Students entering the College of Engineering (CEN) at American University of Sharjah (AUS) are excited about a new practice these days: they are filling time capsules they will collect at the time of their graduation.

Students are offered personal time capsules to record multimedia messages to their future selves. The time capsule provides students with an opportunity to imagine their future, their university experience at AUS and their aspirations, as well as to visualize their graduation. The messages are personal and are to be opened by the students at the time of their graduation.

Developed by Dr. Sirin Tekinay, Dean of CEN, and the university’s IT team, the initiative aims to motivate students and improve retention rates.

At the opening of the platform last week, Dean Tekinay said:

“As engineers, we strive to make life on our planet sustainable, healthy, safe and joyful. As we usher our ‘colleagues in training’ into the future, we want them imagine their role and stay motivated."

“It’s important for everyone to carry the responsibility of the future today,” she added.

The opening was also attended by Professor Kevin Mitchell, Chancellor of AUS, and Dr. Juan Sanchez, Provost and Chief Academic Officer.

The students taking part in the initiative found the exercise of imagining their future selves fun, interesting and exciting. “It’s personal,” said a student, “I might re-record several times before the thing closes. Hopefully I’ll get it right by then.”

Each capsule remains open for a few weeks after the student starts at CEN, and then closes until students receive a link to access the capsule once they complete their graduation requirements.