USAID TEACHER EDUCATION 
PROJECT 
Formative Evaluation Findings 
 (Oct-11 to Sep-12)
November, 2012 
This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International 
Development. It was prepared by Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC). 
2 
Executive Summary 
The USAID Teacher Education Project (TEP) primarily aims to introduce a new B.Ed./ADE teacher 
degree based on effective teaching practices and the most up-to-date research on teaching and 
learning. The project has supported the development of curricula for the 24 courses that will be 
offered in the new degree program. EDC has partnered with Teachers College of Columbia University 
and curriculum developers in Pakistan. As the new degree program is being rolled out nationwide, 
TEP continues its efforts toward ensuring the desired outcomes—high-quality curricula that are 
compliant not only with international standards but also with domestic teaching requirements, as 
well as helpful for the trainee teachers in their future teaching endeavors. To assist with the course 
development, a formative evaluation of select courses has been planned. The following 6 courses 
have been formatively evaluated in the FY12: 
Semester 1. Child Development, Methods of Teaching. 
Semester 2. Classroom Management 
Semester 3. Teaching Literacy, ICT in Education, and Teaching Urdu 
Additional courses will be formatively evaluated in the FY13. 
The formative evaluation was conducted using mixed-method approach and included surveys of 
faculty who taught the new courses and their students, in-depth qualitative interviews with faculty, 
and focus groups with students. Standard protocols were used in the data collection. The main 
purpose of the formative evaluation was to collect information that could help improve course 
design and identify areas of support for course implementation. 
Overall, the evaluation found that faculty members and teacher trainees responded positively to the 
new courses. The vast majority of faculty members and their students said the topics of the six 
evaluated courses were very important for the prospective teachers, and they enjoyed the course. 
Both faculty members and their students commented on the transformation of instructional process 
as a result of a greater emphasis on experiential and applied learning opportunities promoted by the 
courses. To support this shift from lecture-based to collaborative and experiential learning, TEP 
provided professional development opportunities to the faculty of institutions that began offering 
the new curriculum. While the evaluation found significant variation in how faculty members apply 
collaborative and experiential learning strategies, the feedback from students and faculty alike 
indicates that new strategies significantly enhanced teaching and learning experience and supported 
improved learning. 
Comparative analysis of the ADE/B.Ed program implementation in universities and colleges shows a 
significantly higher fidelity of implementation in colleges. Many more college students indicated 
utilizing collaborative and experiential learning strategies while taking the evaluated courses, 
compared to the university students. 
Student learning was assessed using student self-report of how well they thought they learned the 
course key concepts and a number of knowledge questions designed to test respondent's 
understanding of the key concepts. The majority of students reported learning key concepts "well 
enough", with a sizable percent of respondents saying they learned concepts "very well". A higher 
3 
proportion of college students reported having learned concepts "very well", compared with the 
university students. Both groups of students answered between 50 and 70 percent of knowledge 
questions correctly, on average. Faculty members who taught the courses answered between 70 and 
80 percent of knowledge questions correctly, on average. 
The evaluation attempted to assess how well-prepared the faculty members were to teach the 
evaluated courses. The majority of the surveyed faculty members indicated that prior to teaching 
the course they were only familiar with some of the key concepts of the course. Additionally, 
because of some delays with the distribution of course materials, some faculty members 
commented on experiencing difficulties with teaching course concepts that were new to them. In 
focus groups, some teacher trainees also indicated that faculty members were not well prepared to 
teach the course. The USAID Teacher Education project is addressing both of these concerns by 
distributing additional teaching and learning materials to support the implementation of the 
courses, and by providing professional development to faculty members in partner institutions. 
Regarding the content of the course materials, the formative evaluation found that the courses 
offered useful information, and that the courses addressed issues faced by teachers in the 
community, including managing multilingual and crowded classrooms. Interviewed faculty and 
students did not believe that course materials violated cultural norms in any way. An integration of 
references to studies conducted by Pakistani scholars was indicated as welcome by some 
respondents. Additionally, many faculty members and their students indicated a need for more 
practical exercises and examples to help them grasp the key concepts. These recommendations 
were passed on to the course writers.
Finally, the issue of the language of instruction emerged as one of the important challenges faced by 
both teaching faculty and their students. A quarter to a third of surveyed students reported that the 
English vocabulary of the course was "difficult to understand", and up to additional half of students 
said it was "sometimes difficult to understand". A substantial number of faculty members also 
reporting having difficulty understanding course materials. 
The overall recommendations of the formative evaluation of the six courses for supporting course 
implementation included the following: 
 Intensive professional development for faculty teaching new courses
 Provision of course materials to faculty and students 
 Language support ranging from minimal (such as a course glossary) to comprehensive (such 
as a prerequisite course in English)
 Increase in professional collaboration among stakeholders (such as seminars and exchange 
visits) 
These recommendations are being addressed by the USAID Teacher Education Project through the 
provision of professional development for the faculty (including a semester orientation specifically 
designed to prepare faculty for teaching the new B.Ed. and ADE courses) and distribution of 
materials to support course implementation. The course writers were provided formative evaluation 
reports for their courses to inform revisions. 
4 
Child Development Course 
Formative Evaluation Findings 
INTRODUCTION 
The second objective of the USAID Teacher Education Project (TEP) is to develop curriculum
materials for the new B.Ed. and ADE programs. EDC has partnered with Teachers College of 
Columbia University and distinguished Pakistani curriculum developers to develop 24 courses. To 
ensure high quality in the new materials, TEP is conducting a formative evaluation of 12 courses. 
Formative evaluation is an evaluation study early in the program development process that has the 
goal of improving program design. The formative evaluation has been conducted continuously 
during the curriculum rollout, beginning in the fall of 2011 and terminating in the fall of 2012. 
This report presents findings from the formative evaluation of Child Development course that is 
offered to teacher trainees in the second semester of their B.Ed. program. The data for this report 
was collected in the spring of 2012 in three provinces that offered this course at the time: 
Balochistan, Punjab, and KPK. Based on the findings from the qualitative and quantitative data 
collection, the report offers suggestions on how the course can be improved and how colleges, 
universities, provincial governments, and TEP can support implementation. 
METHODOLOGY 
Formative Evaluation Questions. The formative evaluation of the Child Development course sought 
to answer the following questions: 
1. What are faculty members’ and students’ perceptions of course content and structure? 
2. What strategies do faculty members use in teaching this course? 
3. Did the students learn key course concepts? 
4. How can the course be improved? 
5. What can stakeholders (colleges, universities, provincial governments, and TEP) do to 
support faculty implementation of the course? 
Data collection methods. The following data collection methods were used for this formative 
evaluation: 
1. Faculty survey and interviews: The faculty survey aims to assess faculty familiarity with and 
attitudes toward the new curriculum, as well as collect data on faculty’s understanding of 
key course concepts. The survey is supplemented by qualitative interviews with faculty to 
better understand survey findings. 
5 
2. Student survey and focus groups: The student survey aims to gauge students’ perceptions of 
how well new instructional practices are working for them, and how these practices are 
changing the learning experience. The survey is supplemented by a series of targeted focus 
groups with students. 
Sampling. The timing of the data collection was determined by the scheduling of curriculum rollout 
and revisions. All institutions that offered this course during the spring of 2012 were included in the 
data collection. 
Data collection protocols. The formative evaluation used four data collection protocols: a faculty 
survey protocol, student survey protocol, faculty qualitative interview protocol, and student focus 
group protocol. All data collection protocols were developed in close collaboration with the course 
writers. They were pilot-tested by trained monitoring and evaluation staff in February 2012. 
Data analysis. Data analysis for this formative evaluation study consisted of two components: 
analysis of quantitative data collected through the surveys of faculty and students, and analysis of 
qualitative data obtained from student focus groups and qualitative interviews with faculty. The 
survey data were analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences), which employs 
standard statistical methods. Quantitative analyses used univariate and bivariate statistics as needed 
for different analytical purposes. Bivariate statistical analysis was conducted to examine the 
relationship between different variables. Qualitative data obtained from the in-depth interviews 
with faculty and focus groups with students were analyzed using qualitative data analysis 
procedures. In the first stage of analysis, we looked to identify the central themes in answers to each 
question across all respondents. At the next level of analysis, we considered trends and patterns that 
reappeared across two data sets. At this level, we drew general conclusions with regard to 
recommendations for the course improvement. 
Limitations. Without further data collection, it is unknown to what extent the findings are 
generalizable to institutions in provinces that did not participate in this wave of data collection. Due 
to a relatively large sample size, it is not likely that the findings from other provinces would be 
dramatically different. However, it is probable that institutions that did not participate in this wave 
of data collection have their own unique circumstances and challenges. 
STUDY PARTICIPANTS 
Survey Participants 
Institution Type Survey Date Students Faculty
KPK
RITE (M) Haripur College Feb 15, 2012 23 1
RITE (F) Charsadda College Feb 20, 2012 29 1
University of Peshawar University Feb 20, 2012 45 1
RITE (F) Peshawar College Feb 21, 2012 18 1
RITE (M) Peshawar College Feb 21, 2012 12 1
RITE (M) Mardan College Feb 22, 2012 18 1
6 
RITE (F) Dargai College Feb 22, 2012 23 1
RITE (F) Abbottabad College Feb 27, 2012 17 1
Hazara University DoE Haripur University Feb 27, 2012 5 1
Gomal University University Feb 28, 2012 9 1
RITE (F) D.I. Khan College Feb 29, 2012 28 1
RITE (M) D.I. Khan College Feb 29, 2012 16 1
RITE (F) Mansehra College Mar 7, 2012 27 1
Hazara University-Main campus University Mar 7, 2012 9 1
RITE (F) Kohat College 21 1
RITE (M) Kohat College 7 1
RITE Chitral College 29 1
Sub-Total 336 17
Punjab
GCET (W) D.G. Khan College March 15, 2012 25 1
GCET Samanabad Faisalabad College March 20, 2012 59 1
IER Punjab University University
Sub-Total 84 2
Balochistan
SBKU University March 19, 2012 23 1
Sub-Total 23 1
Grand Total 443 20
After cleaning the data, the quantitative data set that was analyzed contained 412 student surveys 
and 19 faculty surveys. 
Interview and Focus Group Participants 
For this formative evaluation, we interviewed 20 faculty members (10 men and 10 women) from 19 
institutions—16 in KPK, two in Punjab, and one in Balochistan. To obtain student perspectives on the 
course, 20 focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted in 19 institutions—16 in KPK, two in 
Punjab, and one in Balochistan. Overall 163 students participated in the FGDs, including 70 young 
men and 93 young women. The breakdown by province is given in the table below. 
Province Number of Faculty Members Number of Institutions
Male Female Total College University Total
KPK 9 8 17 13 3 16
Punjab 1 1 2 2 2
Balochistan 0 1 1 0 1 1
Total faculty 10 10 20 15 4 19
Number of Students Number of Institutions
Male Female Total College University Total
KPK 68 71 139 13 03 16
Punjab 2 14 16 2 0 2
Balochistan 0 8 8 0 1 1
Total students 70 93 163 15 4 19
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Note: The University of Hazara’s Haripur Campus and Mansehra campus are counted as one institution 
although FGDs were conducted at both sites. 
Data collection activities were postponed at four institutions in Gilgit Baltistan due to security 
reasons, and AJK was excluded from data collection because the Child Development course was not 
taught in the first semester. 
FINDINGS 
Faculty and Student Perceptions of the Course 
Overall Perceptions of the Course 
The vast majority of the surveyed faculty and students agreed that the topic of child development is 
important for students in learning how to become a teacher. Only one student said that it was not 
an important topic. 
Faculty members were asked if the course was within their area of expertise. Only one in five faculty 
members said they were familiar with all course concepts before they started teaching the course, 
and just over half of the faculty said they were familiar with most of the concepts of the course. 
Nearly one in five faculty members were familiar with only some concepts, or none at all, prior to 
teaching this course, as the following chart shows. 
10.5%
89.5%
0.2% 2.2%
16.6%
81.0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
not at all important not very important somewhat important very important
How important is the topic of child development for future 
teachers? 
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 410)
8 
Both faculty and students said that overall they enjoyed the Child Development course. A few of the 
interviewed faculty members commented that the course is useful and effective for teachers and 
students and that it is an interesting course to teach and learn. 
Overall the students found the course is useful and interesting and anticipated that the course will 
help them in the future as a teacher. In the focus groups, the students said the course enabled them 
to understand the students’ psychology from toddler age to adolescent as well as each individual’s 
cognitive, physical, and mental development. A few of the students also said that the course helped 
them understand how to provide a better environment both in school and at home for a child’s 
development. Some of the students also reported that they learned how to manage a child in a 
classroom, how to understand a child’s emotions, the characteristics of an effective teacher, and 
activities useful for effective learning. 
5.3%
15.8%
57.9%
21.1%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
not familiar familiar with only some 
concepts
familiar with most 
concepts
familiar with all 
concepts
Were faculty familiar with the key course concepts prior to 
teaching the course? (n = 19)
15.8%
31.6%
52.6%
1.5%
7.3%
47.7%
43.6%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
not at all not much somewhat very much
Overall, did you enjoy this course?
Faculty (n=19) Student (n=411)
9 
A majority of the faculty are of the view that the course is organized in a logical order and the 
information given in the course is correct. All units are interlinked with each other. The course's 
principle ‘from simple to complex’ enables faculty and students to understand the basic and easy 
concepts first and the difficult concepts later. Some of them said that it needs be organized in a 
more logical order and that some options could create confusion. Additionally, some faculty 
commented that some units did not provide enough information on the new concepts (e.g. in unit 4 
on adolescents). 
Some of the faculty members as well as students found that completing the course in the given time 
(in a semester) is challenging and they think that the course is too lengthy to complete in a 
semester. A few faculty members reported that they adopted collaborative methods of teaching to 
complete the course in the given time and found these methods to be useful and helpful in teaching 
and learning. Some of the faculty members noted that the course is activity-based, which requires 
more time compared to the traditional way of teaching: ‘A lot of activities given in such a short 
period, we were unable to do those’, said a female college teacher in KPK. 
Most of the faculty members stated that this course is important and useful in addressing basic 
issues faced by teachers in the classroom. To be effective, it is essential for a teacher to know about 
a student’s psychology, which not only helps a teacher involve students in different learning 
activities according to their development stages (age) but results in effective teaching. ‘This can 
bring a big revolution’, said a male faculty member at a university in KPK. 
Some faculty said that one of the common issues in Pakistani society is the high dropout and 
absenteeism rates due to fear of corporal punishment or the harsh behavior of a teacher with the 
students. This course addresses this problem very effectively and emphasizes that teachers should 
understand young people’s psychology, growth, and cognitive development and should maintain 
friendly relations with students. The Child Development course also encourages teachers to adopt 
different learning strategies in order to ameliorate the issue of overcrowded classrooms. S/he may 
divide the class in multiple groups and assign them a task and thus may handle a larger class in the 
scheduled time. Similarly a teacher may also handle the issue of teaching a multi-grade class ‘If 
resources are not available or the class is overcrowded, a trained teacher on child development can 
easily manage such situation’, said a female teacher from a university of Baluchistan. 
Some faculty members said that an effective teacher not only transfers theoretical knowledge to 
students but also focuses on their social and moral development. This course advocates providing 
emotional and social support to students. ‘It does focus on a child’s social and moral development….
If a teacher (in future) use the learnt strategies, he /she will be able to handle the emotional issues 
faced by the students’, said a female teacher at a university in KPK. 
Overall the course does not appear to conflict with the social values, practices, and Islamic teaching 
that prevail within Pakistan, a majority of the faculty members commented. ‘The whole course is 
aligned with social values; the only thing needed is to add locally appropriate examples’, said a 
female teacher in a college in Punjab. Children in Pakistani society go through the same 
development processes and stages and interact in the same manner with peers as those described in 
the course’s theories of child development, some of the faculty members said. A few of the faculty 
members commented that there is a complete chapter on social values and moral development and 
that a teacher has to demonstrate those values while teaching the course. A few of the respondents 
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even recommended that some of the concepts, particularly those on child development and growth, 
need to be taught to parents. 
A few of the faculty members faced difficulty in teaching some part of the course due to cultural 
sensitivity and were not comfortable teaching certain topics. ‘I was not comfortable in teaching the 
topic related to a female’s child development stages’, said a male teacher in a college in KPK (who 
was teaching male students only). Another male teacher, teaching male and female students, did not 
teach culturally sensitive topics (e.g. teenage pregnancy) at all. 
Despite these opinions, most faculty were of the view that the course is in accord with their 
country’s prevailing social values and Islamic teachings. Only one respondent said that the child 
development stages are mostly defined by western psychologists and they did not take into account 
Islamic values, but did not specify which ones. 
Some faculty members expressed the opinion that corporal punishment is needed in our society to 
correct a child’s misbehavior. ‘Corporal punishment is part of the teaching practices’, said a male 
teacher in a university in KPK. They disagreed with the course’s argument against corporal 
punishment. 
In terms of content, the interviewed faculty members said that the topics of students’ psychology, 
stages of child development, child and adolescent development, early childhood development, 
preschool child development, learning theories, children with special needs, and classroom 
environment are useful and essential for a prospective teacher. These help a prospective teacher to
understand a child’s psychology, relate to a child at various stages, be able to identify their special 
needs, and understand the social and cultural impact on a child during the child development stages. 
‘The course helps the teachers understand how to motivate a student and develop his interest’, said a 
female faculty member in a college in KPK. 
A few of the faculty members commented that course standards seem too high given their students’ 
overall levels of preparation and understanding. They suggested that the course might work well in 
‘developed countries’ but not suitable for ‘developing countries’. Some of the participants in student 
focus groups agreed with this and said that the theories and concepts were difficult for them to 
understand and that they usually got confused. 
Topics on media, inclusive education, adolescent health, educational models, Dolton theory, 
language acquisition, jigsaw, Jean Piaget, and unit 6 were found difficult to teach in all surveyed 
regions. ‘The terms were not familiar and the theory as itself was also very much difficult’, shared a 
female faculty member at a university in Balochistan. Another female teacher from a college in KPK 
said ‘The individual difference theory was difficult to teach….and the materials provided were also 
difficult’. 
A majority of student focus group participants also commented that some theories and concepts 
were hard for them to understand. They most frequently mentioned the theories of Jean Piaget, Erik 
Erikson, Lev Vygotsky, Howard Gardner, and B.F. Skinner, and the concepts of cognitive 
development, student-centered learning, and scaffolding as hard to understand. They said that these 
were difficult because of the difficult vocabulary as well as some overlap of material. They also 
11
pointed out that perhaps the teaching methodology was not good and the faculty member did not 
explain these theories and concepts properly. 
Finally, some of the faculty members reported that the course has introduced new concepts and 
topics to them—for example, inclusive education, conflict resolution, scaffolding, peer effects on 
students, and the role of media in teaching. A few faculty members thought they lacked preparation 
to teach this course. Some student focus group participants agreed and said that there were no 
trained faculty to teach this subject in their institutions. They recommended that the teacher be 
trained on the subject before teaching the students. Moreover, some of the students said that it was 
a common problem and that other subjects were taught by faculty who were unprepared to teach 
properly. 
Course Materials 
Course Guide. Most of the interviewed faculty said they had received the course guide and syllabus
in time for teaching the course. Almost all of them practiced the course guide; however, due to time 
limitations, a few of them said they did not use the course guide effectively. ‘I was not able to apply 
various options provided in the course guide due to time shortage and lack of training’, said a female 
faculty member in a university in KPK. A few of the interviewed faculty members also reported that 
the course guide needs first to define development and growth and then move to different stages of 
child development (e.g. cognitive, social, emotional, etc.).
Some faculty members said that they appreciated that the learning outcomes were well-defined and 
helpful and that these aided their understanding of teaching and learning objectives. ‘It helps 
students’ involvement and participation in activities, which is one of the best things in this course’,
said a female faculty member in a university in KPK. 
The majority of the faculty members who used the course guide identified its purposes and benefits 
as the following: 
a) Lesson planning. Most of the interviewed faculty reported that the course guide helped 
them in lesson planning and preparation, to effectively utilize various teaching 
methodologies and systematically plan a lesson. ‘I used it for lesson planning, teaching, 
preparation of presentations for lecture’, said a female faculty member of a college in KPK. ‘It 
was very effective for lesson planning; each chapter/unit was assigned a specific time to be 
covered in...Even two options were provided (in the course guide) so the best-suited option 
was opted for teaching’, said a male faculty member at a university in KPK. The interviewed 
faculty members used the course guide to keep in view the objectives and learning 
outcomes of a specific lesson. ‘The material at the end of the course guide supported a lot….I 
always used the materials while planning for a lesson….it provides various options…but the 
language (English) is difficult’, said a female faculty member in a college in Punjab. 
b) Teaching. The course guide and syllabus were viewed as helpful in teaching the course. 
Some faculty members reported that they had adopted several of the recommended 
teaching methodologies and had found them effective. The questions given at the end of 
each unit in the course guide were praised by some of the faculty members for provoking 
useful discussion. The course guide was also helpful in conducting various activities (e.g. how 
to divide students for group work). ‘The course guide helped us a lot…as most of the 
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teaching is now activity-based and we prepare ourselves before teaching (by consulting the 
course guide)’ said a female faculty member at a college in KPK. 
c) Assessments. The course guide was used by most of the faculty members for the students’ 
assessment. The reflection given at the end of each unit helped in assessing and providing 
feedback to the students. The course guide is also helpful in assessing the students by 
assigning them various tasks and activities. ‘We assessed them through their written 
assignments’, said a male faculty member at a college in KPK. ‘It was helpful for assessment, 
grading, planning, and teaching’, said a male faculty member at a university in KPK. 
The faculty members also reflected on the challenges that they faced in using the course guide and 
syllabus. The most commonly mentioned challenges were a) language (English) difficulties, b) lack of 
training in the course as a instructor, and c) course length and limited time.
Examples and Exercises. Students and faculty members disagreed in their assessment of whether 
the course provided a sufficient number of examples and practice exercises. While nearly 40% of 
faculty members said they were not sufficient, fewer than 20% of students shared that opinion. 
Perhaps faculty members supplemented the examples and practice exercises that were offered by 
the course with their own examples and practice exercises. 
In particular, faculty members said that the course lacks local examples, which can at times cause 
difficulty in teaching concepts. Most of the faculty members commented that the course guide 
needs to offer examples in simple language and within the framework of local cultural and social 
values. Some of them were of the opinion that there are too many activities and that local examples 
are missing in the course guide. ‘We can include local examples of issues faced in school to make it 
comprehensive’, said a male teacher from a college in Punjab. For instance, there is no available 
example of the ideas of trust and mistrust as they relate to Erikson’s theory.
Lack of Instructional Materials. A serious challenge that both faculty members and students said 
they encountered in teaching the course was a lack of instructional materials. Most faculty members 
38.9% 38.9%
16.7% 18.2%
49.8%
32.0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
not sufficient yes, mostly yes, completely
Did you feel the number of examples and practice exercises 
was sufficient?
Faculty (n = 18) Students (n = 406)
13
as well as student focus group participants said that students did not have sufficient access to the 
required readings. A few of the faculty members said that most of the enrolled students are from 
lower income families and cannot afford to get the reading materials photocopied or printed or to 
use the Internet in a private café, and that such materials should be accessible as hard copies in the 
library. ‘We had to do so many photocopies while teaching the course, and the students enrolled in 
ADE belong to lower income families and cannot afford it’, said a female faculty member at a college 
in KPK. 
Lack of Internet. A female faculty member of a college in KPK complained that ‘We don’t have 
computers, did not receive any training, nor we are experts…We have no relevant materials and 
books in the college, we are totally dependent on IT’. However, using the Internet is also not an easy 
solution since, as she and some of her colleagues from other colleges stated, they lack Internet 
connectivity at their colleges. A few of the faculty members also said that students need IT skills to 
browse the Internet and explore concept details independently, and some of their students don't 
have those skills. Finally, some interviewed faculty pointed out that some of the recommended 
websites were not accessible, and a few websites required payment to access the information or 
download the materials, which made it impossible for them to access information. 
Language of Instruction. The issue of the language of instruction as a major barrier emerged 
strongly from the data. Over three-quarters of the surveyed students and over two-thirds of the 
faculty commented that it was difficult for them to understand the English in the course materials. 
31.6%
36.8%
15.8% 15.8%
35.0%
40.1%
17.5%
7.3%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
mostly difficult to 
understand
sometimes difficult to 
understand
mostly easy to 
understand
very easy to understand
Ratings of the difficulty of the level of English in the course 
materials by faculty and students
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 411)
14
Qualitative data support these survey findings. A majority of the students complained that the 
vocabulary of the courses was difficult to understand. Students recommend that the English should 
be simple and easy. Some students suggested that the course be taught in Urdu. 
Similarly, the most common issue mentioned during interviews with faculty members was the use of 
difficult language and terminology in the course guide, which impeded the understanding of the new 
concepts. The terms and vocabulary are too difficult for the faculty as well as for the students who 
often need to seek help from colleagues and/or the Internet. Some faculty members commented 
that they find it difficult to deliver knowledge to students due to the language barriers. The course is 
too difficult for them, as they come from Urdu-medium schools and the switch to English medium is 
too sudden. The faculty are also not used to teaching in English. 
In addition to the issues with English as a language of instruction, some interviewed faculty 
members were of the view that the language of the course materials should be simple and easy for 
the students’ understanding and interest, as most of the students have studied in Urdu-medium 
school. Some faculty said that concepts and theories were difficult for their students to understand, 
and the faculty members had to use the Internet to get explanations and details. It would be helpful, 
they said, if the basic concepts were explained a little bit in detail with examples. ‘It needs to be 
elaborated…to be explained in detail, some concept explanations are too brief and do not convey 
their true meaning for the students and (in some instances) for the faculty as well’, a male faculty 
member from KPK reported. 
Strategies Used by Faculty in Teaching the Course 
The curriculum for the B.Ed. and ADE places an emphasis on experiential and applied learning 
opportunities that research shows to be a more effective way of preparing elementary school 
teachers than traditional lecture-based instruction. To support this shift from lecture-based to 
31.6%
36.8%
15.8% 15.8%
35.0%
40.1%
17.5%
7.3%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
mostly difficult to 
understand
sometimes difficult to 
understand
mostly easy to 
understand
very easy to understand
Ratings of the difficulty of the level of English in the course 
materials by faculty and students
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 411)
15
‘[Making] presentations builds 
confidence in us, and group 
discussion makes it easier to 
understand (difficult) concepts.’
(Female student in a college in 
Punjab)
collaborative and experiential learning, TEP provides professional development opportunities to the 
faculty of institutions that offer the new curriculum. Collaborative teaching strategies include small 
group discussion, brainstorming, pair-share, and demonstration. Teacher trainees travel to schools 
for experiential learning activities such as observations and teacher interviews. TEP professional 
development also highlights writing assignments. 
Almost all of the student focus group participants said that their teachers used active learning 
strategies. Students mentioned the following strategies: group work and discussion, assignments, 
presentations, pair-share, class observation, problem solving, interviews, handout reading, writing 
assignments, jigsaw, brainstorming, demonstration, and role play. The strategies were new to 
students. ‘We had never utilized such kind of activities in our previous 12 years of education’, said 
some male students at a college in KPK. 
Students described several benefits of the above-mentioned learning strategies. Some students said 
that group discussion and think-pair-share strategies helped them understand difficult course 
concepts. Some of the students were of the view that the learning-by-doing activities resulted in 
better learning outcomes compared to lecture and other passive methods. ‘When we do things we 
learn more’, said some students at a university in KPK. 
A few of them also mentioned such benefits of collaborative learning strategies as building effective 
teaching skills, increased confidence, increased student involvement and participation, and sharing 
ideas with others. Students also said that the use of these strategies made learning more interesting 
and helped them learn more quickly. Students would like to see all faculty use active learning 
strategies. A few of the students reported that their instructor had not used any method other than 
lecture and questions and answers. ‘No activity conducted, 
except the lecture method, which is totally useless for the 
students….here (in this college) no technique is used’, said 
some of the students at a college in KPK. 
The student survey attempted to quantify the frequency 
with which faculty used collaborative learning strategies and 
offered experiential learning opportunities in teaching the 
child development course. When asked how frequently 
students had school-based assignments during this course, almost a third said ‘nearly every week’. 
One in five surveyed students said they did not have school-based assignments at all. 
The reported frequency of the use of collaborative learning strategies varied. The number of 
students who said that their instructor used the small group discussion and pair-share teaching 
strategies was high, with two-thirds of the surveyed students reporting using small group discussion 
nearly every week, and half of students reporting using pair-share nearly every week. 
The reported frequency of brainstorming and student demonstrations was not as high, with one in 
four students reporting not having used these two strategies at all. It is possible, however, that some 
surveyed students did not know what brainstorming was and that they could have used it without 
knowing what it was called. Nearly 15% of the surveyed students chose not to answer this question 
at all. 
16
32.9%
29.3%
17.1%
20.7%
16.9%
23.5% 23.9%
35.7%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
did not use at all once or twice a 
semester
once or twice a 
month
nearly every week
Frequency of school-based assignments
university students (n=82) college students (n=272)
22.0%
17.1%
30.5% 30.5%
5.9% 4.8%
14.7%
74.7%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
did not use at all once or twice a 
semester
once or twice a 
month
nearly every week
Frequency of small group discussions
university students (n=82) college students (n=273)
17
34.6%
17.3%
23.5% 24.7%
10.8% 10.0%
22.7%
56.5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
did not use at all once or twice a 
semester
once or twice a 
month
nearly every week
Frequency of pair-share strategy
university students (n=81) college students (n=269)
32.5%
23.4%
33.8%
10.4%
20.8%
9.6%
31.2%
38.4%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
did not use at all once or twice a 
semester
once or twice a 
month
nearly every week
Frequency of brainstorming
university students (n=77) college students (n=277)
18
Finally, nearly 40% of the surveyed students said they either did not have writing assignments as 
part of their coursework or had them rarely (once or twice a semester). 
Most of the interviewed faculty said that teaching the Child Development course has changed their 
teaching practices significantly and in a positive way. It has helped them change from a traditional 
lecture-based model of teaching to collaborative teaching techniques, including group work, pair￾share, and jigsaw. A male faculty member at a college in KPK said that ‘It forces teachers to think and 
get prepared before going in the classroom’. Previously ‘faculty were active and students were 
27.8% 29.1%
31.6%
11.4%
23.7%
17.9%
31.5%
26.8%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
did not use at all once or twice a 
semester
once or twice a 
month
nearly every week
Frequency of student demonstrations
university students (n=79) college students (n=257)
32.1%
23.5%
25.9%
18.5% 16.9% 17.7%
34.6%
30.8%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
did not use at all once or twice a 
semester
once or twice a 
month
nearly every week
Frequency of writing assignments
university students (n=81) college students (n=260)
19
passive’, but the course changed this traditional way of teaching. The faculty now apply various 
teaching techniques instead of only lecturing, and they identify a number of benefits of adopting the 
collaborative teaching methodologies. ‘I’m confident that I can apply new change and for me that is 
the revolution’, a male faculty member at a college in KPK said. Increased interaction with students 
also allowed faculty to learn about their students: ‘Now I know that every student has his/her own 
strengths and weakness….I adopt different methods as per the student's needs’, said a male faculty 
member at a college in Punjab. 
By involving students in the learning process, faculty members also learn from them. Involving 
students in group discussions and presentations brings new issues to the faculty’s attention. A 
professor from a university in KPK said that ‘Student involvement is an important aspect of this 
course. The more we involve students, the more they learn…and we also learn from them while 
teaching’. Students actively participated in the learning process and enjoyed the learning-by-doing 
process. ‘Most of the time students are involved in activities e.g. group discussion and presentations’, 
said a male faculty member at a college of KPK. Similarly, a female faculty member at a college in 
KPK stated that ‘Previously we focused on intelligent (best) students only, but now give equal 
attentions to all students’. 
Finally, some of the faculty members appreciated writing assignments. They found them helpful in 
improving students’ writing skills and understanding of various concepts. They said that writing 
assignments significantly contributed to learning how to conduct research by provoking thinking 
processes and enhancing writing skills. 
To summarize, the most frequently mentioned benefits of the new learning techniques were: 
a. Better instructional time management by faculty 
b. Student involvement is increased. 
c. Most of the faculty members reported that now they also learn by teaching the students. 
d. Faculty members transform from lecturers into facilitators. 
e. Increased interaction with students allows faculty better understand student needs and level 
of preparedness. 
Student Learning 
To determine how much students learned from the course without explicit testing (which was not 
feasible within the setting of the formative evaluation), the surveyed students were asked two sets 
of questions: five questions to assess their own learning of the course material, and an additional 
twelve questions to test their knowledge of key course concepts. 
Student Self-Assessment Results. The five charts below show the distributions of student 
assessments of how much they learned from the Child Development course. Between 44% and 58% 
said they learned key concepts of the course ‘well enough’, and between 31% and 40% said they 
learned them ‘very well’. Between one in five and one in ten admitted they did not learn the 
concepts well enough. 
20
39.0%
47.6%
11.0%
2.4%
29.4%
60.7%
9.2%
0.7%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned major thoeries 
of child development
university students (n=82) college students (n=272)
46.9%
43.2%
6.2%
3.7%
34.2%
54.8%
8.8%
2.2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned characteristics of various 
developmental stages according to various theorists
university students (n=82) college students (n=272)
21
44.0%
38.7%
12.0%
5.3%
28.4%
55.3%
15.6%
0.8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned active learning strategies
university students (n=82) college students (n=272)
44.4%
30.9%
19.8%
4.9%
30.0%
47.2%
22.4%
0.4%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned factors influencing the 
learning process
university students (n=82) college students (n=272)
22
Instructors’ Perceptions and Student Learning. How does the student self-reported assessment of 
how much they learned correlate with their instructors’ perceptions of the course and preparedness 
to teach the course? To answer this question, we computed the means of students’ self-reported 
assessments of how much they learned for each surveyed faculty member, and conducted a 
bivariate correlation analysis with five measures of faculty perceptions of the course (importance of 
the topic of child development, how much they enjoyed teaching the course, prior familiarity with 
the key concepts, opinion about the usefulness of the course guide, and the rating of the level of 
difficulty of English in the course materials). Of the five tested measures, only one was found to be 
positively correlated with the mean of students’ self-reported assessment of how much they 
learned: faculty’s reported level of enjoyment in teaching the course. The association between these 
measures is statistically significant at .01 level (p = .681, two-tail test). 
Student and Faculty Knowledge of Key Concepts. To test actual levels of knowledge of key course 
concepts among students and faculty members, the surveys asked twelve content-related questions 
in the form of statements. Respondents were asked to rate their agreement with each statement on 
a scale from 1 to 5. Each knowledge test variable was then converted into a binary variable with 1 = 
correct answer and 0 = incorrect answer or ‘not sure’. A total score was then computed for each 
student and faculty member. The highest possible score was 12 if the respondent answered each 
test question correctly. 
No faculty members or students answered all twelve questions correctly. The majority of the faculty 
(63.1%) answered between 9 and 11 questions correctly, while only 20.7% of students answered 
that many questions correctly. The chart below shows the distribution of student and faculty 
numbers of correct answers. 
41.3% 42.5%
8.8% 7.5%
41.5% 43.4%
13.6%
1.5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned teaching methods 
appropriate for different ages 
university students (n=82) college students (n=272)
23
Is there a relationship between faculty members’ knowledge of key concepts and their students’ 
knowledge of the same material? Bivariate correlation analysis shows a statistically significant 
positive association between the level of knowledge displayed by the faculty and their students’
mean scores on the same test (p = .418, alpha = .05, one-tail test). 
How do students’ knowledge levels of key concepts correlate with the use of experiential and 
collaborative learning strategies? Bivariate correlation analysis showed a positive association 
between the reported use of the experiential and collaborative learning strategies (measured as 
described above in the report) and the level of knowledge of key concepts (p = .454, alpha = .05, 
one-tail test). 
The distributions of student answers to questions about key concepts can be found in Appendix 1. 
Recommendations 
Recommendations for Course Revisions 
The issues and concerns that faculty members and students brought up included the following: 
a. The course materials need to be contextualized by adding local examples. Writings by 
Muslim scholars may be added to the course. 
0.0%
26.3%
10.5%
42.1%
10.5%
10.5%
17.6%
23.6%
38.1%
15.8%
4.3%
0.6%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%
6 or fewer out of 12
7 out of 12
8 out of 12
9 out of 12
10 out of 12
11 out of 12
Distribution of correct answers by faculty and students
Students (n = 352) Faculty (n = 19)
24
b. The course should be simplified and shortened, or the allotted time for the course should be 
increased. 
c. The language of the course materials should be simplified so that people who are not used 
to learning and teaching in English and have never been exposed to these concepts can still 
understand the content. A short course of English might be needed for some as a 
prerequisite. 
Recommendations for Supporting Course Implementation 
What can stakeholders (colleges, universities, provincial governments, and TEP) do to support the 
implementation of the course by faculty members? The following recommendations emerged from 
the data: 
1. Intensive professional development for faculty. Interviewed faculty members suggested 
adding more training opportunities for new courses. In addition, refresher training may be 
organized periodically. A few of the faculty members emphasized IT-related training as the 
course requires frequent use of the Internet and other IT tools. Students also emphasized 
that faculty should be able to explain complex concepts and theories. 
2. Course materials. Lack of course materials has been identified as one of the key obstacles to 
learning by both faculty and students. Course materials should be made available to all, 
including low-income students who cannot afford to use commercial photocopying services. 
3. Increase in professional collaboration among stakeholders. There should be regular 
interaction between the ADE and B.Ed. programs for both students and faculty members. 
Seminars and exchange of visits were recommended by some of the faculty members for 
this purpose. 
These recommendations are being addressed by the USAID Teacher Education Project through the 
provision of professional development for the faculty (including a semester orientation specifically 
designed to prepare faculty for teaching the new B.Ed. and ADE courses) and distribution of 
materials to support course implementation. 
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Appendix 1: Faculty and Student Responses about Key Course Concepts 
Charts below show the distribution of faculty and student answers to the twelve questions about the 
key course concepts. 
36.8%
21.1%
5.3%
26.3%
10.5%
21.6%
15.1%
8.0%
36.9%
18.3%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that children are born with fixed intelligence that 
cannot be changed?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 398)
52.6%
47.4%
0.7% 2.0% 1.2%
26.6%
69.5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that children learn best through play?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 406)
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5.3% 5.3%
42.1%
47.4%
1.7% 1.0% 2.2%
15.6%
79.5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that teachers can promote self-efficacy of 
children by treating all children equally?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 404)
5.3%
42.1%
52.6%
1.1% 2.9%
22.3%
35.7% 38.1%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that scaffolding is a useful technique for both 
teachers and parents?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 373)
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10.5%
52.6%
36.8%
1.0%
4.0% 3.5%
37.9%
53.7%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that teachers are effective when they help 
children build their own way of learning?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 404)
31.6%
5.3%
26.3%
36.8%
3.7% 2.5% 1.5%
17.1%
75.2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that children are 'empty vessels to be filled with 
knowledge'?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 403)
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52.6%
47.4%
2.3% 4.3%
10.8%
40.3% 42.5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that direct experience is the foundation of 
children's learning?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 400)
15.8% 15.8%
26.3%
42.1%
10.1%
5.4% 6.4%
35.4%
42.8%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that children can experience stress as much as 
adults?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 407)
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29 | P a g e
10.5%
5.3%
10.5%
21.1%
52.6%
2.7% 3.5% 4.0%
15.1%
74.8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that, in the classroom, a teacher must try to 
avoid conflict at all costs?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 404)
5.3%
26.3%
68.4%
0.2% 0.5%
4.4%
24.5%
70.3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that creative play is a foundation of children's 
intellectual growth?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 408)
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15.8%
84.2%
5.7% 3.2% 6.9%
23.6%
60.7%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that children's experiences at home affect how 
they learn at school?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 407)
10.5% 10.5% 10.5%
47.4%
21.1%
9.8%
5.8%
17.5%
36.0%
31.0%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that adolescent boys are usually better in math 
than adolescent girls?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 400)
USAID Teacher Education Project
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Methods of Teaching Course 
Formative Evaluation Findings 
Introduction 
The USAID Teacher Education Project (TEP) primarily aims to introduce a new B.Ed./ADE teacher 
degree based on effective teaching practices and methodologies. The first step has been to develop 
curricula for the 24 courses that will be offered in the new degree program. For this purpose, EDC 
has partnered with Teachers College of Columbia University and curriculum developers in Pakistan. 
As the new degree program is being rolled out nationwide, TEP continues its efforts toward ensuring 
the desired outcomes—high-quality curricula that are compliant not only with international 
standards but also with domestic teaching requirements, as well as helpful for the trainee teachers 
in their future teaching endeavors. To assist with the course development, a formative evaluation of 
12 courses has been planned and is being conducted continuously during the curriculum rollout, 
beginning in the fall of 2011 and terminating in the fall of 2012. 
One of the courses selected for the formative evaluation is Methods of Teaching, which is offered in 
the second semester of the ADE/B.Ed program. The monitoring and evaluation team collected data 
on student and faculty perceptions about the course as well as their understanding of key course 
concepts. This report presents findings from data collected in the spring of 2012 from 27 partner 
institutions offering this course during that period in the provinces of Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber 
Pakhtunkhawa (KPK), and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). The report highlights key findings from 
the field and recommendations on how the course can be further improved, and how colleges, 
universities, provincial governments, and TEP can support implementation. 
Methodology 
Formative evaluation questions. The main purpose of the formative evaluation is to collect 
information that can help improve course design. This evaluation sought to answer the following 
research questions: 
 What are faculty members’ and students’ perceptions of course content and structure? 
 What strategies do faculty members use in teaching this course? 
 Did the students learn key course concepts? 
 How can the course be improved? 
 What can stakeholders (colleges, universities, provincial governments, and TEP) do to 
support faculty implementation of the course? 
Data collection methods. The following data collection methods were used for this formative 
evaluation: 
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32 | P a g e
1. Faculty survey and interviews: The faculty survey aims to assess faculty familiarity with and 
attitudes toward the new curriculum, as well as to collect data on faculty’s understanding of 
key course concepts. The survey is supplemented by qualitative interviews with faculty to 
better understand survey findings. 
2. Student survey and focus groups: The student survey aims to gauge students’ perceptions of 
how well new instructional practices are working for them, and how these practices are 
changing the learning experience. The survey is supplemented by a series of targeted focus 
groups with students. 
Sampling. The timing of the data collection was determined by the schedule of curriculum rollout 
and revisions. All institutions that offered this course during the spring of 2012 were included in the 
data collection. 
Data collection protocols. The formative evaluation used four data collection protocols: a faculty 
survey protocol, student survey protocol, faculty qualitative interview protocol, and student focus 
group protocol. All data collection protocols were developed in close collaboration with the course 
writers. They were pilot-tested by trained monitoring and evaluation staff in February 2012. 
Data analysis. Data analysis for this formative evaluation consisted of a descriptive statistical 
analysis of quantitative data collected through the surveys of faculty and students, and an analysis of 
qualitative data obtained from student focus groups and qualitative interviews with faculty. The 
survey data were analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) and standard 
statistical methods of analysis. Qualitative data obtained from the in-depth interviews with faculty 
and focus groups with students were analyzed using qualitative data analysis procedures. In the first 
stage of analysis, we looked to identify the central themes in answers to each question across all 
respondents. At the next level of analysis, we considered trends and patterns that reappeared across 
two data sets. At this level, we drew general conclusions with regard to recommendations for course 
improvement. 
Limitations. Without further data collection, it is unknown to what extent the findings are 
generalizable to institutions in provinces that did not participate in this wave of data collection. Due 
to a relatively large sample size it is not likely that the findings from other provinces would be 
dramatically different. However, it is probable that institutions that did not participate in this wave 
of data collection have their own unique circumstances and challenges. 
Another limitation of the evaluation is that, in some surveyed institutions, faculty and students 
began the semester with the institution-provided syllabus for the course and then shifted to the TEP 
syllabus mid-term. In certain instances, therefore, it was hard to interpret the participants’ 
comments. 
Finally, all data are self-reported and may be unintentionally exaggerated or misrepresented. 
Whenever possible, triangulation of data was used to draw conclusions. 
The summary of quantitative data collected and analyzed is presented in the following table: 
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33 | P a g e
Province Number of 
Institutions
Faculty 
Surveys
Student 
Surveys
Faculty 
Interviews
Student focus 
groups
AJK 7 8 124 8 7
Balochistan 1 1 23 1 1
KPK 17 17 339 17 17
Punjab 2 3 84 3 2
Total 27 29 570 29 27
The qualitative data collection sample consisted of 29 university faculty members. Interviews were 
conducted between February 15, 2012, and May 17, 2012. Interview participants were from 24
institutions. Focus groups were conducted between February 22, 2012, and April 13, 2012. Each 
group consisted of five to nine participants. Students from 22 institutions were represented in the 
focus group sample. 
Findings 
Faculty and Student Perception of the Course 
More than 85% of both student and faculty participants agreed that it is important for trainees to 
know different teaching methods in learning how to become a teacher. 
0.9% 0.4% 0.7%
12.0%
86.1%
3.4%
10.3%
86.2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
not sure not at all 
important
not very 
important
somewhat 
important
very important
How important is it to know different methods of teaching for 
students learning how to become a teacher?
Students(n=568) Faculty(n=29)
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Faculty members were asked if the course addresses issues faced by teachers in their communities. 
The responses to this question were mixed. Some faculty mentioned that the teaching methods 
suggested by the course are useful with the large class sizes that are prevalent in their communities: 
‘…[If] we use collaborative methods by making different groups and supervising them, it makes the 
task easy. It is equally beneficial for students and teachers. Mostly, it addresses the issue of 
overcrowding. We face the issue of lack of teachers in schools, so if a teacher assigns different 
activities to different classes, so they can engage multiple classes simultaneously.’
However, there was a bit of skepticism that the course could truly address the larger issues at the 
community level. One interviewee respondent noted that the community would only be able to 
benefit if trainees were actually allowed to implement these practices. 
Respondents also noted that the course could teach trainees how to teach students with different 
learning styles, and mentioned that teaching wasn’t just about teaching concepts, but also about 
instilling character-building aspects such as moral values and respect. 
‘This is a deep question [it] encompasses the country not just my community. Teachers should be 
given due respect….[teachers] need dedication. The learning strategies need to be connected to the 
local environment, practices, and culture. If a course is brought in from outside [another country] we 
should try to link/relate it to our local practices and culture.’
Almost all faculty expressed the view that the course did not contradict community values and 
practices. 
‘The course does not have anything against the social values and practices in our community. It helps 
the teacher to do his/her best and facilitate the students. A teacher can help the students to face the 
challenges and may offer solutions as well. So the course is good.’
Some faculty went a step further to mention that they did not believe the course was specifically 
contradictory to the religious or social values of Islam noting that Islam encouraged new knowledge 
acquisition as well as mutual respect.. There would only be a clash of values if there were violations 
in the norms regarding how males and females were to interact with one another. 
‘This course teaches moral values, self-respect, positive behavior and attitudes, and discourages 
corporal punishment. This course teaches that students should be treated well.’
Similar to the faculty interviews, most students said that the course did not contradict the values 
and practices of their communities, and many expressed the view that the course was useful and 
needed. 
Participants also noted that while they condoned and encouraged the use of student-centered 
strategies, it was unusual for students to be proactive and ask questions in the classroom setting. 
Nonetheless, students seemed to feel that this approach would enhance learning, as well as address 
issues related to the diversity in student learning and perspectives. 
Student focus group data indicated that students believed the course could improve teaching skills 
and help faculty address the unique needs of students, but only if the strategies taught were actually 
used.
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Faculty members were asked if the course was within their area of expertise. Nearly half of the 
faculty members were either familiar with only some concepts of the course or not familiar with any 
before teaching this course. Perhaps the teaching methodologies introduced in this course were new 
for the faculty who had been teaching based on traditional methods. 
The student and faculty responses show that overall they enjoyed the Methods of Teaching course. 
Focus group data also indicated that students were mostly positive about the course and thought it 
was an important one, providing a new perspective outside of traditional teaching methods. 
Participants responded that the course was unusual in that its focus was on engaging students 
interactively and collaboratively. Some focus group respondents said that they had a better 
understanding of the variety of students they might teach in classrooms, and their different learning 
styles. 
6.9%
41.4%
34.5%
17.2%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
not familiar familiar with only 
some concepts
familiar with most 
concepts
familiar with all 
concepts
Were the faculty familiar with the key course concepts prior 
to teaching the course? (n=29)
3.2%
13.5%
45.3%
37.9%
3.4% 3.4%
58.6%
34.5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
not at all not much somewhat very much
Overall, did you enjoy this course?
Students(n= 569) Faculty(n=29)
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‘Previously, we had no knowledge about the teaching methodologies. Simply, we can say that we 
only had ideas about the lecture method, which is just to come into class, hold the book, and start 
talking. No opinion and feedback from students was taken whereas now we know that there is not 
only [the] lecture method; rather there are other teaching methodologies [that] can be used. E.g., 
think pair share, demonstration method, student-centered lecture…there are different types of 
activities [available] in each method [by] which we can develop students’ interest in learning.’
Students reported that the strategies they found to be most useful were those that encouraged 
collaboration and interactivity among students. While students named a variety of approaches—
such as active learning, group discussion, Q & A, presentations, and multimedia—strategies that 
were considered collaborative were often thought to be most useful. 
‘[We] think the collaborative strategies will be useful for us. Out teacher assigns us a topic to discuss 
before he teaches us. We discuss the topic in a group and share our opinions about the topic with 
each other, and later the teacher explains. This will be a useful method for us when we teach in the 
future.’
Students who participated in classroom observations found them an aid to collaborative teaching 
and a guide to the identification of best strategies. Some respondents noted that collaborative 
strategies could be useful in addressing issues related to overcrowding in schools, specifically by 
reducing the number of students being taught to smaller, more manageable groups. 
‘…We have not yet learn[ed] how to manage overcrowded classrooms. All the strategies that we 
have studied so far would be helpful; take for example: we could make groups and give each group a 
different topic. This allows groups to discuss the topic and when shared at the classroom level, 
learning would improve.’
Although the course was generally well received, faculty said that there were several aspects that 
they would like to see improved. These included increasing access to resources, condensing course 
material, establishing continued training for teachers, ensuring that all teachers have access to 
information technology, and addressing language barriers. The issue of language was especially 
poignant; faculty were concerned that the level of language was too advanced. 
Other aspects that faculty thought that learning outcomes should be more clearly addressed and 
that more relevant activities should be added to the curriculum. Several respondents noted that 
receiving a new syllabus or making frequent changes in the middle of the course was confusing and 
destabilizing. These comments can likely be ascribed to the fact that some faculty had two 
competing syllabi, a university-based version and a syllabus provided by TEP. 
Although students noted a variety of issues that made the course somewhat difficult, access to 
Internet technology was a significant concern. Specifically, students noted that it was sometimes 
difficult to ensure consistent Internet service and that in some cases it was not available at all. 
Additionally, respondents reported having to download resources from the Internet rather than 
having ready access to assigned readings. Some students noted that the expense of downloading 
and printing placed undue burden upon the student, who may or may not have had the funding to 
print resources. 
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Similar to the faculty, most students found the course useful, creative, and necessary. However, 
students noted that there were several aspects that they would like to see improved. These included 
consistent Internet service, increased access to resources, scaling back of material, more school￾based learning activities, and the addressing of language barriers. 
Course Materials 
While almost all interviewees said that they used the syllabus, there were mixed responses about 
their use of the course guide. Specifically, faculty did use the syllabus, although several noted that 
they a) did not receive the syllabus in a timely manner, b) received a university syllabus that 
contradicted the TEP syllabus, or c) were sometimes unsure which syllabus to follow. Nonetheless, 
faculty describe the syllabus as useful in terms of providing course scope and content and planning 
for lessons. 
Approximately half of the faculty described themselves as having used the course guide for students, 
but almost all respondents noted that they had to supplement the course guide with additional 
material. 
‘[We] used the student reader; it helped [in clarifying some of the concepts] but for some units the 
information was very limited….’
They asked that more ready-made handouts and material be made available to faculty, since they 
did not have time to search for these. Some faculty noted that, because they did not have a new 
course guide until mid-semester, they often decided to continue with the previously provided guide. 
The course guide was described as being especially useful for providing information on how to 
conduct formative assessment in order to evaluate the learning outcomes of students. 
While a very few faculty said that they had almost no problems with the syllabus and course guide, a 
large number of respondents described themselves as having at least some concerns. Some 
interview participants thought that the guides and syllabus were too detailed and did not come with 
appropriate preprinted resources. Other participants mentioned that much of the work to find 
additional resources was problematic due to a) the lack of technological knowledge on the part of 
some faculty, b) the lack of IT capability, or c) the lack of time faculty had to research such resources. 
Students also said that they struggled to find enough resources to supplement the course. 
Specifically, respondents reported that in many cases, the faculty had to generate additional 
resources and that some of these were not relevant. 
‘[We] do not have proper books. We used the internet…we had power failure problems as well….The 
course guide and syllabus are helpful. We can improve upon it, we do depend on the internet [to do 
so]...if we have [a] text book/reference book we will get most of the materials [to understand] the 
course guide and syllabus.’
Some faculty noted that they were not provided enough materials to facilitate learning and that they 
often had to find additional resources for themselves. Some respondents (those who likely were 
more savvy about information technology) appeared to welcome this challenge, while others found 
this a burden and believed it impeded lesson planning. 
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‘[At] the start we were not used to using the computer and do research for teaching. I was not 
comfortable with using a computer because I myself did not know much of its usage….’
Most faculty interviewees responded that the course was reasonably well organized and the units 
built well upon each other. One faculty member stated, ‘The course is very good; it helped us in our 
teaching in the future. The course tells us about the best techniques of teaching. We were taught 
about lecture and other methods of teaching and also how to handle different types of students…’
Some faculty members reported some discrepancies in the course organization, especially 
concerning the connection between Units 1 and 2, with some respondents pointing out that Unit 1 
did not provide an easy transition to Unit 2. 
While almost all interviewees said that the course was detailed and comprehensive, some noted
that the course was ‘difficult’ and that occasionally the course material needed to be realigned or re￾sequenced. Most if not all faculty said that the lack of hard-copy resources, such as books and ready￾made handouts, added to the difficulty of teaching the course. Specifically, respondents said that 
they had to look up resources online or find them from other sources to supplement the course 
syllabus and student guide, which impacted their ability to teach the course in the suggested order. 
‘I did not follow the given sequence of topics of the course guide because for some units, I have to 
seek information myself on my own, which required time. Thus, I teach those topics first for which I 
have ample information to deliver to students.’
A few of the interviewees responded that they did not receive the syllabus from the project until 
later in the semester, and described it as being markedly different from the university-provided 
syllabus. They also reported confusion regarding which syllabus they were supposed to use.
Asked which units/concepts faculty respondents found most difficult to teach, the responses varied. 
A few indicated that they had no problem teaching any of the course material (it should be noted 
that some of these respondents were Ph.D.-level faculty), while others mentioned that every unit 
was difficult. For instance, one faculty member mentioned that Units 5 and 7 were difficult to 
understand, while others mentioned Units 1 and 2 as difficult. 
‘Unit 5 is about Teacher/Student and Student/Student interaction. Its sub-topics, including respect, 
fairness, trust, credibility, etc., were not clear as the learning outcomes, objectives, and activities 
were not clearly defined. It does not explain how to teach these topics. We were also not clear which 
activity had to be done in the class.’
Almost all faculty respondents noted that they used most if not all features of the curriculum that 
were provided. Additionally, they indicated an intention to cover all curricula if time permitted, as all 
parts seemed important. Only a few of the faculty said that some of the features might not be 
applied, and only in the case of tight timelines. Interviewees said that they may have left out 
teaching items that they thought were less important. For example, some faculty noted that they did 
not teach Unit 1 because it did not seem to intuitively connect to other sections such as Unit 2. 
Other topics that faculty said they did not teach included Lower-Order Learning/Higher-Order 
Learning, Search for Synthesis, Compete Instructional Design, and Mental Strategies that Facilitate 
Learning. 
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Out of the total number of students and faculty surveyed, 32% were of the view that the course 
does not have a sufficient number of examples and practice exercises. However, more students 
(21%) compared to faculty members (10%) agreed that the course has a sufficient number of 
examples. 
The language of the course emerged as one of the major barriers to understanding faced by students 
and faculty. The data reveals that nearly 50% of the faculty members and 66% of the students found 
the language of the course difficult to understand. In interviews, faculty mentioned that the 
language level was sometimes a barrier—specifically, some noted that course materials were 
developed using ‘advanced English’. Almost all interviewed faculty noted that the language barrier 
sometimes hindered students’ understanding of the material. In some cases, the faculty themselves
struggled with the language, and this made it hard to effectively teach students. 
‘All the material provided in [the] TEP course was accurate but difficult to implement to the [level of] 
English; whereas the course guidelines provided by university was designed in [an] easy language 
and we followed the university guidelines.’
In focus groups, students said they found the course difficult because the language was often too 
advanced. A few students believed that, in some cases, the university faculty were ill equipped to 
teach the course because of their own language barriers. 
‘...This course is in English language and it is quite difficult for those students who completed their 
earlier study in Urdu Medium Schools. Similarly, difficult words are used which are not easy to 
understand.’
32.5%
46.9%
20.6%
32.1%
57.0%
10.7%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
not sufficent yes,mostly yes,completely
Did you feel the number of examples and practice exercises was 
sufficient?
Students(n=567) Faculty(n=28)
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In response to the question about the usefulness of the recommended handouts for the course, a 
good number of faculty respondents said that they had either a) not received any handouts related 
to the course, b) received them later in the semester, or c) found that the handouts they did receive 
were not relevant to the course material. Many interviewees said that they had to explore both 
hard- and soft-copy resources for students. Some of these materials were found to be either dated 
or at a language level that was too advanced for students to understand. To make up for these 
23.1%
43.0%
20.2%
11.3%
14.3%
35.7%
39.3%
10.7%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
Mostly difficult to 
understand
sometimes difficult 
to understand
mostly easy to 
understand
very easy to 
understand
Ratings of the difficulty of the level of English in the course 
materials by faculty and students
Students(n=568) Faculty(n=28)
11.2%
18.4%
38.6%
27.8%
4.0%
11.5%
19.7%
44.6%
22.9%
1.2%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
very easy to 
understand
mostly easy to 
understand
sometimes 
difficult to 
understand
mostly difficult to 
understand
the course was 
not taught in 
English
Ratings of the difficulty of the level of English in the course 
materials by univeristy and college students
university students (n=223) college students (n=401)
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deficiencies, interviewees said that they often devised strategies such as developing notes on their 
own and sharing across faculty. Finally, those interviewees who did receive handouts in a timely 
manner thought that these needed to be distilled down to a level that was easier to comprehend. 
Teaching Strategies Used by Faculty in Teaching the Course 
The B.Ed. and ADE curriculum emphasizes experiential and applied learning opportunities that 
research shows to be a more effective method of knowledge transfer than traditional lecture-based 
instruction. To support this shift from lecture-based to collaborative and experiential learning, TEP 
provides ongoing professional development to the faculty of institutions that offer the new 
curriculum. The collaborative teaching strategies include small group discussion, brainstorming, pair￾share, and demonstration. The experiential learning involves field assignments—such as classroom 
observations and teacher interviews—that take teacher trainees to schools. Other effective teaching 
strategies that TEP professional development highlights are writing assignments and quizzes. 
Faculty was unanimous that their teaching practices had changed as a result of the Methods of 
Teaching course. Most commended the activity-based nature of the strategies and responded that 
they were using more group practices to facilitate learning. As one faculty member noted, 
‘Yes, for sure it changed my teaching practices to a large extent. The ideal of self study, research, 
surfing the internet for information/material on my own was all new to me…Previously, we followed 
a tradition and typical method of teaching from a book and we were more concerned with covering 
the syllabus in the given the time period. But not we are flexible and can adjust it on our own.’ 
Specifically, interviewees made a distinction between their previous teacher-centered practices (e.g. 
traditional lecture), which one faculty respondent realized was one of the oldest and most obsolete 
methods of teaching, versus more student-centered practices (e.g. interactive and collaborative 
methods). That said, many interviewees discussed successfully using both methods to teach. 
Several of the faculty also noted that the course provided them with multi-dimensional skills that 
were suited for both private- and public-sector schools. Respondents reported that they were 
making more of an effort to acknowledge students’ different learning styles rather than classifying 
them as either slow or quick learners. 
Other interviewees added that the course helped them to better engage and involve their students 
in the lesson, and noted that strategies such as jigsaw were helpful in that engagement. One faculty 
member stated: 
‘I use cooperative learning techniques; in order to make students understand active learning 
techniques and strategies it is important that I use the same [ones] in class. I used different activities 
including: jigsaw, pair share, group discussion, etc.’
Student reports varied widely in response to the question of whether university faculty actually used 
active learning strategies in the classroom. While data from interviews with faculty indicated that 
almost all faculty asserted that the course had transformed how they taught, student data indicated 
that this was only partially true. Specifically, about half the student groups reported that professors 
continued to use the same teacher-centered strategies while teaching student-centered strategies. 
Students noted that the faculty who continued to use traditional teaching methods did so usually 
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because of time constraints (e.g. not enough time to make use of the strategies) as well as lack of 
ready-made resources. 
‘Our teachers did not adopt any sort of active learning strategy. They delivered lectures only by 
reading the contents of the subject.’
Student groups who did report the faculty as having used active learning strategies noted identified 
group work, Q&A, presentation strategies, as well as classroom observations as especially effective 
in engaging students in the material. Data indicate that students believed that these were more 
effective strategies in facilitating not only learning, but also teaching. 
‘[Our teacher] used active learning strategies and lecture, and all were useful. [Active strategies] 
proved very productive for us because if the teacher would start teaching us the concepts and later 
getting us involved, that would not have helped in creating interest among us…’
The student survey attempted to find out how frequently faculty used collaborative learning 
strategies and offered experiential learning opportunities in administering the Methods of Teaching 
course. When students were asked how frequently they had school-based assignments during this 
course, almost a third said nearly every week. One in seven surveyed students said they did not have 
school-based assignments at all. 
Approximately half of the faculty reported having had their students conduct classroom 
observations and described the activity as helpful to the learning process. Interviewees noted that 
students were able to learn by viewing both successes and failures in the classroom. Respondents 
reported having discussed aspects of what students observed, such as classroom management, 
teaching techniques (both teacher- and student-centered), and record-keeping. Participants also 
responded that students noted observing the difference between using traditional lecture methods 
versus using collaborative and interactive methods. Specifically, university students could see how 
primary students responded to and performed when taught using student-centered methods in the 
classroom. 
18.2%
31.4%
16.8%
33.6%
12.8%
35.2%
19.1%
32.9%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
did not use at all once or twice a 
semester
once or twice a 
month
nearly every week
Frequency of school-based assignments
university students (n=220) college students (n=398)
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‘Our students had visited practicum schools to observe teachers who were teaching in the classroom. 
They had observed different things like activity based learning, brainstorming, eye contract, stating 
and concluding the lessons, as well as encapsulation at the end of the of the class, etc. The students 
debriefed and shared their findings based on the observations. These are very useful, because 
students learn things practically. They will perform well when they become teachers.’ 
A few respondents who had students conduct observations said that these were sometimes difficult 
and thus negative experiences. These interviewees noted that some classroom teachers were fearful 
of and/or bothered by being observed and thus combative toward student observers. 
The remaining half of the faculty whose students were unable to conduct observations cited 
scheduling conflicts, lack of time, and an inability to gain entry to the schools as the reasons for the 
problem. In these cases, faculty respondents relied solely on practice materials and, in some cases, 
mock observations to provide students some level of experience in the classroom. Respondents said 
that although the students did not get to observe a classroom setting in actuality, they did have the 
opportunity to conduct role-plays and gain a sense of the classroom environment. 
Approximately half of student respondents indicated that they had engaged in classroom 
observations. Classroom experiences were dependent upon the reception of the teachers, some 
who were described as welcoming of observations versus those who were described as being 
suspicious or sometimes unwelcoming. Nonetheless, students described the observations as 
facilitating insights both positive or negative. For instance, respondents noted that the observations 
provided them understanding concerning how teacher-centered versus learner-centered strategies 
could affect knowledge acquisition. 
Students who reported that they did not engage in teaching observations cited lack of time to do so 
(on the part of the professor) or not having enough resources. Some students did note that although 
they were unable to engage in actual teacher observations, they did conduct role-plays that allowed 
them to practice and observe interactive and collaborative approaches. 
Almost half of the surveyed students reported that their faculty used small group discussion and 
pair-share strategies nearly every week while teaching this course. On the other hand, 30% of the 
students reported that they did not use a reflective journal. 
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2.3%
14.6%
28.8%
54.3%
1.5%
5.3%
17.8%
75.4%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
did not use at all once or twice a 
semester
once or twice a 
month
nearly every week
Frequency of using cooperative learning strategies
university students (n=219) college students (n=398)
2.3%
9.0%
22.1%
66.7%
1.5% 4.5%
13.8%
80.2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
did not use at all once or twice a 
semester
once or twice a 
month
nearly every week
Frequency of small group discussion 
university students (n=219) college students (n=398)
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Almost half of the faculty interview respondents said that they did have students engage in writing 
at least one reflective journal entry about their course experiences, teaching observations, and 
general contemplations on pedagogy. Respondents said that student engagement in reflective 
journaling allowed students to write and think critically. For instance, one faculty member said: 
‘…Writing journals developed deep understanding and critical thinking and improves writing skills in 
students. These journals were written on teaching methodologies adopted in the classrooms for 
improving teaching skills.’
There were several respondents who said that while students did not engage in reflective writing, 
they did engage in reflective classroom conversations. The faculty members who encouraged this 
type of reflection said that this further facilitated a student-centered teaching style both for them 
and the trainees. The small group who did not engage students in reflective writing or conversations 
cited such reasons as inadequate time and the need to cover dense material. One faculty member 
noted that the students’ feedback helped him realize students’ preferences:
‘….Not exactly reflective journals but mostly I have taken the feedback from the students. They used 
to give me their feedback, which helped me in evaluating the learning objectives. While taking their 
feedback, I realized that they were not happy with the lecture method but they learned a lot from the 
activities….’
Although faculty interviews indicated that a large number of faculty encouraged students to engage 
in reflective journaling, student focus group data indicated that this only occurred about half the 
time. Specifically, students who did not engage in this activity said that they did not have time to do 
so, due to other commitments and what they considered more pressing assignments, or because 
professors did not provide such an assignment. Although data indicated that some faculty did 
require students to journal, some students responded that they did not do so, nor were they held 
accountable. 
10.0%
13.2%
36.8%
40.0%
9.6% 7.1%
26.3%
57.0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
did not use at all once or twice a 
semester
once or twice a 
month
nearly every week
Frequency of pair-share strategy 
university students (n=219) college students (n=398)
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‘We have no knowledge about reflective journals. It was very seldom that the teacher would…ask us 
about the topic that we read in class. We have not written any reflective journals.’
Student respondents who indicated that they did write reflective journals stated that the exercise 
was helpful in encouraging creativity and introspection. Specifically, respondents said that the 
journaling process allowed them to reflect on classroom experiences, the effectiveness of teaching 
methods (teacher-centered versus student-centered), and student learning styles. 
‘[During] the start of the semester we wrote reflective journals as an assignment…The reflective 
journal was useful in assessing the teaching and learning qualities. We learned from this exercise to 
do the work on [a] daily basis, how to start the lesson, brainstorming, and using quotations. We 
could write real thinks in reflective journals.’
The chart below shows the distribution of student survey responses about the frequency of writing 
in the reflective journal. 
Student Learning 
To determine how much students learned from the course without explicit testing (which was not 
feasible within the setting of the formative evaluation), the surveyed students were asked two sets 
of questions: six questions asked them to assess their own learning of the course material, and an 
additional nine questions aimed to test their knowledge of key course concepts. 
Student Self-Assessment Results: The charts below show distributions of students’ assessments of 
how much they learned from the Methods of Teaching course. Between 25% and 60% said that they 
25.6% 24.2%
30.4%
19.8%
35.1%
20.8%
25.8%
18.3%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
did not use at all once or twice a 
semester
once or twice a 
month
nearly every week
Frequency of reflective journaling 
university students (n=207) college students (n=356)
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learned key concepts of the course ‘very well’, and between 30% and 52% said they learned them 
‘well enough’.
38.1%
44.4%
12.1%
0.9%
39.9%
47.3%
11.5%
1.3%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned teacher-centered versus 
learner-centered teaching methods 
university students (n=213) college students (n=391)
24.7%
49.3%
18.8%
1.8%
24.0%
52.8%
21.1%
2.1%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned limitations of different 
teaching strategies 
university students (n=211) college students (n=379)
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41.3% 41.7%
13.5%
1.3%
38.8%
45.8%
14.1%
1.3%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned to reflect on their own 
experiences and assumptions 
university students (n=211) college students (n=379)
58.7%
34.1%
5.8%
0.9%
60.3%
32.9%
5.5%
1.3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned to conduct classroom 
observations
university students (n=222) college students (n=398)
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Most faculty interview respondents said that students were either engaged in lesson planning or 
would be developing plans using both teacher-centered and learner-centered methods. For 
example, faculty noted that they engaged in backward planning such as developing goals of lessons, 
questions for achieving the goals, and assessments. Although most of the faculty indicated that they 
wanted to use both methods equally, a balanced approach was dependent upon the syllabus that 
was being used (university-based or TEP). The respondents overwhelmingly said that students 
appeared to benefit most from developing student-centered plans and thought more creatively 
when doing so, as was observed in students’ consideration of different ways of learning and 
processing information. 
‘Students learned both teacher-centered and learner-centered teaching methods, but they preferred 
to develop lesson plans based on the learner-centered approach.’ ‘Students developed their lesson 
plans using both teacher-centered and learner-centered teaching methods…one group prepared and 
delivered their lesson plan on the traditional teaching method. The second group delivered their 
presentation on high order techniques of collaborative learning tools.’
All respondents indicated that they had been taught the basics of lesson-planning, both teacher- and 
student-centered, but whether or not they had actually engaged in planning was dependent upon 
the faculty member and whether there was time during the semester to do so. 
Student respondents who did engage in lesson planning noted that they found the exercise helpful; 
in some ways, lesson planning assisted in the reflection process as well as encouraged students to 
think creatively about how to address multiple student learning styles and needs. 
‘We prepared lesson plan keeping in view both learner and teacher centered approaches. We were 
given a format/sample explaining what to use and how to use it. We are comfortable with the lesson 
planning procedure.’
Student survey data presented below support the evidence from the interviews and focus groups. 
55.6%
32.7%
9.9%
0.9%
58.9%
34.1%
6.8%
0.3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned to choose teaching 
methods appropriate for different learning objectives 
university students (n=221) college students (n=384)
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To test the level of knowledge of key concepts among students and faculty members, we included 
nine content-specific questions in student and faculty survey protocols. Respondents were asked to 
rate their agreement with each statement on a scale from 1 to 5. Each knowledge test variable was 
then converted into a binary variable with 1 = correct answer and 0 = incorrect answer or ‘not sure’. 
A total score was then computed for each student and faculty member. The highest possible score 
was 9 if the respondent answered each question correctly. 
The table below shows the descriptive statistics of student and faculty survey data. The data shows 
that, on average, faculty answered about 7 out of 9 questions correctly (with a standard deviation of 
.9), and students answered 6 out of 9 questions correctly (with a standard deviation of 1). 
N Minimum Maximum Mean Standard 
Deviation
Faculty correct answers 30 5.00 9.00 6.8667 .89955
Students’ correct answers 515 1.00 9.00 6.0369 1.00417
The distributions of student answers to the questions about key concepts is found in Appendix 1. 
Recommendations 
Recommendations for course revisions 
The formative evaluation revealed the following issues and concerns: 
a. Quite a few respondents indicated that the course was too ‘dense’, suggesting that perhaps 
the syllabus tries to cover a bit too many concepts. Instead, the course could present fewer 
concepts but explore them more deeply. 
59.6%
27.4%
8.5%
3.6%
60.4%
30.6%
5.3% 3.8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned to design lesson plans 
for use with different teaching methods 
university students (n=221) college students (n=384)
USAID Teacher Education Project
51 | P a g e
b. Course materials may need to present more practical exercises and examples in order to 
help faculty and students better understand what student-centered teaching looks like. 
c. Perceptions of the role of direct instruction and the role of assessments among the surveyed 
faculty and students suggest that the majority of them need a better explanation of these 
two topics. Additional practical examples and exercises also might be helpful. 
Recommendations for supporting course implementation 
a. A majority of the respondents said that the English of the course materials was too advanced 
for them, suggesting the need for language support. Such support could range from minimal 
(such as a course glossary) to comprehensive (such as a prerequisite course in English). 
b. Both students and faculty indicated that additional training for the faculty in course content, 
and particularly in applying collaborative teaching strategies, would be beneficial. 
c. One of the running themes in the evaluation data was lack of course materials. Both printed 
materials and access to digital media were lacking in some institutions. Alternatives to 
Internet sources (such as materials on compact disc) could be useful for those institutions 
with poor Internet connections. Copies of essential materials could be distributed to 
institutions for both faculty and students. 
Overall, the study found that faculty and students consider the course to be important for 
prospective students and effective in improving students’ understanding of various methods of 
teaching. Despite challenges with the language of delivery and lack of materials in some institutions, 
the majority of students correctly answered the majority of questions about key concepts. 
USAID Teacher Education Project
52
Appendix 1. Student and Faculty Knowledge of Key Concepts 
The charts below present the distributions of the key content area questions from both faculty 
surveys and student surveys. 
0.4% 2.8% 2.5%
15.6%
78.7%
20.7%
79.3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
completely 
disagree
somewhat 
disagree
no 
opinion/don't 
know
somewhat 
agree
completely 
agree
Do you agree that it is important for children to ‘learn how 
to learn’ when they are at school? 
Students(n=564) Faculty(n=29)
3.0%
7.3% 5.5%
42.8% 41.3%
6.9%
17.2%
55.2%
20.7%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
completely 
disagree
somewhat 
disagree
no 
opinion/don't 
know
somewhat 
agree
completely 
agree
Do you agree that direct instruction by the teacher is the 
most effective way to teach children? 
Students(n=559) Faculty(n=29)
USAID Teacher Education Project
53
0.5% 0.9% 1.8%
11.5%
85.3%
13.8%
86.2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
completely 
disagree
somewhat 
disagree
no 
opinion/don't 
know
somewhat 
agree
completely 
agree
Do you agree that there is always more than one way to teach a 
lesson?
Students(n=565) Faculty(n=29)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
somewhat 
disagree
no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that assessment helps teachers plan teaching 
and learning?
Students(n=564) Faculty(n=29)
USAID Teacher Education Project
54
21.8%
12.7%
17.6%
32.3%
15.6%
41.4%
27.6%
24.1%
6.9%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
completely 
disagree
somehwta 
disagree
opinion/don't 
know
somewhat 
agree
completely 
agree
Do you agree that there is only one correct way to make a 
lesson plan?
students(n=551) Faculty(n=29)
1.1% 0.4% 1.8%
9.7%
87.1%
3.4%
96.6%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
completely 
disagree
somewhat 
disagree
no 
opinion/don't 
know
somewhat 
agree
completely 
agree
Do you agree that children must be taught skills for 
collaboration in the classroom?
Students(n=565) Faculty (n=29)
USAID Teacher Education Project
55
0.8% 1.2%
6.2%
20.8%
71.0%
3.4%
17.2%
79.3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
completely 
disagree
somewhat 
disagree
no 
opinion/don't 
know
somewhat 
agree
completely 
agree
Do you agree that teachers should choose teaching methods 
based on what they want children to learn?
students(n=486) Faculty(n=29)
1.4% 1.0%
5.0%
23.2%
69.4%
10.3%
3.4%
44.8% 41.4%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
completely 
disagree
somewhat 
disagree
no 
opinion/don't 
know
somewhat 
agree
completely 
agree
Do you agree that the only purpose of assessment is to evaluate 
student performance?
Students(n=483) Faculty(n=29)
USAID Teacher Education Project
56
1.7% 2.7%
7.6%
29.3%
58.7%
3.4%
6.9%
24.1%
65.5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
completely 
disagree
somewhat 
disagree
no 
opinion/don't 
know
somewhat 
agree
completely 
agree
Do you agree that a teacher's decision about grouping 
children is determined by a lesson's goals?
Students(n=484) Faculty(n=29)
USAID Teacher Education Project
57
Classroom Management Course 
Formative Evaluation Findings 
INTRODUCTION 
The second objective of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Teacher 
Education Project is to develop curricula materials for the new Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) and 
Associate Degree in Education (ADE) teacher degrees. EDC has partnered with Teachers College of 
Columbia University and distinguished Pakistani curriculum developers to develop 24 courses. To 
ensure high quality for the new curricula materials, the USAID Teacher Education Project has 
planned to conduct formative evaluation of 12 courses. Formative evaluation is an evaluation study 
early in the programme development process that has a goal of improving programme design. The 
formative evaluation is conducted continually during the curriculum roll-out, beginning in the fall of 
2011 and terminating in the fall semester of 2012. 
This report presents findings from the formative evaluation of the Classroom Management course 
that is offered to teacher trainees in the second semester of their B.Ed. programme. The data for 
this report were collected in the spring of 2012 in two provinces that offered this course at the time: 
Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK). Based on the findings from the qualitative and 
quantitative data collection, the report offers suggestions on how the course can be improved, and 
how the implementation of the course can be supported by colleges, universities, provincial 
governments, and the USAID Teacher Education Project. 
METHODOLOGY 
Formative Evaluation Questions. The formative evaluation of the Classroom Management course 
sought to answer the following questions: 
6. What are faculty members’ and students’ perceptions of the course content and structure? 
7. What strategies do faculty members utilize in teaching this course? 
8. Did the students learn key course concepts? 
9. How can the course be improved? 
10. What can stakeholders (colleges, universities, provincial governments, and USAID Teacher 
Education Project) do to support the implementation of the course by faculty members? 
Data collection methods. The following data collection methods were used for this formative 
evaluation: 
USAID Teacher Education Project
58
3. Faculty survey and interviews: A faculty survey aims to assess faculty’s familiarity and 
attitude toward the new curriculum, as well as collect data on faculty’s understanding of key 
concepts of the course. The survey is supplemented with qualitative interviews with faculty 
to better understand the survey findings. 
4. Student survey and focus groups: A student survey aims to gauge students’ perceptions of 
how well new instructional practices are working for them, and how they are changing their 
learning experience. The survey is supplemented with a series of targeted focus groups with 
students. 
Sampling. The timing of the data collection was determined by the schedule of the curriculum roll￾out and the schedule of curriculum revisions. All institutions that offered this course during the 
spring of 2012 were included in the data collection. 
Data collection protocols. The formative evaluation used four data collection protocols: faculty 
survey protocol, student survey protocol, faculty qualitative interview protocol, and student focus 
group protocol. All data collection protocols were developed in close collaboration with the course 
writers. They were pilot-tested by trained monitoring and evaluation staff in December of 2011. 
Data analysis. Data analysis for this formative evaluation study consisted of two components: 
analysis of quantitative data collected through the surveys of faculty and students, and analysis of 
qualitative data obtained from student focus groups and qualitative interviews with faculty. The 
survey data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, which employs standard 
statistical methods. Quantitative analyses used univariate and bivariate statistics as needed for 
different analytical purposes. Bivariate statistical analysis was conducted to examine the relationship 
between different variables. Qualitative data obtained from the in-depth interviews with faculty and 
focus groups with students were analysed using qualitative data analysis procedures. In the first 
stage of analysis, we looked to identify the central themes in answers to each question across all 
respondents. At the next level of analysis, we considered trends and patterns that reappeared across 
two data sets. At this level, we drew general conclusions with regard to recommendations for the 
course improvement. 
Limitations. Without further data collection, it is unknown to what extent the findings are 
generalizable to institutions in provinces that did not participate in this wave of data collection. Due 
to a relatively large sample size it is not likely that the findings from other provinces would be 
dramatically different. However, it is probable that institutions that did not participate in this wave 
of data collection have their own unique circumstances and challenges. 
STUDY PARTICIPANTS 
Table 1. Survey participants 
Institution Type Students Faculty
KPK
Regional Institute of Teacher 
Education (RITE) (M) Haripur College 22 1
USAID Teacher Education Project
59
RITE (F) Charsadda College 27 1
University of Peshawar University 49 2
RITE (F) Peshawar College 18 1
RITE (M) Peshawar College 8 1
RITE (M) Mardan College 19 1
RITE (F) Dargi College 23 1
RITE (F) Abbottabad College 27 1
Hazara University Department 
of Education Haripur University 5 1
Gomal University University 9 1
RITE (F) Dera Ismail Khan College 16 1
RITE (M) Dera Ismail Khan College 17 1
RITE (F) Manshera College 27 1
Hazara University-Main campus University 10 1
RITE (F) Kohat College 29 2
RITE (M) Kohat College 12 1
318 18
Balochistan
Sardar Bahadur Khan Women’s 
University University 19 1
19 1
Grand Total 337 19
After cleaning the data, the quantitative data set that was analysed (Table 1) contained 337 student 
surveys and 19 faculty surveys. Among student survey respondents, 116 (34.4%) were young men, 
and 221 (65.6%) were young women. 
Interview and Focus Group Participants 
For the Classroom Management course formative evaluation, 21 faculty interviews were conducted 
in 20 institutions15 in KPK, 4 in Gilgit Baltistan (GB), and 1 in Balochistan. To obtain student 
perspectives on the course, 14 focus group discussions were conducted in 14 institutions13 in 
KPK, and 1 in Balochistan. Overall 104 students participated in the focus group discussions: 34 young 
men and 70 young women. The provincial breakup is given in Table 2 below. 
Table 2. Interview and Focus Group Participants 
Province Number of Faculty Members Number of Institutions
Male Female Total College University Total
GB 1 3 4 3 1 4
KPK 7 9 16 11 4 15
Balochistan 0 1 1 0 1 1
Total faculty 8 13 21 14 6 20
Number of Students Number of Institutions
Male Female Total College University Total
USAID Teacher Education Project
60
“In our community schools, the 
teachers do not apply active learning 
strategies, as they are not trained on 
these strategies. This course focuses 
on these strategies, to make 
classroom an ideal environment for 
learning for every student” (Student 
in a college of KPK).
KPK 34 62 96 9 4 13
Balochistan 0 8 8 0 1 1
Total students 34 70 104 9 5 14
FINDINGS 
Faculty and Student Perceptions of the Course 
Overall Perceptions of the Course 
The majority of faculty members and students interviewed said that the course addresses classroom 
management issues faced by Pakistani teachers. Faculty discussed topics in the course that students 
are likely to face, including time management in preparing lessons, student behaviour and positive 
classroom management, student motivation, teacher-student relationships, use of physical space, 
and multigrade teaching. For example, one faculty member said, ‘Pakistani teachers have learnt a lot 
of new information regarding classroom management through this course. For example, they have 
learnt effective ways to establish a sound teacher-student relationship. They have also learnt ways to 
manage larger class size, sitting arrangement, and smaller rooms, etc. In case of smaller rooms an 
effective method is to divide students in groups so that individual attention can be provided by 
focusing on each group. Moreover, in case of a multigrade class, when teachers and resources are 
few, the best method is to make different groups and teach and assign them activities accordingly.’ 
Many faculty members said that one of the issues Pakistani teachers face is overcrowded classrooms 
and lack of resources. Most faculty believed that this course provided strategies to help students 
address this challenge. Others, however, believed that the course did not provide enough practical 
solutions. ‘To some extent this course addresses classroom management issues faced by the teachers 
in Pakistan, but the real situation in classroom is different. In an overcrowded classroom an 
average of 125 students per class, non-availability of space for students, non-availability of 
resource it is, therefore, not possible to apply all the strategies given in this course for teaching. 
The administrative issues impede learning environment for children.’ 
Students interviewed said that the course provided 
useful information and strategies for managing the 
classroom, including developing rules and procedures, 
managing student behaviour without the use of 
corporal punishment, motivating students, 
establishing positive relationships with students, 
preparing lessons, dividing overcrowded classes into 
groups, and using effective teaching strategies such as 
brainstorming, group work, and active learning 
activities. For example, one student group 
commented, ‘This course of classroom management 
resolves the issues of teachers. If they develop 
motivation in the students, they learn a lot. Previously teachers thought that punishment is the best 
USAID Teacher Education Project
61
way to manage a class but it has negative impactseither the students lose their confidence or they 
do become rebellious with teacher. On severe punishments to the students, parent-teacher relations 
can get strained.’ Several student groups commented that they learned strategies in this course that 
would improve the learning environment for when they were in school. Like the faculty, many 
students said that Pakistani teachers face the challenge of overcrowded classrooms and motivating 
students. Students believed that the course provided good strategies to help teachers with these 
issues. ‘Some of the problems faced by Pakistani teachers are large class size, overcrowded classes, 
maintaining discipline, and motivating students. In case of a large class size teachers should divide 
the class into groups or classify the students (God-gifted, slow learners, age, etc.) in order to ensure 
that individual attention is provided to each and every student.’ 
Most faculty and students believed that the course aligned with social values and practices of 
Pakistan and the local context. For example, one faculty member said, ‘I found nothing controversial 
according to the Pakistani social values cultural context.’ Students explained, ‘It was a very 
interesting course. All the information provided from this course is according to our social values and 
practices of Pakistani community.’ A few faculty members pointed out elements of the course that 
went against local practices. ‘There is only one unit on teacher and parent interaction in this course 
which seems to be against social and cultural values, because the fathers of the children are not 
allowed to meet the female teachers in the schools due to cultural restriction to discuss the problems 
of their children, especially in District Haripur. The mothers of the children do not meet with teachers, 
as most of them are illiterate and cannot make positive discussion on the problems of their children.’ 
Another faculty member explained, ‘I did feel a little backlash between our social values and the co￾education system. In some areas some families restrict their women to take veil and carry out 
minimal interaction with men. However, in the classroom, female students are expected to 
participate and interact with male students and take part in the group activities. This may contradict 
with our social values. Otherwise, there is no major discrepancy. However, now this cultural practice 
is being changed.’ 
As depicted in the chart below, the vast majority of the surveyed faculty and students agreed that 
the topic of classroom management is important for students in learning how to become a teacher. 
Very few respondents said that it was not an important topic. 
USAID Teacher Education Project
62
The surveyed faculty members were asked if the course was within their area of expertise. No 
faculty members said they were familiar with all course concepts before they started teaching the 
course, and just over a third of the surveyed faculty said they were familiar with most of the 
concepts of the course. Over half of the surveyed faculty members were familiar with only some 
concepts, or with none at all, prior to teaching this course, as the chart below shows. 
Several of the faculty interviewed reported that they had taught similar courses and many said they 
were already familiar with the concepts taught. Many reported that they learned as a result of 
teaching the course. For example, one participant said, ‘I learnt new terminology and concepts. The 
concept of “pro-social behaviour” was new to me and I learnt a lot and got in-depth knowledge of it.’ 
Often when faculty experienced difficulty teaching a topic it was because they were unfamiliar with 
the concept. 
0.0%
5.3% 5.3%
89.5%
0.3% 1.2%
6.2%
92.3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
not at all important not very important somewhat important very important
How important is the topic of child development for future 
teachers? 
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 337)
5.3%
57.9%
36.8%
0.0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
not familiar familiar with only some 
concepts
familiar with most 
concepts
familiar with all 
concepts
Were faculty familiar with the key course concepts prior to 
teaching the course? (n = 19)
USAID Teacher Education Project
63
Both faculty and students said that overall they enjoyed the Classroom Management course, 
although students were a little more enthusiastic about the course, as shown in the chart below. 
Overall, most interviewed faculty believed that the course was well organized, and that the 
information provided was accurate and relevant. Faculty reported that units and topics built upon 
one another, starting with simple concepts and moving to more complex. For example, one 
participant explained, ‘On the whole the course sequential order is very logical. All the units/topics 
are aligned with each other . . . I found all the units well organized. The course is designed in such a 
way that we start from a simple concept and slowly and gradually move to complex concepts.’ 
Another faculty member reported, ‘As far as information in these units is concerned, they are in 
detail, accurate, and relevant.’ While the majority believed the course was well organized, some did 
not believe the topics and units were interrelated and several had suggestions for alternative 
sequencing of the units. ‘There is need to swap the order of some of the units to make it organized in 
a logical manner,’ reported one faculty member. Another participant said, ‘The course has been well 
organized and divided week-wise and session-wise. But it would have been more effective if it had 
been organized unit-wise/topic-wise.’ One theme among the responses was that not enough 
resource material was provided. The course offered an outline, but faculty were left to find material 
on the Internet, which was difficult due to issues with access, and one faculty member reported that 
Web links provided did not work. Two faculty members believed that crucial concepts were not 
included. One faculty member reported, ‘The course does not include some of the most basic 
concepts of classroom management. . . . Along with a few other teachers, I have included the basic 
concepts of classroom management in my lectures so that students can start learning this topic from 
its roots.’ Another participant noted, ‘Classroom management has no link with good teacher 
practices, which is a weakness of the course.’ Several faculty said that there was undue repetition 
and suggested that several units could be combined. 
Most of the students interviewed said that this was a good, interesting course that provided them 
with useful, relevant information that would help them manage the classroom. For example, one 
student said, ‘[The] course is relevant to present situation (e.g. coping with students having 
10.5%
42.1%
47.4%
1.2%
6.3%
37.5%
55.1%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
not at all not much somewhat very much
Overall, did you enjoy this course?
Faculty (n=19) Student (n=337)
USAID Teacher Education Project
64
behaviour issues, creating an active learning environment, how to manage class). I think without 
these topics it is difficult or even impossible for the teachers to teach and for the students to learn.’ 
Most students discussed what they learned in the class, including problem solving at the classroom 
level, student behaviour, classroom management strategies for effective learning, student-teacher 
relationships, establishment of classroom rules and procedures, improving the learning 
environment, students’ motivation, space management, equal treatment of students, and discipline. 
Several focus groups noted that faculty had a role in making the course easily understandable. 
Students said, ‘No doubt this course is interesting and our faculty worked hard to make this course 
more interesting for us.’ Two of the student groups reported that there was some difficulty in 
understanding the concepts. For example, students said, ‘We usually discuss topics with each other 
and then draw a conclusion, but on the whole we are not sure whether we are on the right track or 
not.’ Similar to the faculty, several students reported issues with the availability of resource material, 
including materials to study for the exam and issues faced accessing Internet-based materials (i.e. 
not all student have access to the Internet at home and/or at school). ‘The links referred in the 
course guide do not open up, thus we have to search on our own, which takes a lot of time. . . . There 
should be some valid websites from where we can get reliable information.’ 
Course Materials 
Course Guide. The majority of faculty said that the course guide and syllabus helped in planning and 
teaching the lessons; however, many faculty believed the course guide and syllabus should offer 
more detailed examples and instructions to guide lesson planning and assessment. The majority of 
faculty members said that the main issue they had with the syllabus and course guide was a lack of 
resource materials, including handouts and reference materials for faculty and students. 
1. Teaching and Assessment. The weekly schedule and breakdown of topics and discussion points 
were particularly useful when planning lessons for many faculty. Some said the materials 
improved their teaching: ‘The procedures and activities suggested in the syllabus and course 
guide have definitely helped me in planning, teaching, and assessment. They have helped us 
improve our teaching methodologies by suggesting effective ways to teach different concepts. 
The course guide has enhanced our ability to assess students using the most appropriate 
assessment techniques such as portfolios, assignments, presentations, and quizzes.’ A few faculty 
members said that they were able to supplement the syllabus and course guide with their own 
professional background knowledge. Others believed that while the course guide was helpful, it 
was not sufficient. One participant said, ‘Only focus/discussion points are given so we have to 
gather details accordingly on our own through different sources such as books/Internet.’ Another 
said, ‘No doubt the course content has provided us with valuable information but these are not 
sufficient. No detailed session plans are given, no assessment strategies are provided and, as I 
have already mentioned, the topics are in bullet points and need more elaboration with [them] to 
explain the bullet points.’ Several faculty members reported that the course guide and syllabus 
were helpful for some elements, but were lacking in others, especially in assessment. ‘The 
syllabus and course guide provides guidelines about teaching. However, it does not provide any 
resource material on assessment or planning.’ 
USAID Teacher Education Project
65
2. Resource Materials. Most faculty members said that the main issue they had with the syllabus 
and course guide was a lack of resource materials. Some wanted more student handouts and 
others mentioned a lack of availability of referred books at the library. Many faculty had trouble 
accessing online resources due to lack of accessibility at the college as well as recommended 
websites and links not working. For example, one faculty member said, ‘I did not face any 
problem or issue in using syllabus and course guide [for the units covered so far]; however, there 
were no reading materials for this course in our library for teaching and learning purposes.’ 
Another participant listed areas of difficulty: ‘We faced difficulty in exploring resources from 
websites & the language used in downloaded resource materials was difficult to understand for 
the students; to some extent the unit-wise discussion/focus points are useful but 
teachers/students will have more understanding if the topics/discussion/focus points will be 
elaborated; none of the students have Internet facility at their home to download course-relevant 
materials; frequent load shedding of electricity.’ 
Examples and Exercises. Students and the faculty members disagreed in their assessment of 
whether the course provided a sufficient number of examples and practice exercises (see chart 
below). While over 40% of the faculty members said they were not sufficient, less than 20% of 
students shared that opinion. Perhaps, faculty members supplemented the examples and practice 
exercises that were offered by the course with their own examples and practice exercises. 
Several faculty interviewed suggested including more practical examples that faculty can use to help 
students understand the content to help improve the course, especially those relevant to the 
Pakistan context. In particular, several faculty believed that the unit on multigrade teaching should 
provide realistic examples and more strategies, especially since these were difficult concepts to 
teach. Similar to the faculty’s response, one common suggestion for improving the course among 
students interviewed was adding more practical activities and assignments to the course, including 
more school visits and observations. ‘We only covered theory and did not practice any activity during 
the course; practical activities should be added in this course.’ Students believed that more examples 
should be provided in the course, especially examples related to the local context. Lack of detailed 
42.1%
47.4%
10.5%
17.4%
60.4%
22.2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
not sufficient yes, mostly yes, completely
Did you feel the number of examples and practice exercises 
was sufficient?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 333)
USAID Teacher Education Project
66
information with examples made it particularly difficult to comprehend the concepts of multigrade 
teaching and student motivation. 
Language of Instruction. Many respondents commented that it was difficult for them to understand 
English in the course materials and as a language of instruction. About half of all surveyed students 
said it was difficult for them to understand English (see chart below).
One interviewed faculty member reported that the language of downloaded resources off the 
Internet was difficult for students to understand. Many students who were interviewed said that the 
language was difficult to understand, both in terms of the material provided and when searching the 
Internet for resources for the class. ‘The material available on the Internet is too complicated and 
not easily comprehensible due to difficult language.’ Another student group said, ‘This course is in 
English language having difficult words, which are difficult for us to understand.’ Several student 
focus groups suggested that the course should be more accessible by using language that was easier 
to understand. 
Teaching Strategies Used by Faculty in Teaching the Course 
The curriculum for the B.Ed. and ADE places an emphasis on experiential learning and applied 
learning opportunities that research shows to be a more effective way of preparing elementary 
school teachers than the traditional lecture-based instruction. To support this shift from lecture￾based to collaborative and experiential learning, the USAID Teacher Education Project provides 
professional development opportunities to the faculty of institutions that offer the new curriculum. 
The collaborative teaching strategies include small-group discussion, brainstorming, pair-share, and 
demonstration. The experiential learning involves assignments to teacher trainees that take them to 
schools (e.g. observations and teacher interviews). The other effective teaching strategy that the 
USAID Teacher Education Project’s professional development highlights is writing assignments. 
5.3%
26.3%
47.4%
21.1%
15.2%
32.9% 32.3%
19.5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
mostly difficult to 
understand
sometimes difficult to 
understand
mostly easy to 
understand
very easy to understand
Ratings of the difficulty of the level of English in the course 
materials by faculty and students
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 329)
USAID Teacher Education Project
67
A majority of faculty interviewed reported that they had relied on traditional teaching methods, 
including lecture, but now have incorporated more active learning (e.g. jigsaw, pair-share, 
discussion) as well as several course concepts (e.g. managing difficult behaviour and attitudes, 
establishing rules and procedures) as a result of teaching this course. As a result, many faculty 
reported improved teaching practice and increased interaction with students. 
1. Improved Teaching Practice. One faculty member said, ‘My teaching practices have improved to 
a great extent as a result of teaching this course. This improvement in teaching practices has not 
only benefited my students, but helped me to develop professionally. I have not only learnt new 
concepts, but also learnt to use those while teaching. For example, before teaching this course I 
used to practice the traditional lecture method for teaching, which lacked emphasis on student 
participation, brain storming, and practical activities. But now I have learnt to use collaborative 
learning techniques in the classroom, which have greatly benefited students’ learning and 
understanding.’ 
2. Increased Interaction with Students. Several faculty members said they see their role more as a 
facilitator as a result of teaching this course. According to one faculty member, ‘This course 
provides more opportunity for a teacher to interact with students. They share their ideas with the 
teacher and with their class fellows. Now communication is two-way rather than one-way (as 
had been practiced in previous system).’ Other faculty members reported that there is a more 
relaxed atmosphere in the classroom: ‘There is no authoritative approach in class now. There is a 
friendly environment and this is a change in them.’ 
3. Incorporation of Course Concepts. Faculty members also said that they now apply several of the 
course concepts, including management of difficult behaviour and attitudes, motivational 
strategies, establishing rules and procedures, time management, and creating a positive learning 
environment, to teaching their other courses. For example, one faculty member reported, ‘I 
have become more aware about the content, time, and resource management in a classroom. 
For example, with regard to content management I have learnt how a teacher should be aware 
of the units, total working hours, assignment deadlines, holidays, etc.’
The student survey attempted to find out the frequency with which faculty utilized collaborative 
learning strategies and offered experiential learning opportunities in teaching the Classroom 
Management course. Asked how frequently students had school-based assignments during this 
course, only 15% said ‘nearly every week.’ One in four surveyed students said they did not have 
school-based assignments at all (see chart below). 
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The reported frequency of using collaborative learning strategies varied. The number of students 
who said their instructor used the small-group discussion teaching strategy was high, with nearly 
two thirds of the surveyed students reporting using small-group discussion nearly every week (chart 
below). The reported frequency of collaborative learning strategies (such as pair-share and jigsaw) 
and student demonstrations was not as high, with over a third of all surveyed students reporting not 
having used these two strategies at all (charts below). 
25.2%
34.3%
25.5%
14.9%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
did not use at all once or twice a 
semester
once or twice a month nearly every week
Frequency of school-based assignments (n = 329)
3.3%
16.2%
20.7%
59.8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
not at all once or twice a 
semester
once or twice a month nearly every week
Frequency of using small-group discussion strategy 
(n = 333)
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Finally, nearly 40% of the surveyed students said they did not have writing assignments as part of 
their course work. 
38.3%
21.7%
19.0% 21.1%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
not at all once or twice a 
semester
once or twice a month nearly every week
Frequency of using collaborative learning strategies (pair￾share, jigsaw, etc.) (n = 332)
32.2%
25.5%
30.9%
11.5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
not at all once or twice a 
semester
once or twice a month nearly every week
Frequency of using student demonstrations (n = 314)
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When asked whether their instructors used active learning strategies (e.g. brainstorming, pair-share, 
small-group discussion) and what they thought of those activities, all but one of the student focus 
groups reported that faculty used these teaching techniques. Students believed using these 
strategies was beneficial, interesting, and motivating. The strategies helped them learn the concepts 
as well as confidence and the skills they needed. Students also believed these strategies created an 
open learning environment. ‘Every student is given chance to express views and share ideas. These 
activities are interesting, as it is new for us and we enjoy it. Until now we have never learnt like this 
and now we have realized it is very effective.’ Another student said, ‘The exchange of ideas and views 
among students about different topics helps in clarifying concepts and gaining new information. 
These discussions induce a friendly environment where everyone is equally encouraged to participate 
and express their opinions.’ Another student explained, ‘Brainstorming is most effective one. Jigsaw 
is also effective because it helps divide the work and help cover the topic effectively within specific 
time period. Think, pair, share is also good because everyone gets an opportunity to think and share 
opinion. Group work is effective as well, as it ensures involvement of all students.’
Students said that the classroom-based activities and school visits were helpful. Some students 
found the school visits most effective. For example, students said, ‘School visits are more useful than 
classroom-based activities because they provide you an opportunity to practically experience the 
theoretical concepts studied in the class. However, it is also true that a sound grasp on theory is 
important before going out to practically experience the concepts. Therefore, school visits and 
classroom-based activities should go hand in hand.’ Some students believed that the school visits 
could be more useful: ‘School-based activity remained less fruitful, as we went for observation only 
and that is also only once. It would have been helpful/fruitful if we had visited the schools where they 
were conducting the same activities [that] we had been learning in the course so we would have a 
chance to observe the activities, as we were taught in the class.’ Several of the focus groups had not 
done any school visits. 
38.1%
22.1% 23.6%
16.3%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
not at all once or twice a 
semester
once or twice a month nearly every week
Frequency of having writing assignments (n = 331)
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Student Learning 
To determine how much students learned from the course without explicit testing (which was not 
feasible within the setting of the formative evaluation), the surveyed students were asked two sets 
of questions: Three questions asked them to assess their own learning of the key concepts of the 
course, and an additional eight questions aimed to test their knowledge of key course concepts. 
Student Self-Assessment Results. Charts below show distributions of students’ assessment of how 
much they learned from the Classroom Management course. Between 39% and 56% of the surveyed 
students said they learned key concepts of the course ‘well enough’, and between 26% and 50% said 
they learned them ‘very well’. Very few students said they did not learn the concepts at all. 
0.6%
6.0%
55.9%
37.5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
did not learn at all not very well well enough very well
How well students said they learned about establishing rules 
and procedures (n = 331)
5.0%
16.3%
52.4%
26.3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
did not learn at all not very well well enough very well
How well students said they learned about pro-social 
problem solving (n = 331)
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Establishing Rules and Procedures. All but one of the faculty members said they applied the concept 
of establishing rules and procedures in the course (the one faculty member who had not, said it was 
because that unit had not yet been taught). Some faculty members developed rules themselves, but 
most had students develop rules as a whole group or had students work in small groups. One faculty 
member had students observe rules at school and ‘develop a comparative analysis between the rules 
and procedures introduced in the class with the traditional classroom procedures. Based on the 
findings students were motivated to apply the set rules and procedures for their classrooms.’ Many 
said students developed rules for mobile phone use, attendance, punctuation, and late assignments. 
Faculty believed that when students were involved in developing the rules and procedures for the 
class, they were more motivated to follow them. ‘I believe that only those rules are followed in the 
class which are established through student involvement rather than being imposed by the teacher. 
The advantage of this activity was that students came up with rules that hardly I had thought of. 
Unlike the traditional teaching method in which teachers impose the rules, this new method of 
establishing rules and procedures provided greater flexibility to the students and ensured greater 
obedience.’ Faculty who developed rules for the class said that they were more systematic about 
these procedures and reported the different kinds of rules they established that mapped onto 
course content. ‘I tried to apply the concept of establishing rules and procedures to the course that I 
taught, e.g. class managing procedures, proper attendance checking, routine of students checking, 
setting rules and implementing them in class, lesson running procedures, blackboard cleaning, and 
record keeping.’
Pro-Social Problem Solving. Most faculty interviewed said that they applied pro-social problem 
solving in their courses at least to some extent, including helping specific students who were 
experiencing trouble in class, counselling students, promoting respect among students, and using 
mixed groups to help students who needed extra help. For example, one participant said, ‘We have 
students of various social-economical backgrounds and languages in our class; as a result, we face 
some behaviour problems from students. I adopted pro-social methods to handle these problems. I 
do form a mixed group of active and less active students and ask them to share their views with each 
other. This concept builds a strong link between teacher and students.’ Another faculty member 
1.2%
9.4%
38.9%
50.5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
did not learn at all not very well well enough very well
How well students said they learned strategies to manage 
difficult behavior (n = 329)
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reported, ‘It has helped developing empathy, care, and understanding among students. Unless we 
don’t [sic] understand others, it generates issues and friction. So I always tell my students to build 
relationships based on cooperation, as otherwise it creates prejudice but pro-social behaviour 
encourages tolerance.’ Some faculty said they had applied the concept because they had not yet 
taught that unit. 
Strategies to Manage Difficult Behaviour. The majority of faculty interviewed reported that they 
applied strategies to manage difficult behaviour in their classrooms, though many said they mainly 
deal with minor behaviour issues. For these minor issues, faculty members said they use eye 
contact, facial expressions, and hand signals to help guide students to more appropriate behaviour. 
When misbehaviour was more serious, faculty reported that they engaged in more intensive 
counselling and try to determine the root cause of the misbehaviour. For example, one faculty 
member said, ‘Most of the time misbehaviours are minor and not severe. In case of minor 
misbehaviours, eye contact, facial expressions, calling names, and standing close to the student are 
sufficient solutions. However, in the case of chronic misbehaviour, the underlying problem needs to 
be diagnosed and the possible solutions listed down.’ Several faculty reported that they do not 
experience difficult behaviour in their classes, since students are adults. One faculty member said 
that while he or she taught classroom management behaviours, it was inappropriate to apply these 
with adult learners: ‘The students to whom I am teaching are mature and grown-up, therefore, I did 
not prefer to apply these strategies. However I have taught them different strategies to manage 
difficult behaviours by themselves, when they will be teaching in the schools for effective classroom 
management.’
Student and Faculty Knowledge of Key Concepts 
To test the actual level of knowledge of course key concepts among students and faculty members, 
the surveys asked eight content-related questions in a form of statements. Respondents were asked 
to rate their agreement with each statement on a scale from 1 to 5. Each knowledge test variable 
was then converted into a binary variable with 1 = correct answer and 0 = incorrect answer or ‘not 
sure’. A total score was then computed for each student and each faculty member. The highest 
possible score could be 8 if the respondent answered each test question correctly. 
Table 3 below shows the descriptive statistics of student and faculty survey data. The data show that 
on average, faculty answered between six and seven questions correctly (with standard deviation of 
.78), and students answered six out of eight questions correctly, on average (with standard deviation 
of 1). 
N Minimum Maximum Mean Standard 
Deviation
Faculty’s correct answers 19 4.00 7.00 6.5263 .77233
Students’ correct answers 337 2.00 8.00 5.9585 .96581
The distributions of students’ answers to the questions about key concepts are found in Appendix 1. 
Faculty interviewed said that the units on ‘managing behaviour problems effectively,’ ‘motivation’, 
and ‘multi-grade teaching’ were difficult because the material was new for them. One faculty 
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member explained, ‘The unit of this course which is about motivation was difficult for me, as the 
concept is new for me. I do not have any prior knowledge about theories/types of motivation. I 
myself have only heard about the word motivation, never thought of teaching this concept as a full￾fledged subject.’ The unit on multigrade teaching was difficult for four faculty members. 
Like faculty, many students cited motivation and multigrade teaching as difficult concepts to learn. 
‘Motivation is the most challenging concept. We all are well aware of the word motivation by itself, 
but when we study in detail about motivation we get confused, for example, intrinsic/extrinsic 
motivation. We are not well aware of different strategies that may be adopted to motivate a child 
towards education. We are just getting theoretical knowledge from the course.’ Many students 
reported that multigrade teaching was not applied in classrooms in the area, making it hard to 
understand the concept without practical examples. ‘Multigrade teaching was also a novel and 
complicated concept to grasp. The term “multigrade” itself was difficult to understand and we 
searched all the relevant details available on the Internet to grasp the meaning and need of this 
concept.’ Some students interviewed reported that they did not understand the concept of 
multigrade teaching well enough to be able to implement it and questioned whether it was good 
practice. ‘Multigrade teaching will not be much useful. In applying multigrade there is a single 
teacher who teaches multiple classes and cannot manage students properly. Students cannot ask 
questions from a teacher. There are different mind-sets of children, and it is very difficult for a 
teacher to assess the learning of the student in an appropriate way.’
Students who were interviewed mentioned many concepts and strategies they felt would be helpful 
to them as future teachers. For example, many students mentioned the importance of establishing 
positive relationships with their students, especially in terms of creating an environment that is 
more conducive to learning. ‘The conducive environment in classroom seems to be the most 
important aspect for prospective teachers. By having better relation among student and teacher, 
both of them will understand each other and work in a positive way.’ Students also mentioned that 
motivation strategies were useful: ‘The strategies to motivate students such as question-answer 
sessions, positive response, and positive reinforcements will help the teachers in attracting the 
interest/attention of students and involving them in class work.’ Students said that they learned 
important concepts related to rules and regulations. For example, students said, ‘For better class 
management, rules and consequences are also very important. For example, if a child is a regular 
absentee then he should not be allowed to sit in the exams (consequences should be for him/her).’ 
Students also talked about using collaborative, interactive, and active learning activities. ‘We have 
learned several collaborative learning strategies such as jigsaw, think, pair, & share. . . . These 
strategies provide learning opportunity to students. Everybody gets an opportunity to share his view 
point with other[s]; it is helpful in enhancing their confidence level.’ Maintaining classroom discipline 
through proactive approaches to prevent potential problems and positive discipline were also 
discussed. One student group was careful to point out that implementing many of these strategies 
would take time. ‘It will take time for implementation. The students will also take time to adopt 
these. The strategies which we are trying to introduce, teachers in community think that we are 
adding burden to students and parents and that parents/teachers will also complain about it.’ 
Several student groups said that the concepts in the course are different from current practice, and 
one group was unsure they would be able to implement some of the practices as a result. One 
student said, ‘So far I have not observed any of the process/teaching methods introduced in this 
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course in our daily life but these methods are the best for the teacher and students to follow.’ Two 
student groups believed that some of the practices and concepts were not completely aligned with 
social practices. ‘The concept of classification goes against our social values to a certain extent. One 
of the ways of classification is separating students according to the ones who are God-gifted 
intelligent and those who are slow learners. This may create a sense of pride among the students of 
the former group and an inferiority complex among the latter group.’ Another group believed there 
was too much emphasis on developing positive relationships with students: ‘The course has been 
made by Western writers and they have over emphasized the need for a friendly student-teacher 
relationship. The social conditions in Pakistan are much different than those in the West and over￾leniency and over-friendliness of teachers leads to disciplinary problems among students.’ Some 
questioned whether all concepts and strategies in the course were practical. For example, students 
said, ‘We also learnt in this course that teacher should always have a plan B or C also, so that if plan 
A fails, he/she can execute the next plan. In this way the class environment would remain smooth 
and the learning process would go on. Theoretically it might be good but probably practically it is not 
implementable in our area.’ Contacting parents and resolving students’ issues were also identified as 
good strategies in theory, but might not be practical, especially in crowded classrooms. ‘The course 
mentions intrinsic and extrinsic incentive systems in the unit on motivation. In a crowded class 
(3040 students) the teacher is not able to provide individual attention to each and every student by 
getting to know their internal and external problems and family background. In my opinion this 
strategy is not useful for us, since our classrooms are mostly crowded.’
Recommendations 
Recommendations for Supporting the Course Implementation 
What can stakeholders (colleges, universities, provincial governments, and the USAID Teacher 
Education Project) do to support the implementation of the course by faculty members? The 
following recommendations emerged from the data: 
 Materials. A common problem reported by faculty and students interviewed was a lack of 
resources for the course. There was a sense among many faculty that they did not have the 
resources they needed to teach the course effectively, either because the college did not 
have proper Internet access, books were unavailable in the library, or Internet capabilities 
were limited (due to connection speeds and access to electricity). Faculty suggested 
assigning required books for students, preparing handouts and other resources for faculty, 
and supplying reference materials or ensuring that they are readily available to faculty and 
students. Students said they needed handouts, notes, access to reference materials in the 
library, and a required book for the course. In particular, students reported they needed 
these in hard copy. When students tried to use the Internet to find resources they often had 
trouble due to accessibility issues, limited time to use the Internet, and links that did not 
work. For example, students said, ‘Relevant material in the form of textbooks, notes, and 
handouts are not available for this course. We have to search for and prepare relevant 
information and material ourselves by taking the help of Internet sources. However, many 
USAID Teacher Education Project
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students don’t have the facility of computers or Internet so this becomes a great challenge.’ 
Another focus group reported, ‘At times if we visit the links given as reference, things 
become more complex/difficult for us. The course is new for us and we as students currently 
are unable to find right books regarding our topics. We are following a strategy of learning 
by doing.’
 Training. Faculty interviewed suggested providing more training for faculty teaching the 
course. One faculty member said that training was especially important in terms of helping 
all faculty understand the goals of the course: ‘When we take girl students along for schools 
observation, we face problems, e.g. school teachers are not cooperative. Although we do call 
them before going there and do ask them for cooperation, the teachers think that we are 
there to observe them and find their mistakes. All the teachers should be involved in 
sensitization/practicum workshops so that they could be oriented about the purpose of the 
observation and to be sensitized about the activity, i.e. observations/school-based task.’ 
Similarly, several focus groups believed that their faculty needed more training to teach the 
course. For example, students said, ‘Capacity of the teachers needs to be enhanced 
regarding this course.’ Faculty also recommended providing further explanations and details 
in the course guide and syllabus, especially for discussion points, topics, and bullet points. 
For example, one faculty member explained, ‘Only a copy of the syllabus is handed over to us 
for teaching. We are deprived of any guidelines or resources necessary to ensure successful 
completion of this course. Therefore, teachers should be provided with the required resources 
and guidelines.’ Other ideas for improvement included providing objectives and outcomes 
for each unit, needs assessments, and an assessment at the end of each unit. 
These recommendations are being addressed by the USAID Teacher Education Project through the 
provision of professional development for the faculty (including orientation each semester 
specifically designed to prepare faculty for teaching new B.Ed. and ADE courses) and distribution of 
the course materials to support the course implementation. 
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Appendix 1: Faculty and Student Responses about Key Course Concepts 
Charts below show the distribution of faculty and student answers to the 12 questions about the key 
course concepts. 
36.8%
21.1%
5.3%
26.3%
10.5%
21.6%
15.1%
8.0%
36.9%
18.3%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that children are born with fixed intelligence 
that cannot be changed?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 398)
52.6%
47.4%
0.7% 2.0% 1.2%
26.6%
69.5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that children learn best through play?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 406)
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5.3% 5.3%
42.1%
47.4%
1.7% 1.0% 2.2%
15.6%
79.5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that teachers can promote self-efficacy of 
children by treating all children equally?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 404)
5.3%
42.1%
52.6%
1.1% 2.9%
22.3%
35.7% 38.1%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that scaffolding is a useful technique for both 
teachers and parents?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 373)
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10.5%
52.6%
36.8%
1.0%
4.0% 3.5%
37.9%
53.7%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that teachers are effective when they help 
children build their own way of learning?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 404)
31.6%
5.3%
26.3%
36.8%
3.7% 2.5% 1.5%
17.1%
75.2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that children are 'empty vessels to be filled with 
knowledge'?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 403)
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52.6%
47.4%
2.3% 4.3%
10.8%
40.3% 42.5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that direct experience is the foundation of 
children's learning?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 400)
15.8% 15.8%
26.3%
42.1%
10.1%
5.4% 6.4%
35.4%
42.8%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that children can experience stress as much as 
adults?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 407)
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10.5%
5.3%
10.5%
21.1%
52.6%
2.7% 3.5% 4.0%
15.1%
74.8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that in the classroom, a teacher must try to 
avoid conflict at all costs?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 404)
5.3%
26.3%
68.4%
0.2% 0.5%
4.4%
24.5%
70.3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that creative play is a foundation of children's 
intellectual growth?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 408)
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15.8%
84.2%
5.7% 3.2% 6.9%
23.6%
60.7%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that children's experiences at home affect how 
they learn at school?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 407)
10.5% 10.5% 10.5%
47.4%
21.1%
9.8%
5.8%
17.5%
36.0%
31.0%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
completely 
disagree
somewhat disagree no opinion/don't 
know
somewhat agree completely agree
Do you agree that adolescent boys are usually better in math 
than adolescent girls?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 400)
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Teaching Literacy Course 
Formative Evaluation Findings 
Introduction 
The USAID Teacher Education Project (TEP) primarily aims to introduce a new B.Ed./ADE teacher 
degree based on effective teaching practices and methodologies. The first step has been to develop 
curricula for the 24 courses that will be offered in the new degree program. For this purpose, EDC 
has partnered with Teachers College of Columbia University and curriculum developers in Pakistan. 
As the new degree program is being rolled out nationwide, TEP continues its efforts toward ensuring 
the desired outcomes—high-quality curricula that are compliant not only with international 
standards but also with domestic teaching requirements, as well as helpful for the trainee teachers 
in their future teaching endeavors. To assist with the course development, a formative evaluation of 
12 courses has been planned and is being conducted continuously during the curriculum rollout, 
beginning in the fall of 2011 and terminating in the winter of 2012/2013. 
One of the courses selected for the formative evaluation is Teaching Literacy, which is offered in the 
second semester of the ADE/B.Ed program. The monitoring and evaluation team collected data on 
student and faculty perceptions about the course as well as their understanding of key course 
concepts. This report presents findings from data collected in the spring and summer of 2012 from 
13 partner institutions offering this course during that period in the provinces of Punjab, 
Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KPK), and Sindh. The report highlights key findings from the field 
and recommendations on how the course can be further improved, and how colleges, universities, 
provincial governments, and TEP can support implementation. 
Methodology 
Formative evaluation questions. The main purpose of the formative evaluation is to collect 
information that can help improve course design. This evaluation sought to answer the following 
research questions: 
 What are faculty members’ and students’ perceptions of course content and structure? 
 What strategies do faculty members use in teaching this course? 
 Did the students learn key course concepts? 
 How can the course be improved? 
 What can stakeholders (colleges, universities, provincial governments, and TEP) do to 
support faculty implementation of the course? 
Data collection methods. The following data collection methods were used for this formative 
evaluation: 
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3. Faculty survey and interviews: The faculty survey aims to assess faculty familiarity with and 
attitudes toward the new curriculum, as well as to collect data on faculty’s understanding of 
key course concepts. The survey is supplemented by qualitative interviews with faculty to 
better understand survey findings. 
4. Student survey and focus groups: The student survey aims to gauge students’ perceptions of 
how well new instructional practices are working for them, and how these practices are 
changing the learning experience. The survey is supplemented by a series of targeted focus 
groups with students. 
Sampling. The timing of the data collection was determined by the schedule of curriculum rollout 
and revisions. All institutions that offered this course during the spring and summer of 2012 were 
included in the data collection. 
Data collection protocols. The formative evaluation used four data collection protocols: a faculty 
survey protocol, student survey protocol, faculty qualitative interview protocol, and student focus 
group protocol. All data collection protocols were developed in close collaboration with the course 
writers. They were pilot-tested by trained monitoring and evaluation staff in February 2012. 
Data analysis. Data analysis for this formative evaluation consisted of a descriptive statistical 
analysis of quantitative data collected through the surveys of faculty and students, and an analysis of 
qualitative data obtained from student focus groups and qualitative interviews with faculty. The 
survey data were analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) and standard 
statistical methods of analysis. Qualitative data obtained from the in-depth interviews with faculty 
and focus groups with students were analyzed using qualitative data analysis procedures. In the first 
stage of analysis, we looked to identify the central themes in answers to each question across all 
respondents. At the next level of analysis, we considered trends and patterns that reappeared across 
two data sets. At this level, we drew general conclusions with regard to recommendations for course 
improvement. 
Limitations. Without further data collection, it is unknown to what extent the findings are 
generalizable to institutions in provinces that did not participate in this wave of data collection. Due 
to a relatively large sample size it is not likely that the findings from other provinces would be 
dramatically different. However, it is probable that institutions that did not participate in this wave 
of data collection have their own unique circumstances and challenges. 
Another limitation of the evaluation is that, in some surveyed institutions, faculty and students 
began the semester with the institution-provided syllabus for the course and then shifted to the TEP 
syllabus mid-term. In certain instances, therefore, it was hard to interpret the participants’ 
comments. 
Finally, all data are self-reported and may be unintentionally exaggerated or misrepresented. 
Whenever possible, triangulation of data was used to draw conclusions. 
The summary of data collected and analyzed is presented in the following table: 
Province Number of 
Institutions
Faculty 
Surveys
Student 
Surveys
Faculty 
Interviews
Student focus 
groups
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Balochistan 3 3 38 3 3
KPK 4 1 94 6 4
Punjab 3 5 75 2 3
Sindh 3 3 73 9 3
GB 0 0 0 4 0
Total 13 16 280 24 13
The qualitative data collection sample consisted of 24 university and college faculty members. 
Interviews were conducted between April and August, 2012. Interview participants were from 16 
institutions. Focus groups were conducted at the same time period and consisted of five to nine 
participants. Students from 13 institutions were represented in the focus group sample. 
Findings 
Faculty and Student Perception of the Course 
Nearly all surveyed students and faculty members agreed that it is very important for trainees to 
know teaching literacy in learning how to become a teacher. In interviews with faculty members, 
one explained, “This subject is essential for prospective teachers because they will gain knowledge 
about the stages for reading and writing development of a student when he or she started reading 
and learning. When they will become teachers they will be able to adopt the same methods of 
reading and writing.” The majority of faculty believed that all the concepts covered in the course 
were essential for prospective teachers so they can help their students develop reading and writing 
skills, including comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency. A faculty member at a college in Sindh 
province explained, “Prospective teachers learn different types of strategies how to transform 
knowledge to students to make them skillful reader & writer. The strategeis make prospective 
teachers very competent and skillful. It is very important for prospective teachers to learn about 
these strategies.” Several faculty members believed that active learning methodologies were 
particularly important as well for helping prospective teachers learn to deliver instruction effectively. 
“All the units/concepts are essential for prospective teachers because it introduces new teaching 
styles, new approaches, and new methodologies. This is an interactive course. This course develops 
their attitude to change the teaching methodologies from traditional to the new methodologies,” 
reported a faculty member at a university in KPK province. Another faculty member from a college in 
Punjab province said, “Prospective teachers should not only emphasize on reading and writing but 
should also have the power to explain and effectively deliver the concepts to the students. They 
should give importance to active learning in class and greater student participation.” 
Most faculty believed that the course addressed issues faced by teachers in the community, 
including managing multilingual and crowded classrooms. For example, a faculty member at a 
university in GB province explained, “The course on the whole is very effective for the teachers of our 
community as it provides basic knowledge about language. This course provides guidance to teachers 
of Gilgit Baltistan on how to handle multilingual class the common problem in this region.” Another 
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faculty member from a college in Sindh province said, “There are multilingual students in the 
community schools. The students speak different languages such as Punjabi, Sindhi, and Baluchi, and 
teachers find it difficult to teach. This course has all the strategies to deal with multilingual students 
and develop common understanding among students. There is another problem faced to teachers 
and that is larger number of students in the classroom of having different grades (multi-grade 
teaching). This course has strategies to deal with multi-grade classes.” 
Like faculty, most of the students who were interviewed believed that the course offered useful 
information, including basic components of literacy such as phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, 
vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Several students reported that the methods for 
pronunciation were particularly helpful. Other students reported that learning about collaborative 
strategies was useful. For example, students from a university in Sindh province said, “We have 
learned how to develop student’s interest in learning, motivate them through participating in 
activities. We will use different techniques that we have been taught during presentation, group 
discussion. We have learned to use different ideas to develop motivational attitude of student on 
writing, speaking, and reading.” Students also believed that many of the strategies would be useful 
for improving reading and writing skills. For example, students from a college in Balochistan province 
added, “Topics given in this course such as story telling method, guided reading, shared reading, 
print reach environment, setting the environment for joyful learning, writing skills, sounds, all will 
help us to teach students in a better way. We will teach students through activity based learning, 
pictures.” Many students said they had trouble because resource materials were not readily 
available. For example, a student from the Punjab province said, “We did not have materials in the 
library and did not get too much from the internet either. We don’t have related books.” Another 
student explained, “Even if we find materials on the internet it does not relate to our course. We 
have to grab things from different places and don’t get to the point information.” Several student 
groups commented that faculty were not very effective in teaching the course, which made the 
content less useful.
Similar to faculty who were interviewed, many university and college students interviewed believed 
that they learned strategies that would help them face challenges common for teachers in the 
community. Several student groups reported that group learning and pair work would be helpful 
when facing crowded classrooms. According to a group of students in Sindh province, “Some of the 
active learning strategies i.e., pair work, interview, and student introduction given in this course that 
can be done without audio visual aids can resolve the behavior and curriculum problem faced by 
teachers in our community. In an overcrowded classroom the issues of different educational 
background and mental level of the students can be overcome through the concept of working 
among group.” Many groups, however, believed that some of the strategies and concepts were 
unrealistic given conditions in the local context, including crowded classrooms and limited access to 
the internet and other resources. For example, a university student in KPK province explained, “The 
things required for these strategies are not really available in a public school. Things suggested like 
sand trays, cards etc. are not available in ordinary schools. They should tell us how to use things 
available in an ordinary school and teach with them.” Active learning strategies were seen by several 
groups as unrealistic. A group of college students in KPK province reported, “To some extent 
teaching literacy course addresses issues faced by teachers in our community. In some areas our 
teachers have overcrowded classroom so all the time it is not possible to teach students applying 
active learning strategies suggested in this course. The course developers did not design the course 
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keeping in view the real situation of our classrooms.” 
Faculty members were asked if the course was within their area of expertise. About a third of the 
faculty members were either familiar with only some concepts of the course or not familiar with any 
before teaching this course. 
Most faculty interviewed reported that the course guide and syllabus were helpful and introduced 
them to new material and ways of teaching. “The syllabus contains all those components/knowledge 
which are important for teacher such as reading and writing. This is one of the best subjects after ICT 
in education.” Another said, “I enjoyed teaching the new concepts and techniques, i.e., Teaching and 
Learning in a Multilingual Context, Reading and Writing in Print Reach Environment.” 
100.0%
0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
96.1%
3.6% 0.0% 0.0% 0.4%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Very important Somewhat 
important
Not very important Not at all 
important
not sure
How important is the topic of teaching literacy for future 
teachers? 
Faculty (n = 13) Students (n = 279)
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The student and faculty responses show that overall they enjoyed the Teaching Literacy course, 
faculty members a bit more so than students. 
All of the faculty members and most of the college and university students interviewed reported 
that the course did not go against any social values of practices in the community, but several 
believed that the examples provided did not relate to the local context. For example, a faculty 
member at a college in KPK province explained, “Keeping in view the social values of my community I 
personally don’t find any controversial ideas given in this course; but the people in my community 
with different background may encounter certain problem as given with provided examples. During 
the exercises instead of discussing about pants and shirts local people would like to discuss about 
their traditional dresses during the class. It is just because of the fact that their social understanding 
and lack of information on various ethnic groups at the local level differs with the general context 
given in this course.” According to a group of students in Balochistan province, “We find the all 
course content/concepts according to the social values and practices in our community. All the 
concepts are helpful in solving problems related to language. A positive change has the power to 
change the values of a system/society. Teaching literacy course is a positive change for our 
educational system.” Another group of college students in KPK province believed that the course did 
not offer examples that were in keeping with social values in the community: “The course should be 
comply to the local context of the area…The classrooms in US are well equipped and teachers are 
well qualified; while in Pakistan a single teacher teaches 6 courses. The examples given in this course 
are not according to our social values of our community i.e. I Love you, I will love etc.”
12.5%
56.3%
18.8%
12.5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
familiar with all 
concepts
familiar with most 
concepts
familiar with only some 
concepts
not familiar
Were faculty familiar with the key course concepts prior to 
teaching the course? (n = 16)
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Course Materials 
More students (42%) compared to faculty members (6%) said that the course materials have a 
sufficient number of examples. Two-thirds of the faculty members said that number of exercises and 
examples was not sufficient. The majority of faculty members interviewed reported a need for more 
examples and practical activities, especially examples related to the local context. One faculty 
member from KPK province reported, “I believe that if a teacher follows only those examples which 
are given in the course then he or she will have difficulties imparting that particular concept. The 
basic concepts to teach reading and writing should be taught like they are in our own language. If 
they exemplify each concept with examples from Urdu then it is easier to teach.” Another faculty 
member said, “In order to make these concepts/topics easier to explain more practical activities 
should be added to facilitate student understanding. For most students dictation is painful and they 
tend to easily forget the spellings of those words. However, if they are asked to read a paragraph, 
underline difficult words and understand their sense rather than rote learning them, the task 
becomes far more effective and interesting then simple dictation.” According to a faculty member 
from KPK province, “The examples used for teaching reading and writing are from the English 
context, whereas we have our own regional and national languages here. We are preparing teachers 
for our community, so we should teach them accordingly.” 
Students who were interviewed also identified the need for more examples and practice exercises. 
One student group from a college in the Panjgoor province explained, “The Components of Reading 
i.e., morphology, morphemes, phonemes, were difficult to understand because this course was 
provided with less weeks/credit hours to teach, less examples for students, and less specific exercises 
for teachers. We just remember the names while practically not we did performed. Teaching literacy 
course provides information for the students about prints rich environment, but due to non￾availability of resources we could not develop such environment in our classroom; therefore, we 
covered only theory of this topic. If we could provided with practical print reach environment we 
would have learnt more.” Like faculty, several student groups reported that the examples provided 
68.8%
25.0%
6.3%
0.0%
48.0%
39.1%
10.4%
2.5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
very much somewhat not much not at all
Overall, did you enjoy this course?
Faculty (n=16) Student (n=279)
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did not relate to the local context. For example, a group of university students in KPK province 
explained, “The age limits given for each stage was based on a foreign context. We have to teach 
here where children do not know much about English until they are quite old.” 
The language of the course was identified as one of the barriers to understanding faced by students 
and faculty. The survey data reveals that nearly half of the students found the language of the 
course difficult to understand. In interviews, students in universities more often reported that the 
language of the course was difficult. For example, one group of university students in Sindh province 
said, “The main challenge that we faced is learning/ understanding in English language.” Another 
group of university students explained, “Due to unavailability and having difficult vocabularies in 
provided handouts/notes on Strategies to Improve the Vocabulary we did not understand it.” College 
students interviewed also reported that the language was difficult. A group of students in Punjab 
province said, “Language of the course should be easy enough for students of all skill levels to 
understand.” 
Faculty members also reported that language was a barrier and many believed that course concepts 
should be linked with regional and local languages. A faculty member at a college in Sindh province 
reported, “This course is difficult to teach due to English language.” “The course should be designed 
in a simple language. Teaching Literacy courses should also be designed using local languages such 
as Baloch and Brahvi,” according to a faculty member at a college in Balochistan province. A 
university faculty member from KPK province stated, “Make our local languages the basis for 
teaching concepts in this course.”
6.3%
25.0%
68.8%
41.9%
46.9%
11.2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
yes, completely yes, mostly not sufficient
Did you feel the number of examples and practice exercises 
was sufficient?
Faculty (n = 16) Students (n = 277)
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The majority of faculty members reported that the course was organized in a logical way with units 
building upon one another and that the information was accurate and relevant for students. For 
example, one faculty member said, “The course was organized in a logical way. All the units/topics 
were in sequence. The course started with basic level concepts such as what is reading, what is 
writing and gradually moved towards comparatively harder ones. This course is essential for 
prospective teachers as learning English as a language is the demand of the day.” Another explained, 
43.8%
31.3%
18.8%
6.3%
11.8%
26.4%
48.2%
13.6%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
very easy to understand mostly easy to 
understand
sometimes difficult to 
understand
mostly difficult to 
understand
Ratings of the difficulty of the level of English in the course 
materials by faculty and students
Faculty (n = 16) Students (n = 280)
5.1%
19.2%
51.3%
24.4%
14.4%
29.2%
47.0%
9.4%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
very easy to 
understand
mostly easy to 
understand
sometimes difficult to 
understand
mostly difficult to 
understand
Ratings of the difficulty of the level of English in the course 
materials by univeristy and college students
university students (n=78) college students (n=202)
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“I think the course was organized in a logical way. In the beginning it focused on the basic 
concepts/topics in order to form a stronger base among students and later moved on to book reading 
and writing. Each unit was built on the information from the previous unit. The course ensured that 
all the models learnt in the classroom are also applied practically for thorough understanding. 
Moreover, information provided in each unit was sufficient and accurate.” Several faculty members 
had suggestions for improving the sequence of the course, including eliminating repetition and 
alternative sequences for the units and material covered. One faculty member explained that to 
some extent the course was organized in a logical way: “For instance, there is a topic of oral 
development in one of our units and its contribution towards learning how to read. I think it talks 
about syntax, morphology, etc. It will be better if it comes at the beginning. We talk about advanced 
topics before this, like skilled reading and writing, and then come to basics like morphology, etc.”
All faculty members interviewed reported using the course guide and syllabus. The majority of 
faculty said that the course guide was helpful for planning lessons and the syllabus was used for 
selecting topics and resources. One faculty member said, “The course guide helped me to take ideas 
and make my lessons effective for planning and designing activities.” Another faculty member 
explained, “Syllabus provides me a guideline to choose the topic and search resource material 
accordingly.” While several faculty reported that the course guide and syllabus did not provide 
support for assessment, the majority believed that the course guide was helpful for planning student 
assessment. “I think that the syllabus and course guide has sufficient information for planning, 
teaching, and assessment. All activities and guidelines are mentioned clearly and in detail. The 
question answer sessions and discussions during the class help me to assess how much students have 
understood.” A few faculty members reported that the assessments did not align with practices. For 
example, according to a faculty member from a university in KPK province, “Course guide introduced 
steps for assessment that can be applicable, on the condition that we teach a single course in a 
semester/institution. We have our traditional ways and methods for assessment, which is convenient 
to follow. This course provides standard procedures to follow but it is our own laziness not to follow 
the procedures.” Several faculty believed that the course guide provided useful information on 
teaching strategies, including discussion and pair work and activity-based learning. Three faculty 
members reported that the training was particularly helpful in providing needed information to 
teach the course. 
The majority of faculty suggested ensuring ready access to resources, including videos and audio, 
suggested readings, books, and other reference material to help improve the course, not only in 
terms of helping the students learn but also in teaching the course. For example, a faculty member 
at a college in GB province stated, “The only improvement that can be made to this course is that the 
teachers should be provided with books, internet access, reference material and all such resources 
that are necessary to derive full benefit from the syllabus and course guide. Availability of such 
resources and reference material will immensely benefit the teachers in planning and delivering the 
course.” According to another faculty member, “The websites given in the course guide are mostly 
not accessible. Some of the referenced websites contain irrelevant information. As a teacher I faced 
difficulty in choosing the most appropriate information for topic. The referenced books mentioned in 
the course guide are not available in the libraries as well as in the local markets. We don’t have 
library for searching related reference material.” Several faculty members believed that concerned 
faculty should be consulted to develop curriculum for the course. Faculty also suggested placing 
more emphasis on writing, speaking, and listening, developing handouts, books, and other resources 
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for students, and providing further explanation and information in the course guide about exercises, 
activities, and concepts. “The syllabus should have detailed course outlines which should provide 
limits for teaching the topics. Course outlines given in syllabus should be clear and provide detailed 
objectives and subtopics.” Another faculty member suggested, “Handouts and material are not 
sufficient and do not provide ample information related to examples. The information is more like a 
birds eye view on the topics. Pages attached at the end of the course material are not aligned and 
explained.” Faculty members reported receiving multiple drafts of the course guide and syllabus, 
which caused confusion and made teaching the course more difficult. Several did not receive the 
syllabus until just before the start of the semester. “Frequent change of the syllabus/ course guide 
was one of the major issues. We received the final version after 5-6 weeks,” according to one faculty 
member. Another said, “The course guide was time and again upgraded/ changed during semester 
which created confusion during teaching. The course guide was provided two weeks after the start of 
semester. I faced difficulty in my planning and teaching.” Several believed that further training and 
professional development should be provided to faculty.
College and university students interviewed also suggested that access to materials, including the 
internet, audio and visual aids, handouts, and resource materials should be made readily available. 
“This course should not be completely dependent on internet based resources. We should have been 
provided course material/ reference books/ library books,” according to college students in Sindh 
province. Another common recommendation was providing a guide book or student reader. Similar 
to faculty, several student groups reported that teachers should be trained and more activities 
should be incorporated into the course. According to a group of university students in KPK province, 
“The course guide should have more strategies for teaching. Course outline should be available for 
the students and teachers. Teacher should be trained on the new concepts given in this course. 
Resources should be provided. Guide books should be provided to students.” Like faculty, several 
groups believed that irrelevant content should be removed from the course. A common problem
faced by university and college students was the length of the course, which did not allow enough 
time to master the concepts and prevented completion of the course. For example, a student group 
in Balochistan province said, “The course was lengthy to cover in a semester and comprehend. Due to 
shortage of time, exercises on the Reading and Writing Skill were not covered.” Similar to faculty, 
several student groups also reported that the syllabus did not arrive in time and that the content of 
the course changed. For example, a student group in KPK province reported, “It was changing 
constantly. That confused the teacher as well. Half of the semester had passed and the course 
suddenly changed. The teachers themselves admitted their confusion.” Students at a university in 
KPK province said, “The course guide was frequently (twice) changed during the semester, resulting 
in problems for the teacher to teach effectively.”
Teaching Strategies Used by Faculty in Teaching the Course 
The B.Ed. and ADE curriculum emphasizes experiential and applied learning opportunities that 
research shows to be a more effective method of knowledge transfer than traditional lecture-based 
instruction. To support this shift from lecture-based to collaborative and experiential learning, TEP 
provides ongoing professional development to the faculty of institutions that offer the new 
curriculum. The collaborative teaching strategies include small group discussion, brainstorming, pair￾share, and demonstration. The experiential learning involves field assignments—such as classroom 
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observations and teacher interviews—that take teacher trainees to schools. Other effective teaching 
strategies that TEP professional development highlights are writing assignments and quizzes. 
The majority of faculty interviewed reported that the active learning exercises and collaborative 
learning methods were helpful in planning and teaching for this course. One faculty member from a 
college in KPK province reported, “The teaching methodology in this course guide was much helpful 
for me. Before teaching this course I was not oriented to teach applying collaborative learning 
strategies i.e., Jigsaw techniques, pair share, and group discussion. All these techniques helped me to 
develop student understanding on teaching literacy course.” Another faculty member from a college 
in the KPK province said, “I used think-pair-share a lot. Jigsaw was very useful too. Made each 
student take responsibility and found it very useful. I found it especially useful in large classes. My 
students learned all five components of reading using Jigsaw. We enjoyed a lot, and learned too.” 
When asked to describe a successful session, the majority of faculty discussed lessons where they 
incorporated collaborative learning strategies, including small group work and pair-share. Faculty 
explained that students were engaged in the learning and understood it more as a result. For 
example, a faculty member from GB province described, “There was a topic regarding the six stages 
of language. I organized an exercise in which I divided the class into six groups and assigned a 
different stage of language to each group along with the relevant activity. The groups were supposed 
do a role play on their assigned stage of language. This exercise provided both enjoyment and 
learning to the students and really helped them in grasping this concept.” Another faculty from 
Balochistan province explained, “I selected a topic on Development Stages of Writing. I provided 
them material, divided them in different groups, gave them assignments/tasks to complete and come 
up with presentations. Students took interest and got involved. The group work activities developed 
self learning skills and motivated them for getting knowledge.” Several faculty discussed how they 
incorporated games or other individual activities where students were engaged and had fun 
learning. A faculty member from Punjab province said, “During the topic Instruction Strategies for 
Improving Vocabulary (week 13) I used scrabble game to help students in grasping words and their 
spellings. The game was not only beneficial for students academically but also provided them a 
source of fun and enjoyment. Often students consider simple dictation painful and burdensome but 
using activities like scrabble and word competition (giving the first letter) combines both learning and 
fun.”
The student survey attempted to find out how frequently faculty used collaborative learning 
strategies and offered experiential learning opportunities in implementing the Teaching Literacy 
course. When students were asked how frequently they had school-based assignments during this 
course, almost a third of college students said once a month or more frequently. More university 
students said they did not have school-based assignments, compared with college students (36.4 
percent and 21 percent, respectively). 
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Almost half of the surveyed students reported that their faculty used small group discussion and 
pair-share strategies nearly every week while teaching this course. On the other hand, 30% of the 
students reported that they did not use a reflective journal. 
36.4%
42.9%
15.6%
5.2%
21.0%
44.0%
16.0%
19.0%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
did not use at all once or twice a 
semester
once or twice a 
month
nearly every week
Frequency of school-based assignments
university students (n=71) college students (n=221)
9.0%
26.9% 24.4%
39.7%
4.0%
10.0% 12.4%
73.6%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
did not use at all once or twice a 
semester
once or twice a 
month
nearly every week
Frequency of small group discussions
university students (n=78) college students (n=201)
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The chart below shows the distribution of student survey responses about the frequency of writing 
in the reflective journal. 
Students attending universities reported in interviews that most faculty used active learning 
strategies, including group discussion, individual presentation, and pair-share. For example, a group 
of students at a university in Sindh province said, “Yes, we were taught through group discussion, 
pair works, individual presentation, after reading notes summarizing our ideas/comments. We found 
group discussion the most essential source for learning. As a teacher this is the best way to use active 
18.2%
36.4%
9.1%
36.4%
1.5%
13.9%
28.7%
55.9%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
did not use at all once or twice a 
semester
once or twice a 
month
nearly every week
Frequency of pair-share strategy
university students (n=77) college students (n=202)
54.5%
29.9%
11.7%
3.9%
23.8%
31.2%
25.7%
19.3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
did not use at all once or twice a 
semester
once or twice a 
month
nearly every week
Frequency of writing in the reflective journal
university students (n=77) college students (n=202)
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learning strategies in teaching. During the practicum classes we felt that active learning strategies 
attract students and motivate them in learning while in lecture methods teacher cannot attract 
students. These activities involve all students and motivate them for learning by doing. Through 
lecture method the planned objective for the lesson cannot be achieved.” Two student groups 
reported that faculty did not use active learning strategies or that faculty stopped using these 
strategies because they were too time consuming. A group of students from KPK province reported, 
“The thing is it was difficult for us to follow those activities [active learning strategies]. They were 
taking up a lot of time so our teacher dropped it to cover the course. We could only cover reading 
and writing in the first two weeks because of the activities. It was taking a lot of time.” Students 
attending colleges also reported that faculty used active learning strategies, including role play, 
individual project, Jigsaw, and group work. Most of the college students reported that faculty used 
these some of the time and one group reported that the faculty used lecture method only. Students 
reported that these strategies were helpful, but some also felt that at times lecture was more 
effective. For example, a group of students from Sindh province explained, “To some extent our 
faculty used active learning strategies like worksheets, group discussion, Jigsaw, pair works, project 
method, role play, group discussion, debate, cooperative learning. These all are useful, but if an 
activity is frequently repeated, then it becomes boring. Some of the topic can be taught in a better 
way by using traditional lecture method. These active learning strategies have brought confidence 
and given positive results.” 
When asked which activities or assignments were most helpful during interviews, university and 
college students said that group work was most useful. In addition, college students said that they 
found school visits, group discussion, pair-share, presentations, role play, and cooperative learning 
the most helpful. University students also believed that group discussion, pair work, and 
presentations were helpful. For example, a student group from a college in Punjab province 
explained, “Both group discussion and school visit are useful active learning methods. Group 
discussion facilitates exchange of ideas while school visit enable us to practically observe the 
strategies used by teachers to motivate, discipline, and involve their students.” Another student 
group from the Sindh province reported, “Brainstorming is important to assess and get the prior 
knowledge of the students on a topic to achieve the intended learning outcomes. It involves the 
students in learning. Presentation and role play give fun, improve learning power, retain knowledge,
gives confidence. Debate (conversation) improves speaking power and gives knowledge on a 
language. Discussion method gives new idea for sharing, knowledge about others opinion, improves 
listening and provides knowledge.” According to university students in the Sindh province, “We find 
the pair work and group discussion most helpful in learning because maximum objective can be 
achieved through varied group i.e., slow, fast, and medium learners which can provide learning 
improvement for all of the three mental levels of the students. Both of the activities reduces gender 
dominancy, provides opportunity for learning & increase knowledge. During these activities 
everybody values the idea of other student. Cooperative learning is also important because if teacher 
behaves normally/positively with students then student will be more focused on leaning.” 
Student Learning 
To determine how much students learned from the course without explicit testing (which was not 
feasible within the setting of the formative evaluation), the surveyed students were asked two sets 
USAID Teacher Education Project
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of questions: six questions asked them to assess their own learning of the course material, and an 
additional nine questions aimed to test their knowledge of key course concepts. 
Student Self-Assessment Results: The charts below show distributions of students’ assessments of 
how much they learned from the Teaching Literacy course. Between 25% and 60% said that they 
learned key concepts of the course ‘very well’, and between 30% and 52% said they learned them 
‘well enough’.
35.9%
52.6%
9.0%
2.6%
53.3%
42.6%
3.6%
0.5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned phonemic awareness 
versus phonics
university students (n=78) college students (n=197)
64.1%
26.9%
9.0%
0.0%
76.9%
22.6%
0.5% 0.0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned connection between 
reading and writing
university students (n=78) college students (n=199)
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24.7%
46.8%
26.0%
0.0%
34.5%
55.2%
9.3%
1.0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned teaching literacy in non￾native language
university students (n=78) college students (n=199)
38.5%
42.3%
14.1%
5.1%
61.8%
33.7%
4.5%
0.0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned strategies for teaching 
reading and writing
university students (n=78) college students (n=199)
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To test the level of knowledge of key concepts among students and faculty members, we included 
nine content-specific questions in student and faculty survey protocols. Respondents were asked to 
rate their agreement with each statement on a scale from 1 to 5. Each knowledge test variable was 
then converted into a binary variable with 1 = correct answer and 0 = incorrect answer or ‘not sure’. 
A total score was then computed for each student and faculty member. The highest possible score 
was 13 if the respondent answered each question correctly. 
29.5%
53.8%
14.1%
2.6%
52.0%
42.0%
5.5%
0.5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned how to choose teaching 
methods appropriate for different phases of learning to read 
and write
university students (n=78) college students (n=200)
35.9% 38.5%
21.8%
3.8%
51.2%
36.3%
10.9%
1.5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned how to engage parents 
in their children's learning
university students (n=78) college students (n=201)
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The table below shows the descriptive statistics of student and faculty survey data. The data shows 
that, on average, faculty answered between 9 and 10 questions correctly (with a standard deviation 
of 1.3), out of 13 questions, and students answered about 7 out of 13 questions correctly (with a 
standard deviation of 1.7, which shows a substantial difference in the number of correct answers 
among students). 
N Minimum Maximum Mean Standard 
Deviation
Faculty correct answers 16 8.00 12.00 9.5000 1.31656
Students’ correct answers 285 .00 11.00 7.2772 1.79505
The distributions of student answers to the questions about key concepts is found in Appendix 1. 
In interviews faculty members discussed several units and concepts that were difficult to teach, 
including print environment, phonemic awareness, learning to read and write in a multilingual 
context, writing as a window into reading, and leveling texts and readability. Several faculty 
members reported that phonemic awareness was a new concept for them and the course built their 
knowledge. For example, one faculty member explained, “The concept that introduced mostly new 
information was phonological awareness. I personally did not have enough information regarding 
this topic. I researched the internet and books to gather information on this topic in order to prepare 
and plan lectures. The course has really helped in going into the depth of each topic.” 
Interviews with college and university students revealed that many had difficulty with the concept of 
phonemic awareness, phonics, and phonemes. One student group explained, “Phonemic awareness 
and phonics were difficult to understand, because they had the same pronunciations and we cannot 
make differentiation between them.” Lack of access to resource materials, especially the internet, as 
well as shortage of time to review topics were identified by college students as issues in 
understanding the content. “Due to non-availability of resources i.e., internet, printing facility at 
college, we could not study the units in proper sequence. We were taught keeping in view as per 
availability of resources, which were not sufficient.”
Recommendations 
Recommendations for course revisions 
The formative evaluation revealed the following issues and concerns: 
a. The course content was found to be too lengthy by some faculty. Many concepts were 
entirely new to the faculty and students and took longer time to explore than was 
anticipated. 
b. Course materials may need to include more examples to help faculty and students 
understand key concepts. Providing these in reference to the local context would be 
particularly helpful according to respondents. 
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Recommendations for supporting course implementation 
a. A majority of the respondents said that the vocabulary of the course materials was too 
advanced for them, suggesting the need for language support. Such support could range 
from minimal (such as a course glossary) to comprehensive (such as a prerequisite course in 
English). 
b. Both students and faculty indicated that additional training for the faculty in course content, 
and particularly in applying collaborative teaching strategies, would be beneficial. 
c. One of the running themes in the evaluation data was lack of course materials. Both printed 
materials and access to digital media were lacking in some institutions. Alternatives to 
Internet sources (such as materials on compact disc) could be useful for those institutions 
with poor Internet connections. Copies of essential materials could be distributed to 
institutions for both faculty and students. 
d. Both faculty and students reported that attaining the syllabus in time to complete course 
preparations was an issue. Respondents also reported that the course changed during the 
semester, which led to confusion for both faculty and students. 
Overall, the study found that faculty and students believe the content of the course is important and 
provides valuable skills to help prospective teachers learn how to teach their students essential 
literacy skills in an effective way (i.e., through active learning strategies). Respondents believed that 
the content was useful and that the course addressed challenges faces by teachers in the local 
community. While the course guide and syllabus were helpful for the majority of faculty, especially 
in terms of planning lessons and selecting topics and resources, ensuring that resource materials are 
readily available in hard copy or CD for audio/visual material and providing more detailed 
information in the syllabus were common recommendations. Limited access to the internet, 
libraries, and even copiers made it difficult for students and faculty to get the information they 
needed. Faculty and students suggested incorporating more examples and activities, especially those 
that relate to the local context. The language of the course was a barrier discussed by many 
students. Faculty encouraged course developers to keep in mind that English is a second language 
for students taking the course. Providing professional development and training for faculty, 
especially on the content of the course and active learning strategies was another common 
recommendation by respondents. 
The recommendations of this formative evaluation are being addressed by the USAID Teacher 
Education Project through the provision of professional development for the faculty (including 
semester orientation specifically designed to prepare faculty for teaching new B.ED and ADE 
courses) and distribution of the course materials to support the course implementation. 
USAID Teacher Education Project
103 
Appendix 1. Student and Faculty Knowledge of Key Concepts 
The charts below present the distributions of the key content area questions from both faculty 
surveys and student surveys. 
75.0%
25.0%
0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
56.3%
33.3%
3.9% 5.0%
1.4%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
completely agree somewhat agree no opinion/don’t 
know
somewhat disagree completely 
disagree
Do you agree that all children can learn to read?
Faculty (n = 16) Students (n = 295)
81.3%
18.8%
0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
51.4%
41.1%
3.9% 2.5% 1.1%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
completely agree somewhat agree no opinion/don’t 
know
somewhat disagree completely 
disagree
Do you agree that all children can learn to write?
Faculty (n = 16) Students (n = 279)
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18.8%
37.5%
0.0%
6.3%
37.5%
35.5%
30.8%
5.4%
10.4%
17.9%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
completely agree somewhat agree no opinion/don’t 
know
somewhat disagree completely 
disagree
Do you agree that it is better to teach reading and writing as 
two separate subjects?
Faculty (n = 16) Students (n = 279)
81.3%
12.5%
0.0%
6.3%
73.9%
19.3%
3.2% 1.4% 2.1%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
completely agree somewhat agree no opinion/don’t 
know
somewhat disagree completely 
disagree
Do you agree that children must learn to read before they can 
learn to write?
Faculty (n = 16) Students (n = 280)
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6.3%
37.5%
6.3%
25.0%
16.8%
48.9%
11.4%
16.1%
6.8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
completely agree somewhat agree no opinion/don’t 
know
somewhat disagree completely 
disagree
Do you agree that children can't understand text they read 
until at least grade 3?
Faculty (n = 16) Students (n = 280)
6.3%
37.5%
6.3%
25.0%
28.6%
41.8%
8.9%
13.2%
7.5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
completely agree somewhat agree no opinion/don’t 
know
somewhat disagree completely 
disagree
Do you agree that children can't write their own ideas until at 
least grade 3?
Faculty (n = 16) Students (n = 280)
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93.8%
6.3%
0.0% 0.0%
82.9%
14.3%
1.4% 0.7% 0.7%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
completely agree somewhat agree no opinion/don’t 
know
somewhat 
disagree
completely 
disagree
Do you agree that it is important to give children time to write 
freely on topics of their own choosing?
Faculty (n = 16) Students (n = 280)
0.0%
12.5%
0.0%
43.8%
22.2%
25.8%
6.8%
11.8%
33.3%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
completely agree somewhat agree no opinion/don’t 
know
somewhat disagree completely 
disagree
Do you agree that young children must memorize a text before 
they can understand it?
Faculty (n = 16) Students (n = 279)
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87.5%
12.5%
0.0% 0.0%
75.6%
22.6%
0.7% 0.7% 0.4%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
completely agree somewhat agree no opinion/don’t 
know
somewhat 
disagree
completely 
disagree
Do you agree that telling children stories helps them learn to 
read?
Faculty (n = 16) Students (n = 279)
50.0%
43.8%
0.0%
6.3%
48.2%
40.3%
3.2% 5.0% 3.2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
completely agree somewhat agree no opinion/don’t 
know
somewhat disagree completely 
disagree
Do you agree that children start developing literacy skills 
before they come to school?
Faculty (n = 16) Students (n = 278)
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43.8% 43.8%
0.0%
12.5%
22.9%
48.2%
8.6%
11.8%
8.6%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
completely agree somewhat agree no opinion/don’t 
know
somewhat disagree completely 
disagree
Do you agree that children who can read in their first language 
find it easy to learn to read in another language?
Faculty (n = 16) Students (n = 280)
25.0%
31.3%
6.3%
25.0% 26.8%
48.2%
10.7% 8.6%
5.7%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
completely agree somewhat agree no opinion/don’t 
know
somewhat disagree completely 
disagree
Do you agree that many teachers underestimate parents' 
influence in helping their childnren learn to read?
Faculty (n = 16) Students (n = 280)
USAID Teacher Education Project
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56.3%
25.0%
0.0%
6.3%
59.6%
28.6%
2.1% 4.6% 5.0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
completely agree somewhat agree no opinion/don’t 
know
somewhat disagree completely 
disagree
Do you agree that children must learn to read words before 
they can understand them?
Faculty (n = 16) Students (n = 280)
USAID Teacher Education Project
110 
Information and Communication 
Technologies in Education Course 
Formative Evaluation Findings 
INTRODUCTION 
The second objective of the USAID Teacher Education Project (TEP) is to develop curricula materials 
for the new B.Ed. and ADE teacher degree. EDC has partnered with Teachers' College of Columbia 
University and distinguished Pakistani curriculum developers to develop 24 courses. To ensure a high 
quality of the new curricula materials, TEP conducts formative evaluation of 12 courses. Formative 
evaluation is an evaluation study early in the program development process that has a goal of 
improving program design. The formative evaluation is conducted continuously during the 
curriculum roll-out, beginning in the fall of 2011 and terminating in the fall semesters of 2012. 
This report presents findings from the formative evaluation of Information and Communication 
Technologies (ICT) in Education course that is offered to teacher trainees in the third semester of 
their B.Ed. program. The data for this report was collected in the spring of 2012 in four provinces 
that offered this course at the time: Balochistan, KPK, Punjab and Sindh. Based on the findings from 
the qualitative and quantitative data collection the report offers suggestions on how can the course 
be improved, and how the implementation of the course can be supported by colleges, universities, 
provincial governments, and TEP project. 
METHODOLOGY 
Formative Evaluation Questions. The formative evaluation of Classroom Management course 
sought to answer the following questions: 
11. What are faculty members' and students' perceptions with the course content and 
structure? 
12. What strategies do faculty members utilize in teaching this course? 
13. Did the students learn key course concepts? 
14. How can the course be improved? 
15. What can stakeholders (colleges, universities, provincial governments, and TEP project) do 
to support the implementation of the course by faculty members? 
Data collection methods. The following data collection methods were used for this formative 
evaluation: 
USAID Teacher Education Project
111 
5. Faculty survey and interviews: A faculty survey aims to assess faculty familiarity and attitude 
toward the new curriculum, as well as collect data on faculty's understanding of key 
concepts of the course. The survey is supplemented with qualitative interviews with faculty 
to better understand the survey findings. 
6. Student survey and focus groups: A student survey aims to gauge students’ perceptions of 
how well new instructional practices are working for them, and how they are changing their 
learning experience. The survey is supplemented with a series of targeted focus groups with 
students. 
Sampling. The timing of the data collection was determine by the schedule of the curriculum rollout 
and the schedule of curriculum revisions. All institutions that offered this course during the spring of 
the 2012 were included in the data collection. 
Data collection protocols. The formative evaluation used four data collection protocols: faculty 
survey protocol, student survey protocol, faculty qualitative interview protocol, and student focus 
group protocol. All data collection protocols were developed in close collaboration with the course 
writers. They were pilot tested by trained M&E staff in December of 2011. 
Data analysis. Data analysis for this formative evaluation study consisted of two components: 
analysis of quantitative data collected through the surveys of faculty and students, and analysis of 
qualitative data obtained from student focus groups and qualitative interviews with faculty. The 
survey data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, which employs standard 
statistical methods. Quantitative analyses used univariate and bivariate statistics as needed for 
different analytical purposes. Bivariate statistical analysis was conducted to examine the relationship 
between different variables. Qualitative data obtained from the in-depth interviews with faculty and 
focus groups with students were analyzed using qualitative data analysis procedures. In the first 
stage of analysis, we looked to identify the central themes in answers to each question across all 
respondents. At the next level of analysis, we considered trends and patterns that reappeared across 
two data sets. At this level, we drew general conclusions with regard to recommendations for the 
course improvement. 
Limitations. Without further data collection, it is unknown to what extent the findings are 
generalizable onto institutions in provinces that did not participate in this wave of data collection. 
Due to a relatively large sample size it is not likely that the finding from other provinces would be 
dramatically different. However, it is probable that institutions that did not participate in this wave 
of data collection have their own unique circumstances and challenges. 
STUDY PARTICIPANTS 
Survey Participants 
Institution Type Students Faculty
Balochistan
GCEE (F) Pishin College 19 1
GCEE (M) Panjgoor College 10 -
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112 
University of Balochistan University 9 2
KPK
RITE (M) Peshawar College 21 1
RITE (F) Abbottabad College 88 2
Hazara University University 14 -
Hazara University DoE Haripur University 16 2
Gomal University University 1 -
University of Peshawar University 20 1
Punjab
GCET (W) D.G.Khan College 24 1
Sindh 
GECE (W) Hyderabad College 39 1
GECE (W) Hussainabad College 11 2
University of Sindh University 23 -
Grand Total 295 13
The quantitative data set that was analyzed contained 295 student surveys, and 13 faculty surveys. 
Among student survey respondents, 62 (21 percent) were young men, and 233 (79 percent) were 
young women. 
Interview and Focus Group Participants 
For the Classroom Management course formative evaluation 12 faculty interviews were conducted 
in 11 institutions – 4 in KPK, 3 in Balochistan, 2 in GB, 1 in Punjab, and 1 in Sindh. To obtain student 
perspectives on the course, 12 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted in 12 institutions – 5 
in KPK, 3 in Balochistan, 3 in Sindh, and 1 in Punjab. Overall 82 students participated in the FGDs 
including 35 young men and 47 young women. The provincial break up is given in the table below. 
Province Number of Faculty Members Number of Institutions
Male Female Total College University Total
Balochistan 1 2 3 2 1 3
KPK 2 2 4 2 2 4
Punjab 0 1 1 1 0 1
Sindh 0 2 2 2 0 2
GB 2 0 2 1 1 2
Total faculty 5 7 12 8 4 12
Number of Students Number of Institutions
Male Female Total College University Total
Balochistan 8 13 21 2 1 3
KPK 20 18 38 2 3 5
Punjab 0 8 8 1 0 1
Sindh 7 8 15 2 1 3
Total students 35 47 82 7 5 12
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FINDINGS 
Faculty and Student Perceptions of the Course 
Overall Perceptions of the course. 
The vast majority of the surveyed students and all surveyed faculty members agreed that the topic 
of ICT in Education is an important one for students in learning how to become a teacher. 
The majority of faculty and students believed this was a good course that provided relevant and 
useful information. For example, one faculty member reported, “It is a very important and essential 
course because students learn more about using different technologies in education. Today the world 
is the world of technology….I shall say that students should learn and possess skills to integrate ICTs 
in education.” Many faculty believed that the ICT course offered techniques to enhance the 
effectiveness of lessons and make them more engaging for students. “Use of ICT not only improves 
the effectiveness of our teaching but also help save our time.” Another faculty member said, “We 
were teaching courses in a traditional way in the past, but this course has equipped us with 
innovative skills and we are now applying ICT skills during teaching of all courses.” 
Students interviewed believed that the course provided good information about teaching techniques 
and ways for teachers to continue to learn. For example, students explained, “This course is very 
important and useful for prospective teachers because it enables teachers to search information 
related to different difficult concepts and topics on internet and ICT tools for enhancing knowledge 
and improving their teaching skills.” In particular, many students believed that this course provided 
important information to make learning more engaging and instruction more effective. “ICT in 
Education course has made education very easy to learn and understand. Students take more interest 
due to use of ICT technologies during teaching. Students learn quickly while using multimedia and 
video clips during teaching…Children lost interest during lecture method but if we teach them 
through pictures and video clips, they learn better and never forget.” Students also discussed how 
0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
100.0%
0.7% 0.0% 0.3%
5.8%
93.2%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
not sure not at all 
important
not very important somewhat 
important
very important
How important is the topic of ICT in education for future 
teachers? 
Faculty (n = 13) Students (n = 294)
USAID Teacher Education Project
114 
the course included necessary skills needed to succeed: “To live in 21st century, it is important to 
learn ICT in Education course….In order to meet the international standards of developed countries 
we need to enhance knowledge and skills of our students and teacher learning at classroom level.” 
Availability of Technology. One of the first questions the surveys attempted to find out was the 
general availability of technology in their institution to support instruction. Specifically, the following 
technology was considered: 
 Radio, audio equipment, mp3 players, headphones, speakers 
 Video players, DVD players, television sets 
 Computers 
 Internet connection 
 Multimedia projectors 
 Digital cameras 
The table below shows the number of respondents from each surveyed province in each respondent 
category. 
Institution Students Faculty
Balochistan 38 3
KPK 160 6
Punjab 24 1
Sindh 73 3
Grand Total 295 13
Given the different number of respondents from each province, the aggregated data was weighted 
by province to ensure the adequate representation of all respondents. As the aggregated chart 
below show, computers are the most available technology in all four provinces. Only opinions of 
students were included in this chart since the total number of the surveyed faculty was not sufficient 
for this analysis. 
The charts below show the distributions of faculty and student responses. As the charts 
demonstrate, the majority of the respondents said that the technology is available in their 
institution. However, the well-known electricity shortages frequently limit the potential for using the 
technology. 
Disaggregated distribution by the type of institution shows that on average, colleges are better 
equipped with technology as compared with the universities (as reported by students). 
USAID Teacher Education Project
115 
The charts below presents the findings on availability of six types of ICT in four surveyed provinces, 
as reported by faculty and by students. Disaggregation by province show that the availability varies 
by provinces, with respondents from Punjab generally reporting better availability of hardware 
(computers and other equipment), but lacking in Internet connectivity, as compared with the 
respondents from other provinces. Fewer respondents from Balochistan, on average, reported 
technology availability in their institution. 
62.6%
47.6%
90.7%
65.5%
81.6%
45.5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
radio/audio video/DVD computers Internet projector digital camera
Overall availability of technology in surveyed provinces, as 
reported by students (weighted by province) 
39.9%
28.4%
84.9%
61.4%
68.5%
9.1%
69.3%
53.3%
92.5%
66.7%
85.4%
56.3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
radio/audio video/DVD computers Internet projector digital camera
Availability of technology in surveyed provinces, as reported by 
students (weighted by province), by college/univeristy 
universities (n=70) colleges (n=224)
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33.3%
50.0%
0.0%
66.7%
43.2%
61.9%
75.0%
63.0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Balochistan KPK Punjab Sindh
Availability of radio/audio/mp3 player/headphones/speakers
Faculty Students 
33.3%
0.0%
100.0%
0.0%
18.9%
51.9% 52.2%
43.8%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Balochistan KPK Punjab Sindh
Availability of video/DVD players, TVs
Faculty Students
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66.7%
100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
71.1%
94.4% 91.7% 87.7%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Balochistan KPK Punjab Sindh
Availability of computers
Faculty (n=13) Students
66.7%
100.0%
0.0%
100.0%
47.4%
80.0%
66.7%
45.2%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Balochistan KPK Punjab Sindh
Internet connectivity
Faculty Students 
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118 
Despite the survey reports about general availability of technology in institutions, a common theme 
in the qualitative data from the faculty and student interviews was a lack of access to ICT resources, 
including the internet. Unstable electricity supply, as well as other factors, may account for the 
difference between the availability and the access to technology. 
Several faculty members interviewed believed that the effectiveness of the class was hindered by a 
lack of access to ICT resources. “When I read the outline of this course and its applications in our 
college, I observed that there is a big difference because the outline is defined keeping in view the 
100.0%
66.7%
100.0%
33.3%
71.1%
79.1% 79.2%
87.7%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Balochistan KPK Punjab Sindh
Availability of mulimedia projectors
Faculty Students
66.7%
0.0% 0.0%
100.0%
18.4%
34.4%
79.2%
57.5%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Balochistan KPK Punjab Sindh
Availability of digital cameras
Faculty Students
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ideal situation with regards to availability of all resources, which are not available in our colleges. 
The resources which are required to use ICTs technologies in schools are also not available in our 
Government schools. It is an interactive and internet-based course; therefore, internet facility should 
be properly installed and in working condition in order to teach this course.” Like the faculty, student 
focus groups mentioned that limited access to resources was a problem. “This course is very good, 
but we do not have relevant resources for this course in our college. Internet does not work properly 
and most of the computers are not functional.”
The surveyed faculty members were asked if the course was within their area of expertise. No
faculty members said they were unfamiliar with all ICT before they started teaching the course, and 
the majority said they were familiar with most ICT covered in the course. The use of radio broadcast 
and audio clips was the least familiar to the faculty members, while interactive online tools and 
applications (such as Google Earth, Good docs) was the most familiar ICT. No faculty members said 
that they were unfamiliar with all technology tools covered in the course. 
The majority of faculty interviewed reported having taught at least three other courses apart from 
ICT in Education (e.g., Computer Literacy, Social Studies, Education Philosophy, Educational 
Leadership and Management, Educational Technologies, Methods of Teaching). All faculty members 
said that they use ICT applications when teaching these other classes, though one reported that 
he/she used ICT tools only when teaching Computer Literacy. One faculty member said, “ICT 
applications have always been applied during teaching of all courses. I found ICT applications very 
useful in keeping the students active and motivated.”
The survey attempted to find out to what extent the faculty used the ICT in teaching the course (as 
reported by students). 
76.9%
38.5%
69.2%
53.8%
84.6%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
video technology radio/audio interactive games online tools for 
collaboration
interactive online 
tools
What ICT were faculty familiar with prior to teaching the 
course? (n = 13)
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120 
Disaggregating the use of technology as reported b by the type of institution, the data shows that 
significantly more faculty in colleges use technology in teaching this course, as compared with the 
university faculty.
Faculty members interviewed reported using a wide variety of ICT applications and resources, 
including the internet, video clips, multimedia presentations, powerpoint, Google and Google Earth, 
Facebook, e-mail, and Skype. The majority of faculty believed that the internet was particularly 
useful, especially in terms of finding resources. One faculty member explained, “I found internet one 
18.4%
30.4%
36.4%
32.5%
34.7%
29.4%
34.0%
29.2%
26.2% 16.4%
21.4%
18.3%
20.7% 23.9% 8.2% 20.0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
audio clips video clips digital/Internet 
resources
photos
Overall use of ICT in this course, as reported by students (n = 294)
did not use
used very little
used a bit
used a lot
7.0% 8.5%
14.1%
7.0%
22.0%
37.4%
43.5%
40.6%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
audio clips video clips digital/Internet resources photos
Use of ICT in this course, as reported by students of colleges 
versus universities
used a lot in universities (n=71) used a lot in colleges (n=223)
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121 
of the most useful ICT applications for learning and effective teaching as I downloaded information 
related to the contents of different courses.” Several faculty mentioned that they used ICT 
applications for their own learning as well as teaching students about their use. “The internet is 
useful for me in learning as well as in improving my teaching skills…I downloaded reading materials 
and video clips which were very helpful for my learning as well for teaching different courses.” 
Faculty members also believed that the ICT resources made learning more interesting for students 
and helped them learn the material more readily. “Video clips make the teaching very effective and 
attractive. Students take more interest when they are being taught using video clips. They learn 
easily.” Several faculty members reported that their use of ICT applications was limited due to access 
and accessibility issues. “Due to limited access to internet and computers in our computer laboratory, 
we could not implement and well practice all ICT applications during the teaching of this course.” 
The survey asked faculty members if they teaching the class inspired them to start using or increase 
using specific ICT methods in their teaching of other subjects. Overall, the vast majority of the 
surveyed faculty reflected on the benefits of teaching the ICT in Education course in that it 
Both faculty and students said that overall they enjoyed the ICT in Education course. 
61.5%
46.2%
76.9% 76.9%
61.5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
video resources audio resources interactive games online tools for 
collaboration
interactive online 
tools
ICT that faculty started using or increased using in teaching 
other subjects, as a result of teaching the course (n = 13)
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122 
The majority of students interviewed believed that ICTs can make learning more interesting, 
engaging, and meaningful and reported that teachers in the community do not use ICTs in their 
teaching. “This course can address many issues faced by our teachers in our community. First of all 
students do not take interest during teaching when teacher use blackboard and reading from books. 
This is the traditional lecture-based method. If they use ICT tools such as showing them pictures, 
movies, and games students will take interest and learn quickly.” Students believed that using the 
internet could be useful for teachers in the community in terms of finding relevant materials, 
preparing lessons, and gaining required knowledge. Several students said that with the shortage of 
teaching resources in their community schools, using the internet could be particularly useful. “Our 
community teachers also faced problems in collecting materials related to different topics and 
concepts. But if they used internet for searching information on these topics, they could have 
downloaded within minutes, as it is cost and time effective.” A few of the students cautioned that 
many schools in the community lack accessibility to ICTs. 
Course Materials 
Course Guide. The majority of faculty reported that they followed the course guide and syllabus. 
Several faculty mentioned that they followed the lesson planning, methodologies, assessments, and 
teaching strategies in the course guide and syllabus. Several of the faculty reported that they 
followed the syllabus, but not the course guide and one did not follow the syllabus. One faculty 
member did not follow the course guide because the students lacked basic knowledge of computer 
operations. Another faculty member explained that due to a lack of availability of resources, he or 
she was unable to completely follow the course guide and syllabus. A few participants reported not 
receiving the course guide or receiving it late. “At the beginning of teaching this course, I had not 
received course guide. We had syllabus only but later on the syllabus was changed, and I received the 
new syllabus and course guide. In this way a lot of time was wasted.”
0.0%
7.7%
38.5%
53.8%
2.7%
7.5%
35.3%
54.5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
not at all not much somewhat very much
Overall, did you enjoy this course?
Faculty (n=13) Student (n=292)
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123 
Of those who reported that they used the course guide, the majority said that it helped them 
develop lesson plans and select ICT tools for particular lessons. The majority of faculty reported that 
their main challenge in following the course guide and syllabus was a lack of available ICT resources 
and the internet. Faculty members also reported that they learned the usefulness of using the 
internet for their own professional development as a result of teaching this course. 
a. Lesson Planning. A few faculty members said that the course guide and syllabus helped 
them develop their own lesson plans and assessments for the course. The outline provided 
by the syllabus was helpful according to several faculty members. One faculty member 
explained, “Yes, I followed and used course syllabus and course guide. I followed the 
sequence of topics given in it. It was of great use for understanding concepts. I followed the 
lesson plan given in the course guide and teaching methodologies. The course guide also 
helped me in understanding lesson plan and preparation of my own lesson plans. I also took 
help from course guide in developing my own quiz and assignments.” One common 
recommendation among faculty interviewed was providing more information on each of the 
topics to help with lesson planning and assessment. “I proposed to improve course guide 
further to give explanations on the use of ICT tools and applications with specific examples 
related to different courses of Science, Pakistan Study, Mathematics, Languages, etc.”
b. ICT Applications. Several faculty also believed that the course guide provided good 
information on the use of ICT applications and finding resources for the course. “The course 
guide was very productive and well organized. It helped me in pointing relevant materials for 
teaching. It had information on weekly lesson plans, which helped me in the preparation of 
my own lesson plans for teaching on daily basis.” 
c. Assessment. While several found that the course guide provided useful information for 
planning assessment, others believed that this was an area for improvement. According to 
one faculty member, “The course guide did not provide sufficient information about 
assessment; therefore I suggest providing detailed information about assessment in the 
course guide.” Another faculty member explained, “Course guide was very helpful in use of 
ICT applications and teaching resources; however, the course guide has no sufficient 
information to evaluate the performance/learning outcomes of the students. It needed 
improvement in this regard.”
d. ICT Access. Lack of resources and access to ICT was a challenge for many faculty members. 
“We had lack of resources in our collage. We did not have digital camera, audio recorder, 
radio, etc. Therefore, I faced difficulty in teaching those lessons where these ICT tools were 
needed.” 
e. Internet as a tool for Professional Development. Faculty members said that using the 
internet was most useful for their professional development in terms of finding information 
about course topics, accessing teaching resources (e.g., lesson plans, handouts, 
assessments), and using internet-based tools to incorporate into their lessons (e.g., video 
clips, pictures). One participant said, “I found internet one of the best sources for 
development of my professional skills. Whenever I had any difficulty in understanding any 
USAID Teacher Education Project
124 
topic or concept, I searched on internet and found explanations which helped me to 
understand.” Several faculty said they used e-mail, Facebook, Skype, and YouTube to 
enhance their knowledge and improve their lessons. “I used emails and I used to receive 
reading materials related to teaching strategies, teaching skills, and assessments. I have 
online interactions with different educational experts and teachers and I receive different 
materials related to lesson plans, subject based picture, movies, and teaching 
methodologies. These materials were very useful for my learning, teaching, and performance 
evaluation of the students.” 
Language of Instruction. Many respondents commented that it was difficult for them to understand 
English in the course materials and as a language of instruction. About half of all surveyed students 
said it was difficult for them to understand English. 
Disaggregation of survey data by the type of institution shows that on average, more university 
students report struggling with the difficulty of English in the course materials. 
46.2%
30.8%
23.1%
0.0%
24.7% 25.1%
41.0%
8.8%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
very easy to 
understand
mostly easy to 
understand
sometimes difficult to 
understand
mostly difficult to 
understand
Ratings of the difficulty of the level of English inthe ICT course 
materials by faculty and students
faculty (n=13) students (n=295)
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125 
The respondents were also asked how much of the course material they were able to comfortably 
cover. 
Disaggregating student survey data by type of the institution, it appears that the colleges have a lot 
more success with teaching the course. Nearly a third of the university students reported that they 
were able to cover less than half of the course, compared with less than 2 percent of the college 
students who said the same thing. Over 80 percent of college students said that they either covered 
16.9%
21.1%
42.3%
19.7%
27.2% 26.3%
40.6%
5.4%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
very easy to 
understand
mostly easy to 
understand
sometimes difficult to 
understand
mostly difficult to 
understand
Ratings of the difficulty of the level of English inthe ICT course 
materials by students of universities and colleges
university students (n=71) college students (n=224)
38.5%
30.8% 30.8%
0.0%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
all of it most of it about half less than half
How much of the course material the faculty said they were able 
to cover in a semester
USAID Teacher Education Project
126 
all of the course or most of the course, while fewer than half of university students said the same 
thing, as the chart below demonstrates. 
One common recommendation for improving the course among faculty interviewed was to reduce 
the amount of material covered. “This course is very lengthy. It has too many contents and practical 
work. It is very difficult to cover this course in this duration.”
Teaching Strategies Used by Faculty in Teaching the Course 
The curriculum for B.Ed. and ADE places an emphasis on experiential learning and applied learning 
opportunities that research shows to be a more effective way of preparing elementary school 
teachers than the traditional lecture-based instruction. To support this shift from lecture-based to 
collaborative and experiential learning, the USAID Teacher Education Project provides professional 
development opportunities to the faculty of institutions that offer the new curriculum. The 
collaborative teaching strategies include small group discussion, brainstorming, pair-share, and 
demonstration. The experiential learning involves assignments to teacher trainees that take them to 
schools (such as observations and teacher interviews). Other effective teaching strategy that the 
USAID Teacher Education Project's professional development highlights is writing assignments. 
Faculty interviewed reported that the course had changed their thinking about teaching and learning 
and how the use of ICT can enhance the learning experience. In fact, All but two faculty members 
interviewed believed that their teaching practices had changed as a result of teaching the course. 
Specifically, the majority of faculty explained that incorporating ICT applications changed their 
teaching style to one that was more student-centered rather than lecture-based. For example, one 
faculty member said, “Yes, this course has changed my teaching practice. I was teaching using 
teacher-centered approach, but now I have adopted learner-centered approach. I was delivering 
lecture using multimedia in the past and there were no usages of ICT applications/resources, but now 
I am using different ICT tools during teaching of different courses.” Another faculty member 
12.7%
35.2%
22.5%
29.0% 29.6%
51.8%
17.4%
1.8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
all of it most of it about half less than half
How much of the course material students said they were able 
to cover in a semester
university students (n=71) college students (n=224)
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127 
reported, “Before teaching of this course, I was practicing lecture-based method using black and 
white boards, but after knowing about different ICT tools and resources in this course, I started 
applying collaborative learning techniques and using different ICT tools during teaching of other 
courses. I realized the big difference in my teaching style. As a result of applying these ICT tools, 
students remain motivated, active, and learn quickly. Furthermore during my lecture-based method, 
my concentration was remained on white board rather than students but using ICT tools helped me 
to keep focus on students to achieve learning outcomes easily. In short integration of ICT tools in 
courses have made my teaching more effective and useful.” One faculty member explained, “I think 
that integration of ICT in education is very important and has also changed the thinking of students 
as they have also started using ICT tools such as video clips and pictures related to different subjects 
during their teaching practices. The usages of ICT tools in the classrooms make learning environment 
very interesting and joyful.” Several said that they use the internet to find resources for the course 
and that ADE courses could not be taught without the use of ICT tools. Two faculty members
believed that their teaching practices had not changed. One faculty member was already familiar 
with the ICT applications taught in the course. The other explained, “I do not agree that teaching this 
course for two weeks has brought any changes in my teaching practices. We do not have ICTs 
resources to teach through application.”
The student survey attempted to find out the frequency with which faculty utilized collaborative 
learning strategies and offered experiential learning opportunities in teaching ICT in Education 
course. Asked how frequently students had school-based assignments during this course, fewer than 
one in five said "nearly every week". Almost one in four surveyed students said they did not have 
school-based assignments at all. Disaggregated by institution type, the survey data shows a dramatic 
difference in the frequency of school-based assignments between college and university students, 
with nearly half of the latter reporting not having had them at all. 
The reported frequency of using ICT resources and applications for professional growth varied. One 
in five students said they did not use them for professional growth at all, as the chart below 
demonstrates. Disaggregated by institution type, the survey data shows a the same difference in the 
frequency of ICT application for professional growth as with school-based assignments between 
49.3%
35.2%
5.6%
9.9%
14.0%
42.1%
23.1% 20.8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
did not use at all once or twice a 
semester
once or twice a 
month
nearly every week
Frequency of school-based assignments
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128 
college and university students, with almost half of the university students reporting not having had 
them at all. 
Almost a quarter of the surveyed students said they used "compare and contrast" opportunities and 
examples of ICT-enhanced instructional strategies. Frequency of using examples of ICT-enhanced 
instructional strategies 
The majority of faculty interviewed said that they used e-mail to share resources with other faculty 
and with their students. For example, one faculty member reported, “I exchanged learning materials 
through emails with my colleagues. I helped students to enhance their knowledge by sending them 
46.5%
28.2%
12.2% 12.7% 12.7%
18.6%
38.0%
31.2%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
not at all once or twice a 
semester
once or twice a 
month
nearly every week
Frequency of using ICT resources for professional growth 
university students (n=71) college students (n=221)
50.7%
29.6%
18.3%
1.4%
14.5%
30.3%
36.2%
19.0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
not at all once or twice a 
semester
once or twice a 
month
nearly every week
Frequency of using ICT resources for professional growth 
university students (n=71) college students (n=221)
USAID Teacher Education Project
129 
different research papers & materials related to their courses.” Two of the faculty members said they 
used Facebook to interact with students in the course and only one faculty member reported using 
Dropbox. “We have our account on Dropbox and we used it to share data with each other. Similarly 
we have email accounts which we used to share documents with each other. These tools were very 
helpful for us during teaching because we had uploaded handouts and reading materials on Dropbox 
and students had access to Dropbox to download materials they needed.” Several faculty said they 
did not use collaborative tools in the course because they either lacked access to these resources to 
teach students or because they were unfamiliar with Google Docs, Dropbox, and other collaborative 
tools. 
Like faculty, the majority of students interviewed reported that e-mail was commonly used in the 
class to share resources. Several student groups also reported using Facebook to exchange ideas 
with classmates. “We learnt about email, Facebook, and practiced in our homes. We share course 
related learning materials through emails. We use Facebook for exchanging ideas with each other.” 
Students said that using e-mail and other collaborative technologies is important for teachers. For 
example, students explained, “These applications are important to share ideas, communicate among 
groups, and share about culture and education. Through applied tools we can share our experience 
and seek guidance from others educational practices and languages.” Many students said that they 
were not taught other collaborative tools or were unaware of Google Docs and Dropbox. One group 
explained that they knew how to use e-mail from personal experience, but they were not taught 
how to use and apply these tools for teaching in the future: “We do not know how they can be 
utilized and how we can implement these tools in our learning because we have not practiced the 
application of ICT tools during our course.” Another group said that they learned about Google Docs, 
but they did not practice with it and therefore did not understand the tool.
The majority of student groups interviewed reported that the instructor linked the course with other 
subjects and courses, including science, mathematics, English, Pakistan Study, social studies, literacy, 
Urdu, general methods of teaching, and arts and crafts. Students discussed different examples of 
how instructors demonstrated the use of ICTs in these different subject areas. “Our teachers linked 
this course to many subjects and used relevant examples. The addition of numbers in mathematics 
was explained through picture and guided us how pictures can be used for teaching purposes. 
Similarly our teacher also taught a topic on pronunciation through an audio clip of English subject 
and guided us on how these clips can be used for Teaching of Literacy. Pictures of the circulatory 
system and digestive system through multimedia were shared to clarify our concepts as how these 
science subject related pictures could be use for effective teaching.” Two student groups reported 
that the instructor did not integrate other subject areas into the course. 
Half of the faculty interviewed said they developed resources in the local context by creating video 
clips and taking pictures. For example, one faculty member explained, “I took some pictures of 
existing facilities and classroom environment in some schools. These pictures where shown to the 
students relating to different topics and concepts.” Another reported, “We recorded our teaching 
practice in the classroom during their visit to practicum schools. Students were then asked to give 
their reflections after watching movie clips. Students shared their views and ideas. Students were 
further briefed to improve their teaching skills after identifying gaps during watching of the movie 
USAID Teacher Education Project
130 
clips.” Yet another faculty member explained, “I had taken a snap shot of a plant through a digital 
camera, picture was pasted in a Microsoft Word and students were asked to label different parts of 
the plant. This was a local ICT resource relating to science subject, which was developed during the 
teaching of ICT in Education.”
Student Learning 
To determine how much students learned from the course without explicit testing (which was not 
feasible within the setting of the formative evaluation), the surveyed students were asked two sets 
of questions: three questions asked them to assess their own learning of the key concepts of the 
course, and additional eight questions aimed to test their knowledge of key course concepts. 
Student Self-Assessment Results. Students were asked to evaluate how much they felt they learned 
the key concepts of the course, including the following: 
 National ICT strategy for Pakistan and 21st century skills 
 Using a range of technologies for education and personal/professional development 
(radio/audio, videos, resources from internet, etc) 
 Using interactive online applications specifically for education(Google Earth, Google Maps, 
etc) 
 Developing local content using digital camera (photographs, short video clips etc) 
 Learning, collaborating and communicating through Internet (using collaborative tools and 
applications like emails, discussion groups, file sharing, Google Docs, etc) 
 Incorporating ICT applications in to elementary school subjects when teaching in future 
 Using video resources to enhance teaching and learning
 Using audio, radio broadcast or Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) to enhance teaching and 
learning 
 Using digital or Interactive Online applications (Google Earth, Google Maps, Dictionaries, 
Encyclopedia, etc.) to enhance teaching and learning 
 Using Interactive games and puzzles/CDs, DVDs to enhance teaching and learning 
 Evaluating the educational quality of different ICT resources and selecting them to teach 
various subjects (e.g languages, Social Studies, Science, etc.)
 Assessing technology infrastructure/institutional need and developing a technology plan for 
classroom and school 
The charts below show distributions of students' assessment of how much they learned from the ICT 
in Education course. The vast majority of the surveyed college students said they learned key 
concepts of the course "well enough" or "very well". Significantly smaller proportion of the 
university students said that they learned these concepts "well enough" or "very well", as charts 
below demonstrate. 
USAID Teacher Education Project
131 
Several faculty who were interviewed reported that they had not studied the National ICT Strategy, 
but others found these helpful. “National ICT Strategy and 21st Century skills are important 
documents which define the scope of ICTs in education and its implementation in educational 
institutions. Teachers need to equip themselves with ICT skills and knowledge to use them in different 
educational activities. However it seems that implementation of ICT in institutions is challenging due 
to non availability of ICT resources.”
29.6%
35.2%
22.5%
12.7%
52.5%
42.6%
4.5%
0.4%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned National ICT Strategy 
university students (n=71) college students (n=223)
28.2% 29.6% 28.2%
14.1%
52.5%
37.7%
8.5%
1.3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned to use a range of ICTs 
for education and professional growth
university students (n=71) college students (n=223)
USAID Teacher Education Project
132 
31.0% 31.0%
23.9%
14.1%
34.7%
38.0%
16.2%
11.1%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned to use interactive online 
applications for education 
university students (n=71) college students (n=223)
8.5%
19.7% 19.7%
52.1%
24.2%
34.1%
29.1%
12.6%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned to develop local content 
using digital camera 
university students (n=71) college students (n=223)
USAID Teacher Education Project
133 
18.3%
26.8%
36.6%
18.3%
36.5%
42.8%
14.4%
6.3%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned to collaborate through 
Internet 
university students (n=71) college students (n=223)
35.2%
40.8%
22.5%
1.4%
58.9%
39.3%
0.9% 0.9%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned to incorporate ICT into 
elementary schools subjects 
university students (n=71) college students (n=224)
USAID Teacher Education Project
134 
22.5%
26.8%
21.1%
29.6%
59.6%
31.8%
6.7%
1.8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned to use video resources 
to enhance teaching and learning 
university students (n=71) college students (n=224)
14.1%
26.8%
29.6% 29.6%
35.9%
43.0%
13.9%
7.2%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned to use audio, radio and 
IRI to enhance teaching and learning 
university students (n=71) college students (n=223)
USAID Teacher Education Project
135 
23.9% 25.4%
33.8%
16.9%
32.7%
43.6%
17.3%
6.4%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned to use interactive online 
applications to enhance teaching and learning 
university students (n=71) college students (n=223)
14.1%
19.7%
14.1%
52.1%
29.5%
40.6%
12.9%
17.0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned to use interactive games 
and puzzles to enhance teaching and learning 
university students (n=71) college students (n=223)
USAID Teacher Education Project
136 
Students who were interviewed said that they learned about a number of ICT applications, including 
computers, the internet, video clips, multimedia presentations, powerpoint, Google, projectors, 
digital cameras, e-mail, and e-portfolios. A few student groups said that they knew some of these 
applications prior to the course, but they learned how to apply these tools to teaching and learning. 
One student explained, “Before I used IT as enjoyment to explore general information for getting 
notes but now I can make presentations and communicate with other people and searching is more 
13.0%
39.1%
26.1%
21.7%
43.8%
48.7%
7.1%
0.4%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned to evaluate the 
educational quality of ICTs 
university students (n=71) college students (n=224)
16.9%
35.2%
23.9% 23.9%
31.1%
48.2%
9.9% 10.8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
very well well enough not very well did not learn at all
How well students said they learned to assess technology 
need and develop a technology plan for classroom and 
school 
university students (n=71) college students (n=224)
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focused on education and learning for teaching.” Students reported that they learned how to use ICT 
tools to help them better understand concepts. “I used internet for downloading information 
regarding different concepts and topics, which were difficult to understand. We found internet 
helpful in learning as we used it during studying of all courses.” Limited access to the internet and 
ICT applications and tools made it difficult to practice using these resources according to several 
student groups. “We had no access to internet, computers, and other ICT tools such as multimedia, 
digital camera, and tape recorder, during studying of this course. Therefore, we could not use and 
practice properly.” Two of the groups reported that they had trouble learning the material because 
the instructor was either absent or did not have knowledge on the use of ICT.
Students reported that they learned the importance of integrating ICTs in all subject areas, including 
using multimedia to help clarify topics and make learning more meaningful as well as using the 
internet to gain more knowledge on topics. Students explained, “ICT tools can be used in all courses 
to make the teaching more effective and enhance our learning. Multimedia can be used to show 
pictures, audio/video clips related to any course. Similarly. the internet can be used to download 
reading materials, audio/video clips and pictures both for teaching and learning purposes.” Many 
student groups discussed examples of how ICTs can be integrated into subject areas. For example, 
“We can make presentation of different formulas of mathematics, different experiments of science 
through multimedia in classroom, which the teachers can use during teaching of different subjects. 
Similarly different videos related to different courses can be shown through multimedia in the 
classroom.” One student focus group explained that more was needed to help them learn how to 
integrate ICTs into courses: “In this course we were only given the ICT applications without 
methodologies to integrate it with other courses.”
The majority of faculty believed that the internet was the most helpful for prospective teachers both 
in terms of finding resources to make learning more engaging and effective, as well as gaining 
knowledge and professional development. “I think that internet browsing will be very helpful for 
prospective teachers to access online learning materials, educational videos/audios for teaching as 
well professional development purposes.” Another faculty member explained, “We have used 
internet for self learning as well for downloading teaching resources such as videos, pictures and 
supportive reading materials. Prospective teachers can use puzzle games, search for videos and 
pictures over internet to make their teaching joyful for students.” Incorporating multimedia into 
lessons was another topic that faculty believed would be useful for prospective teachers. 
“Multimedia has glamour effect on students, which make them motivated, active, and interacted 
during learning process. Using of multimedia will be more useful to clarify concepts through 
presentations, pictures and video clips.” 
The majority of students believed that the course enhanced their knowledge and skills on the use of 
ICTs in the classroom and that all topics in the course were useful. One student group reported, 
“After study of this course our knowledge and skills to utilize ICTs in education have been enhanced a 
lot. Prior to the study of this course we had no idea about effective use of ICTs in education.” 
Students reported that they learned about using audio and video clips, computers, the internet, 
multimedia applications, as well as word, excel, and powerpoint. Most students believed that 
learning ICT tools would make their teaching more effective. “By applying ICT in Education the 
children can be motivated and we can easily make them understand. Using multimedia presentations 
to teach will be more effective.” Students reported that they would use computers, digital cameras, 
USAID Teacher Education Project
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pictures, video clips, and tape recorders in their practice. Similar to faculty, most students said they 
would use multimedia and the internet to build their own knowledge and search for relevant 
materials to enhance their lessons. “Teachers can improve their teaching skills by watching different 
video clips of expert teachers…We found internet and multimedia very useful and we shall use these 
ICTs tool while teaching in primary schools. We can find information related to different topics using 
internet whenever we need. Multimedia will be useful during teaching to show pictures, video clips 
and other information in the classrooms.”
Regarding ICT policies and ethics highlighted in the course, the majority of faculty believed that 
these should be taught in the course. “ICT policies and information on ethics included and mentioned 
in this course are very important for all teachers to know about them. These policies provide proper 
guidance and also emphasize on integration of different ICT tools in curriculum.” One faculty 
member suggested, “ICT policy is a document, which should be implemented in its true spirit. It 
should be followed and feedback mechanism should be there for further improving this document.” 
Several of the faculty reported that they had not covered those topics in the course yet, and thus, 
were unfamiliar with these. The majority of students reported that they had not studied ICT policies 
and ethics. Students who had covered these topics said they learned the importance of visiting 
relevant, legal sites and getting permission from those participating in activities (e.g., if taking 
pictures or video, need to be sure to get permission first). One student group explained, “The ethics 
have much impact on the use of ICT; without knowing/realizing the ethics a user can create problems 
for other users. Ethics give protocols to use the videos on YouTube.” Another group said, “Trainee 
students should be aware of the ethics and ICTs policy issues covered in this course to implement and 
integrate ICTs in Education.”
Student and Faculty Knowledge of Key Concepts. To test the actual level of knowledge of course 
key concepts among students and faculty members, the surveys asked ten content-related questions 
in a form of statements. Respondents were asked to rate their agreement with each statement on a 
scale from 1 to five. Each knowledge test variable was then converted into a binary variable with 1 = 
correct answer and 0 = incorrect answer or "not sure". A total score was then computed for each 
student and each faculty member. The highest possible score could be 10, if the respondent 
answered each test question correctly. 
The table below shows the descriptive statistics of student and faculty survey data. The data shows 
that on average, faculty answered about 6 questions correctly (with standard deviation of 1.8 which 
indicates a wide dispersion of responses), and students answered 5 out of 10 questions correctly, on 
average (with standard deviation of 1.5). there is not statistical difference between the means of 
correct answers between university and college students. 
N Minimum Maximum Mean SD
Faculty correct answers 13 3.00 9.00 6.3077 1.88788
University students correct answers 71 3.00 8.00 5.3521 1.36380
College students correct answers 224 2.00 10.00 5.2187 1.47973
The distributions of student answers to the questions about key concepts is found in the Appendix 1. 
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Recommendations 
Recommendations for Course Revisions 
The issues and concerns that faculty members and students brought up included the following: 
 Provide More Explanation and Examples. Faculty believed that more explanation and 
examples should be provided, including more lesson plans and guidance in terms of 
assessment. “Explanation is needed in the course guide about usages of ICT tools in different 
subject with examples.” One faculty member suggested providing a clear grading policy. 
 Reduction of Material Covered. Faculty also suggested reducing the number of topics 
covered in the course: “It is a lengthy course and it is not possible to cover it in duration of 2 
credit hours.” 
Recommendations for Supporting the Course Implementation 
What can stakeholders (colleges, universities, provincial governments, and TEP project) do to 
support the implementation of the course by faculty members? The following recommendations 
emerged from the data: 
 Accessibility to ICT Tools and Applications. The majority of faculty interviewed 
recommended that course writers keep in mind the availability of resources at most 
universities or ensure access to the ICT applications and tools taught in the course. “This 
course has been designed for an ideal environment having all ICT resources, which does not 
exist especially in the institutions located in the far flung areas of the country. The writers 
should review the course within the context of the availability of ICT resources.” Like faculty, 
many students also believed that the course should be designed with the availability of ICT 
resources in mind or that proper access to ICT applications and tools, including the internet, 
should be provided. For example, one student group commented, “This course is very good, 
but ICT resource may kindly be provided to our college. Activities should be designed in the 
course keeping in view the availability of ICT resources in the institutions.” Llack of access to 
the internet and ICT applications were challenges reported by a majority of students. 
Students explained, “We had no proper internet facility over here. Therefore, we faced 
problems in searching contents on the internet….Similarly, we had no tape recorder, digital 
camera, video camera, radio, and computer. Therefore, we could not practice these things.” 
Many students also reported that they were unable practice with any of the applications, 
which made understanding the content of the course difficult. “We studied a lot of things in 
this course but only theoretically and did not do any practical work due to unavailability of 
internet.” One student group thought that the course was useful, but wondered whether 
they would be able to use the techniques because many schools lack access to ICT resources. 
“This course is useful for prospective teachers. But at primary schools, ICT resources are not 
available. We went for practicum and most of the time we were not been able to apply the 
concepts given in this course. If we are not provided the resources at school level then we 
would follow the same conventional (lecture method) to teach.”
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 Available Resources and Tools. Students interviewed said that the lack of textbook and 
handouts for the course made studying a challenge. The majority of students believed that a 
textbook and/or other reading materials should be developed for the course. “Course 
writers should develop course reader for students. Reference books, reading material, and 
ICT resource related to this course should be provided.” One student group explained, “We 
had no books for this course, therefore we had to use the internet for downloading relevant 
materials, but internet speed was very slow.” A few student groups recommended providing 
reference videos.
 Provide More Faculty Training. Another common recommendation was providing more 
training. One faculty member explained, “There should be training for faculty members on 
the usages of different types of ICT equipments and applications to learn about the 
integration of ICT in education.” Several student groups noted that the instructor lacked 
training in the use of ICT. One student group reported, “Our teacher was not well trained to 
teach this course very effectively and clarify our concepts.” Another student suggested, “The 
faculty teaching ICT should be trained properly to teach this course more effectively.” The 
recommendation for the professional development is particularly relevant for university 
faculty since much higher proportion of university students reporting learning key concepts 
less than well. 
These recommendations are being addressed by the USAID Teacher Education Project through the 
provision of professional development for the faculty (including semester orientation specifically 
designed to prepare faculty for teaching new B.ED and ADE courses) and distribution of the course 
materials to support the course implementation. 
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Appendix 1: Faculty and Student Responses about Key Course Concepts 
Charts below show the distribution of faculty and student answers to the twelve questions about the 
key course concepts. 
84.6%
15.4%
0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
74.2%
21.0%
3.4% 1.0% 0.3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
completely agree somewhat agree no opinion/don’t 
know
somewhat disagree completely 
disagree
Do you agree that use of appropriate ICT resources and 
applications enhances the quality of teaching and learning?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 295)
84.6%
15.4%
0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
66.4%
29.8%
1.7% 2.1% 0.0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
completely agree somewhat agree no opinion/don’t 
know
somewhat disagree completely 
disagree
Do you agree that use of appropriate ICT resources and 
applications increases access to learning opportunities?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 292)
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15.4%
46.2%
0.0%
7.7%
30.8%
26.3%
45.4%
6.1%
10.6% 11.6%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
completely agree somewhat agree no opinion/don’t 
know
somewhat disagree completely 
disagree
Do you agree that only computer experts can effectively use 
ICT tools in teaching and learning?
Faculty (n = 13) Students (n = 292)
7.7%
23.1%
0.0%
7.7%
61.5%
14.4%
33.6%
6.5%
16.4%
29.1%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
completely agree somewhat agree no opinion/don’t 
know
somewhat disagree completely 
disagree
Do you agree that ICT tools can only be used with some 
courses, but not with other?
Faculty (n = 19) Students (n = 292)
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76.9%
23.1%
0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
63.3%
29.3%
5.1% 2.0% 0.3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
completely agree somewhat agree no opinion/don’t 
know
somewhat disagree completely 
disagree
Do you agree that today's teacher is a member of 'global 
teaching and learning community'?
Faculty (n = 13) Students (n = 292)
23.1% 23.1%
0.0%
15.4%
38.5%
21.5%
32.1%
5.5%
14.3%
26.6%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
completely agree somewhat agree no opinion/don’t 
know
somewhat disagree completely 
disagree
Do you agree that ICT should ideally be used in a computer 
lab, not in a regular classroom?
Faculty (n = 13) Students (n = 293)
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23.1% 23.1%
7.7%
46.2%
0.0%
40.2%
30.2%
4.1%
9.3%
16.2%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
completely agree somewhat agree no opinion/don’t 
know
somewhat disagree completely 
disagree
Do you agree that technology is a good solution when there is 
a teacher shortage?
Faculty (n = 13) Students (n = 293)
33.3%
16.7% 16.7%
25.0%
8.3%
30.6%
40.9%
12.0%
7.6% 8.9%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
completely agree somewhat agree no opinion/don’t 
know
somewhat disagree completely 
disagree
Do you agree that technology can compensate for bad 
teaching practice?
Faculty (n = 12) Students (n = 291)
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0.0%
7.7%
0.0%
30.8%
61.5%
23.4% 22.7%
2.0%
16.3%
35.6%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
completely agree somewhat agree no opinion/don’t 
know
somewhat disagree completely 
disagree
Do you agree that a teacher can achieve great success with 
students learning in 21st century without using ICTs?
Faculty (n = 13) Students (n = 295)
0.0%
15.4%
0.0%
30.8%
53.8%
25.4% 24.7%
2.7%
12.2%
34.9%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
completely agree somewhat agree no opinion/don’t 
know
somewhat disagree completely 
disagree
Do you agree that ICTs mean computers and Internet?
Faculty (n = 13) Students (n = 295)
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FORMATIVE EVALUATION REPORT 
TEACHING OF URDU COURSE 
Introduction 
The course Teaching of Urdu, which is offered in the third semester of the Associate Degree 
in Education (ADE) and Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) (Hons.) programmes, is one of the 
courses selected for the formative evaluation survey. This report put forth the findings from 
the quantitative and qualitative data collection tools developed to assess the student and 
faculty perceptions about the course contents and its usefulness. The data are collected from 
the provinces of Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), and Sindh. Based on the 
survey data the report highlights key findings from the field and recommendations on how 
the course can be further improved, and how the implementation of the course can be 
supported by colleges, universities, provincial governments, and the United States Agency for 
International Development (USAID) Teacher Education Project. 
Data and Research Methodology 
This formative evaluation study broadly aims towards providing information which can help 
improve the programme design. This research study sought to answer the following research 
questions: 
1. What are faculty members’ and students’ perceptions related to the course content and 
design? 
2. What strategies do faculty members utilize in teaching this course? 
3. How can the course be improved? 
4. What can stakeholders (colleges, universities, provincial governments, and the 
USAID Teacher Education Project) do to support the implementation of the course by 
faculty members? 
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Data collection methods: The following data collection methods were used for this 
formative evaluation: 
1. Faculty survey and interviews: A faculty survey aims to assess faculty’s familiarity 
and attitude towards the new curriculum. The survey is supplemented with qualitative 
interviews with faculty to better understand the survey findings. 
2. Student survey and focus groups: A student survey aims to gauge students’ 
perceptions of how well new instructional practices are working for them, and how 
they are changing their learning experience. The survey is supplemented with a series 
of targeted focus groups with students. 
Sampling: The timing of the data collection was determined by the schedule of the 
curriculum roll-out and the schedule of curriculum revisions. All institutions that offered this 
course during the time period were included in the data collection process. 
Data collection protocols: The formative evaluation used four data collection protocols: 
faculty survey protocol, student survey protocol, faculty qualitative interview protocol, and 
student focus group protocol. All data collection protocols were developed in close 
collaboration with the course writers. The tools were pilot-tested by a trained monitoring and 
evaluation team in three institutions of Sindh in May 2012. 
Data analysis: Data analysis for this formative evaluation study consisted of two 
components: analysis of quantitative data collected through the surveys of faculty and 
students, and analysis of qualitative data obtained from student focus groups and qualitative 
interviews with faculty. The survey data were analysed using the Statistical Package for 
Social Sciences, which employs standard statistical methods. Quantitative analyses used 
univariate statistics as needed for different analytical purposes. 
Limitations: Without further data collection, it is unknown to what extent the findings can be 
generalized to institutions in provinces that did not participate in this wave of data collection. 
Due to a relatively large sample size it is not likely that the findings from other provinces 
would be dramatically different. However, it is probable that institutions that did not 
participate in this wave of data collection have their own unique circumstances and 
challenges. 
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Table 1. Survey participants 
S. No. Institution Type Students Faculty
Sindh
1 Government College for 
Elementary Teachers (GCET) (F) 
Hussainabad
College 23 1
2 GCET (F) Hyderabad College 39 1
3 University of Sindh, Jamshoro University 3 0
KPK
4 University of Hazara  Haripur 
Campus
University 8 1
5 Regional Institute of Teacher 
Education (RITE) (F) Abbottabad
College 44 1
6 University of Hazara  Mansehra University 7 1
7 RITE (M) Peshawar College 21 1
8 Institute of Education and 
Research, University of Peshawar
University 21 0
Punjab
9 GCET D G Khan College 24 1
Balochistan
10 GCET Pishin College 19 1
11 GCET Panjgoor College 10 1
12 University of Balochistan University 9 1
Grand Total 228 10
The quantitative data set that was analysed contained 228 student surveys, and 10 faculty 
surveys (Table 1). Among the student survey respondents, 179 (74%) were female, and 49 
(26%) were male students (Figure 1). Of the faculty survey respondents, six (60%) were 
female and four (40%) were male faculty members (Figure 2). 
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Interview and Focus Group Participants 
For the Teaching of Urdu course formative evaluation, 10 faculty interviews were conducted 
in 10 institutions: 4 in KPK, 3 in Balochistan, 1 in Punjab, and 2 in Sindh. To obtain student 
perspectives on the course, 11 focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted in 11 
institutions: 4 in KPK, 3 in Balochistan, 3 in Sindh, and 1 in Punjab. Overall 86 students 
participated in the FGDs, comprising 27 male and 59 female students. 
The provincial breakup is given in Table 2 below.
Table 2. Provincial breakup 
Province Number of Faculty Members Number of Institutions
Male Female Total College University Total
Balochistan 0 3 3 2 1 3
KPK 2 2 4 2 2 4
Punjab 0 1 1 1 0 1
Sindh 0 2 2 2 1 3
Total faculty 2 8 10 7 4 11
Number of Students Number of Institutions
Male Female Total College University Total
Balochistan 8 15 23 2 1 3
KPK 18 19 37 2 2 4
Punjab 0 7 7 1 0 1
Sindh 1 18 19 2 1 3
Total 
students
27 59 86 7 4 11
Male(4)
40%
Female(6
)
60%
Faculty Survey Participants 
Gender Distribution
Male (49)
26%
Female(1
79)
74%
Student Survey participants 
Gender Distribution
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Survey Findings 
1. Faculty and Student Perception of the Course
The faculty survey responses show that they overall enjoyed the Teaching of Urdu course 
(Figure 3). However, more than 50% of the students surveyed enjoyed the course to some 
extent only, not much, or not at all. 
The students appreciated and recognized the importance of Urdu as a language. They also felt 
that after attending this course their misunderstanding about Urdu has been clarified. For 
example, students explained, ‘Now we know which method to use for teaching of poem, story, 
and essay, etc.’ Some of the students also highlighted the need for available resources that are 
required for teaching this course. ‘We do not have multimedia . . . we do not have books and 
the teacher has to search information which is very challenging for the colleges like ours (in 
the far-flung area).’ The students who were interviewed believed that the course has 
introduced them to Urdu phonics and correct pronunciation. They also highlighted that this 
course will enhance skills in reading, writing, and speaking of Urdu. A student reported, ‘We 
learnt to plan activities to involve students in learning by using the AV aids etc.’ 
A faculty member reported, ‘Overall the course is designed in a logical way, but it is very 
lengthy and there is a time constraint to complete the course. It is difficult to cover the 
syllabus within the semester time. . . . the course is developed from simple to complex to an 
extent only but it needs to be improved more.’
3.1%
11.9%
36.6%
48.5%
0.0% 0.0%
30.0%
70.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
Not at all Not much To some extent Very much
Overall, did you enjoy this course?
Student(n=227) Faculty(n=10)
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More than 70% of the students and 70% of the faculty agreed that Theory of Language is an 
important topic for the teacher trainees (Figure 4). 
More than 70% of the students and 70% of the faculty also agreed that Rich Environment for 
Teaching Language is an important topic for the teacher trainees (Figure 5). 
0.9% 0.4%
24.2%
74.4%
0.0% 0.0%
30.0%
70.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
Don't Know Not at all important Important to some 
extent
Very important
Please share your views on how important is the title “Theory of 
Language”?
Student(n=227) Faculty(n=10)
0.9% 0.0%
20.3%
78.9%
0.0% 0.0%
30.0%
70.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
90.0%
Don't Know Not at all important Importanat to some 
extent
Very important
Please share your views on how important is the title “Rich Environment 
for Teaching Language”?
Student(n=227) Faculty(n=10)
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a) Linguistic Features (Vocal Grammatical and Textual) 
Between 49% and 60% of the faculty and students found the Vocal (Figure 6) and 
Grammatical (Figure 7) features taught in the Teaching of Urdu course very useful. However, 
70% of the faculty and almost 50% of the students were of the view that the Textual features 
are useful to some extent only (Figure 8). 
1.8% 3.5%
44.5%
50.2%
0.0% 0.0%
40.0%
60.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
Don't Know Not at all To some extent Very useful
How useful did you find the Vocal features? 
Student(n=227) Faculty(n=10)
1.8%
4.8%
44.9%
48.5%
0.0% 0.0%
40.0%
60.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
Don't Know Not at all To some extent Very useful
How useful did you find the following Grammatical features?
Student(n=227) Faculty(n=10)
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b) Examples and Practice Exercises 
Out of the total number of students and faculty surveyed (Figure 9), 15% of students and 20% 
of faculty thought the course does not have a sufficient number of examples and practice 
exercises. However, 44% of the students and 60% of the faculty think that the course does 
contain a sufficient number. A faculty member stated that ‘the course guide has allocated 
time and recommended activities, which is one of the useful features of the course guide.’
7.6%
2.2%
48.7%
41.5%
0.0% 0.0%
70.0%
30.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
Don't Know Not at all To some extent Very useful
How useful did you find the Textual features? 
Student(n=224) Faculty(n=10)
15.4%
40.5%
44.1%
20.0% 20.0%
60.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
Insufficient To some extent Yes, sufficient
Do you think that course contents contain sufficient number of 
examples, practical examples and demonstrative exercises?
Student(n=227) Faculty(n=10)
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c) Assessment and Test 
All the faculty agree to some extent and almost 46% of the students completely agree that 
Assessment and Test have introduced quoting examples (Figure 10). 
d) Course Guide 
The faculty members were asked to give their view regarding the completeness of the 
information provided in the course guide to teach the course. Some of the faculty members 
commented that the course guide and syllabus are useful and helpful except that some of the 
information needs to be researched by the students themselves. For example, one faculty 
member reported, ‘For a teacher, information is sufficient; however, the guide does not 
provide adequate information for students.’ Some of the faculty members also reported that 
the materials are not relevant and the students have to search materials from various sources. 
Of the faculty members, 50% said that the information provided in the course guide on 
‘Dispelling Misunderstanding about Urdu’ was very useful and 50% said that it was useful to 
some extent only (Figure 11). 
5.9% 4.5% 5.0%
38.60%
45.90%
0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
30%
70%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
Completely 
disagree
Somewhat 
disagree
No opinion/Don't 
know
Somewhat agree Completely agree
Assessment and Test have introduced quoting examples. Do you 
agree?
Student(n=220) Faculty(n=10)
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Overall, the faculty members had similar views about this topic and commented that this 
topic helped in understanding the prevailing misperception about Urdu. For example, it 
helped in 1) correcting their pronunciation, 2) improving the writing skills, 3) recognizing the 
fact that Urdu can be used for formal as well as informal communications, 4) recognizing the 
importance of Urdu as a language, and 5) understanding that Urdu can be taught only by a 
trained and qualified teacher, not by everyone. 
The survey data collected reveal that 70% of the faculty used and found various options for 
Session Planning in the course guide useful (Figure 12).
0.0% 0.0%
50.0% 50.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
Don’t know Not at all useful to some extent very useful
How useful is the information provided in Course Guide on 
“Dispelling Misunderstanding about Urdu”?(n=10)
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The majority of the faculty members had prepared their lesson notes and applied the modern 
instructional design, while few responded that they did not prepare any notes. Most of the 
faculty members found the ‘modern instructional design’ very useful and interesting. For 
example, a faculty member reported, ‘Modern instructional design helped a lot to develop 
activities in lesson notes and even helped for planning of high-level notes. Previously we used 
old techniques but now the [modern] design helped me a lot.’ The faculty interviewed also 
highlighted that the use of modern instructional design helped them to teach effectively, help 
the students understand the difficult concepts more easily, and develop the students’ interest 
in the topic. 
Some of the faculty members highlighted that lack of resources and no training on the subject 
made it difficult to implement the modern instructional design. A faculty member stated, ‘We 
lack resources, e.g. multimedia etc. If resources are provided we can use and incorporate 
modern techniques more effectively.’ Similarly another faculty member reported, ‘Since we 
were not clear about the modern instructional design, thus we could not apply it in true letter 
and spirit.’ 
e) Major Course Units 
The Teaching of Urdu course broadly comprises four units. These are Methods of Language, 
Practical Teaching Methods (Listening, Speaking, Understanding), Practical Teaching 
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
70.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
Don’t know Not at all To some extent Very useful
Did you use various options for Session Planning, and find them 
useful?(n=10)
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Methods (Reading, Writing), and Assessment and Test. The students and faculty were asked 
how well these different units were written, and their responses reveal that the units can be 
further refined based on the requirements of the students and faculty. 
Some of the faculty members emphasized that the course guide has topics but no details on 
the subtopics; for example, the course mentions ‘rich environment’ for a language but gave 
no details on the topic for explaining the rich environment. A faculty member reported, ‘The 
details to the topic were very brief, thus we had to prepare notes on our own or the students 
had to develop their notes from various books . . . which was a difficult process and there 
should be details to a certain level.’ Another faculty member reported that ‘The course is 
organized in a right manner, but the detail information provided was not appropriate . . . the 
information on the subtopics were not available and a number of pages were missing . . . 
after page 8, there was page 147.’ Some said that due to the difficult language and new 
technical terminologies, they have to search for meanings and explanations, before teaching 
the topic, which is a little bit time consuming. 
Some of the faculty members said that there is a topic on ‘Nabi Akram (SAW) ki khidmat e 
tadrees ka aik munawwar gosha’ but the course guide provides no information. Similarly, 
there is a unit on ‘Functional Urdu Parhaaney key Tareeqey’ (Teaching Methods for 
Functional Urdu) for which no information is provided. One of the faculty members reported, 
‘I tried teaching it by getting information from other books, but I still feel that I could not 
teach it effectively.’ 
Faculty members are of the view that the ‘design of modern lesson’ topic should come after 
‘skills of a language’. The ‘teaching techniques’ and ‘teaching planning’ should be together, 
not in separate units. Some related topics are scattered in various units; these should be under 
one unit. The difficult topics should not start the course but come later; for example, 
evaluation of language should be at the end of the course, and the topics related to ‘audio 
lingual aspects’ should be in the beginning. 
More than 50% of the students and 40% of the faculty think that Unit No. 1, Methods of 
Language, is very well written (Figure 13). However, almost 15% of the students and 20% of 
the faculty think that it is not. 
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Only 30% of faculty and 64% of students said that Unit No. 2, Practical Teaching Methods 
(listening, speaking, and understanding), is very well written (Figure 14). 
A faculty member reported that ‘Unit 2 has contents on “Teaching of Urdu”, “Teaching of 
Poem,” and “Teaching of Phrase” but information about “Qawaid & Ensha” are totally 
missing. The sequence should be reorganized, e.g. a) Teaching of Phrase, its objective & 
methods, b) Poem, c) Qawaid, d) Insha, etc.’ 
More than 50% of the faculty and students are not completely satisfied with the way Unit No. 
3, Practical Teaching Methods (reading and writing), are written (Figure 15). 
0.4%
14.7%
33.5%
51.3%
0.0%
20.0%
40.0% 40.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
Don't know/no opinion Not very well Well enough very well
In your opinion, how well is Unit No. 1 Methods of Language written? 
Student(n=224) Faculty(n=10)
1.8%
9.3%
24.9%
64.0%
0.0% 0.0%
70.0%
30.0%
0.0%
20.0%
40.0%
60.0%
80.0%
Don't know/no opinion Not very well Well enough very well
In your opinion, how well is Unit No. 2 Practical teaching methods,[ 
Listening, speaking, understanding] written?
Student(n=225) Faculty(n=10)
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Almost three quarters (70%) of the faculty and half of the students are of the view that Unit 
No. 4, Assessment and Test, is very well written (Figure 16). 
. 
1. Importance of Active Learning Strategies 
The survey attempted to find out student and faculty perceptions on the importance of various 
active learning strategies in Teaching of Urdu. Between 44% and 56% of the faculty said that 
a TV (Figure 17), film projector (Figure 18), and film strips (Figure 19) are very important in 
learning Teaching of Urdu. However, 70% to 90% of the faculty and students agreed that a 
0.4%
16.5%
37.1%
46.0%
0.0%
10.0%
50.0%
40.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
Don't know/no opinion Not very well Well enough very well
In your opinion, how well is Unit No.3 Practical teaching methods, 
[ Reading, writing] written? 
Student(n=224) Faculty(n=10)
2.7%
15.5%
32.7%
49.1%
0.0% 0.0%
30.0%
70.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
Don't know/no opinion Not very well Well enough very well
In your opinion, how well is Unit No. 4 Assessment and test written?
Student(n=226) Faculty(n=10)
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computer (Figure 20) and multimedia (Figure 21) are the most important active learning 
strategies. 
Most of the students commented that multimedia, role-play, Internet, YouTube, and video 
clips were the most useful and effective audio-visual (AV) aids. For example, students 
reported that ‘the use of multimedia was most effective . . . the use of AV aids proved very 
useful, practical, and effective.’ 
Regarding the usefulness of AV aids, a faculty member reported, ‘Those AV aids are most 
useful, which helps in involving students in the learning process . . . I think usefulness of AV 
aids depends on the topic. Activity is to be done subject to availability of the AV aids in the 
institution,’ while some faculty said that charts are the most useful tool to be used. Most of 
the faculty found that AV aids make the learning more effective for students. 
12.1%
1.9%
5.6%
37.2%
43.30%
0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
55.6%
44.40%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
Not sure Not at all 
important
Not very important Somewhat 
importanat
Very important
How important was TV as a active learning strategy in learning Teaching of 
Urdu? 
Student(n=215) Faculty(n=9)
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13.5%
1.4%
7.0%
29.3%
48.8%
11.1%
0.0% 0.0%
33.3%
55.6%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
Not sure Not at all important Not very important Somewhat important Very important
How important was Film projector as a active learning startegy in learning 
Teaching of Urdu?
Student(n=215) Faculty(n=9)
21.5%
2.8%
9.8%
36.0%
29.9%
0.0% 0.0%
25.0% 25.0%
50.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
Not sure Not at all important Not very important Somewhat 
important
Very important
How important was Film Strips as a active learning Strategy in learning Teaching 
of Urdu? 
Student(n=214) Faculty(n=8)
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2. Use of Active Learning Strategies 
The student survey attempted to find out how frequently faculty used active learning 
strategies and offer experiential learning opportunities in the Teaching of Urdu course. A 
7.9%
0.5% 2.8%
14.4%
74.5%
0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
30.0%
70.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
Not sure Not at all important Not very important Somewhat 
important
Very important
How important was Computer as a active learning strategy in learning 
Teaching of Urdu?
Student(n=216) Faculty(n=10)
8.7%
0.9% 2.8%
14.7%
72.9%
0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
10.0%
90.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
90.0%
100.0%
Not sure Not at all important Not very important Somewhat 
important
Very important
How important was Multi-media as a active learning strategy in learning 
Teaching of Urdu? 
Student(n=218) Faculty(n=10)
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cross comparison of the responses is analysed. Between 35% and 58% of the students said 
that they did not use real objects (Figure 22), models (Figure 23), pictures (Figure 24), maps 
(Figure 26), flash cards (Figure 27), and Flalin boards (Figure 28). More than 65% of the 
faculty who participated in the survey did not use maps (Figure 26) and Flalin boards (Figure 
28) while teaching this course. However, nearly 50% of the students reported that charts 
(Figure 25) are the most frequently usedthat is, nearly every week active learning 
strategy, as did 31% of students about the use of pictures (Figure 24). At least 40% of the 
faculty identified charts (Figure 25), real objects (Figure 22), flashcards (Figure 27), and 
practical demonstration (Figure 29) as the most frequently used active learning strategy in the 
Teaching of Urdu Course. 
The students were of the view that AV aids can only be used in science subjects and are not 
suitable for teaching and learning Urdu. For example, a student reported, ‘This was the first 
time we learnt that Urdu could be taught through practical approaches.’ The faculty also 
reported that they have used a combination of AV aids; however, some said that they did not 
use AV aids due to non-availability in their institutions. Students from some institutions also 
shared that they did not use any AV aids. 
22.5% 22.1%
19.4%
36.0%
40.0%
20.0%
30.0%
10.0%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
40.0%
45.0%
Nearly every week Once or twice a month Once or twice a 
Semester
Did not use at all
Did you use Real objects during teaching process? 
Student(n=222) Faculty(n=10)
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14.0%
22.1%
24.3%
39.6%
20.0%
30.0%
20.0%
30.0%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
40.0%
45.0%
Nearly every week Once or twice a month Once or twice a 
Semester
Did not use at all
Did you use Models during teaching process? 
Student(n=222) Faculty(n=10)
30.8%
16.5%
12.9%
39.7%
30.0%
10.0%
30.0% 30.0%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
40.0%
45.0%
Nearly every week Once or twice a month Once or twice a 
Semester
Did not use at all
Did you use pictures during teaching process? 
Student(n=224) Faculty(n=10)
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47.5%
13.9%
21.1%
17.5%
40.0%
10.0%
40.0%
10.0%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
40.0%
45.0%
50.0%
Nearly every week Once or twice a month Once or twice a 
Semester
Did not use at all
Did you use Charts during teaching process? 
Student(n=223) Faculty(n=10)
7.7%
21.3%
13.6%
57.5%
22.2%
0.0%
11.1%
66.7%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
Nearly every week Once or twice a month Once or twice a 
Semester
Did not use at all
Did you use Maps during teaching process? 
Student(n=221) Faculty(n=9)
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34.1%
13.5%
15.7%
36.8%
40.0%
20.0%
10.0%
30.0%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
40.0%
45.0%
Nearly every week Once or twice a month Once or twice a Semester Did not use at all
Did you use Flash card during teaching process?
Student(n=223) Faculty(n=10)
27.8%
11.6%
8.8%
51.9%
30.0%
0.0% 0.0%
70.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
Nearly every week Once or twice a month Once or twice a 
Semester
Did not use at all
Did you use Flalin Board during teaching process? 
Student(n=216) Faculty(n=10)
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3. Student Learning 
To determine how much students learned from the course without explicit testing (which was 
not feasible within the setting of the formative evaluation), the surveyed students were asked 
questions to assess their own learning of the course material. The responses of students are 
disaggregated by the type of institution, that is, college and university. 
Student Self-Assessment Results: The quantitative analysis shows distributions of college 
and university students’ assessment of how much they learned from the Teaching of Urdu 
course. Between 40% and 52% of the college students said that they learned key concepts of 
the course ‘very well’. Between 25% and 42% of the university students said they learned 
key concepts of the course ‘very well’, but only 13.3% learned assimilative methods very 
well (Figure 31). However, 47% of the college students and 31% of the university students 
said that they did not learn about Foluti methods (Figure 32). 
42.2%
20.6% 21.5%
15.7%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
40.0%
45.0%
Nearly every week Once or twice a month Once or twice a semester Did not use at all
Did you use Practical demonstration during teaching process? (n=223)
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2.2%
9.5%
49.7%
38.5%
4.3%
28.3%
41.3%
26.1%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
Did not learn at all Not very well Well enough Very well
How well do you feel you learned the Composed methods from this 
Course? 
College Students(n=179) University Students (n=46)
2.2%
13.4%
45.3%
39.1%
6.7%
35.6%
44.4%
13.3%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
40.0%
45.0%
50.0%
Did not learn at all Not very well Well enough Very well
How well do you feel you learned the Assimilative methods from this 
Course? 
College Students (n=179) University Students(n=45)
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Story writing on the basis of pictures was mostly appreciated by the students. Most students 
had the view that pictures are more effective. For example, the students reported that a 
‘picture is [more] effective than 100 words.’ A faculty member stated that ‘completing the 
46.8%
10.1%
30.4%
12.7%
31.4%
40.0%
22.9%
5.7%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
40.0%
45.0%
50.0%
Did not learn at all Not very well Well enough Very well
How well do you feel you learned the Foluti methods from this Course? 
College Students (n=158) University Students(n=35)
9.4%
11.7%
39.4% 39.4%
4.7%
18.6%
34.9%
41.9%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
40.0%
45.0%
Did not learn at all Not very well Well enough Very well
How well do you feel you learned the Art of Story writing? 
College Students(n=180) Univeristy Students(n=43)
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story with pictures, the students work harder to think and complete the story. They use logical 
order for sequencing the picture and for that they have to think themselves.’ 
The use of pictures is more effective than an unfinished story, because the unfinished story 
restricts the thinking process merely to an outline, while the picture helps to imagine and 
think out of the box. A faculty member in this regard stated that ‘the outline of unfinished 
story limits the thinking of students.’ 
A few of the students felt that using pictures for story writing is best-suited for elementary￾level classes, as they can add details and create a good story from the pictures; while some of 
the students expressed that both methods are effective, but it would depend on the topic and 
nature of the activity. A faculty member reported, ‘For primary-level students, I think, 
writing a story through picture is more useful, whereas for elementary-level students, the 
idea of completing an unfinished story is more appropriate, so both are useful, subject to the 
level of students.’
The students in the FGD were asked whether they had conducted an interview of a class 
fellow who played the role of Imran Khan. Only in two institutions did the students report 
that they had done a related activity; one student said, ‘During the role-play you feel like a 
10.2% 11.3%
27.1%
51.4%
10.3%
33.3%
23.1%
33.3%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
Did not learn at all Not very well Well enough Very well
How well do you feel you learned the Six steps of Role Play from this Course? 
College Students (n=177) University Students (n=39)
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politician. This activity enhanced our critical thinking & interest in the politics as well.’ A 
few of the faculty members who conducted this activity commented and identified several 
benefits of this exercise: it was interesting for the students; it helped in improving the 
students’ communication skills, and enhanced data collection and analysis skills; the students 
recognized the importance of effective listening and speaking; and it also helped in 
improving the students’ writing and reading skills. 
Most of the students and faculty members reported that they did not learn and had not 
practiced the activity of conducting an interview, however. For example, students reported, 
‘We did not conduct any interview assuming Imran Khan.’ A few of the faculty members also 
reported that this was not part of their syllabus and that’s why they did not practice it. A few 
of the faculty members also stated that due to time limitations and the need to complete the 
course within the scheduled time, they did not practice this activity and instead tried to cover 
the course in a timely manner. 
4. Faculty Perception 
7.3%
2.2%
6.2%
32.6%
51.7%
2.4%
7.1%
2.4%
45.2%
42.9%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
Not sure Not at all Not much Somewhat very much
The questioning technique helped in the preparation of Test?
College Students (n=178) University Students(n=42)
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The faculty was asked how useful they found various methods and components of the course. 
Of the three methods introduced in the Teaching of Urdu course, a majority of the faculty 
found the composed method and assimilative method to be very useful. 
Seventy per cent of the faculty who participated in the quantitative survey found the method 
of having students write allegorical stories useful for teaching poesy. However, during 
interviews, only a few of the faculty members (Abbottabad, Hazara University, Panjgoor, and 
Pishin) reported that they have conducted this activity. One faculty member reported, ‘It is an 
effective and interesting activity . . . teaching of poem is a difficult task, as compared to other 
topic. It was a useful exercise for teaching the poems and was beneficial for the students, as 
previously they were following the traditional method, e.g. reading the poems.’ 
Most of the faculty members interviewed shared that they did not do this activity, and some 
were not even sure whether it was part of their syllabus or not. A few just excused themselves 
by saying that they taught this but do not remember it, or did not teach it due to lack of time.
Interestingly, one faculty member argued, ‘The students did not like this activity; that’s why I 
did not ask them to write allegory on Iqbal’s poem,’ but the students in their FGD said that 
‘the teacher neither taught nor asked us for this activity.’ Almost all of the students (except 
in one institution in Balochistan) responded that they did not cover this topic: ‘We just heard 
this word from you [the moderator of FGD]. We did not practice it.’ 
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
70.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
Don’t know Not at all To some extent Very useful
Did you find the method of getting allegorical stories written by the 
students useful for teaching them poesy?(n=10)
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0.0% 0.0%
20.0%
80.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
90.0%
Don’t know Not at all To some extent Very useful
Did you find the Composed methods useful for teaching elementary 
classes? (n=10)
0.0% 0.0%
10.0%
90.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
90.0%
100.0%
Don’t know Not at all To some extent Very useful
Did you find the Assimilative methods useful for teaching elementary 
classes?(n=10)
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25%
50%
25%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Don’t know Not at all To some extent Very useful
Did you find the Foluti methods useful for teaching elementary classes 
useful? (n=10)
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Recommendations for Course Revision 
 The course guide should encompass the syllabus as a whole, not in parts. The 
course guide should use accurate references to the syllabus and reading 
materials. 
 The topics and subtopics need to be more comprehensive and detailed, with 
required levels of information, and some technical Urdu should have 
explanations and details (e.g. takhleeqi tareeqa, makhlooti tareeqa).
 The course needs to be offered in Semester 2 instead of Semester 3, right after 
students have learned the Urdu Contents course in Semester 1. Faculty 
members recommended that a template of lesson plans be provided. 
 Assessment and grading methodology should be included in the course guide. 
The topic on Lesson Planning should have a well-defined outcome. 
 A list of recommended books should be given along with the student reader. 
Examples with each active learning strategy should be provided in the course 
guide. The topic on Urdu Grammar should be included in the syllabus. 
Recommendations for Sustaining the Course Implementation 
 The teachers should be trained on the use of information and communication 
technology (ICT) in teaching the Urdu course, which will help them to 
eliminate the traditional way of teaching and instead use active learning 
strategies by using ICT tools.
 A majority of the students commented that relevant subject specialists and 
trained teachers should teach the course.
 There should be regular external monitoring for quality assurance, and 
feedback from the monitoring should be translated into actions to improve the 
course. 
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 Relevant books and reading materials should be available in the institutions; 
most of the students reported that the libraries either have very few books or 
have books that are irrelevant to the ADE or B.Ed. programme. 
 The required materials (course guide, syllabus, and other recommended 
materials) should be provided in the beginning of each semester, not in parts. 
 An Internet facility should be functional and accessible to both students and 
faculty members in the institutions. 
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