The Vice-Chancellor and President Professor of the University of Wollongong (UOW) officially opened the University of Wollongong in Dubai’s (UOWD) new “Campus of the Future” in a ceremony at the campus on 31 January 2022. UOW was represented by the UOWD President, the UOW Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Health and Sustainable Futures) as well as the UOW Global Enterprises CEO.
The Campus of the Future is located in the heart of Dubai’s vibrant education and training precinct, Dubai Knowledge Park, a setting that encourages knowledge sharing through academia-industry collaborations. The new campus was described as a monumental step in innovation and adaptation in the region and everyone from UOWD who had worked hard to make the new campus a reality was acknowledged.
The campus features a modern architectural design that combines traditional and innovative learning spaces. It is equipped with the newest technology and infrastructure that supports blended learning, combining online educational materials and opportunities for interaction with traditional classroom-based methods. Along with dedicated learning and meeting rooms, and a range of student facilities, the campus houses laboratories specialising in chemistry, thermodynamics, manufacturing, physics, robotics, media and communications, cybersecurity, networking and gaming, to name a few.
Universities are thought, leaders and difference-makers; they transform lives. At their core, they are hubs of innovation and discovery. In the post-COVID era, the traditional ways of facilitating education have changed dramatically. The new campus at UOWD represents the future of learning. As the first international Australian university in the UAE, with more than 40 internationally accredited degrees from 10 industry sectors, UOWD is one of the region’s oldest, most prestigious, and pioneering tertiary institutions.
Despite being the first Australian university in the UAE way back in 1993, UOW is still a relatively young University, which gives it a ‘dynamic and innovative edge’, and has it in the position of being a benchmark for a new generation of global universities.
The vision was for the University of Wollongong to continue to make a meaningful and significant impact in the world through its teaching, research projects, and learning environments. For example, a UOWD research project focused on the deployment of fast-charging electric vehicle stations in high renewable energy penetration areas in a smart city, in collaboration with the University of Wollongong in Australia and Heriot-Watt University Dubai, as one example of the University making a meaningful impact. Not only is this a pioneering development in the renewables sector, but it is also an exciting showcase of collaboration between UOW’s global network of campuses.
The Vice-Chancellor said that another of her ambitions is to make UOW a leader in access, inclusion, and diversity – through the lens of blended learning. This thinking is already reflected here in the design of Campus of the Future, which is outfitted with cutting-edge technology and infrastructure to support blended learning for students all around the world, she said. “As educators, we have the power to foster real change in our world, and a responsibility to create a more diverse, inclusive, and accessible world of learning for everyone. The digital innovation and advanced technology here at UOW Dubai Campus of the Future will ensure we reach these goals.”
