In quest of excellence

The UAE has stressed the need for education as a key component in creating the modern, progressive nation that its leaders seek.

One of the most important issues facing any nation is the education of its children. Providing a solid, high quality education for every child is a critical component in his/her quest for personal success and fulfilment.

Education sets the base for the economic, intellectual, civic and moral success of the nation. According to Dr. Abdullah Al Karam, CEO, Dubai Knowledge Village, "To improve the education standard and opportunities in the region, we cannot look at higher education in isolation. We must also address the entire education continuum from K-12, through to post-school vocational training, university education, postgraduate study and corporate training. By providing an international standard of education in all these areas we can ensure that learners can develop themselves throughout their lives."

"We live in an era that has seen some of the most radical and fundamental changes in the history of humanity," says Professor Nick van der Walt, Chief Executive Officer, University of Wollongong in Dubai. "To enhance the careers and personal lives of students and their families, it is not sufficient to simply teach some skills that will date very quickly. True education will enhance the students' ability to manage the ambiguity of change through their ability to think and thereby cope with the changing environment far more effectively."

"In contrast to many countries, the UAE has stressed the need for education as a key component of creating the modern, progressive nation that its leaders seek," says Dr. Larry Wilson, Provost of Zayed University. "The big challenge for us in higher education is to help our leaders build a knowledge society that will serve the nation and its priorities."

"A rapidly growing country like the UAE that is also a regional hub for commerce and industry certainly needs an educated workforce," says Marilyn Miles, University Development Officer, British University in Dubai. "It is inevitable, therefore, that the demand for higher education at all levels will grow and this needs to be met. The Government is facilitating increased educational opportunity by encouraging the growth of both local higher education institutes such as Zayed University, UAE University and the Higher Colleges of Technology, and developments such as Knowledge Village and Academic City."

Long-term commitment

"To provide students with the opportunity to study the range of subjects relevant to today's world, education requires a formidable level of investment," says van der Walt. "It is therefore imperative that universities see the UAE as an area of long-term strategic commitment rather than a simple exercise in generating short-term revenue through a few popular courses. It is also essential that students locally, nationally and regionally have confidence in the overall education system. Anything that damages this confidence impacts on all providers and carries a long-term implication for the sector."

As the nation marches ahead, more demands are placed on higher education. But colleges and universities are responsible for much more than simply setting the proper base for training.

"A university education should not be viewed as simply training qualified personnel and workers," says Dr. Wilson. "A university education includes development of the mind and intellectual interests of its graduates so that they will become not only skilled and productive workers, but also lifelong learners and leaders in their professions and careers. Work occupies only about one-third of our waking hours. So a first-rate, international-quality education must also help graduates prepare for creative and productive use of their time when not at work."

On the other hand, he adds, colleges and universities have an obligation to prepare their graduates to contribute to the growth and stability of the nation and, therefore, must continually be assessing the employment needs of the country and then adjusting their programmes so that graduates are fully qualified for careers and professions. Says Miles, "To ensure that what we provide meets the needs of the market, before any new programme is introduced, most universities and colleges will assess the needs of the market and tailor a programme accordingly. An example in point is our recently launched Masters course in Environmental Design of Buildings. The growth of construction in Dubai and the growing awareness of sustainability issues fuelled demand for this programme."

At the international level, online learning in higher education is a topic that has received much attention in recent years, in large measure due to its explosive growth. An online learning environment is said to provide an unprecedented opportunity to increase student access to higher education. However, van der Walt is scpetical.

"Technology may have given us the access, but it still lags behind in replicating the immense benefits of inter-personal communication," he says. "In the traditional mode of teaching, students gain from sharing ideas in the classroom, debating and the social maturing that come through this process. This is not possible with the current levels of technology. Also, while education is global, it cannot be standardised and must reflect the nuances of the regions in which it is delivered."

For eLearning to become a mainstream form of education, several factors need to be present, says Dr. Karam. "Firstly, it must gain awareness through mass awareness campaigns on its benefits. Secondly, eLearning cannot be pushed on students or teachers, it must be phased in as a supplementary tool in addition to standard teaching practices and then, if it is appropriate, develop into a mainstream form of education."

eLearning scheme

Thirdly, he says, "implementation of an eLearning scheme takes vision — knowing what you want to achieve; leadership — a strong management that will implement that vision; and innovation —procuring and tailoring the right content and investment in both content and technology."

On-line learning is flexible and allows students to study at their convenience, says Miles. "However, when students choose this mode of study, they need to be aware of the different experience that they will undergo in achieving their degrees. They need to be very self-disciplined and some find it to be a very isolated experience."

There is also the issue of recognition, she adds. "The UAE Ministry of Education, for example, does not recognise programmes studied wholly online as this is considered to be distance learning. This is true of many other countries as well. Perhaps the situation may change in the future but it must be admitted that the virtual campus is unlikely to ever replace the real campus."

Unlimited information

"The future of the university in the cyber age looks incredible," says Dr. Wilson. "However, the challenges that the cyber age brings to higher education reverses part of the process of learning. Until a few years ago, a major challenge was to teach students how to find information. But now, through the internet, the challenge is how to sort through the nearly limitless information available, find what is useful and then convert that information into knowledge."

Information technology has certainly had a huge impact on the infrastructure of universities globally, says van der Walt. "The cyber age is facilitating inter