Maha Sourani, PhD

Maha Sourani is a Professor of Linguistics and Educational Technology with 10+ years of experience in higher education at the Lebanese University. Examiner of paper rank promotions, mentor, and reviewer for Ph.D. and MA dissertations. Coordinator and curriculum developer for under/graduate courses in the field.  Editor and reviewer for many local and international peer-reviewed journals.  Interested in MOOC, artificial intelligence, computational/socio/psycho/applied linguistics, language acquisition, language and culture, morphology, language assessment, CALL, TEFL, and TESOL. 

The courses she taught at the Lebanese University ranged from teaching basic language to the more advanced criticism of selected linguists; from the undergraduate study of college writing, and communication arts to graduate research courses, which specialize students in the analysis and interpretation of specific essay exams, and teaching methodologies; from advanced undergraduate schools and theories in applied linguistics, language change, and acquisition to graduate classes in psycholinguistics, to measurement and language assessment, TEFL, TESOL, and EduTech. This range of courses requires flexibility, as well as proven expertise in different forms of teaching.  

She has developed a sensitivity toward the importance of technology and good communication skills. To reach technology-savvy students and assure their educational welfare, she has pioneered online, and hybrid teaching modalities at the Lebanese University in 2010. I have utilized an exclusive application- SouranyApp- for refining and sharpening the skills of my students. 

Because of her various teaching abilities have proven to be of the highest standards, she has been appointed by the dean of the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences at the Lebanese University (Beirut), for training the instructors on the usage of recent teaching methodologies such as constructivist, online, and blended learning. What is more, she was appointed by the Lebanese University (BLE, Beirut) as coordinator for EFL and Business English at the faculty of business administration and economics (Tripoli) to prepare the curriculum and train the English teachers to boost students’ learning skills. 

Moreover, because her interpersonal communication skills, team management, and leadership skills have proven to be strong, she was appointed by three consecutive deans at the English Language and Literature Department for the past ten years as coordinator for many graduate and undergraduate courses. 

In addition to that, having the ability to encourage and nurture the student, she was appointed by the Dean of the College Doctoral and the Dean of the Faculty of Letters as a supervisor for Ph.D. and MA. Dissertations. To cite a few: An Examination of Lebanese secondary schools Teachers’ ICT Knowledge and Implementation, Remote ESL Efficiency and Equity: An Exploratory Study for University Instructors and Learners, Contrastive analysis of English and Arabic translations with Coelho’s novel ‘Eleven Minutes, etc. 

Being capable of assessing the novelty, quality, impact, and importance of articles, she was approached by international universities to assess manuscripts submitted by assistant/associate professors for paper rank promotion. Chief of which are: Qassim University (KSA), Zayed University (UAE), Babel University (Iraq), Al Mustansiryah University, Al Nahrein, Karbalaa (Iraq). 

Furthermore, she has participated in local and international conferences. She has articles published on teaching EFL, web tools for sharpening the skill of writing in higher education, the educational system of the public and private sector in Lebanon, artificial intelligence, blended learning, a literary perspective on the intertextuality and imprint between Nowlan and Lapointe, the impediments and opportunities of CLT in the EFL Context of Arabs, and the impact of 3Ps on oral fluency, etc. These articles were published in a variety of distinguished international and local journals such as the International Journal for English Language Teaching (USA), Emprunts et Empreintes (France), Islamic University of Lebanon (Tyr), Journal of College of Basic Education for Educational and Human Sciences (Iraq), and the Lebanese University Journal, etc. 

As a full professor and having adequate knowledge in the field allowed her to be enlisted on the editorial and reviewer board for local and international peer-reviewed journals around the globe. Some are indexed in Scopus such as CALL-EJ, while others are local (ULSH). To name a few: Journal of Curriculum Studies Research (USA), International Journal of Linguistics, Literature, and Translation (England), Journal of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics (England), Journal of World Englishes and Educational Practices (England), Cradle of Languages Journal, Hasiba ben BouAli University (Algeria) Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education (USA), Journal of the University of Babylon for Humanities (Iraq), Bulletin of Advanced English Studies (Jordan), Oxford Review of Education (England), Kuwait University Journal (Kuwait), etc.