Saudi Arabia leads e-learning

The second International Conference on e-Learning was held in Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, last week, with the hope of boosting the concept of e-learning in the region, writes zawya.com.

According to one of the international keynote speakers, Professor Curtis Bonk of Indiana University, Saudi Arabia is taking a lead in the field of e-learning and distance education in the Gulf region.

The conference was organised by the National Centre for e-Learning and Distance Training. The centre was established in 2005 by directives of King Abdullah, and 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,” says Bonk.

The SaudiGazette.com.sa reports that the conference targeted the young generation with speakers including the founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales. The Arabic content on Wikipedia is very sparse compared to the size of the Arab population, said Wales.

AMEInfo.com says fast-growing Saudia Arabian university; Prince Mohammad bin Fahd University also used the conference to explore possibilities of implementing e-learning at the university.

Over 11 000 people, including 2 000 female participants, registered for the four-day e-learning conference. About 80 international speakers and some thousands of participants including university professors, teachers, instructors, students and their parents will attend.