Higher education institutions across the globe are noticing the paradigm shift which other industries are undergoing and they are looking to achieve a similar innovation in their business model. The focus has evidently turned towards hybrid learning and teaching. In this issue, we have focused on this global higher education ecosystem which is evolving rapidly. The cover story of this issue features Gulf Medical University (GMU) which is one of the most sought-after private medical universities in the GCC region. 60 per cent of the health professionals trained in the UAE are alumni of this university. They comprise not only doctors, but also nurses, dentists, physiotherapists, among others.

It has over 2000 students from more than 90 different nationalities, and it offers 29 accredited undergraduate and graduate programs run by the six constituent colleges in the field of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, biomedical sciences, healthcare management and economics, anesthesia technology, medical laboratory sciences, physiotherapy, medical imaging sciences and healthcare management and economics. Also featuring in the issue is Hanyang Cyber University which has pioneered a new education market with an education platform called `Connecting Internet to Education'. What started with 950 students from five departments, it has today become the largest cyber university in Korea with a total of 19,441 students, with 18,279 undergraduate and 1,162 graduate schools. It currently has the largest number of full-time teachers among domestic cyber universities.

After scrutinizing the colleges and universities across the globe, we have selected the top performers of the year who have showcased exceptional academic expertise. With the intent to transform the lives of students, these institutions have exhibited the acumen to adapt to the evolution of the educational field and help students emerge victorious.

We look forward to receiving your feedback and suggestions.