Zayed University
Hoda Al Kobtan, has been a faculty member and library technician in the United Arab Emirates for over 30 years. As a second language learner herself, she has had first hand experience as a student, to transform her into the exceptional English teacher she is today. At Zayed University, Hoda helped establish the Learning Enhancement Center (LEC), a part of the Library dedicated to both curricular support and independent learning.

"My work with Emirati schools has given me a good understanding of the background our students bring to their university experience; what the students need; what the university has to offer them; and, how we can encourage them to take advantage of learning opportunities, independently," said Hoda.

The LEC in Dubai is a collection of books, graded readers, and English language reading materials used by teachers to supplement their classroom instruction, and students wanting to improve their skills independently. More recently, however, faculty and students are seeking non-print and online sources to advance their speaking, reading, and listening skills. In response to this, the Library has introduced several web products for instruction, including English-To-Go.

"I was thrilled to find such a treasure of materials for teachers and students. I like the variety of resources dealing with different skills of learning English from elementary to advanced," said Hoda.

With English-To-Go, faculty can find quick and easy lessons on a variety of skills and levels. Hoda, especially, likes the Max Vocab!

"Our students work very hard to pass their IELTS exams. Vocabulary is often a challenge for them, and having ready made lessons reduces the stress every English language teacher faces."

Zayed University was established in 1998 by the federal government to educate U.A.E. women. Zayed has approximately 3,200 women enrolled on campuses in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and now a new campus in Sweihan provides language instruction and baccalaureate programs to armed forces cadets.

"ZU moved very quickly to set up this new campus," said Ross T. LaBaugh, one of the Librarians working in Sweihan. "In fact, when the LEC opened, we had only a few books, and even fewer teacher resources. Fortunately, we had English-To-Go to help us through those first weeks. The teachers and I were very happy we did!"

Have a great week teaching!
The English-To-Go Team.
www.english-to-go.com
E-mail: sales@english-to-go.com