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Dr Abdullah Al-Bargi is Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics and currently serves as the Vice Dean for Development at the English language Institute (ELI) at King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Dr Al-Bargi is a language specialist who received his professional training at Arizona State University from 1999-2006 with a Master's Degree in Teaching English as a Second Language (MTESL) and a Ph.D. in Linguistics/Rhetoric & Composition.
He is a certified site reviewer for the US-based Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA), an education accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
In his current position, Dr. Al-Bargi works to develop the academic program at the ELI in compliance with the established standards of the Saudi-based National Commission of Assessment and Academic Accreditation (NCAAA) and US-based Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA) in matters related to academic accreditation, curriculum, assessment, professional development, and quality assurance. Development, according to Dr Al-Bargi, "is a process of carefully planned and structured change to the work culture and identity of any organization. As faculty, staff, students, and systems make up the reputation of any educational organization, we have made sure that everyone involved will be on board as we go forward with our plans for development through teamwork and a constructive culture of communication.
Change, for Dr Al-Bargi, starts at home, and "Home here is the classroom," he says. "With our instructional and curriculum policies in place now, we at the ELI deeply believe in capitalizing on technology in our efforts to improve the institute. We are moving ahead with our plan for blended learning by implementing a good mixture of a traditional/virtual classroom, where the student-instructor interaction is made fun and simple in order to create a more relaxed learning environment."
The context of change at the ELI, as Dr. Al-Bargi describes it, is of a global nature. "In 2013, the ELI was fully accredited by the CEA, the only specialized accrediting agency for English language programs and institutions in the US, approved by the US Department of Education," he says. And with that, Dr Al-Bargi sets the tone for a commitment to delivering internationally recognized high-quality English language instruction. "As we strive for empowerment through the adoption of international educational standards, we, at the ELI, feel that teaching a language eventually maps into its culture."
"Our job then becomes crucial to disseminating both English language teaching and cultural knowledge. As we provide English language courses to over 14,000 full-time students every year, we create a sense of understanding of the culture that uses the language and even the global English culture through thematic topics across the classroom curricula," Dr Al-Bagri adds.
Dr Al-Bargi teaches BA and MA courses at the ELI and the Department of English in the College of Arts and Humanities at KAU on a variety of subjects, including discourse analysis, applied linguistics, composition, and language and technology. Asked about his openness to criticism, he says "I love constructive criticism based on sound and research-driven rationale." "In fact, 'I am a prisoner of research', if I may borrow the words of Stephen Krashen.”
Dr Al-Bargi also served as the editorial supervisor of the Saudi Gazette and Arab News, Saudi Arabia's two English-language newspapers. His service included advising on editorial content and management.
He maintains a large network of language specialists, academic experts, journalists, and talented students, so when it is time to make sure “not a word is out of place,” the good doctor knows exactly who to call.