EMPOWERING UNIVERSITY STUDENTS THROUGH RESEARCH BASED METHODOLOGY IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: A CASE STUDY AT ZAYED UNIVERSITY

Day by day, the focus on research is increasing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Research is considered as the main pillar in UAE 2021 vision to unify and consolidate knowledge. Additionally, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the UAE has recently mandated undergraduate research course creation at all governmental universities in the country. The purpose of the course is to provide an introduction to research methods commonly used in Sciences and Humanities (social, physical and health sciences). High achievement in this course encourages students to be more involved in institutional research, international conferences and graduate studies. Historically, Zayed University was and still taking the lead in promoting research culture among its students. Zayed University’s Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) had successfully established a formal framework to build student research capacity and promote a research ethos among ZU students. However, there were some challenges associated with some programs including the fact that the program was noncredit bearing. This was the result of interviewing 54 of the past URSP graduates about the successes and challenges of their learning experience in the 5 semester URSP modules. In attempt to give more visibility and credibility to the URSP program, we have incorporated the program into Credly’s electronic badge system. The Research Star Scholar BADGE is to provide students an opportunity to align their learning experience with best practices and develop well-articulated artifacts that can be used for job applications, continuing research, resumes and e-portfolios. The badge is attainable in three phases (Bronze, Silver and Gold), of which students are challenged to think critically about how their research-based learning experience is connected to their course of study. We are confident this forum session will provide an opportunity to exchange innovative ideas to enhance research ethos within the UAE.