Experts at eLi3 to take up latest developments in e-learning

The organizer of the 3rd International Conference for e-Learning and Distance Learning (eLi3) said yesterday that this year's event will offer the latest scientific studies and research with 99 global figures speaking at the weeklong event to be held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh on Feb. 2-7 under the aegis of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.
The event is organized by the National Center for e-Learning and Distance Learning (NCEL) every two years with the theme “From Practice to Performance,” he said.
At a press conference yesterday, Undersecretary for Academic Affairs at the Ministry of Higher Education Mohammad Al-Ohali said that the NCEL is the essence of the Kingdom's vision for the future of education. He said it works as the supportive consultancy house and the basic source in the field of e-learning.
He said: "As e-learning is increasingly being embraced and implemented in higher education, it is important to explore and measure whether it is empowering, engaging and performance-driven."
Over the last decade, many e-learning projects have been initiated and many relevant research papers published. The next step, he said, is to make sense of past, present and future e-learning research initiatives to strategize and implement e-learning.
“The Ministry of Higher Education in Saudi Arabia and the NCEL are taking leadership roles in transforming e-learning into engaging, performance-driven learning experiences by organizing the (eLi3) conference,” he elaborated, adding that this event will bring together educators, trainers, researchers, practitioners, futurists, policy makers and users to discuss and propose how this transformation can be furthered.
Talking about the NCEL, Al-Ohali said the center's strategy emphasizes on providing the requirements of sustained development and technology localization, as well as placing the Kingdom in a competitive position among other nations investing in future education that builds on the outcomes of technological developments. NCEL is a smart interpretation of brilliant ideas, which includes the national plan for information technology.
He noted: "This is to pursue the guidance of King Abdullah on the importance of implementing that plan to place the Kingdom at the forefront of communities that have the infrastructure required for technology and creatively use that infrastructure".
Outlining the aims of the international event he said this aims to showcase the latest scientific studies and research in the field of e-learning and its association with performance, noting that it hosts speakers from around the world.
This includes five main sessions on successful e-learning experiences designed to improve learning and ensure quality.