Blended Learning for Emirati Women

William Radecki

doi:10.18538/lthe.v2.n1.03

Abstract

This paper describes a blended learning course for Emirati women combining face-to-face instruction with heavy use of distance learning technologies such as videoconferencing, email and a “virtual classroom”. Instructors conducted action research in order to 1) improve course design and teaching methods, 2) share distance teaching insights with colleagues, and 3) advise institutional authorities on IT resource management. Results of the study are presented, and conclusions about the suitability and efficacy of distance learning for Emirati women are offered.

Highlights

From 1999-2003, I taught English as a Second Language at Zayed University – a women’s university with campuses in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Over the last three decades the UAE has grown from a small collection of fishing villages to a modern center of oil production, trade and tourism; and Zayed University is one of a number of tertiary institutions that have been established during this period, guided by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahayan, first president of the UAE
After much discussion and planning, we proposed a team-taught course for upper level students in the English Language Center (ELC). (The proposal was accepted and we eventually taught five iterations of the course.) We agreed on three key course objectives: 1.) A focus on developing writing skills

Summary

Introduction

From 1999-2003, I taught English as a Second Language at Zayed University – a women’s university with campuses in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (http://www.zu.ac.ae). All students at the University are local Muslim women, while faculty and staff come from all over the globe. Perhaps the most unique aspect of Zayed University is its impressive information technology infrastructure. All students and teachers have laptops, all classrooms are connected to the Internet, the library subscribes to 20 online databases, and the Blackboard course management system facilitates online course delivery and program administration. In 2001, the University's IT Department created an “electronic classroom” on each of the two campuses. Though some teachers had previously tried email exchanges with students overseas, the “electronic classroom” presented the first real opportunity to offer distance courses at Zayed University, and possibly the first true distance learning experience for Emirati women

Objectives

Findings

Conclusion