Job Discussion Forums

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Gordon, I'd say that I haven't heard of any university level employers who are concerned about distance degrees in the UAE. Where it came up was during the imploding of the MLI... which is now gone.

The fact is that in the Gulf, the vast majority of the good teaching jobs ARE pretty much 'government.' Personally, they are the only employers that I would consider (with the exception of maybe AUS). The national universities are still the most predictable employers.

VS

Cleopatra · Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 5:33 am Post subject:

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

Cleopatra · Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2006 12:54 pm Post subject:

younggeorge · Joined: 15 Apr 2005 Posts: 350 Location: UAE

[quote="Cleopatra"]

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Hey YG... we'd cleared that mistake up already. It is the Ministry of Education, not the Ministry of Higher Education that has blocked distance degrees in the past. The Ministry of Higher Education has never had a problem with them.

VS

mlomker · Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 378

jonks · Joined: 29 Jan 2006 Posts: 1240

Bindair Dundat · Joined: 04 Feb 2003 Posts: 1123

stoth1972 · Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 6:26 pm Post subject: Distance MAs

Though I don't think I've read this on any of the related boards, I do know that this question of Distance MAs and their validity in the UAE has cropped up in some personal conversations with UAE teachers. I did the MEd TESOL with University of Newcastle. It was offered in Dubai and delivered at the British Council. Lecturers came to Dubai on 5 different occassions and "power taught" the modules (1/2 day Wednesday, 8 hours Thursday, 8 hours Friday). Typically two lecturers came at a time and delivered two different modules. Between these weekends we completed the task assigned during the module. I never considered this a "distance" degree, but some of my peers said that it you weren't on the actual campus a certain percentage of time, then it was considered 'distance learning' by UAE Ministry of Higher Education standards. This seems a bit odd to me, since research could be done just about anywhere, and in some fields requires travel.

Anyway, I have never heard of anyone being denied a position in UAE unis based on this criteria, nor, to the best of my knowledge, has anyone in my cohort been denied a job because they possessed a 'distance degree'. I know of people who did actual distance degrees (no face to face time with instructors) who got jobs with HCT.

Is all just gossip on the ESL rumour mill, or can we expect the UAE to start denying jobs to those with a distance degree?

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Stoth,

The Ministry of Higher Education has never had any problem with distance degrees. Thus, no problem at university level.

It is the Ministry of Education... which covers K-12 and organizations like the old MLI that has downgraded people with distance MAs - many of whom just transferred over to one of the universities and there it was recognized.

Logical, eh?

VS

stoth1972 · Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 8:19 pm Post subject: The insanity of it alll...

But of course they are not uniform! Confused

I think it is high-time that the various ministries got on same page. I suppose a distance teaching certificate without practical experience should be rejected, but so many MAs are theory-based...why should it matter?

Along a similar vein, the UAE knows it needs to overhaul the government schools, but only organisations within Abu Dhabi are taking steps to do this (within AD). Unity could go a long way in improving education in the UAE.