The United Arab Emirates University Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai

ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates University participates in Expo 2020 Dubai with an independent pavilion situated in the Mobility District. The pavilion’s central program, the Pathfinders program, invites applications from high school graduates, enrolled students or recent graduates (within one year) from a UAE or an international university. The first iteration of the Pathfinders Program, 1.0, currently on-going, will successfully conclude in September with over 46 participants.

The UAE University’s pavilion, during the period of six months from October 1, 2021, until March 31, 2022, will empower participants and give them the guided freedom they need to choose their path and impact the world.

The transformative transdisciplinary curriculum, developed using multistakeholder approach based on Design Thinking, offers participants a strong connection to the real-world and places the commitment to solving global challenges at the center of their learning experience.  Pathfinders will acquire the essential intellectual equipment to survive in today’s complex, dynamic and integrated society.

Talking about the Curriculum of the Future, Prof. Nihel Chabrak, Executive Director of the UAEU pavilion at Expo 2020 and lead of the pathfinders’ program stated that the curriculum was designed to equip students with the skills of the future by infusing in learners reasoning, problem-identifying and problem-solving, higher level of abstraction, system thinking, creativity, experimentation, and collaboration, teamwork, leadership, effective communication, values of citizenship, quality, and ambition, to make their transition towards existing and future employment opportunities seamless.

Globally renowned experts will deliver the program from leading private, government, and not-for-profit organizations. Participants will be recognized and awarded during a special graduation ceremony at the end of the program. The resulting educational outputs and experiences will be used to enrich and set up the final version of the curriculum of the Institute of the Future.

Applicants will be assessed through their motivation and willingness to initiate a self-discovery path to identify their purpose and talent, develop their growth mindset, and a lifelong learning habit to explore better challenges faced by global society. A total of 40 Pathfinders will succeed to enter the Pathfinders Program 2.0, 50% of them will be from UAEU.

The program activities will be planned and conducted in line with the national health and safety protocols in UAE. All face-to-face interactions will be planned following the national UAE and Expo 2020 Dubai COVID 19 precautionary measures.

The Pathfinders program will ensure maximum accessibility to the program for learners of every background. It will thus guarantee a balance of genders in selected participants. The program encourages people of determination to apply as the program will ensure their specific needs are accommodated during the program to its best ability.- KT Abdurabb