ATHENS, Ohio (May 2, 2007) – A classroom with a computer for every child; a school where technology enhances learning. It's the dream of every teacher, whether he teaches in Athens, Ohio or she teaches in Amman, Jordan.

The Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education 's Instructional Technology Program is helping achieve that dream by building information superhighway on-ramps in schools across Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Ohio University has a long history of educating beyond its physical borders, with the first international student graduating from the University in 1895. Since then, OHIO has been a major force in educating students from around the world, with more than 1,000 international graduate students coming to Athens every year.

One of those students was Basem Al-Saraireh, who attended our College to study Curriculum and Instruction. While here, he earned his master’s and doctoral degrees. Saraireh also served as a part-time instructor in The Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education and took courses in Instructional Technology with Associate Professor Teresa Franklin.

After graduating in 2003, Saraireh returned home to Jordan, a move that made him realize the benefits of his experience at The Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education ; “I felt so sad because I was leaving the place where I grew up intellectually – the place that paved the way for me to have an influence in my country, Jordan.”

On his trip back to Jordan he met a fellow Bobcat teaching at the Alfaisal International Academy in Saudi Arabia. They discussed their time at Ohio University and their passion to bring that kind of education model to the Middle East. After contacting Dr. Franklin and receiving her support, they worked on obtaining approval from Jordan’s Ministry of Higher Education.

Just a few months later, in November 2006, a partnership agreement was signed to develop a high diploma in Information and Communication Technology in Education (ICTE) at the University of Jordan and the Alfaisal International Academy. In the Middle East, a “high diploma” is a degree obtained after a bachelor’s and prior to a master’s.

From the time of its introduction in 1997, The Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education' Instructional Technology Program has equipped teachers to use everything from SMART Boards to virtual reality to help their students learn. That same objective guided development of the ICTE, which recruits educators currently teaching in Jordan’s primary and secondary classrooms. ICTE students have the best of both worlds: access to OHIO’s cutting-edge curricula and Jordanian professors who help them apply new technologies in the context of the local culture.

The ICTE program is modeled after The Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education' nationally and internationally accredited Instructional Technology graduate program. All three
of the professors who make up The Patton College’s Instructional Technology faculty have traveled to Jordan to work with students and instructors, ensuring that the ICTE has all the strengths of the acclaimed Ohio University curriculum on which
it is based. When Professor Sandra Turner visited she noted clear similarities. The committed leadership, the focus on computer lab training and even the final exams given paralleled practices she uses in her graduate classes.

Now in its second semester, the ICTE program has over 300 students -- three times as many as University of Jordan administrators needed to deem the program a success. There is clearly a demand for this kind of professional development. Each student has access to a computer and Internet during labs, and Blackboard is used to supplement in-class activities.

Invigorated by the success of their first joint venture, all parties involved are looking forward to the future. “Our vision is to expand the program to the entire region here in the Middle East by next year,” Saraireh explains. “Our ultimate goal is to have a place for Ohio University in this region and enhance our students’ knowledge and understanding in different fields.”

More joint degree programs are in the works, ranging from Linguistics to Special Education, all with a focus on continuing to bridge the two countries’ cultures. As Franklin describes it, “This is an opportunity to not only provide education, but global understanding.”  

By Katelyn Burkhart