I have to say frankly, that I think some of the issues discussed in the article are valid as they apply to the comparison between the home campuses and branch campuses of CMU, WCMC and to a considerably lesser extent TAMUQ. I say this, having some limited experience teaching students from all those programs. I suspect from what I have seen that the average student -- particularly at CMU and WCMC -- would not fit the academic profile of their counterpart when you consider that the home campuses are some of the very top American academic institutions. The bottom line is you are still drawing from a pool of students who frequently have not had access to quality primary and secondary education (especially if they attended Arabic institutions); have rarely had much experience with critical thinking; have underdeveloped analytical skills; and are, after all, pursuing a university degree in what is most often a second language.
By comparison, VCU is a state university that has an excellent reputation specific to its School of the Arts. We still have to deal with the above mentioned issues but to a lesser degree as students are pursuing design degrees and generally have considerable artistic talent and some experience in the practical application of the arts. By keeping our classes small; designing specific courses to support development in weak areas; relating the curriculum to culturally specific applications; and maintaining a strongly committed faculty with very low turnover (I am completing my 8th year here and approximately half of the faculty have been here at least 4-5 years) we have been able to maintain the quality of education relative to our home campus. The proof is in the successful employment of our graduates in lucrative and challenging positions both here in Qatar and internationally; not to mention a number awards and honors our students' designs have earned in various design competitions.
Ultimately, though, I think the biggest factor in the success of any of these programs will come down to the quality of instructions and commitment of faculty to TEACHING. In my opinion an educationally emerging society requires an emphasis on teaching first and if you have a faculty who is most concerned about research, promotion and earning their, chances are that TEACHING is going to come in dead last. I am not leveling this as a criticism of the faculty themselves, as much as at the academic system that prevails at this point in time. I think we have all had uni professors in our own past that couldn't teach their way out of a paper bag -- and couldn't care less about it -- where we as students essentially had to teach ourselves most of what was learned.
You can imagine my sadness when I hear some of the experiences EC students have related about classes at other universities where professors have no qualms about expressing their disdain for Qatar and the desire to get out after a year or two of collecting fat paycheck with a tax-free bonus (probably a good thing for the students that my uni is notoriously cheap!). What would you think if a student told you that their professors don't control the classroom environment to prevent cell phone interruptions and students milling about during lecture and they have a hard time hearing or concentrating? Or how about if students told you that everyone at their uni cheats and the professors don't even pay close enough attention to catch the most flagrant violations? As a professor teaching cross-registered students I have discovered student cheating twice and upon failing the students involved, informed their administration. Consider my disappointment when I discovered that neither uni followed up with any Honor Council disciplinary action....
Regarding VCU and Geaorgetown
By comparison, VCU is a state university that has an excellent reputation specific to its School of the Arts. We still have to deal with the above mentioned issues but to a lesser degree as students are pursuing design degrees and generally have considerable artistic talent and some experience in the practical application of the arts. By keeping our classes small; designing specific courses to support development in weak areas; relating the curriculum to culturally specific applications; and maintaining a strongly committed faculty with very low turnover (I am completing my 8th year here and approximately half of the faculty have been here at least 4-5 years) we have been able to maintain the quality of education relative to our home campus. The proof is in the successful employment of our graduates in lucrative and challenging positions both here in Qatar and internationally; not to mention a number awards and honors our students' designs have earned in various design competitions.
Ultimately, though, I think the biggest factor in the success of any of these programs will come down to the quality of instructions and commitment of faculty to TEACHING. In my opinion an educationally emerging society requires an emphasis on teaching first and if you have a faculty who is most concerned about research, promotion and earning their, chances are that TEACHING is going to come in dead last. I am not leveling this as a criticism of the faculty themselves, as much as at the academic system that prevails at this point in time. I think we have all had uni professors in our own past that couldn't teach their way out of a paper bag -- and couldn't care less about it -- where we as students essentially had to teach ourselves most of what was learned.
You can imagine my sadness when I hear some of the experiences EC students have related about classes at other universities where professors have no qualms about expressing their disdain for Qatar and the desire to get out after a year or two of collecting fat paycheck with a tax-free bonus (probably a good thing for the students that my uni is notoriously cheap!). What would you think if a student told you that their professors don't control the classroom environment to prevent cell phone interruptions and students milling about during lecture and they have a hard time hearing or concentrating? Or how about if students told you that everyone at their uni cheats and the professors don't even pay close enough attention to catch the most flagrant violations? As a professor teaching cross-registered students I have discovered student cheating twice and upon failing the students involved, informed their administration. Consider my disappointment when I discovered that neither uni followed up with any Honor Council disciplinary action....
(t be continued)