An inaugural meeting of project “Focused Investigation into Barriers Facing Female Engineers in English Learning Environments” was held at Northumbria University Newcastle in England, in the presence of the Islamic University project team represented by Eng. Amani Al-Maqadma – Project Manager, and Prof. Dr. Hatem Al-Aydi – Project team member, with the participation of Prof. Dr. Billy Clark – Head of Department of English Language, Art and Social Sciences Design at Northambia University, Dr. William Guarentin – Project Manager, and members of the project team from the partner university, Northumbria University. Simultaneously and via TEAM software application, the meeting was attended by Dr. Hisham Madi – Deputy Dean of External Affairs at the Islamic University, Ms. Walaa Safi, Academic Exchange Coordinator and a researcher in the project, Eng. Haya Sweidan – project administrator, and a group of interested persons from the Islamic University.
Professor Clark welcomed the attendees at Northumbria University and those online through TEAM application, and expressed his happiness for hosting the project team from Gaza face-to-face in Northumbria. He indicated that the project funded by the British Council is among the priorities of international participation for Northumbria University, especially that it highlights issues of equality and social inclusion. He hoped to continue the strong relation between the two universities and aspired that the project will provide research outputs.
Dr. Guarentin introduced the project team members from both universities, and explained the importance of enhancing cross-cultural skills, noting that the project’s goal is to benefit female engineers in both partner institutions and the broader contexts in which they work using story-circles methodology to create a safe space for a fruitful exchange of experiences and strategies to overcome difficulties. Dr. Guarentin pointed out that the project focuses on studying gender dimension of programs that use English language as an educational medium, adding that the project’s activities will be implemented within (18) months ending by June 2023.
Dr. Madi pointed out the importance of such projects, and the importance of starting a partnership relationship with Northumbria University.
Ms. Caroline Prince, Project Coordinator from Northumbria University, discussed the importance of enhancing the story-circles methodology (within the Intercultural Competency Development Project for Women Engineers), in which they exchanged stories about challenges and risks they face in engineering profession.
Eng. Al-Maqadma gave an introductory presentation on the history of the Islamic University and its projects, indicating the distinguished international dimension of the Islamic University and its entry into multiple partnerships and projects, the importance of the partnerships it links with universities in Britain, and the university’s ambition to increase the number of partnerships to address global issues in a manner that serves the achievement of sustainable development and its seventeen goals (SDGs).