MBRU Launches Smart Learning Hub To Tackle Digital Learning Amid Covid-19 Outbreak

Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) is ensuring that the studies of the healthcare leaders of tomorrow continue apace during the COVID-19 outbreak amid the directions for students to be off-campus until 4 April, with the implementation of a comprehensive digital education program.

‘The Smart Learning Hub’ is an all-inclusive solution to help faculty design, develop, and implement digital learning in a timely manner, utilizing specially created advanced software.

The learning hub has been implemented following a series of initial testing sessions which drew an emphatic response from both students and faculty, with the majority stating that the Smart Learning Hub mimics a classroom environment, and it’ll help efficiently and effectively bridge the faculty-student interaction gap during this period.

Dr. Amer Mohammad Al Zarooni, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Administration and Professional Services said: “MBRU is committed to providing an innovative, secure, and dynamic learning environment. These are such unprecedented times and it is encouraging that we’ve been able to create a user-friendly digital education solution that enables us to maintain the high learning standards we pride ourselves on so promptly.”

“It was important for us to create comprehensive solutions that keep in mind the evolving nature of the challenge facing the world, which is why input from our students and faculty was so important. We have received a very encouraging response from the student community, and this gives us a great platform to build on. MBRU is fully aligned with the measures taken by the UAE’s proactive leadership and the education authorities and we are confident that during this time we will continue to educate our students without any disruption.”

MBRU’s infrastructure was built to provide innovative solutions, prior to the Ministry of Education announcing that all schools and institutes must adhere to online learning, MBRU had the tools in place to conduct classes online. As soon as the situation evolved MBRU tested its tools to provide a digital education;  gauged student interest and participation through a survey to identify their learning mediums – phones, laptops, desktop computers –  and ensured their internet connection was stable enough to consistently make the best use of the e-learning environment.

“What’s very nice about MBRU is that our opinions are taken into consideration. When the Ministry of Education directives were announced, we met to discuss our schedule and leave as part of the Student Council with the Dean and management. It’s incredible because many of the students had opinions and concerns on the matter and wanted to address it to the administrators. Through the Student Council we were able to bring all these concerns to light. We conducted a virtual meeting with our Dean to discuss the matter and he promptly came back to us with feedback which reflected our opinions, and to us that means a lot as students that our voices are heard,” Said Dr. Mustafa Abdalla, Year-3 postgraduate dental student in the pediatric postgraduate program at MBRU’s Hamdan Bin Mohammed College of Dental Medicine.

“The digital learning initiative recreates an authentic classroom feel. I can see and hear the professor; I can post all my queries instantly and see questions sent in by other students. I am

glad that MBRU has put in place a robust system that allows our academic program to continue and I am looking forward to my other classes. The classes went really well, the organization was great, and I think this is a very reasonable solution for us to continue our classes with no disruptions,” said Colleen McCully, Year-4 at the College of Medicine.

To address all matters related to COVID-19 such as campus closure, remote work, digital education and more, MBRU created the MBRU COVID-19 Task Force chaired by Dr. Amer Al Zarooni, comprised of a number of faculty members from both colleges, administrators, and subject matter expert. As there is a lot of uncertainty with this outbreak, MBRU is continuously working on a number of ways to educate the local community through awareness sessions, television interviews with faculty, as well as social media videos for the wider community on MBRU’s official accounts in partnership with Dubai Media Office.