I recently returned to the UK following three weeks of research at the Effat University in Saudi Arabia. The University had just celebrated its 10th anniversary and many government and academic officials participated in ceremonies acknowledging Effat University's great accomplishments as one of the top universities in the Kingdom, if not the Arab world. I've always appreciated the great strides Effat University has made in advancing the careers of women, but it wasn't until I conducted my classroom research in applied linguistics there that I fully understood the impact of the university on the female workforce. Effat's female graduates usually get jobs even before graduation. This is not something other Saudi universities can claim, but only aspire to. What Effat does better than most of the other higher educational institutions in the Kingdom is conducting its own research into the labor market. Effat is one of the first to open the engineering field to Saudi women, as well as interior design, a burgeoning but largely ignored profession in Saudi Arabia. Effat eagerly seeks to collaborate with international universities and sends their best students abroad for internships and programs. What struck me the most at Effat was the give-and-take relationship between students and teachers. Effat administrators have enough confidence in their curriculum, which creates an environment that encourage students not to be shy to challenge their teachers. It's not what I have witnessed in other Saudi universities. Let me give you an idea of Effat's approach to academic endeavors. Earlier this year I approached a Saudi government university with my proposal to conduct classroom research. Not only were the university officials less than enthusiastic, but their remarks about my proposal demonstrated a rigid, traditional approach to research that is completely devoid of innovative thinking. When I turned to Effat, the administrators were excited over the notion that research was to be conducted in their campus, although they did not know all the details of what my work would entail. It was simply the idea that Effat was chosen as a venue for research that peaked their interest. I saw this as a respect for research and the desire to improve on what the administrators have already built. Credit for this attitude goes to Dr. Haifa Jamal, Alail, president of Effat, and Dr. Imtiaz Ahmad, director, Center of Excellence in Teaching and Learning. Dr. Ahmad walked me to her classes, and worked according to my timetable to make sure I had enough data and time. At the end of my three-week visit, Dr. Kathleen Guillaume, who is in charge for academic affairs, wanted to know how the teachers fared from the perspective of an outsider. She was keen on developing future cooperative projects with Newcastle University. Building these bridges between Effat and universities outside Saudi Arabia is what makes Effat stand apart from the others. And it's also the small things that make the difference. Wide open Internet access to anybody with a laptop in every corner of the campus allowed students to work anytime, anywhere. Effat treats students like adults by abandoning the stick and carrot approach typical of other Saudi universities. Male teachers are in the classroom and interact with their female students. Effat is not preoccupied with dress codes and the comings and goings of the students. Students are expected to conduct themselves as adults, which creates a esprit de corps. I have been away from the Saudi university campuses as a student for some time, and perhaps the surprises at Effat were a bit overwhelming. But if anything, the student/teacher relationships and the sense of adventure I witnessed at Effat only drives home the point that the hide-bound practices of Saudi universities do not give their graduates the edge when the enter the labor market. It's difficult to believe that Effat, which has only been around for 10 years, has accomplished so much. Saudi Arabia's government universities can take a few pages from Effat's playbook and may be able to catch up some day. — The writer can be reached at: [email protected] Her blog is: www.saudiwriter.blospot.com __
