Through this partnership the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), aims to improve academic quality of the Kabul Polytechnic University (KPU) through curriculum and faculty development to ensure quality education and employment for a larger number of Afghan men and women in the HHS field Universities of Afghanistan.
About Kabul Polytechnic University Partnership
The Civil Engineering Department in UNO is run by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) faculty, which provides bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in Civil Engineering including Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering.
Funds for this partnership are provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through FHI360. This partnership is part of the United States Workforce Development Program (USWDP) for Afghanistan administered by FHI360.
The project is designed to develop professional capacity in Afghanistan that addresses the needs of the growing Afghan HHS market. Addressing these needs will require updated methods of education to develop new skills.
UNO and UNL will assist KPU faculty to develop updated curriculum and pedagogical skills to teach and present well-educated students that are prepared for the marketplace. UNO and UNL will help KPU faculty members to strengthen their current connections and develop new relationships with the private HHS sector that will offer internships for students and jobs for new graduates.
Goals of the Project
The Center received this grant in September 2016 and project activities will run through September 2018. The project is designed to develop professional capacity in Afghanistan that addresses the needs of the growing Afghan HHS market.
The goals of this project are:
- Policy Document Development
- Curriculum Development
- Teaching and Learning Material Development Training
- Faculty Training
- Learning Assessment Training
- International Accreditation
- Research Capacity Development
- Admission Policy Strengthening
Objectives
UNO and UNL will assist KPU faculty to develop an updated curriculum and pedagogical skills to teach and present well-educated students that are prepared for the marketplace. UNO and UNL will help KPU faculty members to strengthen their current connections and develop new relationships with the private HHS sector that will offer internships for students and jobs for new graduates.
- To develop new curriculum and develop quality teaching and learning materials relevant to the market-oriented knowledge and employability.
- To develop the teaching skills of KPU faculty in quality teaching.
Expected results of the program include having faculty with enhanced teaching capability and faculty prepared for master graduate advisors in KPU. Ultimately students at KPU will be better prepared to enter the growing HHS sector in Afghanistan.
UNO and UNL faculty will benefit from their exposure to Afghan faculty who will provide unique strengths and life experiences. Shared dialogue and cultural exchange will enhance the sustained relationship among UNO, UNL and KPU and advance mutual understanding among the citizens of the US and Afghanistan.
On-Going Support
Future activities developed for continued partnership with Kabul Polytechnic University include:
UNO and UNL faculty will visit KPU campus to team-teach with KPU faculty using their new curriculum. While there, UNO and UNL faculty will help KPU faculty further revise curriculum to meet the needs of their student cohorts and to polish their new interactive pedagogical skills. Further, UNO and UNL faculty will assist KPU faculty in developing and implementing their research projects.
Continual Communication
In addition, UNO will also ensure communication with KPU faculty through virtual means of communication by arranging Skype calls and sharing information through other means of Information Technology.
UNO will also be providing KPU with textbooks and other material for specific classes and subjects to be taught at the Department of Engineering. These books and material will be jointly identified by Afghan and American faculty with a goal to address the needs of Afghan students.
The anticipated results, both short and long-term, are for the Afghan professors to assist in the improvement of instruction and curriculum for Kabul Polytechnic University in Afghanistan, and the enhancement of understanding between the people of Afghanistan and the USA.
Additional Reading
Dec. 2016 trip summary to New Delhi, India
Oct. 2016 trip summary to AfghanistanDec. 2017 trip summary to Goa, India
