“Learning is a process that leads to change, which occurs as a result of experience and increases the potential for improved performance and future learning.” (Ambrose et al, How Learning Works, Jossey-Bass 2010)
Learning includes three components:
- “Learning is a process, not a product. However, because this process takes place in the mind, we can only infer that it has occurred from students’ products and performances.
- Learning involves change in knowledge, beliefs, behaviors, or attitudes. This change unfolds over time; it is not fleeting but rather has a lasting impact on how students think and act.
- Learning is not something done to students, but rather something students themselves do. It is the direct result of how students interpret and respond to their experiences – conscious and unconscious, past and present.”
Source: Ambrose et al, How Learning Works, Jossey-Bass 2010, p.3
Curricular alignment involves setting clear learning objectives, designing assessments that help develop and measure performance relative to those objectives, and deploying innovative teaching methods that allow students to practice and demonstrate new ways of thinking and doing.
If you are teaching in the Core Curriculum there are guidelines for proposing and developing a Core course and sample syllabus templates available.
If you are teaching a regular NYU Abu Dhabi course there is a syllabus creation tool and syllabus checklist available to assist faculty in compiling their syllabus.
Not everything that happens in the classroom should be measurable. And our liberal arts model grounds itself on the value of living an examined life, in knowing for knowing’s sake. Nonetheless, delivering quality education means setting out with a clear organization that students can follow. We assess what we teach, and we provide details of the journey so students know how to proceed.
Abu Dhabi as a Learning Ground
NYU Abu Dhabi’s founding mission encapsulates a conviction that “interaction with new ideas and people who are different is valuable and necessary,” as well as a commitment to “educating students who are true citizens of the world.” From its conception, NYUAD has dedicated itself to “be an institution in and of Abu Dhabi, a leading global city that is open and dynamic, economically and culturally vibrant, and a magnet for diverse and creative people from across the UAE and around the world.”
As the capital of the country, the city not only has rich and authentic cultural roots but a burgeoning diverse environment and modern wonders that compliment its heritage beautifully. This makes for a dynamic setting within which the city can serve both as the medium and the material for authentic cross-disciplinary liberal arts learning.
Authentic learning
As an active teaching methodology that equips students with the agency to engage in learning by doing, experiential and authentic learning is a cornerstone of liberal arts pedagogy. Drawing on the rich scientific, cultural, and environmental resources in Abu Dhabi, faculty at NYUAD can develop authentic assignments that leverage the geographic location of our community. Moreover, the dynamic nature of these resources enable them to be accessed even when we are geographically dispersed during remote instruction.
Field Trips and Experiential Opportunities Abound in Abu Dhabi
By exploring local museums, mosques, finance centers, and research labs, faculty can engage students authentically, and equip them with the skills to collaborate, think critically, and apply real-world scenarios to challenges. Case studies can be based on present or historic events and institutions in the city. The rich ecology of the Gulf region and vast desert ecosystems also offer opportunities for engaging scaffolded learning.
Below are some examples of physical locations, research centers, and other elements of Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates that can help bring your learning objectives to life for your students. Many of these locations can be visited virtually from anywhere.
And there is so much more!