Ajman University’s Internationalization Efforts Thrive Despite Covid-19 Challenges

Internationalization efforts at various colleges and units of Ajman University continued unabated despite the Covid-19 pandemic, thanks to the diligent efforts of AU faculty and staff. Student and faculty exchange programs registered strong interest and activity. Short-term international study tours were replaced by virtual webinars and online training programs, which helped students gain international perspectives and knowledge, notwithstanding travel-related restrictions due to Covid-19.

Student Exchange Program

The student exchange program at Ajman University (AU) has recently been remarkably active as an increased number of exchange students from several international universities in Europe and Asia are joining AU to study for a semester or two. The Colleges of Business, Engineering & Information Technology, and Architecture, Art & Design welcomed exchange students from several universities in Germany, France, India and Pakistan.

The inbound exchange students enjoyed the student life experience at AU alongside their peers and explored the UAE. Starting January 2021, despite all the disruptions caused by the pandemic, AU is expecting to receive more inbound exchange students from several partner international universities.

On the other hand, a student from AU's College of Business, Naved Ahmed, studied abroad as an exchange student at a renowned university in Croatia. He shared with us stories of his visit to beautiful locations in the capital city, Zagreb and other parts of Croatia. Naved also gained transformative international experiences from interacting with acquaintances he formed abroad and by being part of new methods of learning.

Faculty Exchange Program

Dr. Abd Al Karim Haj Ismail​, from the Mathematics & Sciences Department of the College of Humanities and Sciences, is currently spending the fall 2020-2021 semester as an exchange faculty member at Ghent University, Belgium. He is conducting a collaborative research project with Prof. Dirk Ryckboasch from Ghent University. They are jointly working on investigating the anti-neutrino particle using the SoLid anti neutrino detector at Mole in Belgium. The Faculty Exchange Program aims to expand AU’s network with reputable international universities through supporting the development of collaborative research.

Virtual activities

International in-person activities at Ajman University may have been suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but internationalization efforts at AU were not held back. The university has adapted to these changes in a variety of ways, as it continues to offer new opportunities and means of development and education in an international virtual context.

Eight students from the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at AU attended a three-week virtual scholarship program at the University of North Carolina’s Eshelman School of Pharmacy, USA. The program, titled “Innovations and Transformations in Pharmaceutical Sciences 2020: Overview to discovery, delivery, and clinical use of drugs and vaccines,” featured world-renowned pharmaceutical science researchers from North Carolina’s Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Students also received one-on-one mentoring to help them develop professional skills including scientific and grant writing, critical review of literature, and curriculum vitae development. The program was held July 6th-10th and July 20th-30th, 2020.

At the College of Dentistry, 11 interns attended a virtual conference with Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences in India, on 3D Printing, a game-changing technology for customization in Clinical Dentistry. The conference provided latest insights on 3D printing technology, as well as certificates to participating students.

The college of Architecture, Art & Design organized an online training course titled “Revit Introduction for Interior Designers,” for an elite group of Interior Design students participating in the University workshop and design collaboration system with a reputable German University.

In addition to these activities, the colleges and units held several virtual webinars. A series of webinars was organized by The Counselling Unit at the Deanship of Student Services, the Sociology department and the Psychology department at the College of Humanities & Sciences, respectively, with international speakers from reputable universities in the USA, Jordan, Egypt and the UK.