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Information Fluency, Technology Application, and Teaching a Middle East Politics Course1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2016

Houman A. Sadri
Houman A. Sadri*
Affiliation:
University of Central Florida
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Extract

In teaching Middle East Politics (MEP) courses, instructors speak of many challenges, particularly students' typical uninformed and misleading preconceived notions about the region. Based on extensive experience in teaching MEP classes, my observations suggest that using Information Fluency (IF) principles, along with the application of internet technology, significantly improves course effectiveness for both students and faculty. The following essay is based on a study of the results of teaching MEP using an IF-inspired assignment in both the face-to-face and on-line course formats. To enhance the classroom environment, I use WebCT technology to deliver, supplement, and assess my MEP classes. Along with this discussion, I have appended relevant information from the syllabus for my course, CPO 3403 Politics of the Middle East. The complete syllabus can be accessed from my website: http://www.cas.ucf.edu/politicalscience/main.php?URL=sadri.

Type
Essays
Information
Review of Middle East Studies , Volume 41 , Issue 1 , June 2007 , pp. 16 - 23
Copyright
Copyright © Middle East Studies Association of North America 2007

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References

2 These observations are made based on discussion and conversations with many Middle East Politics instructors who attended the MESA annual conferences in the post-September 11th period.

3 For more information about IF, please see:http://if.ucf.edu/ifaq.php.

4 In terms of enrollment, UCF has grown extraordinarily since 1995 when the total student population was only 24,000. Recent statistics indicate that the enrolment is about 48,000, which makes UCF one of the top 7 largest higher education institutes in the United States.