Опыт и идеи современного образования

Quarterly Report # 3 (due 20 October 2020)

Period of performance: 30 June 2020 – 30 September 2020

Name of the Central Asia University: TIIAME Bukhara Branch

1.     Purpose of the Project

To provide professional development to faculty at Bukhara Branch – Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers (BBTIIAME) and their invitees through face-to-face and virtual workshops. The content of the workshops replicates and expands the work of Jacek Koziel, Iowa State faculty member in Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering, who was a Fulbright Specialist at Urgench State University in

2019. The objective fulfills two goals BBTIIAME seeks from a US partner: (a) training professors to conduct high quality research and publish research results in peer-reviewed, scientific journals and apply for grants, and (b) use best practices to develop research

capacity and sustain a partnership with [Iowa State University].

This project addresses or supports numerous facets of UniCEN's initiatives, such as academic writing, practical understanding of US higher education, collaborating in areas of mutual interest (e.g., agriculture, engineering), building long-term relationships, and developing exchanges.

2.     Activities in the reported period

2.1.          Curriculum, Teaching and Assessment Methods Revisions

2.2.          Joint Research, Conferences and Publications with the U.S. Partner

2.3.          Faculty and Student Exchanges with U.S.

2.4.          New Faculty Policies and Practices based on U.S. experience

2.5.          Other Activities with the U.S. University Partner

The project begins with a qualitative needs assessment, and then moves to analysis and preparation of face-to-face workshops in Uzbekistan, followed by ongoing professional development delivered virtually, culminating in each participant giving a research presentation with feedback provided by a member of the project team. Details of these steps follow.

3. Outcomes

Examples: Faculty introduced or revised XXX undergraduate and XXX graduate courses based on U.S. XXX curriculum and teaching and assessment methods; U.S. faculty have jointly supervised XXX graduate dissertations​; faculty successfully published XXX papers in XXX peer-reviewed journals​; XX U.S. students participated on exchange programs at Central Asian universities​; Faculty submitted joint proposals to XXX international funding agencies​.

·         One oral, research presentation per Uzbek participant

• One academic writing artifact (paper, poster, grant proposal, etc.) per Uzbek participant

• Improvement of Uzbek participants' research knowledge and practices (pre-posttest and/ or interviews)

The project team consists of two faculty members at Iowa State University, a premier public

university with a focus on agriculture, and one member of the international relations

department at BBTIIAME. The Iowa State faculty represent agriculture, engineering,

communication studies, and English. Each is an alum of a Fulbright program in Uzbekistan.

They combine their experiences in Uzbekistan, their research experiences, and their

commitment to faculty professionalization in Uzbekistan in this grant proposal. They are

each committed to development of higher education in Uzbekistan and the country's

commitment to English language learning.

4. Number of direct and indirect UniCEN project beneficiaries

1. Virtual meetings will be led by Tina Coffelt (PI), Koziel and Sabirov in November to launch the project. Sabirov may select up to 10 individuals to participate in the virtual meetings. Coffelt will ask open-ended questions to ascertain the specific research and publishing strengths and needs of faculty.

2. Koziel and Coffelt will analyze these responses and develop a series of workshops for up to 90 participants from BBTIIAME and other universities in Uzbekistan, as invited by BBTIIAME. Koziel and Coffelt will determine which topics can be delivered virtually and which should be delivered in person. Based on Koziel's prior experience at Urgench State University, the topics listed below are likely to surface; are ready for repeat, in-person delivery; and could be considered for virtual delivery. Based on Coffelt's experience at the Republican Graduate School of Business and Management, presentations on

understanding cultural norms in the United States are ready for adaptation and inclusion with these grant activities.

5.Information about the project at the university website, social media and photographs

All information on our project and workshops are presented on our institute website

6. Project Concerns and Limitations. Is it on track/schedule to be completed within the estimated period of performance? If not, how do you plan to get the program back on schedule?

Each of our steps is on schedule and will be completed on time. If not, the issue will be settled by both side mutually.

7. Future Funding (Sustainability)

       The long-term goals are to establish ongoing cooperation between Iowa State University and BBTIIAME and to expand the professional development program to faculty at other universities in Uzbekistan. In addition to expanding to faculty at other universities, the program could also be adapted to other disciplines.

There are numerous ideas for ongoing collaboration that will require funding. To that end, the online components developed with this grant could be converted to a fee-generating model where any Uzbek faculty participant would pay a fee for the online modules. In turn, a portion of the fees would be used to fund Uzbek faculty visits to Iowa State University, visits that would include access to laboratory equipment, field stations, library resources, or observations of teaching. Fees could also be used to fund conference registration and travel funds for Uzbek faculty to attend academic conferences.

       There are also ideas for ongoing collaboration that do not require funding. As Koziel and Coffelt get to know faculty members and their research interests, they can connect faculty from Uzbekistan with faculty at Iowa State and be a catalyst for new research collaborations. These research networks could produce joint publications and conference presentations, research projects, support visiting fellowships, and provide access to library resources.

     This grant would support an initial partnership that has the potential to grow in several ways, as the needs and resources of faculty at participating institutions are discovered and shared. The internationalization opportunities for each institution are likewise promising.

8. What kind of support can American Councils provide at this time to facilitate your partnerships with U.S. universities?

It would be better if American Councils could provide such an interactive smart board and Equipment for simultaneous interpretation.