rit dubai presentation
DESCRIPTION
Presentation given by RIT Professor after teaching at RIT DubaiTRANSCRIPT
Welcome to Dubai!!
Ann Leonard
December 10 – 21, 2008
Welcome to Dubai
Formation of United Arab Emirates: 1971• Dubai is 1 of 7 Emirates
Visionary – Sheik Rahid bin Saeed al MaktoumCurrent ruler - Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum
Vision: Dubai will become the global hub for business and finance
Languages: Arabic, English, Persian
Religions: Islam 96% Hindu 4%
Welcome to DubaiLocation: southern Persian Gulf coast, and northeastern part of Arabian Peninsula
Geography: located in the Arabian Desert, and includes gravel desert, coastal planes, western Hajar Mountains on border of Oman
Dubai Creek – natural inlet expanded and dredged to enable ships to transport
Population: 1,422,000 (2006)• 20% Emirati Nationals/80% expatriates
Size: 4,114 square miles
Currency: UAE dirham
Economy• Early trade: oil, pearl exports, fishing• 1985 Sheik Mohammed started Emirates
Airlines with own money and two planes• Now Service: Financial center, trade, IT,
construction, travel and tourism• Industry-specific free zones
– Dubai Internet City– Dubai Media City– Dubai Technology Electronic Commerce
Economy
• Numerous government programs to stimulate entrepreneurial business development
• Dubai Financial Market (2000)• Real estate more valuable
– Appreciated significantly since 2004– Large scale real estate development projects
• Palm Islands• Burj Al Arab• Burj Dubai• Dubailand
Current Challenges
• High cost of living caused by high inflation and strong economic growth– High expat costs
• Living standards and conditions for migrant workers– Unequal and inconsistent treatment – HR practices and policies
• Shortage of skill sets in professional areas– Hire from outside, develop from within
• Shortage of leadership talent• Global economic downturn has impacted development
– Some projects on “hold” – Burj Dubai– Buildings with vacancies
Old and New
Under Construction
Health Centers
Infrastructure
Residential areas
Dubai Architecture
Burj Al Arab
Jumeirah Beach Hotel
Burj Dubai
Grand Hyatt HotelThe arial view of the Grand Hyatt spells Dubai in Arabic script
Grand Hyatt Hotel
Gleaming hallways and comfortable rooms
Grand Hyatt HotelViews from my room at the Grand Hyatt.
Lobby at Christmas time
WAFI
Wafi Center
AtlantisHotel
Winter in Dubai
Staples
A Day in the Life…
• Teaching schedule for 6 day program – 2 full days, 4 half days
• Work schedule on a half day– Worked in the room on class prep, etc. with lunch in the hotel or
a walk to restaurants in the Wafi Center– RIT Dubai driver picked me up at the hotel for a 30 min drive to
campus– Final class prep and meetings with students prior to class– Dinner on site (small sandwich shops)– Class 6:00 – 10:00 PM– Back to hotel
RIT Dubai
RIT Dubai staff: Nassar, Niveen, Michelle, Mustafa
System • The team:
– Mustafa Ashgubar – president, RIT Dubai– MicheleVaz – program manager, registration, etc.– Hannan Khamis – marketing manager– Niveen Selmi – administrative assistant/receptionist– Nassar - IT
• Mustafa working on accreditation in Dubai• Facility – very modern in design and technology
– Computers in every room, and connected to smart boards– Large classrooms, flexible classrooms for lecture hall
configuration, offices, conference rooms, technology enabled gathering places
RIT Dubai
Faculty kitchen, office, student study and gathering spaces
Students
• Total: 8 – 5 men, 3 women– Emirates, Saudi Arabia, India, Germany
• All working in businesses, government
• Ambitious
• Curious and interested in exploring
• Language – Arabic and English
• Worked well together in teams
• Good sense of humor
RIT Students - Dubai
RIT Students - Dubai
Culture• Sense of loyalty to country, culture, each other,
employer• Attire: Students wore traditional attire
– Instructors – flexible, but err toward conservative
• DST• Group learning and shared achievement
– our view of plagiarism is unfamiliar concept
• They want to achieve - competitive• Hospitality – food, tours, gifts• Wide range of foods – chocolate is a favorite!
Teaching
• Facilitated learning community (Tell us/me more about… Can you tell us about a time when…)
• Use examples for illustration – ask for their examples• Structure is helpful
– Overview of course– Overview of session - Agenda– Objectives and goals– Logical sequence– Grading rubrics– Feedback
Teaching• Language – range of proficiency
– Leave ample time for discussion/conversation– Design with digestible chunks– Require everyone’s participation in delivery of team
projects– If you don’t understand their point, ask or use
reflective listening– Grading papers (content, English/grammar,
assignment requirements)
• Pride in self, contribution– Acknowledge all comments– Link comments across individuals and discussions
Teaching
• They like the debate. Pay attention and when necessary redirect back to point by summarizing, linking to relevant subject matter
• Be specific about expectations– Work: requirements, due dates, and point distribution– Behavior: pay attention, timeliness
• Be genuine and authentic. Be open to new ways of thinking about a concept– Share yourself so they can get to know you– Want to get to know them. Laugh!
Thank you.
The plane