Mathematics articulation between the colleges of technology and selected universities in Saudi Arabi

This study examined the articulation process between the Colleges of Technology and selected universities in Saudi Arabia. The major emphasis of this study was on mathematics courses.;The data were collected through reviewing official documents pertaining to the mathematics courses of Colleges of Technology and selected universities, and through the development and distribution of a questionnaire completed by mathematics faculty members, transfer students, and department chairs. Qualitative methods were utilized as well as appropriate comparisons among written documents such as syllabi and catalogs. The study explored the perceptions and experiences of transfer students as well as mathematics faculty from both target subjects.;The major findings were that the mathematical content at the Colleges of Technology in many cases repeated the same topics under different course names for different groups of students with different majors. The major barrier for transferring mathematics courses to the target universities was the difference in credit hours assigned to each mathematics course at the Colleges of Technology, since the mathematics courses at the universities have more credit hours assigned for each course. Renaming the mathematics courses at the Colleges of Technology and increasing the credit assigned for each course would be helpful to facilitate the transfer of such courses to universities.;Moreover, the study revealed the following: (1) Mathematics faculties from both sides saw that goals and objectives were different to some extent. (2) The absence of official textbooks at the Colleges of Technology lowers preparation in mathematics than at the universities. (3) Mathematics faculty members (at universities) were "very dissatisfied" with the transfer students' background in mathematics. (4) None of the goals mentioned by mathematics faculty at the Colleges of Technology indicated the possibility of transferring courses to the university level or preparing students for that goal. (5) At universities, regulations do not exist for admitting transfer students with Associate Degrees.;Finally, this study revealed that the Sixth Development Plan (1995--2000) has not been implemented in terms of cooperation between higher education institutions, especially between Colleges of Technology and universities in Saudi Arabia.