Arab Academy for Electronic & Information Technology Services

The Arab Academy for Electronic & Information Technology Services is one of the world's pioneers in the delivery of online Arabic language courses, and continues to be a leading Arabic language school. Its website was launched in 1999, making it one of the oldest online Arabic Language training institutes. Arab Academy was founded in 1997 by Ms. Sanaa Ghanem, a professional in the field of teaching Arabic as a foreign language who taught at the American University in Cairo as well as the University of Abidjan in the Ivory Coast. In 2002 Arab Academy expanded its services to include a study abroad program held in Cairo, Egypt. Arab Academy's mission is to promote awareness and understanding of Arabic language and culture across the world.

Arabic Language Courses

Arab Academy's courses are designed for all age groups and language levels, covering a multitude of disciplines:

*Modern Standard Arabic
*Egyptian Arabic
*Islamic Arabic
*Business Arabic

Courses are available for both native and non-native Arabic-speakers. Specialized courses were developed to target middle and high school International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) or IB Diploma Programme (IB) students, with course content specifically created to prepare them to sit for the IGCSE and IB exams. As a secular institution, all Arab Academy's courses (with the exception of Islamic Arabic) do not contain any religious references or biases. Arab Academy continues to develop new courses and training programs every year. To date they have developed over 150 courses, and have had a matriculation of more than 25,000 students from over 180 different countries.

Learning Arabic Online

Arab Academy's online Arabic programs provide an innovative approach to electronic learning, and students can efficiently monitor their learning progress with the Academy's sophisticated online Learning Management System. All online courses contain interactive exercises which focus on developing the four language skills:
*listening
*reading
*writing
*speaking

In 2005 Arab Academy launched their online speaking courses to complement their online Arabic programs, allowing students the opportunity to take their language learning a step further and practice conversing with native Arabic-speakers over the internet. They were one of the first online Arabic language learning providers to make this service available.

Students are presented with different enrollment period options, with the ability to study as quickly or as slowly as they like, due to the flexible nature of the online programs. Schools and universities across the world, such as the University of Houston (USA) and the Cairo American College (Egypt), have also started using Arab Academy's programs as a foundation or supplement for their respective Arabic Language Programs.

Arabic Teacher Training Programs

Arab Academy has also developed extensive teacher training programs, and recently partnered with the Egyptian Ministry of Telecommunications and Ministry of Education to train 1200 Egyptian teachers from over 100 schools in Cairo. Their training programs are designed to incorporate technology in the classroom, improve teaching methods & class time management, and enhance students' overall learning experience and knowledge retention.

Arabic Language Proficiency Test

One of the most innovative projects that Arab Academy has undertaken in recent years is the development of an Arabic Language Proficiency Test ("ALPT"). Development of the ALPT began in 2002, and the testing/standardization phase was finally completed in July 2007. The ALPT is designed to serve a similar function as the TOEFL, and is endorsed by the Egyptian Islamic Chamber of Commerce as the global tool for measuring functional Arabic language abilities. No other online Arabic Proficiency Test of comparable caliber is currently available. Based upon the proficiency guidelines set forth by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, the test comprises 5 sections:
# listening
# reading comprehension
# grammatical structure
# writing
# speakingThe test is administered in a Computer-adaptive testing format, and can be taken from anywhere in the world.

Study Abroad in Egypt

Arab Academy study abroad programs focus on immersing students in the language and culture of Egypt, helping to promote cross-cultural exchange and understanding. Programs can last as little as 2 weeks, or as long as 1 academic year. Special summer and winter break programs are also offered. Students have the option of studying full-time, part-time, or are given the chance to design a customized study abroad program to fit their individual scheduling needs. Students are taught in the target language of Arabic, and have the ability to synthesize their knowledge through cultural site visits with Arabic-speaking teachers. Study Abroad programs are available for high school and university students, as well as professionals who wish to learn Arabic.