Integrated, Sustained, & Data-Informed Course Improvement at AUIS

The goal of the initiative was to support AUIS in modernizing its curriculum and align it with international standards. AUIS faced two key challenges: lengthy degree programs and the aspiration to attract more female students. Together, TIEC and AUIS set four primary objectives:

2. Improve course sequencing and program mapping to enhance marketability.

3. Enhance curriculum inclusivity and gender diversity while reducing program graduation duration to attract female prospective students.

4. Modernize processes and tools for continuous internal program review, ensuring quality learning outcomes.

5. Foster substantive working relationships.
   

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The Course Review

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By revisiting institutional goals and outcomes — and subsequently considering whether the department, program, and course outcomes support these — curriculum became more integrated, coherent, and mission-led.  

One of the main takeaways from the instruction was that AUIS can take deliberate & concrete action to create environments that are welcoming and beneficial for underrepresented students. A set of thoughtful and inclusive practices were shared to establish an inclusive environment that increased and facilitated student success.

Major highlights of this project overall included:

• Completion of 12 program reviews and 199 course/syllabus.
• Substantive guidance from the seven-member, all-female Advisory Board, especially related to improvements in gender and diversity.
• The program allowed for the modernization of innumerable polices, procedures, and governance strategies, including support to AUIS’ newly-hired Director of Institutional Effectiveness.
• The establishment of international professional networks that promote both better understanding of U.S. higher education and individual career development for participating faculty.
• Provision of marketing guidance by a TIEC consultant to assist AUIS in positioning itself online as an excellent choice for female students.
• Acceptance of the no-cost extension, which allowed a larger segment of AUIS’ faculty to receive training, thereby making the university’s grant-based efforts ever more sustainable.
• Mentorships for College of Pharmacy faculty to ensure AUIS’ newest degree program received the support it needs to succeed.
• Support to AUIS’ creation of the First-Year Experience seminar, which continues to better prepare new students to succeed in a U.S.-style university; and
• Two academic articles co-authored by project personnel in Texas and Iraq, one of which has already been submitted for publication in a leading education journal.
• Contributed to the broader mission of promoting American-style higher education in Iraq, aligning with the U.S. Government's long-term stabilization strategy.

The project in the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS) was led by TIEC, in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. It was also guided by an all-female advisory board with representatives from AUIS and six Texas consortium members, including Texas A&M University – College Station, Lamar University, Southern Methodist University, Texas State University, Texas Tech University, Texas Woman’s University, The University of Texas at Arlington, The University of Texas at Austin, The University of Texas at Dallas, Navarro College, and the University of North Texas. The project technical advisor was Dr. Nancy Shankle, of the Texas A&M University RELLIS Campus, who has experience working with accrediting bodies including SACSCOC, AACSB, ABET, CACREP, CCNE, and COAMFTE.

American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS) is the first non-governmental, not-for-profit, American-style university in Iraq. Founded in 2007 and operated for the public benefit, it is also the first non-governmental university in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region to be accredited by both the federal Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government. It is the only certified member in Iraq of the Association of American International Colleges and Universities (AAICU). The University welcomes students, 35 percent of whom are women, from diverse communities throughout Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

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