1. Raed Awamleh Dean, Mohammad Bin Rashid School of Government Dubai, UAE
Assuring the University of the Future: Keeping pace with transformations in higher education
Raed Awamleh Dean, Mohammad Bin Rashid School of Government Dubai, UAE
Oman Quality Network in Higher Education
OQNHE Conference 2017 Muscat, Oman

2. Outline UAE’s Higher Education landscape
Reflection on current regulatory and quality assurance practices
The future of universities
Regulations and quality assurance of the future

3. My own regional experience …
Assistant Dean, Business School, & Chair Acting) of Department of Management, University of Jordan (Public) , SAI (until recently)
Dean (& PG Programs Director ), University of Wollongong in Dubai (Private – Wholly owned by home campus – Public in Australia), limited regulation prior to 2001, MOHESR (CAA), DKV/DKP, AUQA/TEQSA
Pro Vice Chancellor & Campus Director, Middlesex University Dubai (Public in UK with private partners in Dubai), , KHDA (UQAIB) & QAA
Dean, MBR School of Government (Public), 2015 – Current, MOE (CAA)

4. United Arab Emirates Higher Education Landscape
100+ Universities
A number of regulatory jurisdictions & QA systems
Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (CAA – Commission for Academic Accreditation)
Knowledge & Human Development Authority (UQAIB – University Quality Assurance International Board)
Other (e.g., Ras Al Khaimah – Academic Free Zone)
International regulatory agencies for branch campuses (e.g. QAA for UK universities)

5. United Arab Emirates Higher Education Landscape Cont’d
70%+ of international campuses worldwide (from over 14 countries) are in the UAE (vast majority in Dubai)
Dubai has 34 branch campuses under KHDA
Total number of Universities is 53

6. Reflection on current regulatory and quality assurance practices
CAA – Institutional License & Program level Accreditation (Not Published)
KHDA/UQAIB – Institutional Permit & Program Level Validation & Endorsement (Not Published)
AUQA – Internationalization Strategy of Home Campus & Risk Assessment (Published)
QAA – Transnational, Institutional and Risk Assessment (Published)
Professional Associations – Program Based Recognition (e.g. ACCA, AACSB, ABET, etc.)

7. Reflection on current regulatory and quality assurance practices Cont’d Institutional Perspective
Quality improvement incentives in a HE Education market that has not matured yet but is maturing
Legitimacy, status, & recognition
National & international
Direct impact for growth
Student numbers and overall indicators
Ability to recruit qualified staff
Community acceptance and reputation
Relevant research and research with impact

8. A Recipe for Success vis-à-vis Regulation and Quality Assurance
The right “Governance”
Top management support
Quality staff
Agile, resilient and flexible QA systems
Data collection and analyses: Knowing what to collect and what to do with the data (ADRI)
No short-cuts and no “wet paint”
It’s not “Personal”, it’s “Business”
QA is an investment not a cost

9. Critical Success Factors for Universities in the Region
Separation of “ownership” and “management”
Relevant and current programmes
Relationships with affiliates
“Walking the talk”, quality assurance wise
Diversity of students and staff
Tenure of “QA” professionals
Integration of academic and administrative services
Career and employability support

10. The future of Universities?
Diverse views:
“No one to teach”: AI will take over
The Lecture will come back: Analytical Minds are the key
No more exams! Industry practice
We will remain the same
“Devices will replace faculty, no more campuses, semester pattern will disappear in favor of year-round learning”
Viable measures of student learning outcomes
THE 2015: Future Perfect: What will universities look like in 2030?

11. Is the World Flat?

12. Or is it Spiky?
Source:

13. No matter what Universities of the Future will look like:
We will still need QA, if not for regulation, then for self (institutional) development and continuous improvement
The best quality system is the one: “self -developed, self -adopted”
QA must become an institutional culture and not viewed as a “Requirement” or a “Burden”, or a mere “Compliance”issue.

14. Challenges with Current Regional QA Systems
Long time lags
Expensive
Too prescriptive
Served well in the past and still do, however, must change for the future
If/When the HE Sector matures, the QA system will evolve
The revised system should be based on transparency, accountability, and market forces

15. Regulations and Quality Assurance of the Future
Current systems: appropriate until the market matures, but not so after that
Future?
Transparency & Accountability
Transparency through a regular coherent reporting framework including student related issues (enrolments, retention rates, staff/student ratios, fees, etc.), institutional factors (facilities, faculties, schools, governance, private/public, etc.) and research activity.  

16. Regulations and Quality Assurance of the Future Cont’d
Accountability determined by the market; i.e. through continued growth in enrolment, student satisfaction, graduate placements, research funding, etc.
Regulation bodies focus on ensuring the required data is reported, the occasional audit (e.g. in response to industry/student complaints) and regular governance reviews
Market forces (professional bodies, media, and private app developers) would synthesize the data, report it, make comparisons, and publish reports
Universities will have the right/chance to respond publicly and try to persuade the general public of viability and quality

17. Regulations and Quality Assurance of the Future Cont’d
Research: Government (and other) funds combined with other dedicated investment in research offered to universities, research agencies, institutions, etc. on a contestable basis could serve as a de facto (or proxy) ranking scheme
Research underlines the continued existence of universities and would encourage discipline specialization and clustering to successfully access those funds (including HRD)

18. In conclusion…
QA is an institutional effectiveness determinant irrespective of who regulates and how!
“Self developed”, “self regulated” are the best QA systems for any sector including Higher Education
Right measurement and “closing the loop” are the keys
QA is an investment not a cost

19. At the end of the day, regardless of the Regulation or QA systems that exist…
Source: