The partners hope the agreement will help AUIS to enhance its curriculum to prioritise gender and diversity, and to make its degrees more marketable. 

“TIEC hopes higher-education partnerships grow as a pillar of the U.S.-Iraq relationship.

The program contributes to a wider effort by the US government to support American-style higher education in Iraq as part of its long-term stabilisation strategy. 

“TIEC hopes higher-education partnerships grow as a pillar of the US-Iraq relationship. Texas has so much to share and to gain through these robust people-to-people ties,” said TIEC president and CEO Robin J. Lerner. 

“TIEC is proud to partner with AUIS to enhance course quality and promote a gender-inclusive and diverse curriculum within the university.”

The consortium has a team of faculty and administrators from a number of universities with expertise in instructional design, curriculum development, evaluation, gender, and soft skills development who will participate in the project and foster working relationships with AUIS faculty.

As part of the partnership, TIEC and AUIS will build a university-wide approach to support academic programs and courses with the goal of attracting a “diverse student body that ultimately contributes to a global workforce that promotes tolerance, community resilience, and economic development”. 

The AUIS faculty will also embark on a two-week Global Educational Leadership Tour in Texas to participate in a multitude of activities, including seminars, university and industry visits, and cultural excursions. 

It is hoped the exchange will provide Iraqi faculty with experiential knowledge of American-style higher education and American culture, while strengthening relationships with US faculty.

“The collaboration with TIEC provides us with an excellent opportunity to further refine our academic programs,” said Wolfgang Hinck, AUIS’ vice president of Academic Affairs.

“Having access to cutting-edge expertise and innovation through TIEC’s world-renowned consortium members will support ongoing AUIS efforts to align all curricula with leading benchmarks. 

“This does not only allow us to meet regional and international labor-market needs and global accreditation requirements, but it also ensures our students receive the very best education possible,” he added.

Earlier in 2020, TIEC joined forces with the Online Learning Consortium to “bring a wealth of online learning expertise to our projects and partners overseas”.