Promoting and Advancing Quality and Excellence in Higher Education: Prof. Dr. Mohamed Yousif Hasan Baniyas Executive director, Higher Education, Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) Professor of Pharmacology & Therapeutics College of Medicine, UAE University (UAEU) Consultant Clinical Toxicologist, Emergency Medicine Department,Tawam Hospital, SEHA
Outline Responding to Global & Generational Challenges Search for Future Talents and Skilled Professions Research and Innovation to keep competitive edge Reforming Learning Systems & Higher Education Features of Quality Higher Education Institutions Measures of HE Quality: Accreditation & Ranking Shannon with his famous Electromechanical Mouse Theseus (Greek Mythology) which he tried to have solve the maze: one of the first experiments in artificial intelligence I visualize a time when we will be to robots what dogs are to humans, and I'm rooting for the machines Claude Elwood Shannon (1916 2001)
Responding to Generational Challenges: Drivers for Quality in Higher Education Drivers: Technology is transforming the way business & citizens and government act, react and interact Dramatic increase in global labor force that requires specialized knowledge and transferable skills Misalignment between available jobs in the market and significant raise in unemployment globally Enable workers to move from declining to expanding areas necessitates reforming educational system Mobilization and reallocation of declining resources in world requires well informed leaders The ability to maintain a competitive edge in the global market and foster development
Higher Education Reform: Response to Challenges Raise in demand for Human Capital with Specific Profiles Need for Specialized Human Capital with focus in Science and Technology (Engineering, Medicine, ) The ability to create, access and apply knowledge is fundamental in global competitiveness Teaching and learning environments shall respond to novel skills and new competency requirements Strategy: Adopt education and training to develop workers skills & keep up with rapid technological change Emphasize Education that includes strong subject knowledge with appropriate and relevant skills Invest in relevant Quality Tertiary Education / Higher Education particularly in Science & Technology
Research & Innovation: Solution to Generations Research and Innovation is key in Shaping Universe, Leading Development, Providing Competitive Edge Science, technology, and innovation have taken central stage in modernization and economic growth Ensure adequate support for research and innovation to maintain competitive edge Strategy: Train experienced researchers and graduate students Acquire capacities, infrastructure and technologies Assure funding & resources and proper governance Build World Class Research Universities The deepest sin against the human mind is to believe things without evidence. The man of science has learned to believe in justification, not by faith, but by verification Thomas Henry Huxley
Quality Higher Education Institutions: Universities / Colleges / Institutes Core Business: Education & Training Integration of Teaching and Research Prepare True Independent Thinkers Train Highly Skilled Individuals Scientific Thinking Problem Solving Education linked to Practice & Job Market Experience / Internship Research as Integral Function: Emphases qualified faculty Nurtures competent students Meritorious nature of learning Environment Pertinent to Quality All credibility, all good conscience, all evidence of truth come only from the senses. Sometimes people don't want to hear the truth because they don't want their illusions destroyed. Friedrich Nietzsche
Quality Higher Education Intuitions: The Making of World Class Universities Five Major Elements Attracting and retaining talented faculty Recruiting qualified students Appropriate governance system Building capacities and infrastructure Sustainability of funding & resources Source: Jamil Salmi Word Bank Advisor
World Class Universities: Expert Faculty Educator / Role model Researcher / Scholar Enthusiasm / Commitment Lionel Messi Retention: Promotion Satisfaction Qualification (Ranked Intuitions) Track Record (Publications) Prof. Taylor: Department of Chemistry, University of York Drawing of his PhD Students
World Class Universities: Qualified Students Motivation Commitment Resilience Patience Critical Thinking Problem Solving Subject Knowledge Selection Process Preparation Challenge Standard Assessments GPA, TOEFL, GRE, Interview, Essays I'm not a master, I'm a studentmaster, meaning that I have the knowledge of a master and the expertise of a master, but I'm still learning, So I'm a student-master. I don't believe in the word master, I consider the master as such when they close the casket Bruce Lee
World Class Universities: Governance Autonomous / accountability Supports core mission Shared decision making Motivating Commitment Faculty are key participant Students are key participant Academic Freedom Free from Bureaucracy
World Class Universities: Financing Public Support / Endowments Government Support Research Grants Industry Involvement University Investments Setting Priorities NASA has been one of the most Students Fees successful public investments in Not for Profit / Private motivating students to do well and Harvard Magazine HIGHLIGHTS: Harvard Endowment value at $32.7 Billion Harvard Management Company records 11.3% investment return achieve all they can achieve. It's sad that we are turning the program in a direction where it will reduce the amount of motivation and stimulation it provides to young people Neil Armstrong
World Class Universities: Infrastructure Building Facilities Research Equipment Qualified Technologist General Technology Utilization Mechanism Animal House
Measures of Quality in Higher Education: Recognition & Identification Self Declaration Stakeholders Recognition Evidence Based Quality Assurance Institutional Accreditation Programmatic Accreditation National / International World Ranking Times Higher Ed World University Ranking Academic Ranking of World Universities QS World University RankingWorld Ranking
Accreditation & Quality Assurance Quality Assurance Accountability 6 Major Regions CAA Ministry of Higher Education European Consortium for Accreditation (ECA) Programmatic Accreditation: Minimum Standards Educational Process Learning Outcomes Graduates Destination (Must be a Major Focus)
World Ranking of Universities World Ranking Academic Ranking of World of Universities Nobel Prize Patents High Impact Publications Research Funds Academic Ranking of World Universities 2015 Rank Institution 1 2 Harvard University Stanford University Massachusetts Institute of Technology 4 University of California, Berkeley 5 University of Cambridge UK 6 Princeton University 7 8 9 10 11 California Institute of Technology Columbia University University of Chicago University of Oxford Yale University UK 12 University of California, Los Angeles 13 Cornell University 14 University of California, San Diego 15 University of Washington 16 Johns Hopkins University 17 University of Pennsylvania 18 University of California, San Francisco 19 University College London UK 20 ETH Zürich Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich 3 Country Switzerland
Quality Education & Research Long Term Investment Case Example Modern Medical Discovery Genetics Research: Intervention Diagnosis Treatment Cancer Genetics Infections Disease Reproductive Medicine Drug Development Drug Response Personalized Medicine Hargobind Khorana: Nobel Prize in Medicine & Physiology for Interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis Hargobind Khorana (1922-2011) Faculty of MIT
Summary Ability of countries to lead depends critically on the availability of highly skilled human capital especially in the areas of science, technology, engineering and medicine Reforming Learning Systems particularly Higher Education and to focus on deep knowledge and transferable skills needed by Labor Market Research and Innovation plays key role in knowledge based economy by Bringing Discoveries, Leading Development and Providing Competitive Edge Collaboration between Academia and Industry is crucial human capital training and research Adopting Research & Innovation is crucial and requires sustained long term investments Supporting research is shared responsibility between Government, Industry & Civil Society Everything we do not have at our birth and which we need when we are grown is given to us by education Jean Jacques Rousseau