Student Life in Academic City - Dubai

Executive summary

As the higher education industry undergoes a significant transformation, it has become imperative to have a more profound knowledge of the quality of the student experience (Tan, Muskat and Zehrer, 2016). The worldwide education market has become very competitive due to the increasingly globalized and internationalized environment (Tan, Muskat and Zehrer, 2016) The paper's main objective is to analyze the student's interaction with Dubai's academic city. The paper is based on a student survey and my observations of living in the city. The conclusion reflects on the process. The paper also recommends enhancing student life in the academic city. To ensure student happiness, it is vital to get a better grasp of what defines excellence in students' experiences (Arambewela and Maringe, 2012).

1 Introduction

Adapting to the academic metropolis of Dubai was no easy task for me as a new student. As a group, we decided to focus on this issue because our experiences at the University of Birmingham were distinct. For students, universities play a significant role in their psychological development (Jeffrey Jensen Arnett 2000) A student's time in the city can significantly impact their career and social prospects in the future.

Students whoarerecognizedto behighly competent working-class individuals play a significant part in keeping cities vibrant and creating diversity among people (Russo and Berg, 2003) Students are the city's future inhabitants. However, they are sometimes regarded as an unseen population with no policy input, little decision-making authority, and a debatable role in social development (Russo and Berg, 2003).

This paper will discuss my experiences living in the academic city and the experiences of other students who have come to the city in the past or who are now coming there.

1.1 Aim

Understanding the students' interaction with the academic city and assisting in resolving challenges encountered by students visiting the city.

1.2 Objectives

The following is a list of the primary goals and objectives of the paper:

• To survey the students from the academic city on the below-mentioned aspects

1. Housing alternatives for students

2. transit,

3. community space

4. well-being and opportunity

• Personal living experience in an academic city and significant conclusions

• Recommendations and solutions for issues identified in the city and among students.

Figure 1 image showing the courtyard space in the University of Birmingham Dubai campus.

1.3 Academic city

The location was formerly a desert, but now it is home to 25 international colleges and educational institutions attended by 24,000students representing145different nations (ArchDaily,2019). This development's infrastructure covers 129 million square feet, with 20 million square feet set aside exclusively for colleges and universities (Bayut Area Guides, 2022).

Figure 2 Map shows the academic city’s location and its proximity to other Dubai places (source: Digimap).

The map indicates the academic city is located beyond the city core. High transit times will promote vehicle dependence.

2 Methods

The study has been approached using an online survey and a physical visit to the location. To ensure student happiness, it is vital to get a better grasp of what defines excellence in students' experiences (Arambewela and Maringe, 2012).

2.1 Online Survey – Questionnaire, post/undergraduate students

The survey’s primary purpose was to understand the relationship between the student and the academic city. In all, 32 students from the city's colleges and universities participated in the online poll.

Data were evaluated using content analysis to uncover the students' own perspectives on the subjects mentioned above and their personal experiences with them.

Figure 3 topics covered in the online survey

2.1.1 Key findings in the survey

Around 90% of polled students said they commuted by vehicle, illustrating the growing automobile reliance. Students in the city have a hard time establishing friendships with other students. Sixty-four percent of students have fewer than 10 percent of friends from the academic city. When asked whether they had interacted with students from other institutions, the answer was uneven, with half of them not having interacted with anybody from another university.

Additionally, 60% of those surveyed felt that the academic city lacked public gathering places for students Findings show over half of the students lack a feeling of community in the academic city which is concerning. Intriguingly, despite the fact that over half of all practitioners self-practice regularly, approximately three-quarters of them report daily stress.

Figure 4 is a pie chart from the survey asking about community spaces in academic city.

Figure 5 is a pie chart from the survey asking about their stress-related conditions.

2.2 Personal experience

Student satisfaction is a critical factor in determining the quality of a university's educational program (Tan, Muskat and Zehrer, 2016). As a new student in the academic city, I got the opportunity to live in the academic city in one of the student housing known as KSK homes. After a few months, I decided to stay in another residential area known as the silicon oasis, the closest populated place to the academic city

Figure 6 the maps shows the two locations of the student housing

The above maps show the two locations of the stay, one in the academic city and the other one in the silicon oasis.

Figure 7, the model shows the scarcity of public parks on the north side of the academic city.

2.2.1 Key findings

Staying in academic city was difficult. Even though the institution was 15 minutes away on foot, therewere no direct orquickpaths. Certain walkways disappeared. Dueto theheat andthe absence of green spaces and trees, it gets pretty difficult to walk around the city. The lack of green places and sand gives the area an arid feeling. The academic city has no parks or public places outside university-owned ones. The scarcity of eateries has resulted in costly meals.

Silicon oasis was my second stay; it is much denser and has good access to green spaces. The entire area is filled with palm trees. The only mode of public transport is the bus service. Still, this problem was tackled by the student housing, which provided shuttle services to the universities and other places in the city daily, which made it very convenient

3 OMA’S educational masterplan in the academic city

The project aims to create "a vibrant and contemporary heart for the academic city," the155-hectaresitewill housestudent andstaff housing. Still, it will also house offices, retail, hotel facilities, and room for centers of excellence and R&D facilities (ArchDaily, 2019) Students may utilize this chance to discuss concerns and ask the team to add or alter items based on their opinions and convenience.

Figure 8 image showing no footpaths in certain areas of academic city

Figure 9 image of the academic city during the night

Figure 10 OMA's educational masterplan (source: ArchDaily, 2019).

4 Reflection on the process

Even though university studies may be intertwined with other aspects of a person's life, the term "student experience" has thus far only referred to a person's identification as a student (Baird and Gordon, 2009). Students' social, cultural, and acquiring habits are examined in a collection of studies (McInnis, 2004). It's crucial to monitor students since their experience contributes to a thriving institution. This paper aims to comprehend the student experience in the city, yet many gaps remain. My reflection on the process was converted into suggestions for the academic city since it's crucial to identify these concerns from a student's perspective, as they are the end users. These recommendations concentrate on fixing problems identified by the questionnaire and my own city experiences.

4.1 Recommendations Strategy 1 -

The universities in the academic city should create a cultural organization and hold inter-college festivals. One university hosts a weeklong cultural festival annually and invites students from all UAE universities. These activities will assist students in strengthening their social contacts with students from various colleges while also bringing a colorful experience to the academic city.

Supporting case study – MSRIT Bangalore, India

The MSRIT facility spans 24 acres (www.msrit.edu, n.d.). With a central plaza serving as the campus's focal point. This plaza regularly hosts various cultural and educational events (www.msrit.edu, n.d.) MSRIT students have a cultural festival called UDBHAV every year (www.msrit.edu, n.d.). Undergraduates from all around the state come together to participate in this event. There will be a celebrity performance at the end of the festival, which includes cultural competitions, a Fashion Show, a Battle of Bands, and Sports activities (www.msrit.edu, n.d.). This brings the students together and fosters a feeling of togetherness.

Strategy 2 –

The academic city planning authority should focus on providing shorter and shaded routes for pedestrians and cyclists, which will help promote walking and cycling within the city as it gets tough to walk during the summer The universities also need to develop cycling campaigns to promote a healthy lifestyle for the students. Students from outside Denmark who enroll in a university in Odense get a bicycle as part of their university housing (Edwards and Tsouros, 2008).

Figure 11 image showing a cultural fest in MSRIT (source: www.msrit.edu, n.d.).

Strategy 3 –

The academic city should have community spaces such as eateries serving various cuisines and cafés integrated with major plazas and parks It will assist in building social cohesiveness among students and allow them to spend more time in the city

4 –

The universities should introduce shuttle services from the campus to all the important places in the city, which will benefit the students to explore the city more often and give the students more commuting options.

Figure 12 is a sketch illustrating a community space Strategy

Figure 13 introducing the shuttle service from the university

5 Conclusion

Dubai is on the path to constructing a viable link between the city and its colleges. The academic city is home to several of the world's most prestigious educational institutions. In the academic city, student-city interaction is now being overlooked. The students desperately need recreational and social venues. Additionally, a shortage of eateries is a significant drawback for college students. This academic city's problems are the subject of the strategies. Host universitywide cultural festivals, the most important of which will enhance university-to-university communication and cooperation. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is critical for students since it will help influence our futures in the right direction. The authorities should focus on the student’s experience and not only on their interests and work together to implement the strategies This research has the potential to progress not only with the students. Still, it can also be understood by including the faculty’s relationship with the city to get a better and in-depth understanding of the topic.

6 References

Academic City – Area, Community & Lifestyle Guide» BayutTM 2022, Bayut Area Guides, Bayut AreaGuides, viewed 24 May2022,<https://www.bayut.com/area-guides/academic-city/>.

Arambewela, R. and Maringe, F. (2012), “Mind the gap: staff and postgraduate perceptions of student experience in higher education”, Higher Education Review, Vol. 44 No. 2, pp. 6383

ArchDaily. (2019). OMA Unveil Major Education Masterplan in Dubai. [online] Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/928700/oma-unveil-major-education-masterplan-in-dubai [Accessed 24 May 2022].

Baird, J. and Gordon, G. (2009), “Beyond the rhetoric: a framework for evaluating improvements to the student experience”, Tertiary Education and Management, Vol. 15 No. 3, pp. 193207

Edwards,P.and Tsouros, A.D.(2008). AHealthycity is anactive city: aphysical activityplanning guide. [online] Copenhagen, Denmark: World Health Organization. Available at: https://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/99975/E91883.pdf [Accessed 11 May 2022].

Jeffrey Jensen Arnett 2000, ‘Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties.’, American Psychologist, vol. 55, no. 5, viewed 24 May 2022, <http://www.jeffreyarnett.com/articles/ARNETT_Emerging_Adulthood_theory.pdf>.

McInnis, C. (2004), “Studies of student life: an overview”, European Journal of Education, Vol. 39 No. 4, pp. 383-394.

Nelson, M. (2018). Back To School. image. Available at: https://unsplash.com/photos/vbj1mKlJBzg [Accessed 31 May 2022].

Russo, A. and Berg, L. van den (2003). The Student City: Strategic Planning for Student CommunitiesinEUCities. London: Routledge.

Tan, A.H.T., Muskat, B. and Zehrer, A. (2016). A systematic review of quality of student experience in higher education. International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, 8(2), pp.209

228. doi:10.1108/ijqss-08-2015-0058.

www.msrit.edu. (n.d.). DEPARTMENT OF EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES. [online] Available at: http://www.msrit.edu/support/deca.html [Accessed 29 May 2022].

Online survey – Questionnaire

Key results from the survey.

Word count in the paper 1580 – excluding executive summary