Mansoor Al Awar, Chairman, Middle East e-Learning Association (MEEA)

What has been the most promising development within ODL in your region in 2011?

The rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICT), including the growth of the internet and other telecommunication means penetration in many Arab countries, offered tremendous educational opportunities to provide new innovative, accessible and more affordable ways of learning. During the past decade the Arab world witnessed many developments in the field of ODE with the establishment of several open and distance higher education institutions including the Arab Open University, the Hamdan Bin Mohamed e-University |(HBMeU), the Quds Open University, the Syrian Virtual University, and many others in the northern African region including Tunisia and Libya.
There has been more and more emphasis on creating a platform for dialogue, sharing of know-how and creating a platform for research in the field through the establishment of many regional conferences and seminars which the region has witnessed. Here are some of the developments which tend to have both short and long term impact on ODE development.

• In the UAE and since 2005, the MOHESR has established standards for recognizing ODE, this has open the door for the establishment of the first ‘’e’’ university in the gulf, known as Hamdan Bin Mohamed e-University (formally e-TQM College). HBMeU is considered now a blue print for implementing ODE in the region and has played a significant role in sharing its experience by organizing it annual conference on e-learning, publishing case studies, conducting research in the field, establishing regional bodies to support ODE, etc.

• The utilization of online programs for corporate training has received these last few years substantial attention and interest in the Gulf region, especially in the UAE as many organizations begun to realize the cost-efficient nature of online training. Emirates Airlines, ADNOC, Dubai Municipality, among many others have put substantive efforts in establishing a proper infrastructure for e-learning within their organizations.
• The Ministry of Higher Education in the KSA has also recently established the Center for E-Learning and Distance Education with the aim of providing a hub for e-learning and distance education for Saudi Arabia's universities to coordinate the efforts of institutions seeking to adopt this type of learning, and to facilitate delivery of e-learning to Saudi students, as well as to overcome shortages of university faculty.
• The recent decree issued by Jordan recognizing ODE is also another important milestone for the arab world.
• The launch of the Middle East e-Learning Association in 2010 came as an important initiative to create a hub for open and distance education institutions to influence decision making, promote ODE, share best practices, establish programs for developing e-learning skills and competencies, etc
• The recent launch of the International Consortium for Teaching and Learning Centers in January of this year by the HBMeU and which comprises many international universities to support the sharing and exchange of teaching and learning practices is another important initiative for the UAE and the region as well.
• Finally, the Arab Spending on e-learning during the last few years has significantly increased and is expected to increase more over the coming few years. The UAE and KSA are considered to be among the top countries investing in the area of ODE. According to Madar Research Group, total spending on eLearning in the UAE is would have reached by the end of 2010 266.6 million UAE dirhams (US$72.6 million)

Where do the main challenges lie in your region?

Generally speaking in many developing countries, the growth of ODL has been severely deterred due to the lack of technological infrastructure, negative perceptions of online degrees and learning, and unstable socio-political environments (Enuku & Ojogwu, 2006; Rennie & Mason, 2007). Many of the Arab countries suffer from the same challenges; among the most important are the following:

• Lack of recognition of ODE as a mean of delivery of education in many arab countries; where many of the ministries of education and higher education in arab countries do not yet recognize degrees offered through distance and open education nor do they license open/ distant institutions. Of course obtaining the support at the highest level is a must and an important element to encourage the growth of ODE in the region.
• The social perception on ODE and lack of awareness amongst the population, on what ODE is about and how effective it may be in overcoming many of the socio-economic challenges facing the region are considered among the main issues facing ODE growth, where many feel that the traditional learning mode is way better than ODE. The social perception of e-learning in the region is still poor among students and their parents, instructors and even employers. From where comes the need to have more awareness campaigns for this part of the world.
• Although many arab countries in particular in the GCC region have witnessed significant developments in ICT during the last decade, many Arab countries score below world averages on all connectivity indicators. Low connectivity and bandwidth makes it quite a challenge for many arab countries to implement ODE. Countries like Yemen, Iraq, Mauritania, Libya, etc still have an internet penetration of less than 10% of the entire population. Having a solid technological infrastructure is an important element to further growing ODE in these particular countries.
• Need for quality standards: The debate on whether ODE can offer the same level of quality as traditional education remains a never-ending one, to that extent there is a need to have regulatory frameworks governing the quality of ODE, (similarly to the need of such standards in traditional education systems). It is only then, that the perception of people may change while actual research based evidences are provided on the added value of ODE and the benefit it may bring to both students and the organization while maintaining the highest standards of quality.
• Need for re-engineering the educational model, while many might think that e-learning is all about using technology to deliver learning, others would argue that e-learning is a complete new way of thinking about learning, it is a new culture for learning which needs to be understood and adapted by instructors, students and the leadership/management of learning institutions using this new mode of delivery. It requires re-thinking how learning is designed, delivered, supported and continuously improved and enhanced to integrate the latest technologies and ensure the highest level of quality is maintained at all times. There is a considerable need for formally developing the skills and competencies of people in the area of ODE to ensure proper implementation of ODE, and to consider the cultural aspect and various challenges related to the region for the implementation of ODE.

Although, these are considered in my view as some of the major challenges impeding the development of e-learning in the region, there are other challenges dealing with globalization and international competition, IP and copy rights laws, the need for appropriate funding and support for implementing ODE in many arab countries, etc which one may not overlook as well.