A recent report entitled “Expanding U.S. Study Abroad in the Arab World: Challenges and Opportunities” was prepared and published by the Institute of International Education (IIE) with contributions from the Hollings Center for International Dialog. The document offers insights for both students and administrators who are interested in the opportunities and challenges connected to study abroad programs in the Arab world.
“Expanding study abroad to the Arab world is a timely and complex issue, and one that is important for educators who wish to prepare their students to succeed and prosper in a global economy and an interconnected world,” said Dr. Allan E. Goodman, President of IIE (read his bio).
The report provides an assessment of the current state of study abroad programs based upon the input of a multinational panel of senior-level administrators and faculty from U.S.- and Arab-world-based higher education institutions, program provider organizations, and Arabic language centers.They discussed issues that will impact the future of study abroad programs in the region including:
- Credit transfer and academic standards
- International partnerships
- Cross-cultural issues
- Safety and security
- Resources and marketing capacity of host institutions
- Arabic language study
One of the interesting details that the report mentions is that “nearly 2,200 American students studied abroad for credit in the Arab world in 2006/07, the most recent academic year for which data are available.” The students were concentrated in four Arab countries – Egypt, Morocco, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. The report goes on to highlight that a growing number of students from others countries have been participating in study abroad in the Arab countries in recent years.
Most of the study abroad programs that the report considered were characterized by a partnership-style arrangement between a US institution and the university or institution in the Middle East. When clarfying the reason for these types of program structures the study found that language is a significant barrier, which visting students need to overcome or be prepared to with.
It is still rare for American undergraduates to enroll directly in Arab universities without American partnerships because few such students have the Arabic fluency required to take all courses in Arabic and because support services for foreign students are often lacking. (p. 13)
The report includes contact details for study abroad programs and links to application guidelines. The program list spans several pages and includes online and direct contact details for the program coordinators and institutional contacts. Among the schools mentioned in the report are Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Alexandria University (Egypt), American University of Sharjah, Damascus University along with several others.
The broader directory of study abroad programs from IIE is found on their website. Their database includes the option to browse through the program listings on several web pages or visitors can use a search form to narrow the focus more efficiently.
You can learn more about the report and the organizations involved in its development by in the full article on Going Global.
No comments yet.