This study is an attempt to investigate the provision of academic development in a case institution in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study was set in the context of a newly emerging higher education (HE) sector of the UAE. The study explored the nature and extent of academic staff development provisions for tertiary teachers through a case study of one higher education institution in the UAE. It drew on the experience and opinions of new academics, experienced academics, heads of departments and academic managers on the issue of professionalisation of teaching. The focus of the study was on identifying the provisions, policies and practices of academic development and hence ‘professionalisation’ of teaching in HE in the UAE. The ‘professionalisation’ of teaching in HE has received increased attention in the past decade mainly due to the changing context of higher education worldwide. This has been reflected by the numerous courses offered by HE institutions, both as initial training for new academics and as CPD(continuous professional development) for experienced teachers. The study revealed that the traditional method of academic staff development in developing teaching and administrative skills through work experience is still in practice in the UAE tertiary institutions. Although teaching was the main priority in the case institution, it lacked a unit for educational development and there was no systematic training for new teachers. The continuous professional development (CPD) workshops focused primarily on the use of technology in teaching and English as a foreign language, yet the majority of the content teachers had no previous training in pedagogy generally. Due to a reliance of a ‘ready-made’ expatriate workforce in the UAE, an accredited systematic course of study to prepare new academics or further develop experienced academics for their teaching roles is almost non-existent. The study suggests that there is a need to strategically position the HE sector in general in the UAE in order to begin any formal ‘professionalisation’ of the teaching role. It suggests that faculty/academic development needs to be supported by specialized structures and resources. Finally, the study recommends that HEIs in the UAE must create a more integrated coherent regulatory body for higher education which would then allow the formulation of an ‘Academy’ whose aim is improving the students’ experience in higher education.

This study examines content teachers’ perceptions of English as a medium of instruction (EMI) in a higher education (HE) context in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study problematises the taken-for-granted assumptions surrounding an exclusive EMI model as it is currently implemented in the UAE’s HE institutions, where low English proficiency levels and a limited use of Arabic are characteristic. Based on a critical approach and qualitative methodology, this study draws on in-depth, qualitative, semi-structured interviews with nine teachers from different faculties at a UAE HE institution. It also analyses government and institutional documents to further contextualise and inform the study. The study contributes to a small but growing body of literature assessing language policy, EMI and the spread of English in the UAE. Furthermore, by focusing on teachers’ perspectives, the study gives a voice to a group of stakeholders whose insights are not always fully represented in educational policy decision-making. Salient findings of the study are supported by other recent Gulf and UAE-based studies on EMI in HE. Teachers were generally supportive of EMI, based on the utilitarian functions of English as a lingua franca in the UAE, and the role of EMI in the process of internationalising HE. However, concerns associated with the implementation of EMI primarily included the disempowering effect on students with limited English language proficiency. Students’ struggles with English were identified by teachers as a cognitive burden which negatively affected students’ comprehension, quality of work and academic performance. Limited proficiency in an EMI context also negatively affected teachers’ pedagogical practices, as they reported addressing students’ limited language proficiency by adapting content, pace, depth and the scope of courses, as well as modifying assessment practices and code-switching in Arabic. Gaps in the university’s support mechanisms that targeted literacy and language deficiencies were identified. Based on these findings, it is argued that student access to a tertiary education is compromised. Beyond these concerns, the endorsement of EMI was also found to have a marginalising effect on Arabic, despite institutional support for bilingualism as core graduate skill. The study acknowledges the value of EMI in a more balanced bilingual language policy, and makes recommendations for future practices to address current limitations. The study recommends an increase in the profile of Arabic through the introduction of more Arabic-medium courses across faculties; through the provision of more Arabic learning materials, and through recognising the role of L1 in supporting student learning in EMI courses. English proficiency levels must also continue to improve at pre-university level, so universities can raise entry standards. Finally, universities must improve academic literacy and language support.

This study examines the impact of globalization on the newly-adopted, American-based federal higher education model of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through the lenses of World Polity theory. The higher education environment has been transformed by shared global ideas and policy models. In many developing countries, higher education is perceived to be central to socio-political and economic development. The federal higher education system in the (UAE) represented by the three federal universities - United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), and Zayed University (ZU) - is tasked not only with educating UAE nationals, but also with the “Emiritization” or nationalization of the labor market, which is highly dependent on foreign expatriates. The UAE has made a transformational shift in its federal higher education model by replacing its Arabic-based model with English-based instruction and American curricula. Some UAE public universities sought and were granted accreditation by US regional accrediting bodies. This study was focused on the three UAE federal universities to identify the main characteristics of the newly adopted model and the extent to which it draws on western and indigenous models and principles, and to validate the global reach of higher education ideas and values to the environment other than those where they originated from. The research investigates various issues related to higher education development including the socio-cultural and organizational aspects of it. The research questions are not only significant to the UAE but they also address key issues that are especially sensitive yet similarly applicable across the Gulf region and similar developing countries. The findings reveal that in the UAE the profound cultural and religious differences reflecting local and national path dependencies are undercut by dominant western models of higher education. While the US and the UAE differ in their values, culture, level of development, several aspects of the higher education model look quite similar. These similar aspects were not mandated, but communicated, and governed by the culture of a global higher education exchange. The world polity of higher education has played a key role in sustaining and promulgating a common culture to nations and communities around the world.

Historically, many higher education institutions have been structurally and culturally compartmentalised and subunits such as continuing education have been marginalised, merged or divested. In response to a variety of external phenomena, some higher education institutions are re-examining their internal and external relationships, including the relationship between their academic and continuing education units. This research examines the efforts of a higher education institution in the United Arab Emirates to improve its overall effectiveness by changing the nature of the relationship between its academic and continuing education units. A review of theory- and practice-based higher education, organisational culture and inter-/intra-organisational relationship literature revealed significant support for each partner's goals for the new relationship and was used to provide the parties with a series of recommendations for successful formulation, actualisation and governance. These results add to the literature and practice of higher education and continuing higher education, particularly in the area of relationship-building among organisational subunits and subcultures.