Challenges of teaching at international branch campus - case of UK university operating in Dubai international academic city

As internationalisation becomes the key policy initiative of many United Kingdom (UK) universities, the mirrored effect is visible in the growth of international branch campuses (IBC) from the UK. Teaching becomes the primary function at the branch campus as opposed to research being the fundamental task at the parent campus. For a new branch campus set-up, teaching quality and commitment is what decides it’s very sustenance. This is contrary to the living fact that teaching in higher education institutions (HEIs) is seen as the other thing after research in the UK where teaching, in practice or even in theory, is not often a ground for promotion (Bauer & Henkel, 1997). Although the ‘scholarship of teaching’ as a notion is growing in the UK and the formation of Institute for Learning and Teaching (ILT) –UK was to enhance teaching and learning within higher education (HE) (Dearing report, 1997), academic promotions are dependent on research outputs. This paper analyses the significance of teaching at IBC’s and discusses the challenges academics face; identifying the soft and hard teaching issues at a UK IBC in Dubai located in the Dubai International Academic City (DIAC).