Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has approved the list of e-learning universities to ensure the quality of higher education opportunities available to students in the UAE.
A list of 105 higher education institutions, which use the e-learning (non-traditional) teaching method, has been announced as recommended institutions for students in the UAE.
The list includes five universities in New Zealand, 46 in the UK, 34 in the US and 20 in Australia.
“The new e-learning programmes were not accredited before in the UAE; however, Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, issued a resolution earlier regarding the regulation of electronic higher education,” Saif Al Mazroui, assistant undersecretary of institutional and support services at the ministry, told Gulf News.
The resolution’s regulations depend on the management of the educational process interactively through the use of various modern technologies and the learner’s participation and interaction with the teacher and the course content.
“The students who are willing to undertake undergraduate or postgraduate studies online at one of these universities should make sure that they follow the interactive e-learning teaching method, but not distance education including open education, affiliation or correspondence,” he added.
The ministry has also affirmed that the higher education institution should be recognised by the ministry, the curriculum must be accredited by accreditation authorities in the country of study, and the minimum duration of study in the electronic e-learning programme is not less than the period spent in traditional education programmes. The programme cannot be specifically designed for a particular category.
“A pre-approval from the ministry should also be obtained by students before enrolling to guarantee the ministry’s accreditation,” Al Mazroui said.
More inforamtion is available at http://www.mohesr.gov.ae/ar/Pages/default.aspx
