Goal 4

For the first time in Middle East, Zayed University recently hosted the 4th Annual World Blended Learning Conference, which was organized jointly by the Zayed University Center of Academic Innovation and the International Association of Blended Learning. The conference, which was held at the Zayed University Conference Center in Dubai, was an opportunity to exchange experiences in the field of integrated education; it included 86 workshops and panel discussions, conducted by 90 speakers and experts from 18 countries. Dr. Agnieszka Palalas, President of the International Association for blended learning, said "We are very pleased to have organized the conference for the first time in the Middle East after a year of hard work with Zayed University's Center for Educational Innovation. It is a great opportunity to bring students and professors to the region to speak and exchange experiences on this new educational pattern, which we have been developing and publishing over the years in cooperation with many academic institutions and universities from around the world." "It is our 4th international conference, the first was held four years ago in Kavala Greece, followed by a conference in Toronto Canada, then before reaching UAE this year, we stopped by Polish Capital, Warsaw." Dr. Mohammed AlZakari, President of the Arab Open University, said "We participated in this conference to showcase the experience of our university as the first university in the region to adopt this method of modern education, in which we talked about the future of education in general and on the foundations of an easy and flexible integrated educational system". He also added that the university aims to spread this new method and encourages others to adopt it, "This educational style is the future of education, as it facilitates and emphasizes teachers presentational skills to be better received by the students and be able to get access to the presented lessons at any time and from anywhere," he said. Dr. Christina Gitsaki, a Scientific Research Coordinator at the Zayed University Center for Educational Innovation, said, "The conference brought together teachers and experts in the blended learning education, which is meant to blend traditional teacher roles in classrooms with virtual classrooms and e-lessons." "We aim through this three-day conference to enhance the knowledge of the teachers in face-to-face interaction education and e-learning materials, they will gain insights in controlling the techniques of producing a simple, effective and easy-to-receive learning content," she added. The conference focused on the benefits and features of blended learning education, which consists of flexible and active education through the integration of individual, cooperative activities and projects, rather than the traditional educational means. It also highlighted student's potential to employ more than one mean of knowledge and chose the appropriate means based on their abilities and skills; among many electronic and traditional means.