Comparative Education
Online ISSN : 2185-2073
Print ISSN : 0916-6785
ISSN-L : 0916-6785
Articles
Quality Assurance for International Branch Campuses in the Dubai Free Zone: The Development of a Dual Assurance Approach
Yusuke NAKAJIMA
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JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2014 Volume 2014 Issue 49 Pages 176-198

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Abstract

  This paper clarifies the development of the dual quality assurance approach for international branch campuses in the Dubai free zone. In Dubai, one of the emirates that constitute the United Arab Emirates (UAE), numerous free zones to attract foreign institutions have been constructed, and many branch campuses of foreign universities have been established. Considering this situation, the question arises: How might the quality of branch campuses be assured? In the UAE, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR) established the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) as a federal quality assurance agency in 1999, responsible for the quality of institutions and programs. However, in the free zone, assessment by the CAA is optional. In 2008, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), which is the government of Dubai, established the University Quality Assurance International Board (UQAIB) as a quality assurance agency for branch campuses in the free zone.

  This paper provides a comparative viewpoint on how approaches to quality assurance in the Dubai free zones may be differentiated and clarifies how they are related to each other in the context of the development of Dubai free zones. Hanada (2013) suggests that the difficulty that the UAE is experiencing to integrate the quality of branch campuses is the result of the different strategies of each emirate. Knight (2014) notes the lack of clarity in the development of branch campuses without national policies and the emirates’ corporation. However, this research is based on the premise that the UAE may be integrated. The viewpoint that each emirate has various rationales for the development of the free zone is absent. This paper provides the possibility of regional development through higher education in terms of Dubai’s economic strategy.

  Firstly, the background of higher education and the structure of the government authority in the UAE are investigated. The federal government holds authority over education. Authority over economic development is highly allocated to the emirates government because of diversity of natural resource environment. Federal law clarifies that MoHESR holds the authority to license the establishment of higher education institutions as well as accredit and supervise them. On the other hand, a free zone to attract foreign institutions reflects the main economic policy in Dubai because of the lack of natural resources. Thus, federal authority over higher education and the authority of the emirates for economic development overlap in the free zone in terms of higher education.

  Next, the development of quality assurance by CAA is investigated by analyzing “standards” as set by the CAA. The CAA (2005) regards branch campuses as private higher education institutions in the UAE, and regulates them with a “must statement” governing standards due to the overflow of institutions. The radical shift from the “must statement” to the 2007 “General Criteria” reflects a change in focus from the regulation of institutions to the improvement of institutions and programs. In 2011, the presence of branch campuses expected to operate within the UAE cultural context and federal regulation is clarified for the first time. With the Qualifications Framework Emirates to Standards, the focus was moved to student’s learning outcomes.

  This paper further examines the development of the quality assurance system in the Dubai free zone. With the beginning of the free zones in 2003, branch campuses were selected based on home countries’ rankings and the fiscal soundness of higher education providers. At present, the KHDA selects branch campuses while considering the needs of Dubai’s economic vision and labor market. In 2008, the UQAIB was established by the KHDA and adopted (View PDF for the rest of the abstract)

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© 2014 Japan Comparative Education Society
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