JEDDAH, 5 March 2004 - Effat College concluded its Second Symposium on Learning and Technology yesterday with more presentations under the theme "Technology: The way to global learning."
Presentations included a look at various approaches used in the UAE to develop learning skills among tertiary students, e-learning, and the role of libraries in the new world of Internet and the "virtual" student.
Participants found the information about the new role of libraries in education particularly interesting considering that many public and school libraries in Saudi Arabia are still lagging in terms of resources and services.
The symposium closed with a panel discussion by all the speakers and workshop directors on the topic of "e-learning and the future".
From the discussion, it was clear that there exists a large gap in e-learning not only between Saudi Arabia and developed countries but also between it and other developing countries that have already begun integrating e-learning into their education systems.
Only a few private educational institutions in the Kingdom have introduced technology into their curriculum while public institutions, on the other hand, have not even begun the process.
Participants feared that without the proper foundations and training, the introduction of new technology would not produce the desired outcome in the Kingdom.
The experts agreed that awareness was crucial in the development the Saudi education system as well as the necessary financial and social support to implement the developments.
