This approach is campus-based, instructor-centered and institution-scheduled. Consequently, the right knowledge does not always reach the right person at the right time, in the right way, or in the right context. Thus, conventional higher education may not always be the best approach.
In order to optimize higher education, it is necessary to transform traditional higher education into a more network-oriented and student-centered process with more on-demand components. In today's digital knowledge economy, where everything from e-business and e-banking to e-entertainment and e-communication are growing, web-based education is quickly becoming the predominant technology in distance education.
In distance education, learning occurs at each student's individual pace, at a time and place convenient to the learner, with course offerings which meet his or her personal, educational or professional goals. This amounts to a paradigm shift in education that puts the student, instead of the teacher or institution, at the center of the process.
But distance learning is only the beginning. The advancements in personal computers, bandwidth capabilities, and powerful interactive communication and collaboration software will only advance this new development in higher education.
New possibilities include: complete university e-libraries; e-curriculums that electronically define and allow access to various courses of study or smaller learning units; e-research that facilitate fast and intelligent access to vast amounts of data; e-assessments that help evaluate the progress of a given student; e-administration and management courses; communication, support and other services available for students online; and mobile learning with wireless devices.
Ultimately, a complete Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) could exist, with the each student able to access the right knowledge, at the right time, and at the right place.
This VLE would support the paradigm shift from teacher-centered, rote-based education to a collaborative, student-centered forum.
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Moving from the conventional to the virtual in higher education
- United Arab Emirates: Monday, March 21 - 2005 at 09:25
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The goal of higher education is to transfer information from one generation to the next, and apply this knowledge to create new knowledge. Conventional higher education uses a variety of techniques to accomplish this, including lectures, demonstrations, writings, readings and assessments.
Dr. Emad Bataineh, Assistant Dean and Assistant Professor, College of Information Systems, Zayed University
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Dr. Abdullah Abonamah, Director of the ITI at Zayed UniversityMonday, March 21 - 2005 at 09:25 UAE local time (GMT+4)
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This article was updated on Sat Jun 23 2007.
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References:
1. Bataineh, Emad. "A summary look at Internet based distance education." Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (pp. 123-128). Orlando, Florida, 2001.
2. Bataineh, Emad et al. "The Information Technology Transformation in Higher Education." Presented at the Social Sciences & Humanities Forum in the Gulf, March 9-10, Dubai 2003.
3. Kamel, Ibrahim and Emad Bataineh. "An Enhanced Multimedia-Based System for E-Learning Applications in Higher Education." ED-MEDIA 2004-World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia, and Telecommunications, Logano, Switzerland, June 21-26, 2004.
About Dr. Emad Bataineh
Dr. Bataineh received a Doctor of Science (D.Sc) in computer science from George Washington University, Washington, in 1993. Presently he is the Assistant Dean for the College of Information Systems at Zayed University, Dubai, UAE. Between 1997-2000, he served as Chairman of the Math and Computer Science Department, at Olivet College, Michigan. Between 1994-1996, he worked as an Assistant Professor in the Computer Science Department at Mutah University, Jordan. During the 1996/97 school year, he was a Visiting professor in the Department of Math & Computer Science at Southern Arkansas University. His teaching interests include programming and data structures, computer architecture and multimedia systems. His research interests include multimedia computing, distance education, mobile-agent applications and e-commerce. He is also a paper reviewer for three international journals.
1. Bataineh, Emad. "A summary look at Internet based distance education." Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (pp. 123-128). Orlando, Florida, 2001.
2. Bataineh, Emad et al. "The Information Technology Transformation in Higher Education." Presented at the Social Sciences & Humanities Forum in the Gulf, March 9-10, Dubai 2003.
3. Kamel, Ibrahim and Emad Bataineh. "An Enhanced Multimedia-Based System for E-Learning Applications in Higher Education." ED-MEDIA 2004-World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia, and Telecommunications, Logano, Switzerland, June 21-26, 2004.
About Dr. Emad Bataineh
Dr. Bataineh received a Doctor of Science (D.Sc) in computer science from George Washington University, Washington, in 1993. Presently he is the Assistant Dean for the College of Information Systems at Zayed University, Dubai, UAE. Between 1997-2000, he served as Chairman of the Math and Computer Science Department, at Olivet College, Michigan. Between 1994-1996, he worked as an Assistant Professor in the Computer Science Department at Mutah University, Jordan. During the 1996/97 school year, he was a Visiting professor in the Department of Math & Computer Science at Southern Arkansas University. His teaching interests include programming and data structures, computer architecture and multimedia systems. His research interests include multimedia computing, distance education, mobile-agent applications and e-commerce. He is also a paper reviewer for three international journals.
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