The YU Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE) was re-established for the purpose of improving the quality of teaching, learning, and assessment among the Al Yamamah University faculty. CTLE was initially established in 2018 under the name “Teaching, Learning, and Development Center”. In June 2025, it was restructured and relaunched, appointing a new team comprising a Center Director, and two coordinators in Riyadh and one in Khobar. CTLE was officially renamed the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence in March 2026. Immediately after its relaunch, the CTLE started to effect change in the teaching, learning, and assessment landscape through adopting the INSPIRED Learning Model, restructuring the Induction Program, Organizing a YU Faculty & Staff Outing, running diagnostic interviews and surveys, and organizing highly interactive, and performance driven workshops.

The Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE) advances teaching excellence and transformative learning by empowering faculty and academic staff to design and deliver innovative, student-centered education. Through professional development, instructional support, and the strategic integration of educational technologies, the Center strengthens curriculum design, assessment practices, and the effective implementation of the INSPIRED Educational Transformational Model. CTLE fosters a culture of pedagogical innovation, continuous improvement, and collaboration that enhances student success while developing graduates equipped with 21st-century competencies and employability skills needed to thrive in an evolving global and national knowledge economy.

Mr. Bu-Madyan Kahtan, CTLE Director

Bu-Madyan Kahtan, MA is the Director of the Center for Teaching & Learning Excellence and the General Director of INTERLINK International Institutes at Al Yamamah University in Riyadh and Khobar and INTERLINK programs at the Mohammed Alkhudair School of the Gifted and Talented, and the Mohammed Al Alkhudair Technical and Vocational Training College in Qassim. As a Fulbright scholar with more than two decades of experience in English language education, curriculum design, assessment, quality assurance, and faculty development, he specializes in teacher training, program innovation, and quality-driven educational leadership. His work focuses on advancing high-impact teaching and assessment practices, strengthening instructional quality, and empowering educators to deliver transformative learning experiences.

Dr. Sarah Dalati, CTLE Coordinator, YU Riyadh

Dr. Sara Al Dalati is a senior instructor at INTERLINK, Al Yamamah University with over 13 years of teaching experience. She holds a PhD in Higher Education: Research, Evaluation and Enhancement from Lancaster University.  Dr. Al Dalati’s scholarly interests lie at the intersection of assessment, feedback, action research, and research design. She is passionate about transforming how assessment and feedback are designed and experienced in higher education. Her work on feedback literacy in EFL contexts examines how learners can develop the skills and dispositions to engage productively with feedback, while her research on authentic assessment advocates for evaluative tasks that mirror real-world challenges and foster deeper, transferable learning.

Dr. Mohamed Tarawneh, CTLE Coordinator, YU Riyadh

Dr. Mohammad Al Tarawneh is a senior EFL instructor at INTERLINK, Al Yamamah University with more than a decade of experience. He holds a PhD in English Language Teaching from Eastern Mediterranean University-Cyprus and is an English Instructor at INTERLINK, Al Yamamah University. His academic and professional experience spans multiple international contexts, and his work focuses on intercultural communication, project-based learning, program evaluation, action research, ESP, and teacher training.

Dr. Nadine Lacsina, CTLE Coordinator, YU Khobar

Dr. Nadine Lacsina is a senior instructor at INTERLINK, Al Yamamah University with 13 years of teaching experience. Dr. Nadine holds a PhD in Language Studies from De La Salle University, along with an MA in English as a Second Language from the same university. Dr. Nadine is an IELTS and TESOL trainer. She delivers training sessions on Instructional Materials Design and Teaching 21st Century Grammar Teaching. Her teaching and training approach is learner-centered and emphasizes communicative, task-based learning, and classroom-ready assessment practices. Moreover, Dr. Nadine has published research in reputable peer-reviewed journals, contributing in her areas of interest that include applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, semantics and discourse analysis.