Universities told not to mislead students

DUBAI // British universities in the UAE must not mislead students into believing campus life would be similar to that in the UK, a report says.

The Quality Assurance Agency, education regulator in the UK, says only two UK branch campuses qualify as universities.

Many other institutions offer just one course and rent small spaces in other buildings.

The report said only Heriot-Watt and Middlesex University “are readily recognisable as branch campuses in including the range of facilities a student would expect of a campus in the UK, even if in some areas such facilities are provided at a lower level”.

Heriot-Watt has about 3,500 students and Middlesex about 2,600 and both offer many courses.

The QAA states a campus “must run like one with the full range of supports including pastoral, careers and social facilities. Institutions should consider the expectations they are raising in promising a global campus experience.”

The review noted “institutions can do more to introduce a UK academic culture” and “encouraging a culture of scholarly inquiry”.

Dr Warren Fox, head of higher education at Dubai’s regulator, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KDHA), said its team did not differentiate between institutions such as London Business School, which offers just one part-time MBA course, and universities such Heriot-Watt Dubai.

The latter has a stand-alone campus and courses ranging from fashion design to engineering, bachelor degrees and PhDs.

The QAA says the London Business School and its like are an “administrative location” only. In the 2012-2013 academic year, there were more than 15,000 students studying through UK branch campuses.

“The [QAA] team, to their credit, were concerned about students and the quality of student life,” Dr Fox said.

“Their observation is that increased attention to supporting student involvement, communicating with students, being transparent with evaluations for each student – these are good practices and the team is encouraging the expansion of these.

“Although they are present in all it is a matter of degree. They may be more fully developed in larger campuses but each institution is important to Dubai and to the students enrolled and each has an important place in the Dubai landscape.”

Heriot-Watt University, based in Edinburgh, is the only British university to have its own campus in Dubai International Academic City.

It includes accommodation, sports facilities, restaurants and laboratories. Prof Ammar Kaka, head of campus said student experience was a priority.

“We have a strong commitment to making the whole student learning experience the best it can be,” Prof Kaka said. “That extends to ensuring students enjoy first-rate teaching and living facilities and an extensive social and sporting programme.”

The UK has 10 institutions in Dubai, which has the world’s largest concentration of foreign branch campuses – 26.

The KHDA quality assurance team evaluates degrees at branch campuses every year to ensure they meet standards of the home campus.

Dr Lois Smith, head of campus at Middlesex University, one of the institutions rated most highly in the report, said she was pleased.

Middlesex is trying to ensure “an experience as close to that at the main London campus as possible”, including being able to transfer to the UK campus.

The report noted “the most striking difference in academic culture between the UK and the UAE branch and collaborative campuses was the extent to which academic inquiry, if not research, was promoted”.

The report praised Middlesex calling its success in research “striking”, including targets for staff, a research committee, weekly research seminars and support to present at international conferences.