Japanese MBA students visit Dubai Women's College

28 August 2013, Dubai, UAE —Twenty-five MBA students and their professors from Hitotsubashi University in Japan recently visited the Higher Colleges of Technology – Dubai Women's College (DWC). The group was hosted for a half day of activities by DWC Business Department.

The students were visiting the UAE as a part of their Tourism and Hospitality Programme with the aim to learn about culture, educational institutions and businesses in the UAE. They requested a visit to one of the HCT campuses after learning about the innovative uses of technology and the “learning by doing” approach adopted by the HCT.

During their visit, the students were greeted by Dr. Saoud Al Mulla, Director of HCT-Dubai Colleges, toured the campus and attended presentations by faculty members.

Dr. Saoud Al Mulla, Director of HCT-Dubai Colleges, said the visit helped the parties to explore opportunities of collaboration between DWC and Japanese Higher educational institutions. “Collaborations such as this one will result in the exchange of knowledge and expertise between our two nations, and also enhance the academic and cultural experiences and appreciations by students from both sides.”

Students were interested to learn about the history of Dubai and DWC, which were explained by faculty member Dr. Monica Gallant. One student commented, “I am amazed to learn how multicultural the city of Dubai is. This is very different from Japan where 95% of the population is Japanese.” Dr. Dean Sheetz, MBA Faculty at DWC Business Department, emphasised the practical nature of the MBA programme at HCT and students were interested to see how the programme incorporates industry applications.

The Japanese students left the campus with a very positive impression about the modern and innovative nature of DWC. One student, a young mother, was also very excited about the childcare facility (DWC nursery) and encouraged her professors to start a similar facility at their university. Professors from both institutions agreed to pursue future collaboration in research areas as well as to explore opportunities for virtual student exchanges between Japanese and Emirati students.

Hitotsubashi University Professor Ken Senoh thanked the college for their hospitality and commented, “It is a great learning experience for our students to visit the UAE and HCT-Dubai Colleges.”