About Me

Greetings and welcome to King Abdulaziz University (KAU) and to the English Language Institute (ELI), one of Saudi Arabia's leading world-class educational institutions.

You, no doubt, have many questions about the university and ELI. I will do my best to give you a clear idea of our exciting and innovative organization.

But, first, let me tell you a little bit about my own background.

I grew up in a little town nestled in a valley about 100 km northwest of the beautiful luxuriant city of Abha. After completing high school in 1992, I moved to Jeddah to study for my B.A. in English in the Department of English at KAU. Upon graduation in 1996, I worked as a Teaching Assistant at the same department and taught English as a second language for three years. At the same time, I hosted my own television sports show on Saudi TV’s Channel 2.

In late 1999, I was accepted at Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA for the MTESL (Master's of Teaching English as a Second Language) program and the Ph.D. program in Linguistics/Rhetoric & Composition. In February of 2006, I completed my studies and shortly thereafter returned to KAU, MA and Ph.D.

Since my return home, I have been teaching ESL, linguistics, rhetoric, and discourse analysis at both KAU's English Department and the English Language Institute (ELI). I also served for a few as an editorial board advisor to the Saudi Gazette and Arab News, Saudi Arabia's two English-language newspapers.

My research interests are primarily focused on the scope of Applied Linguistics, including TESOL, research methods, discourse analysis, and ESL/EFL curriculum design and instruction. In my recent research, columns, and conference presentations, I have discussed many issues related to the teaching and history of English in Saudi Arabia, political discourse, and emerging local social phenomenon within the Saudi context. My future research will be focused on classroom discourse analysis, contemporary Arabic political rhetoric in relation to international political rhetoric and realities.

There are a lot of things I love to do in my free time, but bodybuilding and exploring the world top the list. After immersing myself in my work for long periods of time, there is nothing like a little R&R. Most recently, I have used much of my free time to read about the cosmos and space travel and exploration. These subjects may seem a long way from the field of Linguistics, but I find myself fascinated by the use of scientific jargon and related terms that play a part in the description of our own existence and outer reality. Indeed,I am always excited when I see ESL textbooks present the Universe to language learners.

  Context for Change and Development at the ELI

In July 2010, I was appointed Vice Dean for Development at the ELI. It is truly a challenging job to be an agent of change for development. For me, it is a process of bringing about carefully planned and structured change to the work culture and identity of the ELI.

Our teachers, students, and systems make up our reputation. And we have made sure that everyone involved will be on board as we forge ahead with our plans for development. We have made a serious effort to provide a meaningful workplace for our staff and a positive learning environment for our students. We believe deeply in capitalizing on technology and are moving towards an integrated paperless system linking the school administration, the teacher, and the student. Our classrooms are both traditional and virtual and student-teacher interaction is made fun and simple,  creating a more relaxed learning environment.

ELI Goes Global!

ELI was granted full accreditation status from the Commission on English Language Accreditation (CEA), the only specialized accrediting agency for English language programs and institutions in the U.S. The accreditation is clear evidence of our commitment to delivering high-quality English language education according to international standards.

As we strive to be empowered with international educational standards, we feel, at the ELI, that teaching a language eventually maps into its culture.

Our job then becomes crucial to teaching the English language teaching while disseminating cultural knowledge.  In our English language courses to over 12,000 full-time students every year, we create a sense of understanding of the cultures that use the language and even the global English-language culture by presenting thematic topics across the classroom curricula. As we encourage our students to embrace their heritage, we prepare them for the future and empower them with the language tools needed for both college and communication.

Welcome to New Students at the ELI!

Please take learning English to heart. It will open many doors for you in your future career. And best of all, it is easy and fun to learn, if you make a commitment to take it seriously. Engage yourself with the language not only inside the classroom, but also outside. Listen to news in English, watch a good movie in English, browse English learning websites, and email a friend or teacher in English. Get connected to the world through social networks like Twitter and Facebook. And a great way to build your language proficiency is to read a little every day. It will take time to develop your language, so be patient. Remember, it takes a few years for a baby to speak. But at the ELI, you will take less than a year to reach an intermediate level in the language if you are serious. You can leave the program with plenty of confidence in your English abilities.

If you feel like speaking English to me and getting more advice, please come visit me in my office, or email me. It would be my pleasure to meet with and talk to you about the doors your time at ELI will open.

Wishing you all the best!

 


Last Update
2/25/2015 11:04:59 AM