Dr. Aisha Al-Harthy: A Prominent Figure in Education and the Development of Teaching Methods

Dr. Aisha Al-Harthy has dedicated her life to the field of education. For this purpose, she has utilized all possible means and tools to develop educational methods and has become a prominent scientific figure that young researchers consider a role model in their journey towards developing the field of education. Dr. Aisha bint Salem bin Ali Al-Harthy is considered one of the leading experts and researchers in education at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), due to her numerous research contributions and scientific studies in the educational field.

Dr. Al-Harthy is a professor and the head of the Department of Educational Foundations and Administration in the College of Education at the university. She holds a doctoral degree in distance education from the University of Pennsylvania in the United States, after completing her master's degree in science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States in 2001. Earlier, she obtained a bachelor's degree in education from SQU in 1998. Her research interests include secondary vocational education, continuous education, distance learning, online learning strategies, self-organization, massive open online courses (MOOCs), transitioning from school to work, entrepreneurship education, adult learners, lifelong learning, educational leadership and administration, quality and accreditation, and cultural diversity issues. She has also taught several courses covering educational philosophy, educational systems, curriculum and educational research techniques, qualitative research, adult education, continuing education, educational objectives, human resource management and development, educationa­­­l leadership and development, education and development, and other educational courses.

Among her accomplishments are the publication of eight books and scientific chapters, the most prominent being "E-Learning and Distance Learning in Higher Education: A Comprehensive Future Vision (Leadership-Design-Application-Evaluation)" published in 2023 by Dar Al-Maseera. She has also contributed to numerous scientific papers at 42 international and local conferences, supervised over 88 master's and doctoral theses, and conducted 15 research projects within and outside the university. One of the significant outcomes of her research was the creation of a pilot platform for offering MOOCs at SQU (SQUMOOC). Her first online course titled "Digital Citizenship" aims to make knowledge accessible to the community and increase the academic reputation of local and international higher education institutions by considering their specialized and excellent knowledge in various scientific fields.

In the same context, Dr. Al-Harthy is currently working on her research project funded by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation to develop and activate what is known as micro-credentials, which may be the window to the future for refining skills in the Omani job market. In the field of university and community service, she has provided many training courses in various topics including design thinking, digital leadership, and educational project management.

All of these research efforts and contributions have been recognized with several awards, including the Mildred and Charles Wedemeyer Award for Excellence in Distance Education Research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and national recognition as one of the distinguished female researchers on Omani Women's Day in 2022. Additionally, she won the National Scientific Research Award presented by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation in the field of education and human resources in 2022, as well as the Distinguished Teacher, Distinguished Researcher, and Distinguished Academic Supervisor Awards from SQU. Dr. Al-Harthy has also published numerous peer-reviewed international and regional scientific journals in the field of distance education, educational management, and its various domains.