The Quality Assurance & Institutional Effectiveness team headed by Dr. Ibrahim El Sayed participated in Times Higher Education Digital Universities MENA 2022 Conference which was held from 12-14 September in Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi. The conference witnessed a gathering of education leaders, policymakers, and industry partners sharing their experience and cutting-edge technologies that are expected to transform education over the next decade. The conference speakers also emphasized on the importance of having academic institutions embrace globalization to better serve society’s demands and on the impact of digitalization on the economy.
His Excellency Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, UAE Minister of Education, highlighted the universities’ efforts to adopt e-learning specially during the pandemic. “The push of Covid-19 pandemic made everybody more open to digital education, including regulators, students and faculty,” Al Falasi noted in the opening speech.
Phil Baty, chief knowledge officer at Times Higher Education, said “In so many ways the pandemic and the forced move to remote online teaching has actually improved teaching practices and students’ engagement, while giving us new experiences and innovations that we will ultimately build on”.
Charlotte Coles, Head of Content at Times Higher Education, said, “We are extremely excited to bring the Times Higher Education Digital Universities Series to the MENA region. Many countries have made exemplary efforts to transition their institutions to a hybrid future that will ultimately serve their students and society better and we hope to use these timely conversations to further accelerate the region’s progress.
The event offered several informative sessions given by local and international specialists which gave an opportunity to meet with academic leaders and share practical knowledge and experience among different universities.