Most Saudi colleges give little importance to interaction and discussion in their teaching style, Al-Watan reported. Several male and female students from various colleges said discussion and interaction in lectures were non-existent. “Many of our professors lack the interactive skills needed. They can neither accommodate opinions nor convince others of the ideas being taught. They also fail to cross analyze ideas brought up in class,” one student said. Mohammad Al-Hajeri said in the three years of his study at the Teachers College, more than 16 out the 22 teachers who taught him did not know the names of students. “They have no interest in discussions and they downplay its importance,” he said. Some students say attempting to discuss with lecturers creates unnecessary tension so most students prefer to remain silent instead of sharing their ideas. Many female academics from the College of Arts for Girls in Dammam accepted that discussions were almost non-existent in lecture halls. They said the large number of students, up to 160 at times, present in a single lecture makes it impossible for them to have discussions. A lecturer said she does not dedicate even 15 minutes to interact with her students out of the total 120 hours she teaches. “I am accustomed to this style because I graduated from the same college and was taught in the same manner,” she said. Khidr Al-Qurashi, chairman of the education committee at the Shoura Council, said the educational process should always stimulate students to research and challenge ideas. “Up to 70 percent of a lecture must be dedicated to student discussions,” he said. “When students take information without analyzing, their creativity ends which turns them passive.” Al-Qurashi said teachers should be mentors and guides for their students. Students should be encouraged to express their views. Arwa Al-Shibani, associate professor at King Faisal University, said college professors need to develop modern teaching techniques and accommodate student views. She said the number of students in a lecture should not exceed 40 in order for teaching to be effective. Moudi Al-Qahtani, Mona Al-Khaledi and Farida Al-Ghamdi said in four years of study, they were never given the opportunity by the faculty to hold open discussions, particularly with male professors who can only be addressed through closed circuit television. Elham Al-Jifri, lecturer at the College of Education in Makkah, stressed that learning through closed circuit television is one of the main reasons why discussions between students and teachers are absent. “University teachers are content with simply relaying information and giving assignments. They ask students to do research work without listening to their questions or discussing assignments with them,” she said.
