Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education and American University of Sharjah partner to improve online learning

A new collaboration between the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education and American University of Sharjah (AUS) will help deliver high-quality online education to graduate learners throughout the Middle East.

AUS and the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education had a Grant Agreement signing event today, September 29, at AUS to formalize a framework of cooperation and facilitate collaboration between the two institutions in areas of mutual interest. Among those present at the event were Dr. Susan Mumm, Chancellor of AUS, and Dr. Sonia Ben Jaafar, CEO of the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education.

AUS is part of the University Consortium for Quality Online Learning (UCQOL), a group founded by the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Education and nine leading universities in the UAE. The consortium will expand the network of higher education institutions in the region, offering online learning that meets world-class standards of excellence. Through the consortium, existing online programs will be strengthened, high-quality online courses will be developed, and high-quality online programs will be made more accessible to Emirati and Arab youth.

AUS has committed to offering its leading Master of Business Administration (MBA) in hybrid mode, and a fully online MBA in business analytics, an increasingly popular field. The programs will be offered sequentially over the next couple of years to students. These first steps in high-quality online programs at the university will serve as an example for the rest of the university to onboard faculty and staff to this new modality of teaching and learning that is in increasingly high demand.

Dr. Sonia Ben Jaafar, CEO of the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education, said: “This new partnership with AUS is part of the first pillar of the Foundation’s strategy: To strengthen access and quality in higher education in this region. We have been supporting top-ranked institutions to forge ahead with high-quality online learning in this region since 2016. We know that young Emirati and Arabs have great potential and aspirations, and we want to assure that the latest and best learning opportunities are available to these learners, empowering them to become part of a global solution for sustainable development. Supporting AUS to put a leading program online creates greater access for many learners who can’t always be on campus full time, promoting greater diversity and inclusion at the university level.”

According to the QS Global MBA Rankings 2022, the AUS MBA program is among the top 10 in the Middle East and top 250 in the world. The two new programs will therefore allow ambitious individuals to complete their graduate education at a highly ranked and respected university, regardless of their location.

Dr. Susan Mumm, Chancellor of AUS, said: “It is a real pleasure to work with the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education. The Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation has been supporting AUS since 2016 with their STEM Scholarship Program and has been a consistent and supportive institution in the UAE for education. We have always been keen to offer students excellence and quality higher education. This new collaboration enhances our mission in providing a rich and supportive environment for students to thrive in as they become outward-looking and responsible individuals ready to join the world. We look forward to working with the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation and for what we can achieve as a member of the UCQOL.”

Dr. Narjess Boubakri, Dean of the AUS School of Business Administration, believes these new offerings will have a significant impact on individuals and the wider community. “I look forward to making high-quality education available to students regardless of their circumstances. At present, there are many individuals throughout the region who have the talent and ambition to undertake a highly ranked MBA, but their geographical location prevents them from doing so. Making outstanding graduate programs available online by harnessing the latest technologies available for the delivery of online education increases accessibility. I have seen first-hand how the benefits of education positively impact not just the individual, but entire communities. There is great potential for these new programs, and the broader work of the consortium in the overall development of the Middle East,” she said.

The consortium aims to make online programs in the region more market-driven and widely accredited. UCQOL, which is in line with the UAE National Innovation Strategy and the National Higher Education Strategy 2030, is the first regional project where a multi-sector consortium is spearheading online education to ensure that online programs are meeting the needs of individuals and helping to build capacity at a national and regional level.