Manchester University virtualises Middle East student and community interaction

The University of Manchester Middle East Centre in Dubai has successfully transitioned its extensive programme of face to face student workshops, faculty masterclasses, careers and alumni events and Master’s degree information sessions to virtual interactions to ensure continuity of community engagement. Since the suspension of all face to face interactions in March, the Centre team has organised 17 events reaching almost 4,000 people over a 6-week period.

The Middle East Centre’s virtual engagement programme included a series of faculty-led virtual MBA workshops for 300 MBA students from all over the world to ensure the continuity of studies. The virtual MBA workshops in March were the first experience of online interactive learning for many students, who joined from different time zones, and who appreciated the option to continue their studies. The virtual programme also included the online regional launch of two new part-time Master’s degrees – MSc Real Estate and MA Educational Leadership in Practice.

The Middle East Centre is the largest and fastest growing in the University’s international network and supports thousands of part-time Master’s degree students and the alumni community in the region. It has supported over 2,700 part-time Master’s students since opening in 2006, and graduated over 1,700.

Randa Bessiso, Director – Middle East, The University of Manchester, commented: “Learning and networking are social activities and the Middle East Centre team has done a fantastic job of quickly virtualising all our planned outreach activities. Most importantly, this is about student experience. All our part-time Master’s programmes are faculty-led and delivered through blended learning, which includes significant face to face contact time. It was essential to ensure continuity of studies and provide rich interactive online learning and networking experiences. We have been delighted with the number of people joining all our online sessions and their positive feedback. MBA applications tend to rise during difficult economic periods and we are seeing this currently with strong interest for the July intake.”

The University of Manchester focuses on teaching, research and social responsibility and the QS World University Rankings 2019 now lists Manchester as the world’s 27th best university. The University of Manchester was awarded a 5-star rating by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai’s first higher education classification, in 2019. The Manchester Global MBA has two intakes each year (January and July) and was recognised as the best MBA programme in the Middle East by Forbes Middle East in 2019.