Dr Christine Howling
(HCT) in the United Arab Emirates
Executive Dean
Dr Christine Howling is the Executive Dean of the General Academic Requirements Division at the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) in the United Arab Emirates, where she provides strategic leadership for general education across the institution. An experienced academic leader, she is recognized for leading multicultural teams and fostering collaboration across academic and non-academic units to advance holistic, competency-based education and drive continuous improvement.
With professional experience spanning the UK, Europe, and the Middle East, Christine brings a global and intercultural perspective to higher education leadership. She works collaboratively to align academic programs with institutional priorities, ensuring students develop strong communication skills, achieve meaningful learning outcomes, and acquire the future-focused competencies needed for success in the 21st-century workplace. Committed to academic excellence and student success, she champions integrated learning pathways that connect the classroom, campus, and community, promoting intercultural understanding, global citizenship, and lifelong learning.
Christine’s research interests include learner motivation, socioculturalism, gender, and master narratives. Her leadership approach is democratic and participative, emphasizing dialogue, collective sense-making, and shared responsibility in educational design and decision-making. She holds a PhD in Higher Education (Research, Evaluation and Enhancement) from Lancaster University and is a graduate of University of Cambridge.