Statistics show the global e-learning market in 2004 was worth more than US$18 billion. Madar Research Group, for instance, claims e-learning projects are expected to exceed a compound average growth rate (CAGR) of 32% by 2008, and the total spending on e-learning in UAE is forecast to increase from US$14 billion to US$56 billion by 2008. However, the e-learning market in the Middle East is in its infancy compared to Western Europe or the US, having only begun to grow in popularity in the last five years.
While there may be some concerns about the regions readiness for an electronic approach to education, especially in terms of infrastructure, the concept is nonetheless being well received in many nations and many organisations are willing to try the new method of learning. According to Abdullah Hashim, senior manager for eCompany, "Bahrain and Jordan in particular have been making good progress in stepping up their e-learning initiatives.
The University of Bahrains (UoB) 20,000 students can now readily remote-access the universitys network from anywhere in the world. Students and teachers are able to access learning tools at e-libraries; engage in videoconferences with their professors and exchange papers and corrections over the network with minimum delay.
Nowdays, in addition to converging voice and data, UoB intends to extend wireless systems to connect students in dormitories, cafeterias, and meeting rooms, enabling the e-learning services that, according to Al-Bastaki, are becoming a key differentiator for students selecting an institution of further education.
To ensure students have access to comprehensive online resources, the American University of Kuwait (AUK) has also turned to online services to create a unified digital campus in which systems, individuals, and communities can interact seamlessly for learning, teaching, and administration.
24/7 accessibility is becoming standard practice at educational institutions in the United States and we were therefore looking to provide a campus solution that integrated all of our administrative and student services so that we are able to provide information to our students in a real-time environment, Sean Dollman, dean of admissions and registrations at AUK, explains.
In Kuwait, the launch of the e-learning centre of excellence at the Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) is the first at a private university. The initiative will not only provide e-learning programmes, but will also act as a research and development hub in the region when it goes live later this month.
The new e-learning methodologies implemented at GUST can play a key role in creating a creative learning- teaching environment. The new system supports delivery, management and monitoring of e-learning content and supports different tools for collaboration, such as discussion forums, chat rooms, document sharing and virtual classrooms, says Dr Salah Al-Sharhan, director of the e-learning centre.
It is this paradigm shift in the learning process, which combines old and new teaching styles that experts say is responsible for the success of the e-learning model. Indeed, in one survey, conducted by Saudi-based Al Bayan, 95% of teachers said they believe e-classes have helped in increasing the efficiency of the educational process.
The Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED) is looking for a highly interactive, customisable and task-based learning programme to educate its employees about basic principles of IT security. The department decided to adopt the Symantec Security Awareness Programme (SSAP), which is a comprehensive, measurable training and communications programme, designed as a web-enabled e-learning initiative.
To effectively promote long-lasting results, the programme contains multiple security topics and can be modified to suit all levels of security understanding as the base level of user knowledge grows.
While the SSAP is designed so that staff can log on to the programme any time, the training application also includes robust user administration, allowing managers to monitor how long individual employees are spending on the programme, enabling them to assess progress and determine when certain staff may need additional support.
The translation of content into the Arabic language is only the first step in making any e-learning programme palatable to the local market, however, according to Sebaali, who acknowledges that all illustrations and examples must be relevant and appropriate within the local culture. He cites the Syrian Virtual University (SUV) as an example of how curricula can be successfully localised for optimal learning experiences.
Through its Partners in Learning programme, Microsoft aims to improve technology in schools through partnerships between itself and national education ministries, thus developing a wide range of different long-term projects to develop e-learning solutions with greater regional appeal.
Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Yemen have also all signed up for the initiative, with the intention of improving the use of information communications technology in schools. The initiative over the next five years will deliver ICT skills training, tailored curriculum development, technical support and research funds as well as resources to students and teachers.
Oracle is another vendor that is doing its bit to support the Middle Easts e-learning revolution. The vendor has a three-fold e-learning strategy, which includes work force excellence within enterprises, higher learning and university education. The Oracle iLearning is an enterprise learning management system that provides effective, manageable, integrated and extensible internet based learning solutions. Oracle's next wave of initiatives in the Middle East is to move to the higher education sector, which the vendor claims has enormous business opportunities. In addition, Oracle is working with regional universities to introduce e-university initiatives.
One of the major benefits for these e-curricula is the content, once digitised, can be re-used and built on for many years without any additional expense for the implementing organisation. Despite the cost effectiveness of electronic models of learning, Professor Bassem Khafagi, president of Al Nahda Virtual University says the region should develop accreditation and certification standards for e-learning in order to raise public understanding and academic acceptance of technology as an enhanced training tool.
"The internet is a tool for the dissemination of information, and this is exactly the principle of teaching, so it is only logical the internet and e-learning will come to play an even bigger part in all education and training.
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