The Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) celebrated World Quality Day 2020 by showcasing the range of its excellence-related achievements and initiatives.

Dr. Abdullatif Al Shamsi, HCT President and CEO, said the institution has achieved educational excellence, locally and internationally, and received international recognition for its endeavors, especially in the transformation stage during the COVID-19 crisis.

For example, HCT’s smooth transformation to distance learning during the COVID-19 crisis, and its digital transformation, were recognized and praised by international specialized magazines and journals.

He said that the achievements are a result of detailed plans, based on the national visions and strategies and the government excellence pillars of agility, pro-activeness and innovation, which have enabled HCT to achieve strong leadership and enhance the quality of life of its core stakeholders.

Dr. Al Shamsi added that to mark World Quality Day, HCT celebrated its achievements and educational successes, which can be used as a guide by other institutions in alignment with the directives of the UAE’s wise leadership, regarding the importance of attaining high quality performance and leadership roles.

The following are examples of quality-related initiatives undertaken by HCT:

• • The International Journal of Higher Education published a case study, highlighting HCT’s success in education and business continuity both during and post-COVID-19
  • The Higher Education Digest magazine published two articles, the first on HCT leadership setting the global standard for higher education in the Middle East, and the second on the Persona 4.0 as a quantum leap in learning outcomes.
  • The Harvard Business Review Arabia published an article on the 3-D Persona outlining graduates’ attributes in the post-COVID-19 times.
  • The HCT was named a winner of the 2019 Leading Change Award in the global Blackboard Catalyst Awards.

The award was in recognition of the value and impact of its training and development programs, designed to equip faculty with the optimal technical tools and skills to deliver personalized teaching and learning experiences of the highest quality.

HCT was also recognized for actively promoting the institution-wide adoption of innovative teaching and learning strategies that leverage state-of-the-art education technologies, which have the potential to increase rates of student success.

• • • HCT was named a winner of the 2020 Blackboard Catalyst Award for Training & Professional Development, as a result of using Blackboard programs to support and enhance their faculty and staff training and professional development.
    • HCT has become one of the first higher education institutions in the world to receive accreditation from the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), UK’s independent body and a global leader in quality assurance for higher education.
    • HCT was the first higher education institution in the region to win the ROSPA golden award, granted by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, in the UK, for implementation of the best health and safety standards.
    • HCT has been simultaneously awarding graduates with academic degrees and professional certificates in 97% of its academic programs.

Dr Al Shamsi said that HCT’s international achievements mirror its internal strategic successes. Through its adoption of the government excellence pillars of agility, pro-activeness and innovation, the HCT was the first higher education to be approved as an innovative economic free zone so it could graduate companies, resulting in the incubation of over 67 student startups and projects, out of which 12 ideas were turned into fully-staffed startups.

He said that the HCT is the first institution to grant its faculty a "digital teacher" certificate, issued by Blackboard International, in support of its institutional digital transformation. HCT also published 155,000 graduate credentials on the Blockchain platform, which is linked to 89,500 academic credentials from Diploma to Bachelor degrees. Since 1992, credentials were awarded to around 66,000 graduates.

With respect to HCT’s vision for the future, Dr. Al Shamsi vowed that the HCT will continue its journey toward excellence in preparation for the next 50 years of growth and development.

He said HCT’s strategies for the forthcoming 2022-2026 cycle are based on producing graduates who are able to contribute effectively to the national economy, by enhancing a competency and skills based learning model, instead of solely focusing on knowledge. This will be achieved through designing programs and providing educational services that meet individual student needs.

Furthermore, Dr Al Shamsi said HCT will endeavor to develop educational technologies to create an exciting and fun learning environment for students, ultimately enhancing their quality of life while at HCT.

He noted that as 50% of today’s local economy is dependent upon small and medium enterprises, HCT needs to be highly active in transforming students’ innovative ideas and applied research into start-ups, so as to contribute to the development of the local economy.

Dr Al Shamsi concluded that excellence is a continuous goal that requires ongoing highly productive quality efforts, utilizing advanced technologies and innovation challenges, as well as the need to embrace change and development to confront challenges.