Higher Education in the Arab World: E-Learning and Distance Education

This book provides a comprehensive insight into the benefits and advantages of adopting technology-driven learning as a central pillar of the universities’ teaching, learning, research, and social-responsibility strategies. Despite the importance of adopting technology-enhanced learning within higher education institutions, Arab countries are still slow to change. Arab Universities are facing the need to adopt new methods of learning to serve the demands of a changing demography in the higher education community as well as the requirements of Industry 4.0 and Society 4.0. E-Learning and distance education are not just about technology, but they are about education, pedagogy, curriculum design, research, and innovation. The book also discusses the best methods to implement these modes of learning while taking into consideration all the hurdles and challenges specific to the Arab world. The needs of students (undergraduate and postgraduate), faculty, and the university at large are considered while drawing on the best quality-assurance practices to ensure the quality of education remains uncompromised. Also featured in this book are experiences from Arab Universities and recommendations for improvements that facilitate the use of education technology tools as part the university’s pedagogy to harness the full potential for implementing e-learning and distance education.

​Professor Adnan Badran  the Chancellor of the University of Petra and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Jordan. He is a biologist with over 166 papers presented, and 41 books, 54 research papers published and 4 patents.  He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul (1981); an Honorary Doctorate in Science from Michigan State University, (2007); an Honorary Doctorate in Business from Yarmouk University, Jordan (2014); the West Watkins distinguished Lectureship Award (2009) USA; the Hall of Fame Alumni Award from Oklahoma State University, USA; and the Honorary Professorship from L.N. Gumilev Eurasian National University Kazakhstan (2012). Also, he was awarded the Arab Thought Foundation Award for best Arab scientist in higher education research (2005); the TWAS Regional Prize for "Building Scientific Institutions" (2009); the World Education Asia award for Outstanding Contribution to Education (2011) and the Shoman award for Peer review of young Arab scientists. 

Badran was Prime Minister (2005), Minister of Agriculture (1989) and Minister of Education (1989) in Jordan. He was Senator and Chair of the Senate Committee on Science, Education and Culture (2006-2010). He also served as Deputy Director-General of UNESCO (1994-1998) and Assistant Director General for Science, Paris (1990-1994). Founding President of Yarmouk University and Jordan University of Science and Technology (1976-1986), President of Philadelphia University (1998-2005) and President of University of Petra (2007-2014), and Dean of the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Jordan (1971-1976). Secretary General (1986-1987) and Vice-president (2014- ) of the Higher Council for Science and Technology, Jordan. President of the National Centre of Human Rights, Jordan (2008-2011) and President of the Asia-Pacific Forum on Human Rights, Sidney (2009-2011). Member of the Board of Trustees of the Arab Thought Forum (2012-). He is a Fellow and former Vice-president of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS), Fellow of the Islamic World Academy of Sciences (IAS) and President of the Arab Academy of Sciences.  Chairman of the Board of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development in Beirut (2008- ). President of the Higher Council of the National Centre for Curriculum development (2017-2019) and Chairman of Shoman Trust Fund for Research (2019- ). Member of the Board of Trustees of the King Abdullah Ibn Al Hussein Award for Innovation (2020-). 

Badran received his B.Sc from Oklahoma State University (1959), and Master then PhD from Michigan State University (1963), USA.

Professor Elias Baydoun was educated at the University of Jordan, Amman (BS 1971), the American University of Beirut (AUB; MS 1977), and the University of Cambridge where he obtained his MPhil in 1978 and PhD in 1980.  He is currently Professor of Biology at AUB, Secretary General of the Arab Academy of Sciences and Adjunct Professor at the University of Petra in Jordan. Previous positions included: Chairman of Biology (1978-93) and Associate Professor at AUB; Associate Professor, Assistant President (1983-86), Director of Planning and Development (1985-1986), and Director of Personnel (1985-1986) at Yarmouk University, Jordan. His awards include: Federation of Arab Scientific Research Councils Award, Abdul Hamid Shoman Prize for Young Arab Scientists for Biology, AUB Research Award in Natural Sciences (twice), Distinguished Scholar Award of the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, Developing World Study Award of the Royal Society UK and TWAS-ARO Regional Prize for Public Understanding and Popularization of Science. He is Fellow of several learned societies including the Institute of Biology, London, TWAS, Islamic World Academy of Sciences and the Arab Academy of Sciences. He organized and chaired 23 international conferences on topicsrelated to the development of the Arab Middle East Region. His research interests include membrane and carbohydrate biology, biotransformation, nanotechnology, and medicinal plants. Professor Baydoun supervised and served on the committees of 60 PhD and MS students. He has published over 120 articles in international refereed journals and over 120 abstracts and papers in the proceedings of international conferences, as well as authoring several biology textbooks for secondary schools and community colleges. He is the first inventor of a patent on treatment of protozoal diseases (US Patent 9,173,888). He translated into Arabic a university textbook in biochemistry and was the General Coordinator of the four volumes of the Arabic Encyclopedia on Knowledge for Sustainable Development published by UNESCO. He is the editor of six books published by Springer; one on “Water, Energy and Food Sustainability in the Middle East – The Sustainability Triangle” and five on Higher Education in the Arab World. He is a member of the Editorial Board of Scientific Reports, a journal from Nature Publishing Group and other journals. He served as consultant for several local, regional, and international organizations including UNESCO and UNEP.

Dr. Sandra Hillman (neé Palmer) was educated at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth where she obtained a BSc in Botany in 1965 and a PhD in Plant Physiology and Chemistry in 1968. She worked part time at the Department of Environment Studies, University of Nottingham, England, as a Demonstrator in first- and second-year plant science practicals (1968–1971). Similarly, from 1971 to 1985, she worked part time as a Demonstrator in Biology at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. For several years, she was an Examiner for the Oxford Examination Board for ‘A’ Level Biology (1975–1986). In the period 1978–1980, she had a part-time post-graduate research position at the University of Glasgow working on gravitropism in plant roots. From 1980, until retirement in 2005, she worked as editorial assistant for the Springer-Verlag plant science journal ‘Planta’ , and as a freelance editor.

Joelle Mesmar is a Research Associate at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, working on the investigation of the role of plant extracts in the treatment of cancer using tissue culture techniques and nanotechnology. Previously, Joelle worked at the Office of the First Lady in Syria and was responsible in overseeing and facilitating the affairs of the Board of Trustees of the Syria Trust for Development by providing advice on governance principles and practices and supporting the work of the Board Committees as required in areas related to strategic planning. She graduated from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon with a degree in Biology (BS 2004) and obtained her PhD in plant biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Glasgow, UK in 2009.