Tag: Dubai

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How Valuable is your Education?

Dean Image April 2015 This advertisement on Facebook claims you can “Graduate in Minutes” and gives the impress that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai endorses them. It is a scam! A question;  How valuable is your education? How valuable is education to the UAE? In my opinion the answer is priceless. In 2010 UAE Vision 2021 was launched by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE. One of the national priorities was the development of a first rate education system and a transformation of the current education system and teaching methods. It meant students who completed their higher education would be able to find well paying jobs and be academically prepared to accept and management responsibility and eventually leadership roles. In real terms a college graduate makes hundreds of thousands of dirhams more than a high school graduate over their lifetime. The UAE higher education community consists of over 100 institutions with enrollment of 120,000 students consisting of Emirati’s and students from over 100 countries. During the past year there has been a significant increase in advertising on radio, TV and especially social media to attend various colleges and universities. Many of these adverts promote getting your degree online. Online learning for mature students can be a excellent pathway, if from an accredited institution and is academically challenging. What is disturbing are the ads, which do not identify the college and promote getting your degree quickly, with little additional study. On January a news release announced the “Middle East Office of Academic Regulation & Examination establishes institutional partnership with leading organizations to support the development, quality enhancement and expansion of higher education opportunities in the region”. The release further stated that “MEOARE is an entrusted and independent body, and operates as a representative of the Gulf Ministry of Higher Education”. In checking the website at first blush it appeared to be a legitimate organization, but then a pop up chat window appeared with an invitation to call. The organization would provide a scholarship for only a “small” fee on a credit card. The stories generated by The National and Al Fanar pointed out these deceitful practices which took money from gullible people who thought it was a “real degree” However Ministry of Higher Education would not attest the degree and most the employers did not accept the degree a Who does this hurt, well just about everyone. It hurts the person who paid thousands of dirhams to get a piece of paper worth nothing and gained little if any academic knowledge. It hurts potential students who want to go back to school but are unsure which institutions are certified. It hurts accredited schools who work hard to provide quality programs. It also hurts employers who in some cases did not do their due diligence, and accepted the degree as equal to an accredited institution. What can be done?

  • First as the person who is interested in going back to college and getting a degree make sure the school is accepted by the UAE Commission of Academic Accreditation.
  • Second: the local and federal governments establish a Bureau of Consumer Protection where people can file complaints, has legal authority to investigate and take actions which can fine or shut down such groups.
  • Third: better policing or banning by social media corporations like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others. The best way to stop these groups is to quit accepting these fraudulent ads. Deprive them of their advertising outlets and a major revenue source.
  • Fourth: remember the old phrase “If it seems too good to be true it probably is”. Don’t let yourself believe you can get your degree with little additional study or effort. Remember, all you are doing is fooling yourself.
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Family, Friends, and Advisors are Important to the Success of Your Company

Family friends, and advisors are very important to a new company. Senthil and I had the early support of family and friends but we felt an Advisory Board was equally important.

We began in the months leading up to the October launch to recruit an Advisory Board which would be composed of renowned international experts in areas related to higher education, research and human resources. They would act as an advocate for the company to friends and colleagues. The members would bring a wide breadth of knowledge and experience gained through years of professional involvement of knowledge of the United Arab Emirates, Gulf Regions and as well as in the international settings. We could also call upon them to serve as expert consultants as the need arises.

The Advisory Board currently consists of 10 members who are from the UAE, United Sates, Europe, Asia and Australia. They have expertise in the fields of higher and vocational education, medicine-allied health and technology.

To learn more about our Advisory members go to Advisors on the Edu Alliance website. One of the first to accept our invitation to be an advisor was Marci Powell.

Marci Powell is Global Director for Education & Training at Polycom and Chair Emerita and powell-marciPast President of the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA). She is an industry expert in the field of educational technology and telecommunications with extensive experience in applications related to lifelong learning and innovation.

Powell began her career as a classroom teacher and has served as an administrator at various educational institutions. With over 20 years of educational leadership Marci shares global best practices and trends as a fellow educator and futurist through her keynote addresses and serves as an advisor to public and private sectors worldwide.

Most recently, Marci was recognized by the European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN) as an EDEN Fellow, an honor reserved for those the association believes are distinguished leaders in distance and e-learning across Europe. In 2012, Marci was inducted into the USDLA Hall of Fame and in 2011, the Texas Distance Learning Association (TxDLA) Hall of Fame. Marci currently serves on the USDLA Board of Directors, the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) High Level Advisory Board, and The Learning Consortium Thought Leaders group.

On a personal note I have known Marci for a number of years going back to my days as Co-Founder and COO of Connected Learning Network a comprehensive e-learning provider based in Louisville, Kentucky.  She has been a guest keynote speaker for me at the Ankabut Users Meeting discussing the use of high-quality video to deliver educational content.

Marci recently did an article for Information Week titled “The Right Training Tech For A Tech Career”

In future postings I will be writing about other Edu Alliance advisory board members so you may learn more about these outstanding people.