Online Resource Creation Catalyzes Collaboration

EDUCAUSE. 4772 Walnut Street Suite 206, Boulder, CO 80301-2538. Tel: 303-449-4430; Fax: 303-440-0461; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.educause.edu

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Semitic Languages; Middle Eastern Studies; International Education; Cultural Awareness; Arabs; Cooperation; Educational Technology; Liberal Arts; Colleges; Universities; Islam; Islamic Culture; General Education; Higher Education; Multimedia Materials; Experiments

1528-5324

Some positive responses emerged from the tragic events of September 11, 2001, including recognition of the importance of international education, especially about non-Western cultural regions of the world. Colleges and universities in particular saw dramatically increased interest in teaching and learning about Islam and the Arab world. Many research institutions already had such programs or departments, but most small, undergraduate institutions did not. A number of leading liberal arts colleges considered possible new approaches. One early impulse was to implement Web-based courses teaching the Arabic language, but the difficulty of developing a top-quality curriculum quickly enough for near-term use made that idea impractical. Making high-quality materials available in English showed more promise for developing students' cultural awareness and understanding. This article describes how these conclusions led the Center for Educational Technology at Middlebury College, on behalf of the participating colleges of the National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education (NITLE), to undertake the creation of educational resources to promote innovative, collaborative work in Arab, Islamic, and Middle Eastern studies. The initiative has two parts: (1) an online resource on Arab culture and civilization; and (2) a collaborative endeavor developing from and around it called Al-Musharaka, the Arabic word for "sharing" or "collaboration."

ERIC

2009

EJ853777