XplanaZine

The proposed program is designed to build capacity in Iraqi universities by training educators in the effective use of online educational resources and web-based instructional activities, evaluations, and resources. Not only will Iraqi educators learn how to build and customize curricula with the help of online resources, they will also build capacity by learning how to develop web-accessible and downloadable content, research tools, virtual libraries, evaluations, assessments, learning activities, and professional development resources. A special emphasis is placed on developing sharable content objects (SCOs) in terms of text, graphics, assessments which are adaptable for culturally and needs-modified applications. This is essentially a train-the-trainer approach, which will be applicable across the curriculum for undergraduate as well as graduate-level courses. A broad set of deliverables will result, as well as a core of highly trained and capable educational professionals who will become adept at working collaboratively with U.S. educators to modernize, reform, and repair university education and resources. The model developed here can be utilized in other countries that have similar needs and are experiencing similar circumstances.

Overall Structure and Deliverables: This is a six-week in-country program that will feature workshops, train-the-trainer presentations, intensive training, and direct technical assistance in order to build curriculum, educational equipment, educational materials, and Internet resources. The results will include:
Full general education curriculum for lower-division secondary education (university) students. The focus of this project is to develop individuals who can rebuild infrastructure (roads, buildings, energy, hydrocarbon and resource management, telecommunications, library, educational infrastructure);
Specialized upper division and graduate-level curriculum for infrastructure development, which includes tracks that emphasize resource management, leadership, community development, civil society, technical communications;
Trained faculty members, instructors, and students who are able to develop and modify online learning resources in order to create materials for onsite delivery, or a “hybrid” solution (part-online, part onsite);
New procedures and approaches that build upon existing educational philosophies, but which incorporate newly available resources;
Functional virtual library and information center, with emphasis on documents pertaining to needed curriculum items;
Educational model which can be used for educational infrastructure rebuilding, culturally-appropriate educational reform, and modernization of schools in other countries that may experience similar needs;
Peer-to-Peer networks for efficient sharing of data and documents;
Weblogs and informational websites, for sharing curriculum, course documents, instructional materials, assessment and evaluation materials, student and faculty resources;
Set of BEST PRACTICES for online and onsite curriculum / course development;
Set of BEST PRACTICES for evaluation, assessment, and certification / capacitation of faculty and students;
Set of BEST PRACTICES for data and information management, with particular emphasis on the continuing development of course content, curriculum and library documents, in an approach that is flexible and responsive to the needs of the people and the country.
Resources Delivered: Equipment, guidebooks, textbooks, assessment manuals, procedures for developing tests and assessment.
Specific Activities:
Needs Assessment — what are the current conditions? What resources are needed? Develop a checklist which includes up-to-date curriculum, training materials, course outlines, books, learning activities, assessments and evaluations, equipment.
Train-the-Trainer Workshops (target: 400 educators) –
Curriculum Development Activities (guided by at least 100 educators, with ultimate impact - 65,000 teachers and educators within 12 months) — Participants will review available curriculum, select what they teach, then modify the existing curriculum in order to develop at least 5 courses that they will teach over the span of one year.
Educational Materials — Develop inventories of existing materials. Conduct a needs assessment, and make list of resources needed for immediate implementation of educational plan. Practice obtaining resources from virtual resource repositories on the Web. Develop a list of priorities of needed materials, work with team in U.S. to upload them and make them available in easily-accessed and quickly downloaded locations. Translate into Arabic as needed.
Image Library and Resource Library for Future-Need Curriculum and Materials Design — Utilize culturally-appropriate images, diagrams, and graphical resources. This may require modification. Work with graphic designers and artists to develop a library of culturally-appropriate diagrams, graphics, images to help facilitate learning. This is particularly important in the translation from English to Arabic. Keep the files and resources as universally usable as possible, and put graphics in jpeg or gifs optimized for the web. Use a component-based approach so that the learning objects are shareable.
Educational Materials Development — Develop list of existing resources available for download; develop master list of high-priority books and educational resources; identify quantities required
Equipment Training — Basics of using computers for web access; develop training guide for familiarization with the internet; web design; peer-to-peer network management
Web-Design and Interactive Web-Log Development Workshops
Distribution of Educational Materials
Curriculum and Instructional Plan for Degree Programs and General Education
Education Product Deliverables: Curriculum developed, which includes course content, course notes, sharable content objects (SCOs) such as graphics and icons, assessment materials, evaluations, instructional activities. Textbooks can be made available via peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing over local networks and via the web.
General Education Courses for Students in Infrastructure-related Areas:
20 core courses - lower-division level
Humanities and Communications - 5 courses
Social Sciences - 5 courses
Natural Sciences - 5 courses
Business - 5 courses

Upper Division Tracks
Resource Management: 8 courses
Reconstruction Leadership: 8 courses
Community Development: 8 courses
Governance and Civil Society: 8 courses
Technical Communications: 8 courses

Work Plan and Schedule:
30 days in US: Preparation of materials, coordination
45 days in Iraq:
Week 1: Workshop: What is online education? How can it be used for developing curriculum, etc. Training and orientation; Needs assessment
Week 2: Curriculum, resources, and instructional materials for general education courses
Assemble curriculum teams, identify specific tasks, develop action plans with deadlines
Build matrix that matches needs with individuals; delegate work
Begin development of faculty resources, customized readings and tests, culturally-effective image / graphics, needs assessment materials
20 core courses - lower-division level
Humanities and Communications - 5 courses
Social Sciences - 5 courses
Natural Sciences - 5 courses
Business - 5 courses
Week 3: Curriculum, resources, and instructional materials for more specialized courses
Assemble curriculum teams, identify specific tasks, develop action plans with deadlines
Build matrix that matches needs with individuals; delegate work
Begin development of faculty resources, customized readings and tests, culturally-effective image / graphics, needs assessment materials
Community Development: 8 courses
Governance and Civil Society: 8 courses
Technical Communications: 8 courses
Week 4: Curriculum, resources, and instructional materials for specialty track courses
Assemble curriculum teams, identify specific tasks, develop action plans with deadlines
Build matrix that matches needs with individuals; delegate work
Begin development of faculty resources, customized readings and tests, culturally-effective image / graphics, needs assessment materials
Resource Management: 8 courses
Reconstruction Leadership: 8 courses
Week 5: Virtual libraries, assessment materials, evaluations, best practices
Week 6: Website development, shareable resources, weblogs, discussion and interactivity issues; final evaluation / assessments
30 days follow-on in the U.S. - finalizing deliverables
Additional Notes:
PROPOSAL DESIGNED BY: Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D.
Lead Trainer and Developer for Online Education Training: Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D.
Experience of Lead Trainer and Developer: Dr. Nash possesses more than 9 years of experience in developing online courses and programs, as well as evaluation, assessment, and resource development. Dr. Nash has written numerous articles and has presented at workshops and conferences. In addition, she has trained professionals and helped guide the development of online programs for universities, economic development, and general education in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Paraguay, Kenya, Mozambique, Guatemala, Venezuela, and Colombia.
USAID Experience of Lead Trainer and Developer: Dr. Nash has worked on USAID projects having to do with online education, Internet-facilitated economic development, and online-based business centers / commodities brokerage in Azerbaijan, Kenya, and Mozambique.