Working on developing modules that are based on the Arab world yet relevant to the international cultural scene, Bahia endeavors to decolonize the history of design in the region through the curricula she develops. She successfully designs courses that are entrenched in the local culture and capably finds the right talents to teach them.

The Graphic Design Program

Developed a Graphic Design program, including the program's mission statement, the development of 14 design courses syllabi and the supervision of another 10 design courses syllabi (a total of 24 syllabi), that are culturally relevant to Egypt and the Arab world, and that have placed AUC as a leading design education center in the region.

History of Arabic Calligraphy

Developed the only course on the history of Arabic Calligraphy (DSGN3118) and the only courses on the history of advertising (DSGN3117) and graphic design in the Arab world (DSGN3115) to be offered at a higher education institution in the region.

Type Lab

The Typography Lab at The American University in Cairo is a direct response to a much-needed call: To revive and rewrite our history through our Arabic script. Thanks to the dedicated work of its team, Arabic letters found on virtually everything that has been produced under Islamic patronage in the past 1400 years, from Spain to the borders of China, has been retraced, documented and digitized. This open-source tool will hopefully be available as a 17 volume encyclopedia, as well as on an online platform that is free and available to all.

Besides the endeavors to supervise and maintain the encyclopedia of Arabic letters, the lab organizes conferences, exhibitions, workshops, plans publications and is hoping to host a Type Design Fellowship. Most importantly, the Typography Lab is keen to revive a culture and attract an engaged community around it, one that brings together established and emerging Arabic type designers, calligraphers, researchers, programmers, developers and educators.

Edraak

Bahia's educational achievements have not only been limited to university coursework. She has also participated in developing MOOCs (Massive Open Online Course) for Queen Rania Foundations’ educational platform: Edraak, the first course on graphic design to be delivered in Arabic where over 60,000 students have registered to date. Bahia fully designed the course visually which was delivered in Fall 2015 and Spring 2017, and is currently a permanent course on the platform. She has received a Digital Innovation award from The American University in Cairo for the development of the Introduction to Graphic Design MOOC.