Zayed University Alumni Working at ZU

Introducing Lolowa AlMarzouqi (College of Education, 2004)                                                   

• Instructor,  College of Education

We would like to introduce you to Lolowa AlMarzouqi, who graduated in 2004 with a Bachelors of Science degree from the College of Education. She is currently one of two Emirati Faculty members who teach on the Abu Dhabi ZU campus. She has been teaching in the College of Education since 2007 and is teaching three courses in the College of Education:  Parents as Educators, Partnerships with Families and Communities, and Professional and Ethical Issues.

Lolowa also graduated with a M.Ed. in 2007 with a specialization in Educational Leadership from Zayed University. Her research focused on Emirati perspectives on parental involvement in education. Before beginning her research, she assumed that parents were not interested in becoming involved in their children’s education, as this is a common stereotype; however, what she found was that Emirati parents are similar to parents all over the world. They want to play an active role in their children’s education, but encounter various barriers. The most common barrier deals with the ability to communicate with the teacher. She found that parents may have a language barrier with the current focus on bilingual education in schools, or even lack confidence in dealing with the teachers and be worried that they might embarrass their children. She feels that parents want to be involved, but do not know how and when, and need someone to help guide them in the best way to help with their children’s education.

Lolowa’s favorite memory as a student: Lolowa describes herself as having been a “naughty” student. She remembers when Dr. Keith Bradshaw was a new faculty member chaperoning a trip off campus and telling him that one of the requirements for trips was to stop and let students take a break at Baskin Robbins for ice cream. She really enjoyed the time that she got to spend with teachers when she was a student.

Lolowa’s advice to students:  Use your time at ZU to learn (not just to get a degree). Take advantage of the fact that you are here to learn and work hard at it. You only get to do the program once, you cannot go back, and repeat your undergraduate years, so do not waste the time. Also, when you graduate, think about possibly taking a temporary position. Lolowa had five different temporary positions in the university before her current job. Some of them only paid 25 AED / hour, but the important thing was what she learned while doing those positions. Taking a temporary position before finding a full-time job gives you a chance to develop your skills and have a better understanding of the work place.

Lolowa’s advice to new teachers:  Remember that students are the same all over the world. They need guidance, not control. Students will come back and thank you for your efforts later. The culture here is not an obstacle to students’ learning; it is simply a part of their identity.

What Lolowa likes about working at ZU:  Lolowa really likes the environment here at ZU. She says it feels more like being around family than being at work. Everyone is willing to share and help each other. It is a great environment for learning. She says that she learns from both the students and the people she works with at ZU.

Lolowa’s Future goals:  Lolowa hopes to be enrolled in a PhD program within the next 3 to 5 years studying education. She sees her future as a university professor helping to train future educators and doing research related to the UAE. 

Lolowa on being a teacher:  Lolowa feels there is more to learning than just submitting the work.  She likes interaction in her classroom and tries to keep the students’ attention by making them into independent learners who can communicate and solve problems. She describes her classes as interactive and discussion focused.

Things you might not know about Lolowa:  She loves doing research and especially the literature review part because she enjoys reading and knowing about other people’s ideas. 

Lolowa’s office on the new Abu Dhabi campus is on the second floor – FF2-2-021.

The Alumni Association is proud of Lolowa and her contribution to Zayed University.  We thank her for being a role model for future Emirati educators.