HBMSU Overview
Under the presidency of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai, U.A.E, Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) is committed to instigating a culture of quality, excellence and research through e-learning in the Arab world, with emphasis in the academic disciplines of business, quality management, education, healthcare and environment. HBMSU enjoys international credibility and recognition with its academic and professional programs not only being demand-driven, but also customized to meet the growing needs of businesses in the UAE and indeed elsewhere in the Arab world.
Established in 2002, this innovative higher education project has been conceived, crafted and implemented by Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, the Chancellor of HBMSU, as a passionate response to the hopes and aspirations of the new Arab generation, with an emphasis on e-learning as the future of education and empowerment in the region. The pioneering vision of the University has, in fact, paved the way for the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR) to design standards for accreditation for an e-learning institution.
Since its inception, the University has taken a lead in developing a knowledge-based economy with pioneering research initiatives in response to the research needs of the Arab World. A milestone in the area of scientific research endeavours of HBMSU has been the Annual Scientific Congress, with three annual conferences: Quality Congress; Conference on e-Learning Excellence and the Annual Scientific e-Health and Environment Conference. In addition to this, the University publishes yearly 8 refereed journals, edited by HBMSU faculty with eminent international scholars serving as editors-in-chief. Other research initiatives include the Middle-East Centre for Case Research and Development, research grants, research chairs, and regional research awards. These initiatives support outstanding research, scholarship and leadership in education and other related fields.
With a wider agenda of transforming society, HBMSU has been engaged in large pioneering educational projects including the Middle East e-Learning Quality Framework (MeLQ), the Middle East e-Learning Association (MEEA), the Middle East Quality Association (MEQA), and the e-Health Scientific Society (eHSS). These initiatives have been culminated in 2013 with the launch of the HBMSU Social Online Learning project.
The University has additionally gained international reputation and recognition through its alignment with leading educational institutions and organizations, with the University becoming the first in the Middle East region to host the International Council for Open and Distance Education Standing Conference of Presidents (SCOP 2012). HBMSU’s international affiliations include University of California, Berkeley, Bradford University, St. Gallen University, U21Global, University of South Africa (UNISA), Australian Human Resource Institute, International Hospital Federation, University of Maryland University College (UMUC), Asia e-University, to mention a few.
Moreover, HBMSU is an active member of many reputed international organizations and institutions: the International Council for Open and Distance Education, European Learning Industry Group, British Quality Foundation, European Foundation for Quality Management, International Federation of Information Processing, etc.
The University has brought about a paradigm shift in higher education by designing learner-centric solutions in its strategy. The learner experience at HBMSU is much more diverse and innovative than any other campus life - with its unique learning environment (the Virtual Learning Environment, the e-Campus), the University offers a fresher learning experience with the use of innovative technologies in the form of mobile learning, discussion blogs, online classrooms, educational gaming, social networking all suited to meet the needs of working professionals and high-school graduates alike. The learner-centric environment at the University is reflected in the full support offered to learners with automated pre-enrolment and admissions support, e-virtual communities and learners’ clubs, and additional learning resources such as the Library, e-Career and Placement Services, using the latest in ICT technologies to communicate with learners across the globe.