RIYADH: The first international conference on e-learning and distance education will begin here today. The conference, organized by the National Center for e-Learning and Distance Learning, seeks to promote e-learning and distance education in the Kingdom, by sharing global experiences and applications.
“The three-day meeting will help us understand international initiatives in e-learning and enact necessary legislations,” said Dr. Abdullah M. Al-Megren, project manager of the center. Al-Megren said the event was being organized under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and its theme will be “Creating learning for the future.”
The Saudi Research and Publishing Company and its publications are the media sponsor of the event. An exhibition featuring services and advanced technologies in the field of e-learning and distance education will also be held on the sidelines of the conference. Al-Megren said the conference would greatly help the Kingdom, which is now implementing e-learning projects in educational institutions.
More than 2,600 delegates are expected to attend the conference. The delegates will be from the Kingdom and from 50 different countries including Canada, Malaysia, India, Iran, Australia, US and many Arab and Gulf countries. The panel of speakers will comprise experts from Malaysia, Korea, Scotland, Belgium, US and Britain. A total of 42 scientific papers in 19 sessions will be presented. The topics include international variables and their impact on e-learning, teaching of electronic curricula, e-learning and people with special needs, evaluation and international experiences in e-learning and distance learning.
