KSU delegates visit the School of Education at Leeds University
In support of the King Saud university vision and its plan for the next four years, which emphasizes developing collaboration and creating partenerships between KSU colleges and other internationally recognised universities, a delegation recently visited the University of Leeds in order to discuss potential collaboration.
Areas discussed included establishing joint academic programmes, exchange of faculty members, establishing other scientific activities such as conducting short courses, holding conferences, and providing training. Future cooperation may also include establishing training programmes in Saudi Arabia.
The delegates from King Saud University were Mohammed.Y.Alfi (Associate Professor, Curriculum and Instruction Department) and Yousif. A. Alshumaimeri (Assistant Professor, Curriculum and Instruction Department) at the College of Education, KSU.
The delegates held meetings with the TESOL group in the School of Education at Leeds represented by Professor Mike Baynham, Dr Martin Wedell, Dr Penelope Robinson and Dr Richard Badger. The meeting took the form of several days of extremely stimulating collaborative professional discussion about the aims, structure and content of King Saud’s proposed MA TESOL programme and possible collaboration on work contributing to the King Abdullah Project (TATWEER).
The meeting concluded by agreeing that the Leeds role within the proposed MA TESOL programme would be to
- teach and assess three modules of 3 credits. Each module offered has been through the Leeds quality assurance process and is an accredited Leeds MA TESOL programme module. Also, supervise and assess a Graduation Project. All credits deriving from students for work at Leeds will be recognised by KSU as contributing to the credits needed for the King Saud MA TESOL degree
- Work in collaboration with KSU to contribute to the success of King Abdullah Project in the following areas:
- TESOL Trainer and Teacher Training.
- Training for TESOL Curriculum Developers.
- Trainer Training for Educational Leadership Trainers.
Leeds University
The University of Leeds received its charter from King Edward VII in 1904, but its origins go back to the nineteenth century with the founding, first, of the Leeds School of Medicine in 1831 and then the Yorkshire College of Science in 1874.
Leeds is a top-ten research university, at 7th place nationally for the number of top scoring researchers and 8th for 'research power,' out of 173 institutions taking part in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise - RAE, (next RAE to be published in December 2008). Seventy percent of University of Leeds researchers are working at the highest level – on projects of international importance – and just under 800 researchers at the University have been given the highest ratings - 5* or 5 .
The University is internationally acknowledged as a centre of excellence in a wide range of academic and professional disciplines. Its broad research and skills base and superb facilities attract interest from major multinationals and small local businesses alike. Many of its research initiatives cross traditional subject boundaries and Leeds currently promotes projects through 58 inter-disciplinary centres and seven research schools.
