How do you think the online education scenario differs in the Arab world from elsewhere?

Dr. Nidhal Guessoum: The situation is far different. For one thing, higher education in the Arab world is facing a crisis in the most general sense. Online education depends strongly on digital infrastructure, PC and Internet penetration, and connection costs, all of which vary hugely from one Arab country to another, the situation being most advantageous in the Arab Gulf and least favourable in countries like Sudan and Yemen.

What do you think the main reasons for these differences are?

Dr. Nidhal Guessoum: Some reasons for this state of affairs are readily apparent. First, the region's population relies largely on Arabic as a learning language (especially at the primary and secondary levels), and Arabic has unfortunately made very slow indents in the digital information landscape. Secondly, the educational system has not provided the students with the active, independent, lifelong learning attitude that is a prime prerequisite for participating and succeeding in the online learning world. Thirdly, although it is true that the digital infrastructure is well developed, at least in the Gulf region, its actual penetration into homes, as well as the actual usage of it in workplaces and schools, is in reality still at an infancy stage.

How would you categorize the recent progress domains of online education in the Arab world?


Dr. Nidhal Guessoum: Recent efforts in the field of online education in the Arab world can be divided into three main areas. The first is governmental efforts to create structures for complete programs. Next are the online programs of professional development and training for employees. Finally, there have been higher education efforts, both individual projects and collective exchanges.

You are affiliated with the American University in Sharjah (AUS). How is online education incorporated at your institution?


Dr. Nidhal Guessoum: At the American University of Sharjah (AUS), eLearning efforts started in 2001 with forum discussions where -œearly adopters- presented the general features of online learning as well as their own individual efforts to the campus community. At about the same time, the WebCT course management system was purchased and installed by the University administration to support and unify the efforts of faculty interested in adding an online dimension to their courses. This was deemed a worthy project to pursue both because the University already enjoyed a sophisticated technical infrastructure (fast T1 Internet lines, wireless campus-wide Internet network, etc.) and because AUS students neither suffer from computer/Internet illiteracy nor English-language deficiency, factors that were previously noted as a major hindrance to the global success of online teaching schemes.


Since then dozens of instructors at AUS have added an online component to their courses, now making the hybrid (blended online and in-class) format of teaching the dominant paradigm across the University.

Can you make any general observations related to students' approach to online courses?

Dr. Nidhal Guessoum: It is widely believed that online learning is an excellent approach for mature, independent, and disciplined students, and so one may be surprised to note (although the experiments that lead to these conclusions are few and limited) that AUS students who have undertaken fully online education by and large showed amazing readiness and quick adaptability to this format.

Of course students needed to be coached into the new learning approach and its requirements, but once they digested and got used to that, students found the flexibility of the format as well as the digital nature of the course (quick perusal of the material, hypertext jumping, multimedia approach to learning, etc.) - "clicking" perfectly well into their digital lifestyles.