The government of Qatar has made significant investments in post-secondary education to ensure that Qataris are able to contribute to the country's social and economic goals. The authors describe RAND's analysis of occupational demand and related post-secondary educational opportunities, and offer recommendations for improving the country's current provision of post-secondary education.
This edited volume contributes a novel understanding of the past, present and future of higher education across the six countries that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Against the backdrop of intense political, ideological and epistemological disruptions across the Arabian Gulf Region over the last two decades, this volume adopts critical comparative perspectives in order to chart the history, present-day and future realities of higher education in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. By focusing on dynamics relating to neoliberalism, and using the notions of ‘tensionality’ and ‘locality’ to situate topics such as curricula, policies, practices, the volume engages with current discourses, controversies and themes such as the internationalization and marketization of higher education in these countries. In doing so, the book offers a theoretical framework to enable greater understanding of the contemporary functioning of higher education in the Arabian Gulf Region. This text will benefit scholars, academics and students in the fields of higher education and international and comparative education more broadly. Those involved with educational policy and politics, and Middle Eastern studies in general, will also benefit from this volume.
This volume provides a critical examination of branding and marketing in higher education from national, regional, and global perspectives. Contributors with expertise in higher education, sociology, comparative and international education, marketing, rankings, and educational philanthropy use novel theoretical frameworks and cases from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the US to map the brandscape of higher education. Empirical cases and literature analysis show that brand building is becoming a deliberate goal for higher education. This book illustrates student-institution dynamics, as well as the critical role of policy and professionalization to support branding and marketing strategies in higher education in relation to equity.
This book is the first volume to explore, in breadth and in depth, the field of mental health in Qatar. The development of mental health services and the support of mental health research are currently priority areas in the strategic vision of this country. Bringing together the voices of experts in the field working in service of this vision, this volume covers everything from the history of mental health systems, administrative and academic growth and challenges, and the treatment of all ages and special populations, to mental health challenges at schools and in the workplace. Within each section, contributors drawn from across the range of mental health disciplines in Qatar discuss the developments and the challenges faced in this rapidly developing country. The book will appeal to practitioners, researchers, administrators, academics, students, and the general reader both within Qatar and beyond.
As our world becomes increasingly diverse and technologically-driven, the role and identities of teachers continues to change. Cases on Teacher Identity, Diversity, and Cognition in Higher Education seeks to address this change and provide an accurate depiction of the teaching profession today. This thought-provoking collection of cases covers a range of educational contexts from preschool teaching in Europe to higher education in Australia and North America, and draws on expert knowledge of these diverse contexts, centered on a common theme of teacher identity. This book can be used by teacher educators and trainee teachers, as well as those who have an interest in social research into teaching.
This book takes a closer look at the relation between current issues and trends in higher education and scientific research in the Arab World and in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states of Qatar and United Arab Emirates (UAE). This thoroughly researched text traces the development of higher education in the GCC area as it continues to be positioned in an intersection of international and local factors. The text further articulates the pivotal political and cultural influences that act as real and perceived barriers towards the advancement of key fields. The chapters analyze the current policy trends, structures, and coping alternatives in addressing higher education challenges, whilst also providing comparative first-hand texts with the other Arab states in the region. By drawing focus on the GCC area, the text identifies the crucial factors that hamper learning and research performance. The book serves as an invaluable discussion on the implications for policy makers and HEIs in relation to the eponymous regions and other Arab states in the GCC area. Enhancing understanding of the scope, scale, and complexity of higher education and scientific research in the GCC area, the book will be of interest to academics, researchers, and post-graduate students in the fields of educational policy, comparative and international education and higher education.
Many changes in higher education have derived from Europe-wide initiatives such as the Bologna process, and have given increasing attention to student-centred learning and teaching approaches, allied to growth in teachers’ scholarship and academic development. Academic Growth in Higher Education: Questions and Answers centers around a decade-long research project, which is one component of a long-standing programme focused on ways to promote academic development and scholarship in higher education. The purpose of the book is to highlight debates and issues important in teaching and learning at the tertiary level in universities, colleges and schools – exploring issues that teachers and lecturers will need to address throughout their professional lives. These issues surround acts of student-centred learning, inquiry-based learning, teachers’ own practices in the classroom and, every bit as significant, the activities generated by their students in the process of learning. The intention is to identify some of the debates relevant to teaching and learning, to challenge some of the orthodoxies within traditional forms of teaching and learning, and to suggest some solutions though current practice over a wide context of activity.
Greater student mobility, increasing demand for access to tertiary education, as well as policy changes have spurred rapid expansion of the global higher education sector. However, with increased demand comes considerable variation in the quality of the supply. As higher education is an expensive endeavor for all stakeholders – governments, funders, employers, and families – there are also increasing expectations for accountability and demonstrations of quality. English as a foreign language (EFL) programs, in particular, are under considerable pressure to substantiate their value, resulting in a significant rise in interest around their quality. This volume is the outcome of a May 2018 international conference on quality and specialized accreditation, held in Turkey. The book’s three sections take the reader from the global to the program level, examining trends and best practices in quality assurance and accreditation in EFL programs. The book’s geographic focus is primarily the Middle East and Turkey, yet the issues discussed herein a quite global in nature. This volume will be of interest to educational administrators at the institutional or program level, educational leadership programs focusing on higher education, language teacher preparation programs, and administrators in centralized education systems or accrediting organizations.
This volume is the first to compile the insights of experienced and informed education researchers and practitioners involved in the delivery of university pathway programs. These programs have emerged as effective responses to global, national and local students’ needs when transitioning to Higher Education. The book opens with an overview of the main drivers for the development of university pathway programs, and a description of the main characteristics of such programs, as well as of the different types of programs available. It examines topics such as the way in which policy and governance issues at the institutional, state, and federal level affect university pathway programs’ financial models, compliance and quality assurance mechanisms as well as program provision. It also looks at how to address issues related to 'non-traditional' background students such as those from lower socioeconomic background, students for whom English is an additional language (EAL), indigenous students, mature age students and humanitarian entrants. The volume showcases thirteen university pathway programs offered in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Qatar, and the United Kingdom. These examples provide valuable insights that will help guide future practice in the field as the programs described effectively foster and support the development of students’ academic literacies, study skills and awareness of the socio-cultural norms that are necessary to participate successfully in higher education settings. In reporting the strategies to overcome challenges in the areas of curriculum development and implementation, of equity, inclusion and participation, of cross-sector collaboration and of student welfare, the volume promotes reflection on these issues and, therefore, better equips those education practitioners embarking on the university pathway program journey.
