The international conference on “eLearning for Human Capability Development”, held in Riyadh 24-27 January 2022 under the patronage of His Excellency the Minister of Education and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National eLearning Center, Dr. Hamad bin Mohammad Al Al-Sheikh, and organized by the National eLearning Center concluded today with the participation of over 30 distiguished speakers includingTheir Excellencies, national and international experts.
The National eLearning Center confirmed that the event witnessed a overwhelming attendance of Excellencies, experts, interested individuals, practitioners, researchers, education and employment officials from inside and outside the Kingdom. The attendees were from more than ………. countries as it is the first event of its kind in the world that discusses eLearning and its role in developing human capabilities, in line with the national goal to build a globally competitive citizen.
The Director General of the National eLearning Center, Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammad Alwalidi, stated that the international conference on "eLearning for Human Capability Development" comes in considering the unlimited support that the eLearning sector receives from the wise leadership to keep pace with current developments which would achieve the national goals. Dr. Alwalidi added that the integration of efforts with the relevant institutions will have an impact on the sector’s future, in turn achieving the global leadership and competitiveness. He also extended his gratitude and appreciation to His Excellency the Minister of Education, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National eLearning Center, Dr. Hamad bin Muhammad Al Al-Sheikh, for his sponsorship of the conference.
The opening session of the conference discussed the role of eLearning as an enabler and accelerator in Human Capability Development. His Excellency the Minister of Education and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National eLearning Center, Dr. Hamad Al Al-Sheikh, stated that “the flexible learning pathways initiative provides students and employees with opportunities for development, and allows them to obtain professional certificates, which increases the student’s chances in the labor market, and enhances the employee’s efficiency while he is on the job”.
His Excellency the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Education and Training Evaluation Authority, Dr. Khaled Al-Sabti added, "In cooperation with the Center, we have set standards for eLearning providers' accreditation, and we have a great opportunity for global leadership in this field."
His Excellency the Vice Minister of Human Resources and Social Development for Labor, Dr. Abdullah Abuthnain mentioned: "The labor market is witnessing rapid changes, and high-quality eLearning has become a necessity according to the current needs."
His Excellency the Governor of the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation, Dr. Ahmed Alfahaid confirmed: "The robust infrastructure in the Kingdom contributed to the success of eLearning."
The sessions on the second day focused on Upskilling, Reskilling and Lifelong Learning, while the sessions on the third day focused on Platform Strategy. Finally, the conference sessions concluded on the last day with the theme of Micro-credentials and their Role in Enhancing Future Skills.
On the sidelines of the international conference on "eLearning for Human Capacity Development", seven workshops were conducted and attended by, ……from all over the world. The workshops shed light on Professional Skills in eLearning, introducing Micro-credentials and their basics, and researching their applications nationally, in addition to Skills Anticipation and Mapping, Designing for Micro-learning, Learning Interactions (xAPI) and its importance, in addition to the Learning Tools Interoperability, their framework, and related standards and specifications, and Skills Mapping through Platforms.
The participants and those interested in the field praised the importance of the conference for being a catalyst for human capabilities development, stressing its key role in supporting the national strategy that aims at building a globally competitive citizen. Hence the citizen is ready for the current and future labor market needs with competitive capabilities and great ambition, especially considering the rapid and changing needs that require keeping pace with the development of basic skills, future skills, and knowledge development through eLearning, which is the most important enabler for human capability development.
