GCES Symposium 2010

Maryam A. Al-Ali

Maryam A. Al-Ali is a Director of Supervising and Monitoring Private Schools Office at the UAE Ministry of Education. The office is responsible for monitoring and supervising all private schools throughout the UAE (474 schools). It is also in charge of developing policies, regulations, and standards that reform and improve education in private schools.

Dr. Al-Ali has extensive experience in private school systems including different types of assessments, instruction as well as curricula. Dr. Al-Ali also has great interest in research in the field of educational technology particularly in learning theories, Web-based instruction, course management systems (CMS), online learning, and serious games.

Recently, she published a book titled Faculty Attitudes Toward Sakai Course Management
System: An Educational Perspective (2008). She also presented a paper about serious games in classrooms at the Global Education Forum in Dubai and participated in the International Technology, Education and Development Conference in Valencia, Spain.

Dr. Al-Ali received her M.Ed. in IT Instructional Design and Development from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia and her Ph.D. in Technology and Education from the American University of Washington DC. 

Ali Hussain AlBulushi

Ali Hussain AlBulushi is an assistant professor of English Language Teaching (ELT) at the College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. He obtained his PhD in Applied Linguistics from Lancaster University at the UK. Currently he is teaching several ELT courses at the department of curriculum. He is also involved in supervising ELT MA students. He is interested in task-based language teaching, computer-mediated communication, language curriculum development, and teacher professional development.

Ibrahim Mohamed Ali Abdul-Latif

Ibrahim Mohamed Ali Abdul-Latif is from Egypt, and holds a PhD in Arabic Language from Dar Al Uloom, Minia University in the Arab Republic of Egypt. Dr. Ibrahim was teacher of Arabic Language in Egypt and Libya. He then joined the Department of Arabic Language in the University General Requirements Unit of UAE University as a teacher of Arabic Language to non-specialists, and was then appointed as a coordinator of Arabic language, a post he occupied for a period of six years. Dr. Ibrahim is currently the Coordinator of the Al Ain Arabic Proficiency Testing System in the UAE University.

His academic interests include the following topics: modern criticism, ancient Arab literature and all issues related to the teaching of Arabic language for native Arabic speakers. Dr. Ibrahim co-authored more than 10 educational books at UAE University, and has is also in charge of supervising the team appointed to design the Al Ain Arabic Proficiency test.

Samia Al Farra

Samia Al Farra is a prominent educator and founding member of the Middle East International Baccalaureate Association (MEIBA), where she oversees the Academic and Operational development of Taaleem and its schools.

Dr. Al Farra is something of a household name on the IB circuit, especially on her home turf in the Arab world where she’s a founding member of the Middle East International Baccalaureate Association (MEIBA), Dr. Al Farra brings depth and breadth of regional experience and understanding to the field of education.

Having notched up over 37 years in the field of international education, she has amassed a huge bank of experience as an educator, as a principal and through her senior positions on the Jordanian National Education Council and the CIS and NEASC accreditation teams.

Hamood Khalfan Al-Harthi

Hamood Khalfan Al-Harthi is the Assistant Dean for Training and Community Services as well as Assistant Professor of Comparative and International Education at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman.

Dr. Al-Harthi earned his doctorate in International and Developmental Education focusing on Social and Comparative Analysis of Education from the University of Pittsburgh in the United States. He also holds an MA from the University of London and a BA from Sultan Qaboos University.