“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:
Source: Ambrose et al, How Learning Works, Jossey-Bass 2010, p.3
Backwards course design is a planning framework that enables the faculty member to hone in on overall learning objectives. Course design involves starting from what we want our students to know and be able to do at the end of a semester. The intended learning outcomes guide the process of course design. They include measurable statements of what students should know at the end of the course. These objectives are then the road map for the syllabus, whereby learning objectives are aligned with assignments and course content, considering how the course fits into the relevant program(s), and the rigor of the course relative to the preparation of the students enrolled. Strong course organization that will enhance teaching and student learning.
The curricular structure developed in your syllabus is something that needs to be put into action through deliberate pedagogy, methods of teaching, and the integration of technology where appropriate. This is as important for interdisciplinary electives as it is for structured prerequisite courses that have threshold concepts that must be learned to advance in a given program.
Assessment is an important part of teaching and learning where we determine whether students have succeeded in reaching the course’s learning objectives. This video will explore some alternative assessments that you can use in your classroom.
Our teaching-related support videos are currently only available to the NYU/NYU Shanghai/NYU Abu Dhabi Faculty via login.
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.
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 refers to a wide variety of educational and instructional techniques focused on connecting what students are taught in school to real-world issues, problems, and applications.
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.
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!
Professor Karmani uses the backdrop of Abu Dhabi to help his students explore how the photographer’s choices impact seemingly objective images. Students address the question: “What ethical questions emerge from the tension between the medium’s supposed objectivity and the photographer’s admitted subjectivity?”
Professor Karmani used the streets, people, boats and buildings of Abu Dhabi as a means for students to explore ethical scenarios of photojournalism, travel photography, street photography, portraiture, and commercial photography. Through these authentic experiences, students confront questions about consent, privacy, representation, citizen responsibility, and propaganda.
Student Bakheeta Alketbi submitted this photo as part of her final assignment for the course.
Student Safiyah Al Tayer submitted this photo as part of her final assignment for the course.
