NEWS
At the Conclusion of the Sustainable Leadership and Academic Excellence Conference.. UoB Recommends the Establishment of a Technical Infrastructure for Education and Developing Sustainability Curricula
University of Bahrain (Yasmeen Khalaf)
21 November 2021
Under the patronage of the President of the University, Dr. Jawaher bint Shaheen Al-Mudhahki the “Sustainable Leadership and Academic Excellence” Conference was recently held at the University of Bahrain (UoB), in which participants recommended integrating modern research for sustainable leadership, bridging the gap in the literature on leadership studies in Arab and Western countries, and investigating the quality of teaching and leadership through comprehensive program evaluation, while it is important to encourage positive and active methods within the classroom to enhance students’ skills, strengthen education and governance, have the appropriate infrastructure and technology that serve the educational and learning processes, and apply electronic networks and artificial intelligence in education.
Also, the participants recommended developing leadership management through well-organized projects, in addition to developing and supporting sustainability teaching curricula, increasing the use of technological tools that facilitate student participation in them, integrating the virtual laboratory and the virtual exhibition in the curricula, while raising awareness of what constitutes the professional identities of instructors, taking into account the effectiveness/personal identity, which is formed by culture and religion, and increasing the evaluation practices of instructors who use technology in the educational process.
The President of UoB, Dr. Jawaher bint Shaheen Al-Mudhahki, opened the conference with a speech in which she affirmed the University’s relentless pursuit to achieve the vision of the wise leadership, and the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to develop the national economy, by providing an example to be followed in promoting sustainable leadership, academic excellence, exchanging experiences as vital areas, and organizing scientific conferences dealing with sustainable leadership, and education in local, regional and international frameworks.
The Conference was organized by the Excellence in Education and Leadership Skills Unit at UoB, with the participation of 112 speakers, and the presence of specialists from various sciences, including: economics, engineering, biology, geology, law, medicine, linguistics, mathematics, information technology and other disciplines. Also, the Conference was attended by members of formal education institutions, representatives of companies affiliated with educational and non-educational bodies from the private sector, and interested persons from all countries of the world, including: the State of Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the Sultanate of Oman, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Turkey, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Kenya, Norway, New Zealand, and others.
The Conference’s participants introduced the idea of a new post-Coronavirus (Covid-19) global university, based on the idea of a smart campus and decentralized administration. Emphasizing that the future of higher education institutions lies in ensuring sustainable academic excellence, with strong leadership and governance.
The virtual Conference focused on building a community of sustainable academic practices and leadership skills, providing opportunities for scientific research, and presenting the latest scientific developments in leadership and academic excellence for researchers, academics and leaders in higher education, with the aim of addressing the multiple challenges of the dynamic context of higher education, by sharing the results of the studies of academics, researchers, and leaders of higher education, on academic practices and leadership experiences.
While the Chairman of the Conference and Director of the Excellence Unit in Education and Leadership Skills at the University, Dr. Diana Abdulkarim Al-Jahromi, indicated that the Conference was held in partnership with prestigious international institutions such as the Higher Education Academy in the United Kingdom, Blackboard Academy, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), with the participation of five main speakers, namely: Principal Adviser for Learning and Teaching at the British Higher Education Academy Professor Dr. Kay Hack, Senior Learning Adviser at the British Higher Education Academy Dr. Patrick Baughan, Regional Vice President for Blackboard in the Middle East, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies at the University of Alberta in Canada Professor of Education, Prof. Dr. Samira Al-Atiya, and the Executive Dean for Education at the Higher Colleges of Technology in the United Arab Emirates, Dr. Phil Quirk.
The Conference included two discussion sessions on the challenges of creating higher education leaders in the twenty-first century in light of the Corona (Covid-19) pandemic, and another on assessment methods to ensure sustainable quality, in which international leaders and researchers participated, including the Vice President of Al-Ain University in the United Arab Emirates Prof. Dr. Omar Mohammed, and the Executive Vice Dean for Programs at Prince Mohammed bin Salman College in Saudi Arabia, Dr. Larissa von Alberta-Al-Hutaibat, Professor of Education and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies at the Bilingual Campus Saint-Jean at the University of Alberta in Canada, Prof. Dr. Samira Al- Atiya, Professor of Human Resources from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom Dr. Beverly Dawn Metcalfe, CEO of Digital Learning in the United Kingdom, Charmaine Ibrahim, Chief Information Officer at York University in the United Kingdom, Prof. Donald Ipperciel, Executive Director of Academic Staff Development at the University of Alberta Dr. Ellisa Corsi, and evaluation expert from the Higher Colleges of Technology in the UAE Dr. Sahbi Hidri.
Furthermore, the participants called for holding the Conference annually and periodically, due to its importance and to follow up on topics related to sustainability, leadership and excellence in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa, and global change in the global educational community in higher education, to search for solutions to educational issues in a sustainable and innovative way, on the basis of four principles: quality, influence, knowledge transfer, and scientific research.
