University supports National Agenda’s goal of transforming conventional education into smart learning
Dubai, UAE, January 27, 2014 – Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University (HBMeU) has announced that it will be hosting the 6th Conference on e-Learning Excellence in the Middle East taking place as part of HBMeU Congress 2014 running from March 3 to 5, 2014 under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and President of HBMeU, under the theme “Leading Transformation to Sustainable Excellence”.
The 6th Conference on e-Learning Excellence in the Middle East is being organized with the theme “Leadership, Design, and Technology for XXIst Century Learning,” and it reflects HBMeU’s full support for the implementation of the UAE Vision 2021 development agenda which prioritizes the transformation from conventional education to smart learning.
Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, Chancellor, notes that the upcoming Conference on e-Learning Excellence in the Middle East is a key addition to support the National Agenda that gives special importance to adopt the concept of smart learning. He explains that UAE Vision 2021 supports smart learning as an effective means to develop a high-level educational system based on the latest smart systems and state-of-the-art devices. The goal, he says, is to enable learners to leverage modern technologies and keep pace with rapid changes within the knowledge society to hasten the country’s comprehensive development.
“HBMeU is firmly committed to offering the necessary elements to shape the foundations of e-learning. We intend to facilitate the creation of an educational environment that keeps pace with rapid technological development. This will foster a highly-qualified generation that will promote the nation’s growth and help position it among the leading countries of the world by 2021,” said Al Awar.
“The event provides an interactive platform for researchers, academics, e-learning experts, senior government officials, business leaders and international representatives to discuss the best online practices for promoting the use of modern technologies and techniques in education. It will also highlight the latest and best strategies for integrating advanced technologies into the learning setting to promote educational efficiency. This will help achieve sustainable e-learning excellence in line with the directives of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai,” he added.
The e-Learning Excellence Conference will include two discussion panels on “Cloud Campus/Social Online Learning” and “Benchmarking Best Practices in Technology-Enhanced Education.” It will also feature a series of workshops on key topics such as “Quality in e-Learning”, “GCC e-Learning Initiative”, “UNESCO Project on ICT in Primary Education” and “Publishers Material Integration.”
HBMeU has received several research papers on subjects related to e-learning for inclusion in the conference. They cover Teaching, Design and Quality; Quality Frameworks for Online Institutions; Social Online Learning; Cultural Integration of Open Educational Resources (OERs); and Educational Leadership and Technological Innovation, among others. The papers will be reviewed by an international technical committee in compliance with highest standards of transparency and objectivity, with the best submission to be included in the Conference Proceedings.
Distinguished participating entries at the 6th Conference on e-Learning Excellence in the Middle East will be nominated for the ‘Best Paper’ Award and will be published in one of HBMeU’s refereed journals.