Online Programmes to Shape Future of Education Concur Experts at Fourth Education Forum
With the transient nature of regional employment, online education ticks the salient boxes that career-mobile individuals value. The challenge ahead for any online graduate executive, however, is to keep pushing the performance envelope that the education has unlocked, according to Suha Mardelli, HR Director, Bayt.com.
Mardelli’s comments came during a panel discussion titled ‘Does online education deliver?’ at the fourth Education Forum organised by Dubai International Academic City (DIAC), a member of TECOM Investments’ Education Cluster. Held on 15 November, the event focused on identifying the pros and cons of online education vis-à-vis meeting the requirements of students and the industry.
Besides Mardelli, the panellists who took the podium at the event included Raj Kapoor, Director, Dubai Student Service Center, University of Phoenix, Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, Chancellor, Hamdan Bin Mohamed e-University, and Professor Abdullah Al Shamsi, Vice-Chancellor, British University in Dubai. Francis Matthew, Editor-at-Large, Gulf News, moderated the session.
Mardelli added: “For an executive, the biggest appeal of further education is the unspoken promise of membership into the elite circle of management. Higher education seems almost inaccessible because of the resource and time commitment required. The internet brings this within reach. As a top employer always on the lookout for ‘A’ players, I see virtual education as a brilliant solution to the inelasticity of the talent supply-and-demand cycles.”
Raj Kapoor, Director, Dubai Student Service Center, University of Phoenix, said: “Education in today’s world needs to mirror the life of the student. In other words, it must form a seamless part of the overall life experience and essentially have the same look and feel as the rest of a student’s virtual experience. Students today want more from education; they appreciate the convergence of IT and communications. Conducted appropriately, online education delivers accessible and rigorous quality and a contemporary learning platform.”
Kapoor added: “Online education is certainly not for all; some students require the classroom for what it offers, an opportunity to banter, compare and contrast ideas with the thoughts of others or to assess the body language of both fellow students and the teacher. However, regardless of whether online education is for all or not, it is arguably the future of academia. It offers far broader opportunities and expands the reach of education across the world when compared to any other delivery method. It may not be too long before all universities will be expected to build a portfolio of interactive quality academic courses holding legitimate accreditation.”
Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, Chancellor, Hamdan Bin Mohamed e-University, said: “The future of education is online as the medium offers innumerable merits - convenience being the most visible one. It has empowered all pursuers of academic certification, professional development and other learning aspirations more than ever to achieve their goals.”
Offering a balanced overview of the benefits and downsides of virtual education, the speakers listed time saving, high level of learning in distant or disadvantaged locations, continuous learning opportunities for working professionals and financial savings as some of the merits. Limited instructor and social interaction, feelings of isolation, delay in feedback from instructors and peers, as well as difficulty in determining the authenticity of qualifications, were identified as the obvious disadvantages.
DIAC Education Forum is a bi-annual event that brings together delegates from key educational institutions and government departments, as well as representatives from leading universities, faculty members and private sector professionals. The event provides a platform for networking and knowledge exchange amongst key stakeholders of the academic sector while contributing to the creation of a knowledge-based economy in the UAE and the region.
Dubai International Academic City, part of the Education Cluster – TECOM Investments, hosts 27 higher education institutions from 11 different countries that include universities offering online, as well as traditional campus education and blended learning programmes. Students at DIAC have access to over 300 higher education programmes including undergraduate and post-graduate disciplines in engineering, IT, media, business, fashion design, healthcare and mass communications.
