Saudi FM calls Indian, Pakistani counterparts to discuss developments    Al Hilal thrash Gwangju to reach AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi Arabia cracks down on fraudulent Hajj campaigns, urges pilgrims to use official channels    Nammos Amala Resort to open soon with Saudi-Greek designs    Saudi Arabia completes 674 Vision 2030 initiatives, achieves 93% of KPIs as ninth-year milestone marked    Literature Commission inaugurates Saudi Pavilion at Muscat Book Fair    Saudi Minister of Culture holds talks with his Costa Rican counterpart in Jeddah    Alkhorayef praises advancements in Al-Kharj food industries sector    MHRSD: 80% of recruitment offices are non-compliant with regulations    At least 50 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza    Teenage girl killed in French school stabbing attack    Trump claims meeting with China after Beijing denies any trade negotiations    GACA chief chairs 16th meeting of the Steering Committee on aviation's strategy    Saudi Theater Commission launches its Work and Learn Project in UK    The season has begun — and one comment shook us all    Jennifer Lopez dazzles in Jeddah with a Formula 1 performance    Saudi Arabia open to expanded 64-team World Cup in 2034, says sports minister    Average life expectancy in Saudi Arabia rises to78.8 years    Film Commission launches 'Cinema' initiative to enhance content    Famed Philippine film star Nora Aunor dies at 71    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Saudi Arabia emerging as regional e-learning leader: US professor
SHAHID ALI KHAN
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 26 - 02 - 2011

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is taking a lead in the field of e-learning and distance education in the Gulf region, said Prof. Curtis J. Bonk of Indiana University.
Bonk was one of the 44 international keynote speakers, who addressed the four-day 2nd International Conference on e-Learning that concluded in Riyadh, Thursday.
He spoke on the topic of “e-learning: nature (technology) and nurture (pedagogy).”
Bonk said the National Center for e-Learning and Distance Learning (NCEL), the organizer of the event had done a good job by inviting some of the leading international experts in the field of e-learning and distance education from different countries such as the United States, Britain, Australia, Malaysia, India, and Pakistan.
NCEL, established in 2005 by directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah is a branch of the Ministry of Higher Education.
“I think Saudi Arabia's efforts in e-learning are very significant because the field is mature, the skills are being blended and unfolding on the online format. People are pursuing degrees and certificates through online courses.
This shows that there is the possibility of continuing learning throughout life, which is an important development,” he said.
However, Bonk said there are still some challenges and constraints that the Kingdom has to address on a number of issues relating to e-learning and distance education.
“I think what Saudi Arabia needs is to develop a strategic plan and vision in order to address the issues relating to e-learning and distance education,” he said.
For instance, Saudi Arabia needs to develop infrastructure in the field of e-learning and distance education in areas such as an interactive mobile curriculum, e-books and how e-books are infiltrating here and who is going to develop e-books platforms and evaluate the effectiveness of e-books, said Bonk.
“The people in Saudi Arabia have mobile phones but not a mobile curriculum,” Bonk said emphatically. He said Saudi Arabia is required to take a multi-prong approach with a combination of applications and recommendations since emerging technologies such as electronic portfolios, blogs, wikis, podcasts, e-books, digital object repositories, computer games and simulations, and wireless and mobile computing have been generating waves of new opportunities in higher education, schools, corporate training and other learning environments.
Bonk said it was his fifth visit to the Kingdom.
“I have visited Saudi Arabia five times in a period of four years. Over those four years I have seen qualitative change with lots of people looking to participate in e-learning and distance education,” he said.
Prince Sultan Grand Hall at the Faisaliah Hotel, the venue of the 2nd International Conference on e-learning, was crowded with enthusiastic people who wanted to know more about e-learning, he said.
Over 11,000 people including 2,000 women participants registered for the four-day e-learning conference.
The quality of papers presented in the conference was superb, Bonk said.
The national and international experts on e-learning took into consideration not just local needs but adopted a comprehensive approach showing what the next steps should be, he said.
“I was impressed with the level of awareness and knowledge of women participants who knew the literature so very well. The papers presented were not just research specific but took into consideration the whole aspect of e-learning and distance education,” he said.
There is awareness in Saudi Arabia about e-learning and distance education at the academic level with professionals engaged in publishing articles, doing research studies and holding conferences, which did not exist five years ago, Bonk said.
However, there is still need to create awareness at the general public level, he added.
“This week was almost like a celebration with lots of people from both the public and private sectors, students, teachers and professors, research scholars and businesspeople involved in e-learning and distance education activities,” he said.
An exhibition with the participation of over 40 exhibitors both national and international and 24 workshops with international instructors and teachers were organized on the sidelines of the conference.


Clic here to read the story from its source.