University to Revamp Campus Learning Spaces

By: Sawsan Ali
@SAWSANHISHAMALI

After a successful return to campus, the university’s administrative upper board has high hopes for the coming semester. 

Part of their plan is to continue expanding projects that enhance the student experience, while learning to live with a virus that’s become part of our daily normal.

As Provost Ehab Abdel-Rahman reflects on what he’s most proud of for this semester, he highlights teamwork as the core accomplishment; everyone working together and putting in their best effort to ensure the community’s safety, while helping students get the quality education they deserve.

“Those two combinations, sometimes they conflict by the way, but we have been doing this since we decided that we’re coming back to campus, the preparation for us to come back to campus, and management of the situation so far is good,” he said. 

He explains that there is a large project in the works targeting the enhancement of student academic experience by renovating learning spaces on campus. These spaces encompass not only the classrooms and labs, but also corridors, gardens, and other areas.

“In the future we will add more outdoor classrooms, we will add more co-working spaces on campus, we will add areas in corridors where students can come together and talk and work together also. So there will be big changes in the learning spaces in the university in the near future,” said Abdel-Rahman.

The university is also expecting to see dual delivery classrooms become a staple of campus life; these will be an asset during the pandemic in case any student is unable to attend class.

“What we have decided recently is to convert all of our classrooms into dual modality classrooms. So, by the end of the summer of 2022, all of our classrooms on campus will have the capability of doing that [offering dual modality],” he said.

These changes are not a far stretch of the imagination – some classrooms set up to accommodate a dual delivery mode of instruction were already being used on campus this semester. 

Abdel-Rahman also said that next semester he will share two other projects – revamping the admission process and financial assistance.

In terms of alumni access to campus, he stresses that protecting the community is a priority, which is why only vaccinated alumni are currently allowed on campus. 

“I’m really encouraging everyone to get vaccinated. I think the most protective measures of COVID-19 are: one, the vaccines; two, wearing masks; and three, social distancing,” he says.

Following these measures will ensure that university academic and social life can continue effectively on campus next semester.

That’s certainly one of Vice-President of Student Life Deena Boraie’s hopes for the coming spring.

Boraie stated that for next semester “we plan to continue with courses on the ground”.

After carefully studying the research done on the topic, she says it is clear that this mode of instruction is more effective for undergraduate education than having only virtual classes. 

She also believes the face-to-face mode of instruction allows students to engage in curricular and co-curricular activities differently than they could online.

“[Online student activities weren’t] very rewarding for students because it’s difficult to replicate an on-the-ground experience with Zoom online. It doesn’t really lead to the same results. And the skills that we want students to develop aren’t really well developed in the online mode. Therefore, before the beginning of the [Spring] semester, AUC decided we’re going to go on the ground,” she said.

Boraie recently assumed the role of Dean of Students, which she sees as an expansion of her role as vice-president of Student Life.

“At the end of the day, as a VP for student life, I work with students, and I love it, and I enjoy meeting students…and so, for me, it was a natural progression,” she says. 

She believes that the presence of the vice-president of Student Life under the umbrella of academia and under the Office of the Provost is a move that enables more coordination, allowing co-curricular programs to be better built to support academic curricula on learning outcomes.

“When [President] Dallal came, he restructured student affairs, and made sure that now we are within the academic area as it should be, because we should not separate students’ co-curricular life from their academic life and all their issues including their health and well-being. Bringing student life under the Provost enables us to better support students inside and outside the classroom,” said Boraie.

She also clarified that she has always had, and continues to have, an open door policy for students, especially during afternoons when she’s done with her meetings for the day.

“I’m very well known for giving out my number even before assuming the role of the Dean of Students. I’ve always made sure that I’m available for students all the time, in the evenings, and during weekends,” she added.

One thing many students ask Boraie is when graduation ceremonies will be held.

Boraie says that moving forward the university will apply the model used in September 2021, which was used to accommodate the three previous graduating classes.  

“Commencement is an outdoor commencement where everybody is masked, because we cannot handle the volume of graduates and their families indoors. Most likely, a lot of them are vaccinated, but we cannot be 100% sure, and so, yes, we’re going to continue with this model, doing it outdoors for safety,” she said.