De Montfort University (DMU) has been shortlisted for two national awards, recognising its pioneering approach to teaching and the exceptional response of its Dubai team to the regional crisis in the Middle East. 

The nominations are in the 2026 University Alliance (UA) Awards, run by the UA, which represents universities from across the higher education sector. DMU rejoined the UA earlier this year. 

DMU is a finalist in two categories: Teaching Innovation, for its whole-institution block teaching model, and the Heroes category, for the remarkable efforts of the DMU Dubai team in safeguarding students and staff through the development of the US-Israel Iran war 

DMU's Teaching Innovation nomination reflects the growing body of evidence behind its block teaching model, introduced across all courses in the 2022/23 academic year and designed to reduce stress, improve engagement and enhance support by enabling students to study one module at a time rather than juggling several subjects simultaneously.  

The university is currently one of the only institutions in the country to offer block teaching and carried out a survey with those students who graduated last summer – the first cohort to have been entirely taught under the model.  

In every single category of student surveys, covering connection with coursemates, access to tutors, interaction with teaching staff and timetabling, students taught under block registered improved responses, with some categories seeing rises of more than 15%.  

The 2025 National Student Survey results, the first to reflect a fully block-taught graduating cohort, showed gains across all core themes compared with 2022, with Assessment and Feedback seeing particularly strong improvement. The model is also reshaping DMU's reputation as a place to study: 60% of undergraduate and 71% of postgraduate 2025/26 entrants said block teaching influenced their decision to enrol. 

DMU Dubai earned its nomination in the Heroes category for its resilience and support in uncertain and rapidly changing geopolitical circumstances. 

When hostilities broke out in the region in late February, the DMU Dubai team acted quickly to prioritise the safety and academic continuity of its students and staff, moving seamlessly between in-person and remote learning and introducing a range of support measures, including no-penalty resits, automatic coursework extensions and scholarships of up to 100% for UAE and GCC students impacted by the situation.  

The university also confirmed it would make offers to prospective students based on predicted grades, following the cancellation of international examinations across the UAE, ensuring disruption did not cost any student their place at university.  

Simon Bradbury, Pro Vice-Chancellor International, said: “What our team in Dubai demonstrated during an extraordinarily difficult period was truly remarkable. When the situation around us was uncertain and fast-moving, the focus of every member of staff never wavered: it was always on our students. 

“I am enormously proud of what they achieved, and deeply grateful for the dedication and professionalism they showed in circumstances none of us could have anticipated.” 

Winners of the University Alliance Awards 2026 will be announced in September. 

Posted on Tuesday 19 May 2026