1 Maha Al-Freih – CV

Maha Mohamed Al-Freih

Curriculum Vitae
Email: Maha.Alfreih@gmail.com
Phone: +966555971373

EDUCATION

Ph.D. in Education, Learning Technologies Design Research with an Emphasis in

Instructional Design & Technology

August 2017
George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA
GPA: 4.00/4.00

Dissertation: Examining the Relationship Between Self-Regulated Learning Processes and

Persistence to Goals in Massive Open Online Courses.

Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Education with an Emphasis in Teaching and Learning

with Technology

2007-2009
Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California, USA
GPA 4.00/4.00

Thesis: The Design of an Online System to Support the Professional Development of Computer
Science Faculty in the Area of Project-Based Learning.
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (Honors)

2000-2005
King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
GPA 4.42/5.00

CERTIFICATION

Applying the QM Rubric (APPQMR)

June 2018 Quality Matters

The APPQMR workshop is QM’s flagship workshop on the QM rubric and the process of using
it to review the design of online and blended courses as well as drafting helpful
recommendations for course improvement.
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Thought Leader 2017

April 2017 EDUCAUSE

This badge recognizes individuals who have exhibited thought leadership and support for the
teaching and learning community by developing and delivering the EDUCAUSE Learning
Initiative course: Humanizing Online Teaching and Learning 2017.

Online Teaching Certificate

August 2017 Concordia University-Chicago

Joint European Summer School on Technology Enhanced Learning (Ischia, Italy)

Summer 2015 European Association of Technology-Enhanced Learning

This annual event brings together 80 to 100 researchers, including about 50 PhD candidates in a
stimulating learning environment where participants get opportunities to develop research skills,
increase their knowledge base, collaborate with others in their own and complementary research
areas, engage in debate, have access to experts in the field, and discuss their own work.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

College of Education

2019 – Present Advisor to the Dean

2018 - Present Assistant Professor

- Member of the Diploma and Master Programs Committee.

- Member of the Research Ethics Committee.
- Deigned and developed new courses following established university policies and
procedures, quality requirements, and best practices.
- Supervise and mentor Elearning Postgraduate Diploma program students.
- Courses taught: “Principles of E-learning”, “Educational Technology”, and “Instructional
Design”.

2011 - 2018 Lecturer

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College of Business and Administration

2018 - 2019 Vice Dean of Learning and Teaching

- Established a new Quality Management System (QMS) at the college and program level.
- Established new procedures for midterm course and instructor evaluation.
- Digitized and centralized all program and course documents.
- Reviewed program and course documentations, provided support and guidance to
program quality management teams.
- Conducted needs assessment to identify faculty professional development needs.
- Design, developed, and delivered thematic professional development programs for
faculty including webinars with global researchers and experts.
- Monitored faculty performance and course effectiveness, implemented educational
interventions in collaboration with faculty to address any issues or challenges arising.
- Directed and managed the NCAAA accreditation process.
- Member of the College Strategic Planning Committee, co-authored the “College of
Business Administration Strategic Plan 2018-2023”.
- Established the “Business English Club” in collaboration with volunteer students to
address students’ need for English language support in the college.

ALTRBYAH ALISLAMYAH Schools

December 2019 – Present School Reform & Innovation Strategy Consultant

- Evaluate the progress of the schools strategic plan implementation and measure the
impact of change to date to guide future development efforts.
- Assess school performance in all areas including school leadership, partnerships,
operations, communication, teaching and learning, technology integration, teacher
professional development…
- Conduct needs analysis to identify performance gaps and propose strategic
recommendations to improve the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of the change
process.
- Submit monthly evaluation reports identifying major areas of concern and propose
strategy level solutions to address these gaps effectively and efficiently.

Concordia University Chicago, Illinois, USA

College of Education

2018 Adjunct Online Professor

- Courses taught (online): “Evaluation Methodology Applications in Instructional Design

&Technology ” as part of the MS in Instructional Design & Technology Program.
4 Maha Al-Freih - CV

EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI)

February 2017 Online Facilitator/Instructor

Participated in the design, development, and facilitation of an ELI course entitled “Humanizing
Online Teaching and Learning” designed to prepare online instructional designers and instructors
who teach college and university courses and workshops to be able to increase instructor, social,
and cognitive presence in their online courses.

Humanizing Online Instruction MOOC (The #HumanMOOC)

March 2015/December 2015/November 2016 MOOC Designer & Facilitator
Participated in the design and facilitation of a four-week MOOC on the Open Canvas Network
entitled “Humanizing Online Instruction” designed to prepare online instructors who teach
college and university courses to be able to increase instructor, social, and cognitive presence in
their online courses.

George Mason University, VA, USA

2011 - 2016 Graduate Research Assistant

- Supervisors: Dr. Nada Dabbagh and Dr. Brenda Bannan

Virginia Center for Excellence in Teaching (VCET), George Mason University

July 2014 Instructional Technology Trainer

- Designed, developed, and delivered a workshop on portfolio creation using Google sites,
twitter, and blogs to 50 STEM and Interdisciplinary Studies Academy teachers.
- Training Website: https://sites.google.com/site/2014vcet/

AlYamama University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

2009 - 2010 IT Trainer

The Institute of Banking and Finance, Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia

2009 - 2010 IT Trainer

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Santa Clara University, CA, USA

2007 - 2008 Graduate Research Assistant

- Supervisor: Dr. Pedro Hernández-Ramos.

- Member of “Learning History with Multimedia” project. Tasks included reviewing
student-created projects; creating analysis rubrics; coding data and conducting data
analyses; writing research reports.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE

Designed, developed, and delivered a number of workshops and webinar for higher education
faculty, K12 school teachers, as well as university students:

- Humanizing Online Instruction Webinar. (November 2015). Part of the eLearning

Pioneers Program, a partnership between the Worldwide open Education Consortium
and the National Center for eLearning and Distance Education in Saudi Arabia.
- Blogs in Education Workshop. A workshop delivered to faculty of higher education on
the educational principals and best practices of using blogs for learning.
- Designed, developed, and delivered a workshop on Portfolio Creation using Google
sites, twitter, and blogs to 50 STEM and Interdisciplinary Studies Academy teachers
(Training Website: https://sites.google.com/site/2014vcet/).
- Humanizing Online Instruction MOOC (The #HumanMOOC). Designed and
facilitated a four-week MOOC on the Open Canvas Network entitled “Humanizing
Online Instruction” designed to prepare online instructors who teach college and
university courses to be able to increase instructor, social, and cognitive presence in their
online courses.
- Using Google Applications for Collaborative Online Learning Workshop.
- Workforce Trends and What it Means for your Teaching Practices Workshop Series.
- Writing Effective Course Learning Outcomes Workshop.
- Course Learning Outcomes and Assessment for Learning Workshop.
- Designing and Developing Rubrics – The Basics Workshop.
- Designing Effective Online Discussions Workshop (Online).
- 1:1 Design Support Team. Coordinated and led the work of instructional designers and
IT support teams at the College of Education during the shift to online learning to provide
comprehensive pedagogical and IT support to faculty. These teams provided suggestions
to faculty on how to translate face-to-face learning outcomes and activities to the online
learning environment followed by IT support to assist faculty in implementing these
changes online.
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PUBLICATIONS AND SCHOLARLY PRODUCTS

BOOK CHAPTERS
Dabbagh, N., Benson, A. D., Denham, A., Joseph, R., Al-Freih, M., Zgheib, G., Fake, H., &
Guo, Z. (2016). Learning technologies and globalization: Pedagogical frameworks and
applications. SpringerBriefs in Educational Communications and Technology. Cham,
Switzerland: Springer International Publishing AG.

REFEREED JOURNAL ARTICLES

Bozkurt, A., Jung, I., Xiao, J., Vladimirschi, V., Schuwer, R., Egorov, G., Lambert, S., Al-Freih,
M., et al. (2020). A global outlook to the interruption of education due to COVID-19
pandemic: Navigating in a time of uncertainty and crisis. Asian Journal of Distance
Education, 15(1), 1-126. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3878572

Kilgore, W., Robinson, H. A., Prusko, P. T. & Al-Freih, M. (In Press). From design to impact: A
phenomenological study of HumanMOOC participants’ learning and implementation into
practice. Online Learning Journal.

Robinson, H. A., Al-Freih, M., & Kilgore, W. (2020). Designing with care: Towards a care-
centered model for online learning design. The International Journal of Information and
Learning Technology. 37(3), 99-108. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJILT-10-2019-0098

Robinson, H. A., Al-Freih, M., Kilgore, W., & Prusko, P. T. (May 2019). Findings on modeling
as impact to practice from the HumanMOOC. Elearn Magazine. Retrieved from
https://elearnmag.acm.org/archive.cfm?aid=3313875#

Hatley, L., Al-Freih, M., & Bannan, B. (2018). “I’m just guiding you”: An exploration of
software design mentorship within a software engineering firm. Journal of Software
Engineering and Applications JSEA, 11(6). Retrieved from
http://www.sciresp.org/journal/JSEA/

Kilgore, W., & Al-Freih, M. (2016). MOOCs as an innovative pedagogical design laboratory.
International Journal on Innovation in Online Education, 1(1). Retrieved from
https://onlineinnovationsjournal.com/streams/the-influence-of-social-media-on-online-
education/4b9873d96241a56b.html

Dabbagh, N., Kitsantas, A., Al-Freih, M., & Fake, H. (2015). Using social media to develop
Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) and self-regulated learning skills: A case study.
International Journal of Social Media and Interactive Learning Environments
(IJSMILE), 3(3), 163-183.
7 Maha Al-Freih – CV

Al-Freih, M. M. (2010). Professional development through Participation in communities of

practice: A collaborative online system for higher education faculty. The International
Journal of Excellence in E-Learning, 3(1). Dubai, UAE

REFEREED CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

Al-Freih, M. (2018). Self-regulated learning in informal learning environments: An exploratory

study. Proceedings of The Future of Education 2018 International Conference. Florence,
Italy.

Kilgore, W., Bartoletti, R., & Al-Freih, M. (2015). Design Intent and Iteration of the
#HumanMOOC. Proceedings of the European MOOC Stakeholders Conference 2015
(pp. 7-12). Mons, Belgium.

OTHER SCHOLARLY PRODUCTS

Al-Freih, M. M., & Aloyaid, A. A. (Sept 2012). Twitter in Education. Almarefah Magazine,
210. Saudi Arabian Ministry of Education. Available
from http://almarefh.net/show_content_sub.php?CUV=399&Model=M&SubModel=138
&ID=1647&ShowAll=On

Al-Freih, M. M., & Aloyaid, A. A. (Sept 2011). Wikis in Education. Almarefah Magazine, 198.
Saudi Arabian Ministry of Education. Available
from http://almarefh.net/show_content_sub.php?CUV=386&Model=M&SubModel=135
&ID=1164&ShowAll=On

Al-Freih, M. M., & Aloyaid, A. A. (June 2011). Blogs in Education. Almarefah Magazine, 195.
Saudi Arabian Ministry of Education. Available
from http://almarefh.net/show_content_sub.php?CUV=383&Model=M&SubModel=162
&ID=1057&ShowAll=On

SCHOLARLY PRESENTATIONS

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL REFEREED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Kilgore, W., Prusko, P. T., Robinson, H., & Al-Freih, M. (2019). HumanMOOC: A reflective
look at impact to practice. Paper Presented at OER19, National University of Ireland,
Galway, Ireland, April 10-11.
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Al-Freih, M., & Kenny, P. (2019). Reimagining Business Education: Engaging faculty for
sustainable change. Paper presented at the 9th International Conference on Effective
Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, American University of Beirut, Lebanon,
February 16-18.

Al-Freih, M. (2018). Motivational and behavioral factors related to learners’ achievement of

self-set goals in informal online learning environments: An empirical study. Paper
presented at the 8th International Conference on Effective Teaching and Learning in
Higher Education, American University of Beirut, Lebanon, February 16-18.

Prusko, T. P., Kilgore, W., & Al-Freih, M. (October 2017). The Role of Specific Human
Constructs Such as Imagination, Joy, and Amazement in MOOCs: Tools for
Collaboration, Feedback, Testing, and Content Delivery. Lightning talk/poster session
presented at the Learning With MOOCs 2017 (LWMOOC2017) conference, University
of Texas, Austin, TX, October 8-10.

Al-Freih, M., Kilgore, W., & Bradford, K. (2016). Big data, little data: A story behind the
numbers. Paper presented at the 13th Annual Open Education Conference, Richmond,
VA, November 2-4.

Al-Freih, M., & Dabbagh, N. (2016). Persistence versus retention: Can they tell us different
stories? Paper presented at the Learning With MOOCs III conference, University of
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, October 6-7.

Dabbagh, N., Kitsantas, A., Al-Freih, M., & Fake, H. (2016). Using social media to develop
Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) and self-regulated learning skills: A case study.
Paper presented at the 2016 American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual
meeting, Washington DC, April 8-12, 2016.

Al-Freih, M., Kilgore, W. (October 2015). The HumanMOOC: A community of inquiry for
online instructors. Paper Presented at the Digital Learning Research Network Conference
(dLRN), Stanford University, Palo Alto, California.

Al-Freih, M., Dabbagh, N., Kilgore, W., & Bartoletti, R. (June 2015). The role of learning
theories in MOOC design and research. Paper presented at the 2015 Enterprise Learning
Conference (ELC), Manassas, Virginia.

Al-Freih, M., Dabbagh, N., & Bannan, B. (February 2015) Increasing learners' retention and
persistence in MOOCs: Design-Based Research (DBR) plan. Poster presented at the 7th
Annual Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy, Blacksburg, Virginia.
9 Maha Al-Freih – CV

Al-Freih, M., Dabbagh, N., Kitsantas, A., & Fake, H. (October 2014). Beyond formal:Using
social media to develop personal learning environments (PLEs) and self-regulated
learning. Paper presented 20th Annual Online Learning Consortium International
Conference, Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Dabbagh, N., Kitsantas, A., Al-Freih, M., & Fake, H. (July 2014). Using social media to
develop Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) and self-regulated learning skills: A
case study. Paper presented at the 5th Personal Learning Environments (PLE)
Conference, Tallinn, Estonia.

Dabbagh, N., Kitsantas, A., Al-Freih, M., & Fake, H. (March 2014). Personal
Learning Environments (PLEs): An effective platform for engaging students in self-
regulated learning using social media. Paper presented at the 21st Century
Academic Forum Conference, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts.

AL-Freih, M. M., & Dabbagh, N. (2012). From blended learning to blended pedagogy:
Creating the hybrid e-learning environment. Paper presented at the 18th annual Sloan
Consortium on Online Learning. Buena Vista, FL, USA.

AL-Freih, M. M. (April 2010). The design of an online professional development system for
faculty of Computer Science in the area of Project-Based Learning. Paper presented at
the first Symposium of Applications and Communication Technology in Education and
Training, Department of Educational Technology, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia.

Hernández-Ramos, P., & Al-Freih, M. M. (March 2008). Analysis and assessment of

group multimedia projects: Research opportunities using graphical representations.
Paper presented at the 19th Society for Information Technology &
Teacher Education International Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

ACADEMIC AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

SERVICE TO THE FIELD

- Editorial advisory board member of the Asian Journal of Distance Education (Present –
2020).
- 2021 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report expert panelist.
10 Maha Al-Freih - CV

Professional Organizations & Associations
- OneHE
- EDUCAUSE
- OLC Online learning Consortium
- AECT Association for Educational Communication and Technology
- ISTE International Society for Technology in Education

COMMUNITY SERVICE
- Volunteer Fairfax. Volunteer for Change member and Volunteer Fairfax Community
Ambassador (2015 – 2017).
- Special Olympics Virginia. Referee Special Olympics basketball games (2016-2017).
- George Mason University Ph.D. Applicants Interview Committee (2016).
- Charity Committee for Orphans Care Organization (Ensan). Provide training and
workshops to high school and university students on the effective use of technology for
learning (2019 – Present).

AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

2017 George Mason University – Dissertation Research Fellowship Award
2011 - 2017 Princess Nora University - Full scholarship for PhD degree.
2006-2009 King Abdullah Scholarship program - Full scholarship for MA degree.