REPORT ON THE SECOND WORKSHOP TO BUILD A SAUDI ARABIA-UNITED STATES PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM

Dr., Fatemah Abdullah Alhazmi Taibah University, SAUDI ARABIA, alhazmi07@hotmail.com

Abstract

In April 2015, Taibah University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed a partnership agreement with George Washington University (GWU) in the United States (U.S.) to develop a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program in Educational Administration Leadership. The agreement stipulated that a first workshop would be held in Saudi Arabia and it took place in December 2015. The second planned workshop took place on 24 October-03 November 2016. This article presents the structure and outcomes of that second workshop. The workshop demonstrated that many of the goals of the partnership agreement and the first workshop had been achieved. In addition, the team discussed the differences in KSA and USA students, language, culture and approaches to public K-12 and higher education and how to identify and overcome potential barriers resulting from these differences. Potential challenges were discussed around the introduction of blended learning, using Blackboard and synchronous online teaching and the type of support students would need in this environment. Instructor evaluation and ensuring high-quality research from students in both countries were also important topics. Through discussions and site visits, plans were drafted to overcome the issues identified, which are presented in the article.

Keywords: Cultural differences in education, blended learning, international education partnership, educational administration leadership, education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia