature from Government College University (Lahore). She has worked as teacher educator and consultant with various universities and organizations in Pakistan and abroad including Aga Khan University, SZABIST, IOBM, Karachi, Beaconhouse National University, Virtual University and Ali Institute of Education, Lahore. She has also worked with international donor agencies, USAID, DFID, Mckinzey, and Adam Smith International, on education projects. She has also taught at University of Warwick (UK) and Institute of Education (UK). She has also been a Charles Wallace Trust scholar at the Institute of Education (UK) in the year 2000. Her publications, both national and international, address issues related to curriculum development, teacher education and English language teaching.