Expat Perspectives on Higher Education in a Public University in the United Arab Emirates

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: Multicultural Education: International Perspectives and Global Contexts

Abstract

Using a sub-set of data from a larger study, this paper examines interviews and surveys conducted with 10 expat faculty members teaching in a public university. The aim of the study was to determine how faculty members view various aspects of teaching and learning and relate these to best practices for Emirati students. The overarching theme that emerged from the data was the need for faculty to be culturally responsive to their students. The following four sub-themes emerged from the data: 1) The importance of collaboration; 2) Effective teaching and learning strategies for differentiation; 3) movement away from banking models to teaching that focuses on integrated models and; 4) approaches to bridging cultural differences between expat faculty and students.

Authors

• Jenny Eppard, Zayed University

• Fatima Hasan Bailey, Zayed University

• Herveen Singh, Zayed University

• Kara Mckeown, Zayed University