In conjunction with the first school day of the 2020 spring semester, the United Arab Emirates University announces the start of offering its courses through its international platform UAEU-X.
UAEU-X represents the first strategic partnership between the university and the global edX Foundation, which made UAEU the first higher education institution in the country to partner with edX as a full contributing member. As of today, the UAE University will offer some of its courses as MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) or SPOCs (Small Private Open Courses) to anyone in the world via UAEU-X.
Professor Ghaleb Al-Hadrami Al-Buraiki, Acting Director of the University, emphasised that the launch of these courses is of special importance and considering that the UAE University is the first at the level of higher education institutions that sign a partnership with this prestigious global institution and in line with the current efforts and directions of the Emirates University within the “University of the Future” project, which represents a unique future model in the provision of its educational services, which is built on the basis of digital transformation in line with the directions of the UAE government and targeting the requirements of the national agenda in the UAE.
The course focuses on educating learners about the main social values and heritage of the Emirati society, and providing an accurate and clear picture of the country’s history and geography, in addition to the internal and external policy pursued by the state, social development and services provided by the state to citizens and residents, including the empowerment of women and their role in society.
The first group of courses will include three courses. The first course is Emirates Studies, which consolidates national belonging and identity and appreciate national achievements of the United Arab Emirates. The course focuses in introducing learners to the main social features of the Emirati community and its core values and heritage, and elaborating various substantial studies related to the history and geography of the country, as well as to the internal and foreign policy, social development and services provided by the State, including the empowerment of women and their role in society. The course is offered in Arabic to all students in higher education within UAE and beyond.
The second and third courses are offered to help high school students improve their English Language skills to be able to achieve the admission criteria of universities in UAE. The English Language Development course, which is a pre-intermediate level course that develops reading, listening, and writing skills in an academic context as well as encouraging interest in academic topics. Intermediate English as a Second Language course helps learners to develop their reading, writing, speaking, listening and grammar skills.
The three courses are the beginning of many waves of courses to be offered openly and privately on UAEU-X. The University plans to offer professional development programs to its staff and faculty members in addition to its diversified courses and programs on the platform.
UAEU’s new platform was announced during a previous joint press conference between the University and the edX Foundation on November 17, 2019.
For more information https://www.edx.org/school/uaeux