Teacher Education:
The MA in Teaching (MAT) is IOE’s flagship graduate degree program. It is the only teacher education program in Central Asia that provides an American Master’s Degree from Bard College in New York, alongside a graduate degree from the Kyrgyz Ministry of Education. This blended learning program emphasizes school-based mentored practice, student-centered instructional management, and research skills enhancement. It caters to both pre-service and in-service teachers.
Professional Development:
IOE works with partnering schools to offer customized workshops on school culture and professional learning communities. Additionally, the institute provides semester-long instructional management mentoring for in-service teachers in a blended learning format.
Global Learning:
Education and Development in a Global Era (EDGE) is an undergraduate course offered by IOE since spring 2019. It introduces students to key themes and critical issues in international educational development. The course serves as a platform that brings together comparative perspectives on pressing global challenges to education from select partnering higher education institutions in Europe and North America.
Research:
IOE is actively involved in various research initiatives. Some recent and ongoing projects include studying higher education and youth perspectives on sustainable development in Kyrgyzstan, examining employability and the role of soft skills in the Central Asian post-secondary context, analyzing the politics of private-public partnerships in basic education, and exploring the implications of online mentoring for pre and in-service teacher education programs.
Engagements:
Education in the 21st century is inherently interdisciplinary and transcultural. Within AUCA, IOE collaborates with other academic departments and program units to offer a wide range of curriculum offerings. Externally, IOE engages with partners including government agencies, multilateral development organizations, private foundations, schools, and higher education institutions in Kyrgyzstan and abroad.