Advanced Instructional Leadership Professional Diploma

 

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In the present education landscape, schools are confronted with intricate challenges and swift changes, necessitating a transformation in the role of school leaders. The traditional scope of a school leader's duties, centered on administrative management, has evolved into a more encompassing role that focuses on enhancing student outcomes and equipping them for a successful life. Recognizing the significance of empowering existing and aspiring school leaders and equipping them with the required leadership knowledge and skills, Queen Rania Teacher Academy (QRTA) collaborated with the University of Connecticut in 2016 to launch a specialized diploma program in advanced instructional leadership. This program is awarded by the University of Jordan and is accredited by the Ministry of Education in Jordan. Since then, QRTA has successively graduated numerous cohorts of school leaders from both Jordan and the Arab region.

The 24-credit hour, nine-month Advanced Instructional Leadership Professional Diploma (AILPD) seeks to make essential changes in leadership practices by including the best international practices in instructional leadership and adapting them to local and cultural contexts.

Program Objectives

 AILPD aims to:

  • Enhance conceptual understanding of instructional leadership in order to articulate a vision for the organization and lead learning to achieve that vision.
  • Develop strategies for school improvement through a close examination of curriculum, instruction, assessment practices, teacher development, culture and school organization.
  • Apply new learning to address real-life issues in instructional practices, in addition to establishing a Networked Improvement Community based on self-reflection and the exchange of actionable feedback among members.

Program

AILPD is distinguished for its four well-structured modules, each carefully integrated and built upon the teaching and learning process. This approach highlights the fundamental interplay among the teacher, student, and content. Furthermore, the program seamlessly aligns its content with local and global school leadership standards.

Modules

 

  1. Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

This module aims to broaden the understanding of school leaders regarding the various factors influencing curriculum development. It also emphasizes the role of curriculum and assessment in equipping students with the necessary skills and knowledge to navigate a rapidly changing world. The module focuses on effective teaching, assessment strategies, and leadership practices to create a supportive environment for implementing student-centered teaching and learning strategies.

 

  1. Supervision, Evaluation, and Professional Learning for Continuous Improvement

This module aims to enhance the knowledge and skills necessary for effective supervision and evaluation to gain teaching proficiency within schools. Upon completing this module, school leaders will know and understand the elements of developmental supervision and evaluation. School leaders will also learn to use that knowledge and demonstrate the skills necessary to evaluate and supervise teachers effectively and provide constructive feedback to teachers, thereby improving teaching and learning.

 

  1. Building a Positive School Climate and Culture

This module aims to equip school leaders with the necessary practices and processes for establishing, evaluating and sustaining a positive school culture to improve students’ achievement. The school leader will recognize the necessity of developing a clear vision for education improvement centered around the instructional core and applying it when building a positive school culture.

 

  1. School and Program Management to Support Individual and Organizational Effectiveness

This module aims to acquaint school leaders with the fundamental concepts and skills required for the successful management of educational organizations. The ultimate goal of this module is to impart practical knowledge that enables school leaders to fathom the deep interconnectedness and complexity that exists among educational organizations.

Optional Support Components

In addition to the four core modules, AILPD offers practical applications designed to bolster advanced leadership practices. These include:

 

  1. Instructional Rounds: Instructional Rounds assist school leaders in developing a shared understanding of what constitutes high-quality education, enabling them to work collaboratively within a learning community to identify what schools need to achieve to improve learning. This supervisory practice provides a framework for educators to work together to recognize and resolve common issues related to teaching and learning. Instructional Rounds consist of 10 hours of training conducted over two days at one of the participants’ schools.

 

  1. Using Student Achievement Data to Improve Instruction: This 12-hour online learning course delves into one of the Professional Learning Communities (PLC) models - data teams. The course emphasizes the role of the PLC in analyzing student achievement data from multiple sources, including formative assessments. During these sessions, educators convene to analyze and interpret outcomes in order to identify student learning challenges. The data team will apply the process practically using real assessment data. This course is open for enrollment following the completion of Module 1.

 

AILPD Prerequisites

 

  1. Fundamentals of Working Online: This MOOC course is designed to provide participants with diverse skills, enabling them to utilize devices and apps and to work online, promoting their productivity and creating a positive impact. This course is a prerequisite for all registrants in the program that must be completed before commencing the core modules.

 

  1. An Introduction to Instructional Leadership: Teachers, heads of department and aspiring principals must complete this prerequisite 15-hour online module that aims to provide basic knowledge and skills necessary to prepare future leaders for advanced instructional leadership. The module focuses on developing participants’ understanding of their role as instructional leaders while honing their skills to lead schools effectively and enhance the teaching and learning processes. This module is considered optional for school principals, school supervisors, and assistant principals.

Target Audience:

AILPD targets school principals, heads of departments, assistant principals, and school supervisors. Teachers, heads of departments, and educators who wish to enroll must complete the ‘Introduction to Instructional Leadership’ prerequisite module.

Delivery Approach: 

  1. Online Learning:

AILPD is offered online to create an interactive educational experience where participants can engage with their peers, instructors and the module content. The four modules are designed to enrich the learning experience, incorporating synchronous and asynchronous e-learning modalities.

Each module requires approximately four weeks to complete, with an average of 30 hours of learning via Google Classroom. During this period, participants engage in asynchronous learning with easy access to visual and textual learning materials, in addition to partaking in interactive individual and group activities. The module includes five to six discussion sessions conducted directly with education specialists, each lasting an hour and a half. This type of learning is known for its flexibility in determining the number of hours allocated for asynchronous, self-directed learning.

The AILPD conceptual framework leverages strategies that empower participants to review and reflect upon their own practices to enable them to maintain professional development after completing the program. These activities include narrative journaling, case studies, strategic planning and peer feedback sessions. Engagement in these activities, along with ongoing collaborative work among peers, generates experiences that empower school leaders to effectively fulfill their roles as educational leaders.

Or

  1. Blended Learning

For those interested in obtaining AILPD in-person, the program also offers a blended learning approach, which includes 30 hours of face-to-face training, in addition to 10 hours of interactive online learning (asynchronous) per module. At the end of each module, participants perform practical assignments where they apply the strategies and methods, they have learned that are then subject to continuous assessment.

 

Assessment

 

  1. Formative Assessment:

 Recognizing the importance of formative assessments in adapting teaching and supporting participants during their learning journey, AILPD implements a variety of formative assessment methods. This includes continuous feedback on the learning assignments that participants conduct via the virtual learning platform, as well as written feedback received on their performance assignments before submitting them in their summative assessment. Participants will also have the opportunity to offer peers feedback in effort to bolster a PLC where members support each other.

 

  1. Summative Assessment:

 

a. Performance Assignment:

At the end of each module, participants complete a performance assignment for two to three weeks, requiring them to apply the knowledge and skills learned within the context of their schools. The assignment is evaluated based on specific criteria using  a rubric designed for this purpose, which is explained to participants before assignment execution.

 

b. Capstone Assignment:

This assignment represents the culmination of the program. We believe true comprehension of novel ideas is only possible by applying new knowledge, skills and understanding in real life. Therefore, this assignment requires participants to put forth what they have learned in the four modules to develop improvement plans that address real problems faced in their schools.

 

 

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