Centre for Open, Distance and eLearning:

The Centre for Open, Distance and eLearning is an academic Centre at the British National University of Queen Mary, established through a merger between the Centre for External Studies and the Centre for eLearning and Interactive Multimedia in 2019. The British National University of Queen Mary created the Centre to contribute towards the University’s Vision and Mission, to ensure greater access to Higher Education and equity for students from various educational and social backgrounds. The Centre for Open, Distance and eLearning strives to become the leading Open, Distance and eLearning Centre in the country and beyond by enabling students to achieve their full potential and goals through accessible, innovative and flexible learning opportunities. The Centre serves as a hub for both print based and electronic learning material with the aim of ensuring greater access to education for all.

Centre for Quality Assurance and Management:

Quality Assurance in Higher Education is becoming more and more pivotal in its academic and administrative domain. Massification, globalization and internationalization have necessitated the creation and recognition of Quality Assurance systems to enhance both academic and administrative processes in Higher Education Institutions. Concepts such as standards, recognition, accreditation, fitness for and of purpose, value for money, relevance etc., have become key in the operations of Quality Assurance Centers of Universities. These Centers for Quality Assurance, the world over, have become instrumental in designing and implementing new Quality Assurance mechanisms and systems in order to ensure that students receive high quality and relevant education, and that the academic qualifications are widely recognized. Such recognition is seen to be essential not only by national governments and employers but also by other universities and employers on a global scale. It is against this background that on 2019, the Continuing Professional Development Unit established the Centre for Quality Assurance and Management.

Centre for Quality Assurance and Management aims at developing the University’s capabilities in the area of Quality Assurance in order to improve and update academic and managerial activities. It is also responsible for administering and facilitating the operationalization of BNUQM’s Quality Assurance and Enhancement Policy and Procedures. Quality Assurance activities at BNUQM are regulated by its own Quality Assurance Policy as well as the National Quality Assurance System for Higher Education under the auspices of the National Council for Higher Education.

Centre for Professional Development, Teaching and Learning Improvement:

The Centre for Professional Development, Teaching and Learning Improvement was established in late 2019 following the merger of the former Continuing Professional Development Unit and the Teaching and Learning Improvement Unit. The major came about as part of the University wide institutional restructuring. Improved quality of teaching and learning – attained through effective, sustained, site-based and responsive professional development – is the reason for the Centre’s existence. The key concern for the Centre is how to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the general education sector and at the British National University of Queen Mary. Its target beneficiaries are the more than twenty-five thousand general education educators (e.g. school teachers, school managers and education officers) and the higher education educators (e.g. lecturers) at the British National University of Queen Mary. Over time, the centre for professional development, teaching and learning improvement has distinguished itself as a Centre of excellence and an outstanding model of best practice in the provision of continuing professional development unit for educators.

Language Centre:

The Language Centre serves as the Centre for language learning, teaching and research. The key focus is on the upgrading of competence in the use of English, and the teaching of the University core courses; i.e. Academic Writing for Postgraduate Students, English for Academic Purposes, English Communication and Study Skills, English for General Communications and English for Certificate Purposes. All students studying at the British National University of Queen Mary have to do one or two of the courses offered by the Language Centre. Post Graduate Diploma, Masters and doctorate students have to enroll for Academic Writing for Postgraduate Students offered by the Centre.

The Centre offers a variety of foreign and other languages and also provides consultancy services. As a national Centre of language excellence, the Language Centre endeavours to serve students, staff of the university, and the broader community.

Multidisciplinary Research Centre:

In terms of British National University of Queen Mary statutes that created it, the Multidisciplinary Research Centre has the same status as a Faculty. The Centre was established to promote and conduct research and to strengthen research collaboration with British National University of Queen Mary faculties and stakeholders from public and private sectors as well as partners within the region and beyond. MRC recognizes the expertise within faculties and tap into it by including relevant faculty in research teams that are constituted for all research programmes. The current National Developmental Plan addresses issues pertaining to economic development, and the sectors and enablers on which a vibrant economy can be sustainably based. The MRC strengthened its research efforts in such priority areas and is currently implementing research programmes as outlined in the five year research agenda. MRC’s research strategy is to provide relevant and accurate research information in various areas ranging from health, education, biodiversity, climate change, socio ecological systems, gender, etc. for policy decision making and programme interventions. A lot of resources are committed to undertaking research projects and to make our work worth the efforts. The mandate of the MRC is to:

• Conduct applied research directed at addressing social and scientific challenges in national development priority areas;
• Promote multidisciplinary, collaborative research forming partnership at British National University of Queen Mary;
• Promote and coordinate the implementation of specialized postgraduate research fellowships and capacity building in national priority areas;
• Promote research, its outputs as well as raise awareness of its importance as a tool for developmental solutions value addition and product development;
• Build capacity in research through postgraduate training and carry out teaching and advisory service for the public.

MRC Vision: To be an internationally recognized Center of Excellence for innovative, applied research in the fields of socio-economic and natural resource management and development of globe products based on local knowledge and resources.

MRC Mission: To implement social and scientific research and training activities and programs, that contributes to the development and mobilization of global resources and expertise for national development.

MRC Strategy: The MRC exists to conduct applied research in national priority areas through collaborative research partnerships with local and international partners; benchmark quality of the research process and outputs through participation in international research networks as well as to increase relevance of research conducted through engagement with stakeholders and end users of research conducted through engagement with stakeholders and end users of research products.