RIT Dubai Presentation

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