Virtual Initiatives In Saudi Arabia
In a major transformation of traditional education, most universities in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia are expected to switch to a system of e-learning next year. The Saudi Ministry of Higher Education has established a National Centre of E-learning & Distance Learning, known as the ELC, to organize the change and prepare e-learning material. Nine universities have already agreed to implement the system.
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has called for a national plan to adopt information technology across the country. The plan recommends implementation of e-learning and distance learning, and their prospective applications in higher education.
The Higher Education Ministry has set up a repository for e-learning material to help universities adopt the system. E-books for engineering, medical, computer science and humanities courses will be available initially and academics in the universities who have agreed to adopt e-learning are being offered training. (SAUDI ARABIA: E-learning education shake-up – 01 June 2008- sourced from http://www.universityworldnews.com/publication/archives.php?mode=archive&p_id=UWorld&issueno=30&format=html)
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)is a public research University located in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. KAUST was built and is operated by Saudi Aramco and has the third largest endowment of any university in the world following Harvard and Yale, respectively. The high diversity among the faculty is also reflected by the student body, with more than 60 nations represented on campus. This multicultural environment, in which creativity and teamwork is much valued, fosters great knowledge exchange and innovation.
KAUST was founded in 2009, officially opened on 23 September 2009, and focuses exclusively on graduate education and research, using English as the official language of instruction. It offers programs in Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering; Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering; and Physical Sciences and Engineering. The University achieved significant progress in a very short time and is currently among one of the world’s most productive universities in terms of research.
Knowledge International University
Knowledge International University (KIU) was founded in 2007 in Saudi Arabia to improve access to higher education for nontraditional learners unable to enroll in conventional university programmes. Most courses are available in Arabic and focus on the study of Islam. Lectures comprise the bulk of learning materials for KIU courses and are available both via live streaming and “pre-recorded” for on-demand viewing. KIU has examination centres in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Morocco.
The Knowledge International University web site is at http://www.kiu.com.sa/website/index.php
Arab Open University
The Arab Open University (AOU, in Arabic الجامعة العربية المفتوحة) is a non-profit private Pan-Arab university founded in 2002 in Kuwait, Jordan, and Lebanon. One year later it opened in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Oman. The AOU is affiliated with the UK Open University (UKOU). Agreements with the UKOU to cover four major areas:
- licensing of materials
- consultancies
- accreditation
- validation.
(http://www.virtualcampuses.eu/index.php/Saudi_Arabia)
