Exploring the Role of Big Data Analytics in Reinnovating Higher Education: The Case of UAE

The purpose of this research-in-progress is to provide an updated literature review and focused analysis on the potential of Big Data Analytics in renovating higher education's value proposition in the gulf region for countries with higher indicators of AI-readiness and data-driven economies such as the UAE and KSA. Such countries are planning to move faster toward an oil-free economy and boost digital innovation across all sectors of their economy. This study aims to focus on higher education as the vital knowledge creation and sharing engine for this region and analyze to which extent the current institutions are ready to capitalize on big data analytics to drive real innovation and support in the whole country's digital transformation. The expected result will highlight how educational institutions can benefit from big data analytics to build educational strategies that boost the digital economy and innovation in the whole region. Such results will impact academia, policymaking, and digital transformation consultants of higher education to run more effective and efficient transformation projects.