The Implementation of E-Learning
at Al-Quds Open University (QOU)
Case Study
Presented to
RUFO (tempus) Workshop
Ramallah, 17 and 18, December 2005
Eng. Imad Hodali
President Assistant for ICT & Media Production Affairs.
17-18 Dec 2005
1
QOU in Brief
•
Follows the open educational system (Started in Palestine
1991).
•
Al-Quds Open University (QOU) is the largest academic
institution in Palestine with 54000 students distributed over
6 faculties (Academic programs).
•
QOU is Geographically distributed all over Palestine with
at least one learning center in every district (20 study
centers).
•
International branches (Saudi Arabia, UAE ) for
Palestinian expatriate community.
•
Use of mixed–media courseware (text book, video, audio,
TV,…etc)
17-18 Dec 2005
QOU Students
constitute 40% of
Palestinian university
students
QOU
Other
Palestinian
universities
2
QOU in Brief (Continued)
• Provides the best possible service to students and supervisors,
through the following targeted objectives:
– Create opportunities for good quality higher education
(i.e. particularly those whose economical, social and
geographical conditions prevent them from attending
traditional universities).
– Partly solve the problem of the inability of conventional
universities to cater for the massive increase in the number
of students.
17-18 Dec 2005
3
E-Learning @ QOU
• QOU adopts a strategic mission to include new technologies in
order to implement E-learning system.
• The university aspires to approach the virtual university status.
• Effortlessly, students and staff are being motivated to keep pace with
the latest innovations in the technology fields.
• Moving into different tracks:
 Avicenna Virtual Campus Project (EUMEDIS Project).
 Developing Academic Portal.
 Multimedia Production.
17-18 Dec 2005
4
Avicenna Virtual Campus
Project
•
Avicenna Virtual Campus (80 % EU
funded) is an ambitious project that
aims at creating new community of
universities sharing best practices
and pedagogical innovation through a
network of E-learning centers across
the Mediterranean
•
15 countries involved, including
Palestine which is represented by ALQuds Open University (QOU)
•
Accelerate the adoption and best use
of ICT-assisted Open Distance
Learning (ODL)
•
Additional Information :
http://avicenna.qou.edu
http://avicenna.unesco.org
17-18 Dec 2005
5
Avicenna Virtual Campus
Project (Cont)
Objectives and Strategies
•
Produce Courseware that suits specific educational needs.
•
Transfer advanced research results directly through high quality courseware.
•
Access distributed material available on the web.
•
Involve Mediterranean users in an international educational network.
•
Create in a long run a self sustainable campus based in cooperation between
institutions from the countries involved.
•
Establish adequate local infrastructure and transfer the best practice of
professional know-how introducing norms and quality evaluation procedures.
•
Setting up of an open virtual library of multimedia E-Learning courses in English,
Arabic, French and other languages.
17-18 Dec 2005
6
Avicenna Virtual Campus Project (Cont)
• 18 Authors have been contracted to produce the first module of the
following on-line courses of the Information and Communication
Technology Specialization:









Multimedia (Course #1265)
Web Technology & Design (Course #1266)
Simulation (Course #1378)
Local Area Networks & Intranet (Course #1373)
Visual Programming (Course #1377)
Introduction to Electronics (Course #1163)
Digital Logic Design (Course# 1290)
Programming Language C++ (Course# 1293)
Operating Systems (Course# 1385)
• The production follows a standard pedagogical Model for Avicenna
courses.
• The first 6 modules have been completed, the remaining others are
expected to be ready before the end of the year. An official inauguration
was held 12/Nov/2005 with the participation of high-level government
officials as well as UNESCO and EU dignitaries.
17-18 Dec 2005
7
Avicenna Platform
http://pleiad.qou.edu
17-18 Dec 2005
8
Avicenna Platform
http://pleiad.qou.edu
17-18 Dec 2005
9
Avicenna Platform
http://pleiad.qou.edu
17-18 Dec 2005
10
Avicenna Sample Courses
• Multimedia
• Introduction to Electronics
17-18 Dec 2005
11
Academic Portal
• We started preparations for the in-house development of the QOU
University Academic Portal back in Summer 2003 using open source
technology (java).
• A survey of existing & commercial platforms was conducted but opted for
the development of own portal.
• First phase funded by UNDP (Capacity building & transfer of know-how).
• First release (May 2004 for some study centers).
• Current release covers all university study centers (West Bank & Gaza).
• It doesn’t have a fully functional E-learning module as yet and
development is underway.
17-18 Dec 2005
12
Academic Portal (Cont)
•
Modules implemented: Student Information System, Tutor Information System,
News & Bulletin Boards and an internal correspondence system that facilitates
an easy communication between students & tutors and between tutors
themselves.
•
Student can now download his relevant study material, assignments from within
his online workspace. Also it is possible to search the university library.
•
Mobile SMS features are integrated with the portal to facilitate delivery of some
information to students such as grades and important news.
•
A fully functional E-Learning system to meet the needs of the university is being
developed.
•
Continuing growth of the university and the ever-increasing number of students
(users) imposes extra burden on the portal. We have to cope with more than
40,000 users who often simultaneously use the system.
17-18 Dec 2005
13
Academic Portal (Cont)
http://portal.qou.edu
Student Work Space
17-18 Dec 2005
14
Academic Portal (Cont)
http://portal.qou.edu
Tutor Work Space
17-18 Dec 2005
15
Multimedia Production
•
Production of multimedia courseware that is available through multimedia labs in
each study center.
•
The content includes audio, video, animations and pre/post tests (personal
evaluation). So far we have produced 8 CDs.
•
GTZ & DED helped the university establish a Media Production Center equipped
with a studio to facilitate the recording of video and audio. Some other tasks include
producing documentary films. Planning is also underway to transmit MPC
production on Palestine satellite educational channel beginning Jan 2006.
•
A committee of educational experts oversee the work and help with enhancing the
production standards.
•
Some examples will be demonstrated
1. Flow Charts
2. Binary Systems
3. English Graduation Project
4. Arab Phonetics
17-18 Dec 2005
16
Conclusion
• QOU is fully embracing the E-learning as a key strategic option that will have
significant positive impacts.
• Obstacles:
– Financial issues:
• Need to use Open Source Systems as the university does not have
enough resources to pay for commercial ones.
• We need highly skilled employees (high salaries) to modify or
customize these systems to accommodate our needs.
• We still need to pay for some software licenses where an open
source alternative doesn’t exist or the development of in-house is
expensive.
– Lack of expertise.
17-18 Dec 2005
17
Conclusion
– Palestinian communication infrastructure:
• E-Learning requires high & reliable resources
• Communication infrastructure needs further improvement
• Project such as EUMEDCONNECT that seeks to establish an
academic network is a step forward (45MB upgradeable to 155
MB) . QOU is hosting the focus point in Palestine coming from
UK . http://www.eumedconnect.net
• Efforts are been made to overcome other obstacles and provide
resources and expertise. The University is also approaching
international donors to help in this field.
17-18 Dec 2005
18
Contacts
• University Web Site & Portal
http://www.qou.edu
• Email
ihodali@qou.edu
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19