SU makes plans to offer classes to high school students in Dubai
Syracuse University Project Advance is looking to bring university courses to high schools in Dubai. If successful, SU will be the first university to offer classes in high schools outside the United States, said Jerry Edmonds, director of SUPA.
‘Education is extremely important for building bridges,’ Edmonds said. ‘By going internationally, we can expand relationships and help build bridges between the United States and other cultures.’
In December, the SUPA administrative team — which included Edmonds, associate directors John Fiset and Sari Signorelli, and assistant director Chris Parish — traveled to Dubai to tour and evaluate Global Education Management-owned high schools.
The evaluation consisted of many different layers, Edwards said. They looked at the qualifications of high school teachers and assessed the facilities at the schools to ensure they had required resources.
The team toured three different models of high schools: American, British and Indian. Because the different models have different exam schedules and student assessments, SUPA needs to do some curriculum mapping to offer the classes, Edmonds said.
Still, the team’s first priority is ensuring the teachers are qualified to teach SU courses.
‘The key thing is that the schools are ready to partner with a nationally recognized program, and Syracuse University is a well-recognized research university,’ said Signorelli, SUPA associate director. ‘The big issue isn’t so much the types of curriculums that schools have as that they have the qualified teachers.’
Though the initiative is not set in stone, Signorelli said they are ‘cautiously optimistic’ SUPA will be able to offer classes in Dubai high schools. They are now waiting for the high schools to submit their teaching credentials. After the SUPA office receives teacher applications, SU faculty members from their respective departments will review the applications and decide who can teach the courses.
After teachers have been approved, they will come to SU for a one to two week training course. The training course is a requirement for all high schools that follow the SUPA model. In the United States, more than 180 high schools have partnered with SUPA to bring college-level courses to their students.
‘Nationally, Project Advanced is recognized as the best program of its kind,’ said Edmonds, SUPA director, ‘and SU has always been at the forefront of partnering with high schools.’
Should the program extend to Dubai, it will be the start of an international education relationship between the United States and the rest of the world. SUPA is already looking to expand to China and Hong Kong. In March, Signorelli is meeting with a GEM representative in Turkey, and other possibilities may exist in Saudi Arabia, India and Kuwait.
‘We’re just in the initial stages of what we think is going to be an exciting international expansion for Project Advance,’ Edmonds said, ‘and an exciting expansion of SU’s presence in international high schools.’
Published on February 13, 2011 at 12:00 pm
