Abstract: Our Assignment

Maricopa Community Colleges District Global Engagement: Team-based Faculty and k-12 Teacher development Program in Morocco

the Maricopa Community Colleges District, in collaboration with the National Center for Teacher Education and Arizona secondary schools, is conduction a five-week curriculum development project in Morocco that will catalyze a comprehensive Islamic studies and Arabic language instruction program to serve all en Maricopa Community Colleges, Arizona secondary schools, and the larger Phoenix metropolitan community.

This GPA will train a cadre of community college and secondary school faculty and key administrators to acquire content knowledge and sensitivity to historical, cultural, linguistic, social, economic, political, and educational aspects of Islamic societies and Muslim culture for the purpose of enhancing curricular offerings in Islamic studies at their respective institutions. This GPA will contribute toward the establishment of an Islamic Studies Certificate Program, enhance Arabic Language course offerings for the entire community, and give participants a first-hand understanding of Moroccan culture and society to impart to students in Arizona's classrooms.

A total of 16 participants will be divided into two eight-member teams comprised of four Maricopa Community college faculty and four secondary school participants on each team. The two teams will for Social Sciences and Humanities/Language components.

Each team will be assigned counterparts form four Moroccan universities - one in each of the four cities visited (Rabat, Fe's, Casablanca, and Marrakesh) to act as Academic Mentors from their respective disciplines. With the Moroccan counterpart assistance and the in-country activities, each team will develop a specific course related to their discipline and participants will also collaboratively and independently create learning nodules, curriculum unity, and lesson plans to infuse their courses with Islamic content.

These outcomes will be disseminated throughout the United States through the National Center for Teacher Education, the Maricopa Center for Learning & Instruction, and through organizations like Community Colleges for International Development, and the American Association of Community Colleges.

Project Director: Jose Velasco, Director of International & Intercultural Education, Maricopa Community Colleges District.