Experts from the Northwestern University in the United States Visit An-Najah
13 December 2010
Between the 6th and 9th of December 2010, a group of experts form Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, United States visited An-Najah as part of the cooperation between the two universities to establish the Center for Teaching Excellence at An-Najah. The delegation was headed by Dr. Gregory Light, the Director of Searle Center for Teaching Excellence at Northwestern University, and Samar Abboushi, Education Program Manager of the Palestinian Faculty Development Program (PFDP) at AMIDEAST.
The guests were received by An-Najah President, Prof. Rami Hamdallah, and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Prof. Maher Abu Eid. At the beginning of the meeting, Prof. Hamdallah welcomed the delegation and presented a brief description of the University, its faculties, and the academic specializations it offers to Palestinian students in different fields.
He also emphasized that An-Najah is deeply concerned with the development of the academic performance through the development of educational cadres in the fields of research and teaching. Moreover, he valued the efforts that the AMIDEAST is exerting to support the educational process in Palestine and ensured that An-Najah is always ready to cooperate with it regarding both education and the scholarships that this institution provides. The experts also met with a number of faculties' deans, academic staff and students at An-Najah through discussion meetings which aimed to familiarize the delegation with the reality of academic education in Palestine and pinpointing the major challenges that the development of higher education quality faces.
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They also discussed the most important services that can contribute to the development of the academic staff which the anticipated center shall be able to provide when it is established. Dr. Khitam Shraim, the Director of the E-learning Unit at An-Najah, said that the aim of the meetings was to focus on the quality of higher education in Palestine which would be achieved through creating positive attitudes towards the academic and professional development and by adopting the latest approaches and modern trends in the development of university education.
She added that An-Najah is working on various phases of academic development, and hoped that through the anticipated center for teaching excellence the University will be able to promote excellence and innovation in teaching methods and achieve substantial transformation in the way academic education is delivered to students.
Dr. Shraim explained that, based on those meetings, an integrated plan has been prepared of the new excellence center project that will be implemented at An-Najah. The plan includes unique programs and innovative activities that will contribute to the development of the educational process at the University and ensure a long-term educational excellence in Palestine.
Dr. Abdel Kareem Daraghmeh, instructor at An-Najah Languages Center, mentioned that the main purpose of the new center is to facilitate the process of shifting to the new teaching approach which is student-centered and to help in developing the teaching and research skills of the educational cadres at An-Najah.
On its part, the delegation was impressed by the high level that An-Najah has achieved over the last years and the potentials and academic efforts it enjoys which enable it to develop its academic education and achieve better academic performance. It is noteworthy to mention that both An-Najah and Bethlehem universities have been granted the PFDP fund by the AMIDEAST to establish the Center for Teaching Excellence on there campuses.
The guests were received by An-Najah President, Prof. Rami Hamdallah, and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Prof. Maher Abu Eid. At the beginning of the meeting, Prof. Hamdallah welcomed the delegation and presented a brief description of the University, its faculties, and the academic specializations it offers to Palestinian students in different fields.
He also emphasized that An-Najah is deeply concerned with the development of the academic performance through the development of educational cadres in the fields of research and teaching. Moreover, he valued the efforts that the AMIDEAST is exerting to support the educational process in Palestine and ensured that An-Najah is always ready to cooperate with it regarding both education and the scholarships that this institution provides. The experts also met with a number of faculties' deans, academic staff and students at An-Najah through discussion meetings which aimed to familiarize the delegation with the reality of academic education in Palestine and pinpointing the major challenges that the development of higher education quality faces.
They also discussed the most important services that can contribute to the development of the academic staff which the anticipated center shall be able to provide when it is established. Dr. Khitam Shraim, the Director of the E-learning Unit at An-Najah, said that the aim of the meetings was to focus on the quality of higher education in Palestine which would be achieved through creating positive attitudes towards the academic and professional development and by adopting the latest approaches and modern trends in the development of university education.
She added that An-Najah is working on various phases of academic development, and hoped that through the anticipated center for teaching excellence the University will be able to promote excellence and innovation in teaching methods and achieve substantial transformation in the way academic education is delivered to students.
Dr. Shraim explained that, based on those meetings, an integrated plan has been prepared of the new excellence center project that will be implemented at An-Najah. The plan includes unique programs and innovative activities that will contribute to the development of the educational process at the University and ensure a long-term educational excellence in Palestine.
On its part, the delegation was impressed by the high level that An-Najah has achieved over the last years and the potentials and academic efforts it enjoys which enable it to develop its academic education and achieve better academic performance. It is noteworthy to mention that both An-Najah and Bethlehem universities have been granted the PFDP fund by the AMIDEAST to establish the Center for Teaching Excellence on there campuses.
