DUBAI // Universities say the accreditation process by the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) is vital in keeping standards high. Robert Whelan, the president of the University of Wollongong in Dubai, said CAA accreditation has been a key part of its growth, over 17 years in the UAE, from eight students to 2,500.
The university, a branch of an Australian institution, is federally accredited through the Ministry for Higher Education and Scientific Research, meaning it is autonomous within the UAE and in a stronger position than other foreign university branch campuses, which are more dependent on their home campus.
Prof Whelan explained that in to gain a federal licence to operate as a university, a foreign institution needs to demonstrate its independent status in relation to a long set of standards including mission, organisation, academic programmes, faculty, facilities, fiscal resources, and research. "In contrast," he said, "branches of foreign universities can operate in Dubai without complying with these standards, by operating in one of the education free zones."
Jan Wallace, the director of operations and external affairs at the New York Institute of Technology in Abu Dhabi, said: "It's a very helpful process. Any assessment from an external body makes you look at the curriculum differently. It gives you a critical eye which is very useful. "You have to be really rigorous about the needs of the economy and the students and you have got to look at the needs of the country in which you're operating."
Shaukat Mirza, the president of the American University of Ras Al Khaimah, has been working with the CAA to accredit a new masters's of science in education and leadership. "Having these set rules and regulations actually makes things a lot easier for us," he said. "The CAA is very supportive and will always give good advice as to what's good or bad for the university. At the end of the day, their job is to ensure quality education."