Abstract:

Qatar is a small Arab country with a population of 1.4 million people that lies between Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Gulf (CIA, 2008). Although small in population, the country is rich in culture and oil wealth. This developing country uses the newly accrued oil wealth to enhance practices in healthcare, infrastructure, and education. Each year the country’s population increases with expatriates from around the world to bring global ideas and practices to further Qatar’s development.

His highness the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and his wife Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missned have shown their dedication to world-class education by instituting Education City in the country’s capital, Doha, Qatar. Education City houses six American universities; Texas A&M, Weill Cornell, Georgetown, Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern and Virginia Commonwealth, all whom are dedicated to the mission to provide the best educational system within the Gulf Region and beyond.

Texas A&M University originally came to Doha, Qatar as an engineering college, but with the quality relationship that developed with Education City, the collaboration for knowledge has expanded to the College of Education at Qatar University. The collaborative effort between Texas A&M University and Qatar University began in 2004 and continues to offer a diploma program that prepares primary teachers for the Qatari Independent Schools. The collaborative effort has trained many high performing teachers, paved the way for additional diploma programs, and most importantly implemented a system that follows the highest standards implicated by the leaders of education in Qatar.

This paper focuses on collaborative education between the East and the West. In Fall 2008 interviews will be completed by professors, administrators, and staff that are native to Qatar and those who have made the long flight over from the United States. The goal of these interviews is to gain a perspective from the local and expatriate standpoints on the process of collaboration on education in Qatar.

Keywords:

004010.