Dr Abdulla Mohammad Alshamsi, Vice Chancellor of British University in Dubai (BUiD), believes a strong scientific research and development outlook is the cornerstone of progress for any country. Consequently, he has nurtured a strong research culture at BUiD. He spoke to Education about BUiD’s vision push to develop critical reasoning faculty in all his students.
What is the BUiD vision for its graduates and post-graduates?
The British University in Dubai (BUiD) is a local university and a non–profit organisation established by a local decree with a mandate to provide top class education, mainly post graduate and doctoral. We have a lot of programmes in the area of business and management, education, engineering and IT. At present, we have about 15 different post-graduate and doctoral programmes in these fields.
How is the BUiD learning curve different from the others in the UAE?
This question can be answered best by a student who has accepted BUiD as its alma mater. We approach education in a different way. Our product and courses are all research-based and we expect our students to do more out of class than in the classroom. In other words, there is more field experience where a student is expected to read, research and write. For every module, our students have to out in about 200 hours. We encourage a lot of independent work which will ultimately result in influencing the personality of our graduates. We feel our graduates have a keener critical thinking faculty and more articulate as they reason better.
With dozens of courses on offer, how do you think BUiD can build its unique identity?
For any university in the world to claim to be a research university, doctorate programmes are a must and we have one doctorate programme each in the faculties of education, doctorate of philosophy in the project management (Business) and doctorate in architecture and sustainability (in the faculty of engineering). At present, we have about 70 students enrolled in our doctorate programmes and are one of the biggest organisations offering doctoral research in the UAE.
We have generic programmes and specialised programmes. In the faculty of Education, for instance, we have a programme for special needs education and one for English Language Teaching. We have a Masters in Education in Policy and Management. These kinds of disciplines have a concentration of students with generic and specialised awareness and we plan to continue with this. Our degrees are, therefore, more contemporary and in areas of knowledge that are relevant to society and are also rare.
I think the research element in our programme really makes the essential difference because in our research we deal with issues that are 100 per cent localises. For instance, those doing doctoral research in Special Needs, English Language Teaching (ELT), Science, or Maths, undertake case studies are in this region. All recommendations are based on research done in the region. The BUiD faculty is provided with time and funding to do research and is also encouraged to seek funding from external sources.
What is the current spend on R&D in universities?
When it comes to scientific research being carried out in the country, the issue is complicated. BUiD feels that the country needs to put in more emphasis on scientific research. At present, the budget for R&D is very limited. Research priorities in the country have not been identified in a scientific way. Research collaboration between university laboratories has not been recorded. The country’s research agenda needs to be elaborated upon for the future prospects of the UAE. We, at BUiD, are doing our bit in the field of research. The 70 doctoral students enrolled for research in our university are dealing with research that is contemporary and relevant to the UAE. The doctoral degrees awarded this year dealt with issues that were 100 per cent relevant to the area of Special Needs, English Language Teaching and even to special areas of science and math education in the country.
How do you think scientific research helps the cause of education?
For any advancement in any field or practice, research is fundamental. Without a proper scientific research programme, things will stagnate. Research is a fundamental tool anywhere in the world to build a knowledge-based economy. To begin with, the demographics in the UAE is very different from anywhere in the world, the cultures that coexist are diverse, expectations from students at schools vary and these provide rich antecedents for indigenous research on several issues.
You have often said that no university can prepare a student completely to handle a job like a professional. So how can we bridge the gap from textbook education to hands-on knowledge?
There is a role for academic institutions to play but there is also a far more diverse and complex role for government and professional institutions. A lot of government and non-government institutions expect far more from fresh graduates here than anywhere else in the world. Universities provide young graduates tools that they can use in the professional market. But we in the UAE lack professional bodies that can train these graduates further. Today, education is so multifaceted that any graduate can fulfil more than one role in a professional organisation. But for this we require professional bodies to come forward and train them to bring out the best in them for jobs. We continue planning more educational institutions whereas what we need is more professional bodies to train and prepare these graduates for a better professional contribution.
How can students strike a balance between technology and value-based education?
This is not an easy question to answer. Unfortunately, universities and families are no longer the source of information for individuals today. Today, the youth can get knowledge from varied sources. The role the direct society plays in shaping an individual has been marginalised. This is a fact of life that we have got to accept. The role that educational institutions can play is to shape the youth in certain fundamental values such as honesty, sincerity, faith, ethics and some other universal values that are integral to the education system anywhere in the world. The local context of education such as religion, culture and language should be preserved.
What can be done to make education sharper?
The most important thing about the education system is that its fundamentals should not be compromised while delivering it in the most flexible manner. The basic knowledge in math and science remains the same even as new areas of knowledge are being discovered and developed. Therefore, we must be ready to absorb all that is conventional, traditional and fundamental even as we keep our minds open and flexible to accept and adapt the new and the challenging in the field of knowledge.
Will co-op programmes or internships for every year of college prepare a student to be a better professional?
While most educational institutions do not have co-op programes, they all emphasise on the need for internships. It is important for the students to get some kind of exposure to the industry and the professional world even as they are preparing to graduate. It is important to have a balanced approach. While many universities emphasise the need for a continuous link with the industries, many others feel that it is important for the student to focus on academics as there will be plenty of time after graduation to gather experience.
I personally think it is important for a student to be provided with sound academic knowledge at university.
