News

The Center for Continuing Education (CCE) at the American University of Kuwait (AUK) is pleased to announce the launch of online training courses via virtual classroom.
CCE-AUK offers a range of online courses, including:

• General English training for all levels of language ability
• AUK Teacher Training Certificate in Educational Training (TTC1)

International Exam Preparation courses for:

• IELTS
• GMAT
• PMP (Project Management Professional)

The courses will be offered through a virtual classroom with experienced CCE instructors who create an authentic experience in which participants enjoy the same level of engagement that they would in a real-life classroom. Sessions are dynamic and interactive, with course content delivered through training manuals, PowerPoint presentations, supplementary practice, group discussions, and a wide range of activities. 

For more information about CCE-AUK training courses and programs, please contact us via message on WhatsApp 62224839.

About CCE:
CCE was established in 2004 and, in addition to offering language courses in Arabic, English, French and Spanish, offers an array of courses and workshops aimed to assist in the personal and professional development of individuals and groups within the public and private sectors. Course offerings are specifically tailored to meet the needs of their clients, whether they are independent groups or corporations.

The Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) at AUK held its first workshop for the University’s faculty entitled, Classroom Assessment Techniques: Quick Strategies for Checking the Cognitive and Emotional Pulse of Your Class, conducted by Dr. Maha Bali, Associate Professor of Practice at the Center for Teaching and Learning at the American University in Cairo (AUC). The premise of the workshop centered on classroom assessment techniques (CATs) which are simple techniques that provide feedback on how well students are learning, which faculty members can easily collect and quickly act upon. Different CATs can give the faculty member insight on how well students are absorbing course-related knowledge and skills, students’ attitudes, values and self-awareness, and their feedback and reactions to teaching methods. The workshop discussed the benefits and challenges of using CATs and discussed the merits in light of particular teaching goals. 

Commenting on the diversity of CATs, Dr. Bali said, "There is always value in hearing about another faculty member's lived experiences in teaching, and how their students responded to their approach. These practical tips can be so much more useful than anything you read about in a book about teaching."

Meanwhile, CTE Director, Basema Dana emphasized the role of the Center to serve faculty’s purpose in the University, “The heart of CTE is its relationships with faculty. I truly believe that faculty members can define their own notion of excellence. CTE is "A Space for Faculty" that enables them to realize their potential and provide them with the instruments and resources to make it possible.”

About the Center for Teaching Excellence:
The Center for Teaching Excellence aims to provide AUK faculty with continuous support and resources necessary to apply modern curricula to their classrooms and promote a holistic educational culture that allows faculty to utilize technology while harnessing the best methods of teaching to ensure constructive and active learning environments.
    

AUK hosted the American International Consortium of Academic Libraries (AMICAL) conference with the theme digital transformation at international liberal arts institutions: innovation, collaboration & sustainability. 

The conference was opened by Asma Al-Kanan, AUK university librarian and Dr. Rawda Awwad, AUK president who stressed the importance of universities keeping up-to-date with the latest technology to improve teaching methods and boost learning, “For the ‘transformative’ aspects of this goal to be achieved, the institutional leadership must understand that today almost all strategic planning objectives are buttressed by technology; therefore, there absolutely must be a long-term institutional commitment that makes available significant resources.” Siva Vaidhyanathan, professor of media studies and director of the Center for Media and Citizenship at the University of Virginia served as the conference’s keynote speaker.

Attended by 115 people from 20 countries around the world, the four-day conference consisted of workshops, lectures, discussions, a poster and technology showcase that facilitated sharing ideas, learning, and responding to changes in learning and research practices. Al-Kanan commented on the success of the conference’s mission, saying, “It was a wonderful opportunity for participants from different liberal arts institutions to network and learn from the experiences, challenges, and success stories of one another. AMICAL has definitely helped build a learning community whereby good ideas are nurtured and supported for the betterment of all member institutions.”

Also in attendance was AMICAL Consortium director, Jeff Gima who remarked on the uniqueness of the organization, “How many events are there that bring together a critical mass of librarians, faculty, and technologists from international liberal arts institutions to respond collaboratively to the changing environments of learning and scholarship? I only know of one: the AMICAL Conference. AMICAL 2020, focused on digital transformation, was a perfect example of this, and the collective energy of collaborative ideas being generated across institutional lines, and across professional roles, was palpable.”

The AMICAL Consortium’s mission is to advance learning, teaching and research through the collaborative development of library and information services and curricular resources at member institutions. AMICAL is an international consortium of 29 American‐modeled institutions in 22 different countries.
  

AUK Assistant Professor of Economics, Dr. Khalid Adnan has been granted a research fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School. His research will focus on export-diversification-led growth in a knowledge economy framework. In particular, using a knowledge-led growth model, he will conduct quantitative and qualitative research to study the impact of export-diversification on economic growth, and the potential transformation to knowledge-intensive economy in Kuwait and GCC countries over the past two decades.
  
For the past two decades, economic development policy in high per capita income countries—especially in countries where exports represent a large percentage of national income such as the case in Kuwait and other GCC countries—have focused on diversifying their export-base to achieve sustainable development in their economies. Countries in the GCC region have taken considerable steps to diversify their incomes away from the natural resource-base. Export diversification leads to [in theory] knowledge spillovers that contribute to the building of human capital in those countries, however, there has been evidence to the contrary in GCC countries. Expanding on this topic, Dr. Khalid explains the purpose of his research, “My research will attempt to identify the structural components that contribute to the transformation of Kuwait and other GCC countries to Knowledge Economies. In doing so, this research will help us better understand the structural barriers to export-diversification in Kuwait and the Gulf, and will inform future research in sustainable economic development on the region.”

The fellowship is from February 2020 until the end of May 2020. Dr. Khalid will be giving lectures and presentations to Harvard faculty and students on his research, and authoring a working paper outlining his findings.
  

The Center for Gulf Studies at the American University of Kuwait began the Spring semester with a lecture by His Excellency Ambassador Abdullah Bishara on “GCC Countries’ Dreams and Realities” on Wednesday 5 February 2020.  Ambassador Bishara has worked in the Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs for over thirty years, serving as Kuwait’s permanent representative to the United Nations, the chairman of the United Nations Security Council, the first secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and a current member of AUK’s Board of Trustees.  The talk was attended by over one hundred members of the AUK community, including AUK President Rawda Awwad and Mr. Faisal Al-Ayyar, Vice Chairman of Kuwait Projects Company (Holding) KIPCO,  and member of the AUK Board of Trustees.

Ambassador Bishara recalled the beginnings of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the genuine hope and discourse shared by the founding leaders.  He noted that one shared dream between the founders was diversification away from oil, but pragmatically, the economic shift had been and is currently facing obstacles.  He also noted that there was discussion of a shared framework for security for years, but that bilateral, state-to-state alliances and partnerships had been and were being pursued.  He suggested that one reason for this pursuit had been the increase of what he termed “tribal nationalism,” and emphasized the need to multilateral unity among GCC members.

In his call for unity, Ambassador Bishara reminded the audience of the strategic importance of the GCC to Kuwaiti diplomacy particularly during the 1990 Gulf War and throughout history.  He also explained the importance of GCC unity for enhancing stability in the Middle East region and for pragmatic, economic, and political interaction with the rest of the world.  He ended with a call to all, from GCC youth to GCC decision makers, to keep up the dialogue domestically and regionally, and underscored that there should be no fatigue in this pursuit.  

Dr. Shareefa Al-Adwani, Director of the CGS, stated, “His Excellency Ambassador Abdullah Bishara has been and continues to be an influential figure in our region’s shared history.  His talk tonight underlined the continuously important role of the GCC for Kuwait, for the region, and for the larger Arab world.  He emphasized the criticality of member state reinvigoration and genuine discussion in order to take future GCC dreams and turn them into GCC realities.  The Center for Gulf Studies extends its appreciation to the Ambassador for this reflective and thought-provoking talk and for his frank conversation with the community during the formal exchange and informal dialogue.”

His Excellency Ambassador Abdullah Bishara earned a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from St. John’s University.  After retiring from the MoFA, Ambassador Bishara continued his involvement with politics and diplomacy in formal and informal capacities.  He has also written multiple books, including Kuwait’s Diplomacy Wars, writes weekly for AlQabas, and has contributed several articles on politics and Economics in English-language periodicals.

About the Center for Gulf Studies:
The Center for Gulf Studies is a research center under the College of Arts and Sciences at the American University of Kuwait. The center aims to promote greater cultural understanding of and increased intellectual interest in the Gulf, by facilitating free and open academic discourse on a range of issues that both shape and challenge this critical region of the world. Their goal is to enable scholars as well as political and civil society actors both within and outside the region to contribute and add value to the burgeoning field of Gulf Studies. To this end, the center seeks to encourage, support, and cultivate interesting and original research on the Gulf, and to create an environment in which AUK students and faculty can interact and collaborate with researchers and activists from around the world in creative and engaging ways.
  

The Library of the American University of Kuwait (AUK) launched the Oral History and Documentation Project (OHDP), in collaboration with KIPCO – the Kuwait Projects Company (Holding).

The project, an initiative by AUK’s Center for Gulf Studies led by its former Director Dr Farah Al Nakib, made public its first set of life history interviews with pioneers in Kuwait to mark the launch of the project.

The project was established to actively conduct oral histories on a wide range of topics and themes in order to document the experiences of generations of Kuwaitis and non-Kuwaitis. The launching of the OHDP website marks the culmination of a four-year collaboration between AUK and KIPCO, which has supported the project since the early stages of planning. 

The aim of the project is to develop a substantial archive of recorded interviews that will serve as a valuable resource to researchers, students and the general public.

Ms Asma Al Kanan, University Librarian at AUK said:

“It is not uncommon for libraries to nurture such projects. Libraries have always been places where content is created, shared and preserved for generations to come. We are very proud to launch the Oral History Project in Kuwait and make it available to the public through the latest technology of audio recording and archiving. All of this would not have been possible without the strong support of KIPCO and the university administration, as well as the dedication of the project team led by our project manager, Ms Reem Al Ali.”

 Ms. Eman Al Awadhi, Group Communications Director at KIPCO said:

“KIPCO is delighted to be supporting this important AUK initiative, the Oral History and Documentation Project. As we all work together to realize the vision of the future of Kuwait, we must look to lessons learnt from the past. Here rests the importance of preserving the voices, memories and experiences of the many men and women who have made significant contributions to shape this nation.”

The OHDP is currently focused on recording the life histories of those born before the 1960s. The recorded interviews explore the memories of individuals who experienced the drastic shift in Kuwait’s society with the advent of oil, as well as their experiences of major historical events such as the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. 

The OHDP interviews can be accessed through the OHDP website: http://oralhistory.auk.edu.kw/
    
About KIPCO:
The KIPCO Group is one of the biggest holding companies in the Middle East and North Africa, with consolidated assets of US$ 32 billion as at 30 September 2019. The Group has significant ownership interests in over 60 companies operating across 24 countries. The group’s main business sectors are financial services, media, real estate, manufacturing and education.

Further information:
            
Eman Al Awadhi
Group Communications Director
KIPCO Corporate Communications Department
T: +965 2294 3416
M: +965 6033 6399
Eman.Alawadhi@kipco.com

Nahla El Helbawi
Communications Coordinator
AUK PR & Marketing Department
T: +965 1802040 ext. 3023
nalhalbawi@auk.edu.kw

Images from the event