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First handbook of MENA e-learning launched

The newly launched book examines e-learning in 20 MENA countries.
The newly launched book examines e-learning in 20 MENA countries.

A handbook detailing e-learning practices across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has been launched under the co-editorship of Dr. Alan Weber, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar’s associate professor of English.

E-Learning in the Middle East and North Africa examines the history, development, and current and future use of learning facilitated by computers, the Internet and mobile technologies in 20 MENA countries. At over 500 pages long, and drawing upon the knowledge of e-learning experts in each of the countries covered, the volume is the first truly comprehensive handbook of e-learning in the MENA region.

 Dr. Alan Weber, WCM-Q associate professor of English.

The book devotes a chapter to each country covered, which include Qatar, Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Tunisia and others.

Dr. Weber co-edited the handbook with Sihem Hamlaoui, an expert on e-learning in Tunisia at Philipps-Universität Marburg in Hessen, Germany. Dr. Weber, who wrote the chapter on Qatar, said: “This unique volume is the first time that the latest knowledge and statistics on e-learning in the Middle East have been brought together in one place. Over 3,600 research studies were used to write the manual, which will be valuable to educators, policy makers, e-learning companies, and national governments.”

The book, published by Springer Nature, examines e-learning activity in each country with respect to education, business and government. In each country, e-learning is placed within the context of that country’s history, education system, ICT infrastructure, e-readiness and national development plans. Each chapter is followed by a comprehensive bibliography detailing major research studies on the topic from the last 15 years.

The book notes that the MENA region has witnessed explosive growth in e-learning in the last two decades, and points out that the World Economic Forum in 2017 argued that more investment in ICT will spur economic development and diversification in the region. This is particularly important in MENA region countries with very large youth populations, as well as providing a valuable means for lifelong learning, which is especially relevant for healthcare practitioners. Further, the book investigates the impact of mobile devices on e-learning, a phenomena that has been termed ‘m-learning’.

Dr. Weber added: “Although not a complete solution to all educational problems, e-learning, blended learning and m-learning can tackle several region-specific educational issues: gender-segregated classrooms, remote populations, low income students, and female home learners. E-learning internationally is rapidly merging with traditional classroom techniques and will soon become part of standard educational best practices.”