Michael Gholam

Background in Faculty Development:

Michael is the Founding Director of the Center for Distinction in Teaching & Learning (CDTL) at the American University of Technology (AUT) in 2004.
- This was the first Higher Education Faculty Development Center in Lebanon.
Michael also organized and directed the First Annual Arab World Faculty Development Conference (A Paradigm Shift from Teaching to Learning), June 13-14, 2005).
- This was hosted by the American University of Technology in collaboration with the POD Network, the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education, USA;
He also designed and implemented the Faculty Performance Evaluation and Management Scheme at AUT. The teaching component of this was fully based on Fink’s Taxonomy of Significant Learning and his model of ICD.
When he was at AUT, Michael coordinated an annual program of CPD (continuous professional development) opportunities that was part of the university’s outreach program for K-12 schools in the vicinity.

Workshop Experience

Michael has led teacher training workshops for more than 25 years, in K-12 as well as Higher Education, in Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar and the UAE.
Workshop topics have included:
- Instructional Design for Significant Learning (ICD)
- Quality Management of Instructional Design and Delivery of Significant Learning Outcomes
- A Learning-Centered Teaching Evaluation Models
- Team-Based Learning (TBL)
- Performance-Based Assessment
- Transactional Analysis
- Teaching Portfolio Documentation for Self-improvement and Personnel Decisions
- Educational Leadership & Personal Influence
- The Reflective Practitioner
He gave a showcase presentation workshop to the Academic Committee at the Lebanese American University in 2006, in support of an “Introduction to Sociology” course that was totally re-designed, where Impact on students was shared and celebrated.

Other Information

Michael is currently the Director of Education Development at Bin Omeir Education in Abu Dhabi.
- In this position, he is leading and managing the start-up and the ongoing operations of a network of educational Institutions (Nurseries, K-12 Schools and Higher Education Institutions) – with a Learning Vision based on Fink’s Significant Learning Model.
He was the Principal School Consultant at the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) in Dubai between 2008 and 2010. In this role, he participated in the Educational Reform Drive in the emirate of Dubai, UAE.
Michael holds a Bachelor of Psychology (with Distinction) from The American University of Beirut, and a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Saint Joseph in Lebanon.