UAE University plans E-Learning Symposium to provide forum for exchange of ideas

The symposium will be conducted under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mubarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, from May 12-13, 2002 at Al Bustan Rotana Hotel Dubai. The announcement was made at a press conference held in co-ordination with Dubai e-Government, one of the main sponsors for the symposium.

The symposium will provide a forum for international scholars and practitioners in the field of e-learning to meet and exchange ideas and formulate a cohesive and comprehensive strategy for e-learning in the GCC countries. The conference will host professional speakers from Australia, Norway, Malaysia, India, Edinburgh and Spain in addition to a vast number of professors from the regional universities in Jordan, Algeria, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Prof. Owen Gaede of the College of Education, Florida State University will be the keynote speaker at the symposium. Professor Gaede was the design team leader for electronic systems on the Florida School year 2000 initiative, which is one of the most significant school reform initiatives of the 1990s in the US.

"With tremendous advances being made in information technology, e-learning has become of utmost significance, as it cuts across barriers of age, culture and nationality to offer people from all walks of life access to extensive information and knowledge." said Prof. Khaled A. Kamel, Dean CIT at UAE University, and the symposium's Chair. "It is imperative at this juncture to organise a forum that will facilitate the exchange of ideas, so that the fledgling concept of e-Learning can be developed in a structured and organised manner while providing customised solutions to meet the demands of the current situation in the region."

"One of the stated objectives of Dubai e-Government is to promote and propagate the use of the Internet and its various utility roles so that we can facilitate the establishment of an e-literate community capable of conducting financial, business and personal transactions over the web," said Salem Al Shair, Director e-Services, Dubai e-Government. "This Symposium is an excellent opportunity to emphasise the significance of e-learning and its growing importance in the world. The fact that this symposium will have learned speakers from around the world will also facilitate the free exchange of ideas and information and will give us a chance to benefit from the experience of other nations."

Organized in four parallel tracks, the scope of the symposium includes E-learning in the GCC, E-learning management, Tactics and technologies in e-Learning and delivering meaningful content for e-learning. "The two-day event is expected to have over 30 research presentations and five workshops in addition to a round table and panel discussion," said Dr. Mohammed Samaka, Director of Computer Science, CIT, and the Chair of the Symposium Steering Committee.

The e-Learning Symposium has been planned in response to a call from the GCC chapter of UNESCO to organize a panel on e-learning initiatives in the GCC countries. The Symposium will include a Round Table on "Collaborative e-Learning among GCC Universities," discussions for which have been underway since the last GCC Dean's council meeting and the formation of a sub-committee comprising of Deans of IT Schools in the regional universities. The Dean's Council is expected to present a draft recommendation to the Round Table on collaborative e-learning initiatives in the GCC region, with the possibility of formulating a concerted regional e-learning campaign.

The College of Information Technology (CIT) at the UAE University has a mission to prepare students to enter the IT profession or to pursue advanced graduate study with specialty in the areas of Computer Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Software Engineering, Telecommunication and Network Engineering, Information Security, and Electronic Commerce. The primary goal of the IT College is to graduate students who have completed four years of training that includes practical experience and professional competency leading to the IT baccalaureate degree in one of seven areas of specialization or a certificate in Educational Technology. All degree programs are designed to be consistent with the principles of the new ACM/IEEE Curriculum 2001 and the curriculum is designed by distinguished IT experts.