E-Learning Standards
Introduction
These standards are developed in alignment with the mandate of the National eLearning Center (NeLC), the national authority responsible for regulating and ensuring the quality of digital learning and training within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Center was established pursuant to the Council of Ministers Decision No. (35) dated 13/01/1439 H. Accordingly, the Center is authorized for setting regulations and standards, and developing quality practices within the eLearning sector in line with its mandate stipulated in Article III of the Center's regulation.
The standards are based on the approved eLearning Regulations. No. (46/17/6) dated 11/5/1446, its implementing rules, and the relevant frameworks, policies, and procedures issued by the Center.
This document aims to define the eLearning quality standards for educational institutions and training centers. This contributes to enhancing the quality of design, implementation, management, and evaluation of eLearning programs and practices according to clear, measurable, and applicable standards. These standards have been developed based on a systematic methodology and professional practices that include the study and analysis of the most prominent international models, standards, and practices related to eLearning and quality assurance, in addition to leveraging national expertise and specialized scholarly arbitration in order to enhance the reliability, efficiency, and applicability of the standards in various learning and training contexts.
The Center regularly reviews and updates the standards in cooperation with the relevant authorities, in line with technical and educational developments and modern best practices in digital learning.
The standards aim at
- Ensuring the quality of digital learning and training in educational and training institutions.
- Supporting best practices in the design, implementation, management, and evaluation of eLearning.
- Enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of eLearning programs and services.
- Supporting continuous improvement and institutional excellence in eLearning and training.
- Increasing the reliability and efficiency of eLearning outcomes.
- Supporting compliance with the regulations and requirements related to eLearning.
- Promoting the effective use of educational technologies to achieve the targeted learning outcomes.
- Enabling institutions to measure the quality of eLearning practices and identify opportunities for development and improvement.
- Enhancing integration and consistency in eLearning practices across educational institutions.
Target Institutions
The standards target government, private, and non-profit institutions that provide, operate, or support eLearning and training programs and services within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including but not limited to the following:
- General education institutions.
- Higher education institutions.
- Training centers and academies.
- eLearning platforms and system providers.
- eLearning and training programs operators.
- Institutions supporting the development of eLearning content and services.
Definitions and Terminology
- The Center (NeLC): The National eLearning Center.
- Institution: An educational, academic, or training institution, company, or platform that offers educational or training courses and programs in one of the eLearning modes.
- eLearning: The utilization of educational, information and communication technologies to enhance the efficiency of the learning and training process in all modes and ensure its quality.
- Distance Learning: A mode of learning in which online means and technologies are used in the educational process and interaction management. It is characterized by a separation between the educator and the learner, among learners themselves, or between learners and learning resources. This separation can occur either in terms of location, outside the premises of the educational institution, and/or in the timing of learning.
- Blended Learning: One of the eLearning modes that combines regular learning and distance learning within the credit hours.
- Synchronous Learning: One of the distance learning modes in which simultaneous interaction occurs between the learners and educators.
- Asynchronous Learning: One of the distance learning modes that requires no simultaneous interaction between the learning process participants.
- Digital Citizenship The policies, regulations, and standards followed to achieve optimal, safe, and conscious use of technology.
- Program: A set of educational or training modules consisting of independent or integrated subjects or educational or training courses, culminating in an accredited certificate or completion of a specific educational or training qualification.
- Learning Platform: A digital environment that provides a range of interactive services, tools, and educational resources for all parties involved in the learning process.
- National eLearning Platform (NeLC): A unified platform for eLearning and training services, through which the delivery and access to reliable eLearning and training are regulated and governed efficiently and effectively.
- Shared Digital Educational Resources: Content, systems, services and licenses related to eLearning that are shared or unified at the national level.
eLearning Standards
Leadership
1.1 Governance
Description:
Establishing an effective eLearning governance system that ensures clarity of roles and responsibilities, compliance with standards, and continuous monitoring and improvement.
Requirements:
- An approved governance structure for eLearning that defines roles and responsibilities, authorities, and coordination procedures among relevant stakeholders.
- A documented mechanism to follow up the progress of the educational process in the eLearning environment, including communication channels between leaders and stakeholders, while identifying the associated performance indicators.
- Ensure the quality of eLearning practices in accordance with approved standards and policies, and document verification results, corrective actions, and improvement measures.
- Provide methods for protecting stakeholder rights and enable them to file grievances and report misconduct, supported by defined procedures for response, remediation, and escalation when required.
- Periodically review and update the governance structure in alignment with organizational changes and factors impacting the eLearning ecosystem.
- Provide periodic reports on the performance of the eLearning governance ecosystem and submitting them to the relevant authorities.
1.2 Strategies
Description:
A clear strategic direction for eLearning reflected into actionable and measurable operational plans and built with stakeholder involvement.
Requirements:
- Provide a strategic plan for eLearning either independently or integrated into the institution's strategy that includes the vision, mission, strategic goals, and operational plans.
- Provide a detailed implementation plan derived from the strategy, including clear performance indicators, set timelines, and relevant stakeholders.
- Allocate sufficient human and financial resources to implement the eLearning strategic plan and ensure its sustainability.
- Document stakeholders’ participation in the building and development of the strategic plan.
- Review and update the strategic plan periodically based on the results of the measurement and related developments, and document the outcomes.
1.3 Policies
Description:
Establishing comprehensive and up-to-date policies that regulate eLearning practices, ensure quality, compliance, and protect the rights of all parties in the educational process.
Requirements:
- Establish educational data privacy and protection policy that specifies the mechanisms of collection, storage, use, and sharing in accordance with approved national requirements.
- Provide a digital security policy that regulates the protection of the eLearning environment and its users' data from risks and hacks.
- Establish a comprehensive policy that ensures the accessibility of the eLearning environment for all beneficiaries, including people with special needs.
- Provide an academic integrity policy that regulates behavior in the eLearning environment, and defines public and documented procedures for prevention, detection, remediation, and grievances.
- Attendance and participation policy that defines requirements according to the learning mode, monitoring and documentation mechanisms, and excuses and technical interruptions procedures.
- Provide a policy that determines the learner-to-teacher ratio to ensure the quality of interaction and support, and define exclusions clearly.
- Provide an intellectual property rights policy that regulates the use, production, and sharing of digital content in the eLearning environments.
- A communication policy in the eLearning environment that specifies the approved communication channels among the parties of the educational process, etiquette of interaction, expected response periods, and the escalation procedures when needed.
- An AI policy that outlines permitted use, controls, and accountability procedures, in line with the AI governance framework.
1.4 Procedures
Description:
Approving and documenting operational procedures that regulate the conduct of eLearning practices, and ensuring their efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability.
Requirements:
- Document clear and up-to-date procedures of the eLearning progress and provide them to all relevant parties.
- Define the roles and responsibilities associated with the implementation of eLearning procedures for all stakeholders to ensure clear accountability.
- Plan administrative processes, document operational knowledge, and automate procedures where possible to increase efficiency.
- Engage stakeholders in the systematic and documented building and development of procedures.
- Provide documented emergency procedures and continuity plan for eLearning in times of interruption or crisis, and define mechanisms for implementation and escalation.
- Periodically follow-up, review, and develop the procedures based on results and advancements.
1.5 Resource Allocation
Description:
Planning and allocating the financial, human and material resources required for eLearning and monitoring their efficiency to ensure sustainability and effectiveness.
Requirements:
- Establish a sustainable financial plan to support eLearning including an allocated budget, funding models, and spending mechanisms, and associate it with educational and operational returns.
- Provide sufficient and qualified human resources to lead and implement eLearning, and a plan to attract, retain and develop competencies continuously.
- Continuously review and update job descriptions for academic, technical, and administrative staff to ensure alignment with eLearning.
- Provide adequate physical and technical infrastructure to support the delivery of eLearning including a clear plan for its maintenance and development.
- Evaluate resource efficiency through periodic financial and operational performance indicators, and provide improvement actions based on results.
- Utilize shared digital educational resources to reduce redundancy and enhance spending efficiency, while adhering to usage controls, intellectual property rights, and documenting utilization levels and impact.
1.6 Change Management
Description:
An effective methodology for change management in the eLearning ecosystem, which ensures readiness for transformations, while keeping pace with the changing national developments and requirements.
Requirements:
- Provide a documented change management plan that outlines roles, responsibilities, and implementation stages and mechanisms, and support knowledge and skills acquisition for stakeholders.
- A clear communication mechanism to communicate changes to stakeholders, manage their expectations and enhance their acceptance.
- Continuously monitor developments, directions, and changing needs within the eLearning ecosystem to ensure alignment with national requirements and update regulations, policies, procedures, and technologies.
- Measure the impact of the implemented changes on eLearning quality and take corrective actions when needed.
1.7 AI governance
Description:
Establishing An effective governance framework that regulates the use of AI in eLearning, ensure alignment with learning objectives, clarity of responsibilities, risk management, data and rights protection, and enhance transparency and accountability.
Requirements:
- Establish an approved framework that defines the scope of the permitted and prohibited AI practices in eLearning, the criteria for approving AI tools, and the mechanisms for reviewing them periodically.
- Define the roles, responsibilities, and authorities associated with adopting, using, and discontinuing the use of AI tools.
- Establish a methodology for assessing the risks of AI tools before and during use, and define clear remediation and escalation mechanisms.
- Document accreditation decisions, significant changes, and incidents related to misuse or risks, and verify channels for reporting, addressing, and following up.
- Adhere to the national frameworks and requirements regulating the use of AI issued by the competent authorities, and ensure that the framework is updated accordingly.
- Offer awareness and training programs for using AI in eLearning, including responsible use, risk management, and AI ethics.
Curriculum Design and Planning
2.1 Compliance with Standards
Description:
Aligning the design of the eLearning programs and courses with the relevant national standards to ensure consistency and reliability and support equal opportunities for all beneficiaries.
Requirements:
- Align the design of the eLearning programs with the relevant national standards issued by NeLC and the competent authorities.
- Ensure that course components, content, activities, and assessments are consistent with the intended learning outcomes.
- Comply with the approved accessibility standards when designing digital content to ensure usability for all beneficiaries.
- Provide mechanisms for reviewing and approving online programs before publishing, and review them during implementation periodically.
2.2 Instructional Design
Description:
Adopting a systematic instructional design methodology for program development, and ensuring that the components are learner-centered, aligned with learning outcomes, and consistent across all programs.
Requirements:
- Provide an approved instructional design methodology based on design models and educational theories, and apply it across all online programs.
- Conduct a systematic analysis of learners' needs, course objectives, and content requirements prior to the design phase.
- Ensure that program components, content, activities, and assessments are aligned with the intended learning outcomes, focusing on interactivity, flexibility, and accessibility.
- Organize the content into sequential modules taking into account the logical hierarchy, and adopt a unified structure for the courses to facilitate comprehension and navigation across modules.
- Ensure that AI utilization is aligned with the learning outcomes and with AI governance frameworks, and clearly define the roles of learners and educators.
2.3 Content Development and Course Materials
Description:
Developing the content of the programs and courses using diverse and appropriate materials, and ensure the accuracy, comprehensiveness, currency, and compatibility with the learning objectives. In addition to their compliance with national values and policies.
Requirements:
- Ensure the accuracy, comprehensiveness, and currency of digital content, and that it is aligned with the objectives of the curriculum and the national values and policies.
- Employ appropriate forms of multimedia aligned with the nature of the course and the target group, taking into account the technical quality and ease of access.
- Consider diversity and inclusion and align content with the cultural context to support the design of inclusive learning environments.
- Inform learners of resource requirements before or at enrollment and provide access to support digital resources.
- Enable the download or export of educational resources in appropriate formats that support continuous offline learning.
- Verify the accuracy of content generated or modified by AI before publishing it scientifically, linguistically, and culturally according to a documented review mechanism that is consistent with AI governance frameworks.
2.4 Program Description
Description:
Providing a standardized description for the digital programs and courses and offering clear and essential information that enhances clarity of expectations and fosters the quality of the learning experience.
Requirements:
- Provide a standardized description for each digital program and course, including as a minimum: An overview of the program, learning outcomes, admission requirements, assessment components and their weights, and the expected study workload.
- Publish and provide program descriptions to beneficiaries prior to enrollment.
- The course description should include clear guidelines for AI use in activities and assignments -stating what is permitted, what requires documentation, and what is prohibited- in alignment with the institution’s approved policy.
Digital Teaching and Learning
3.1 Teaching and Learning Strategies
Description:
Employing diverse teaching and learning strategies within the digital environment to deliver effective and learner-centered experiences, considering the content, learners' needs, and available educational data.
Requirements:
- Diversify digital teaching and learning strategies to align with the program delivery mode (self-paced, synchronous, asynchronous, or blended), the content, and the learners' needs.
- Design learning experiences that support active learning, self-paced learning, and promote deep understanding, including experiential and applied activities that facilitate the transfer of learning to real-world contexts.
- Design learning activities that utilize AI as a supportive tool for learning rather than a substitute, while clearly defining the roles of the educator and the learner, as well as the human review checkpoints, in alignment with AI governance frameworks.
3.2 Learning Outcomes
Description:
Establishing clear and measurable learning outcomes for each digital course and program, aligned with the program objectives and reflect the knowledge, skills, and values that the learner will acquire.
Requirements:
- Develop precise, clear, and measurable learning outcomes for each digital course and program, reflecting the knowledge, skills, behaviors, and values that the learner will acquire.
- Align course learning outcomes with program objectives, and align program outcomes with the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and labor market requirements, and involve relevant stakeholders.
- Offer learning outcomes to learners at the beginning of the course and within the digital learning environment.
3.3 Setting Expectations
Description:
Defining learning expectations clearly for learners at the beginning of each course/program, including requirements, roles, tools, and controls to enhance the clarity of expectations and improve the quality of the learning experience.
Requirements:
- Clarify program expectations to learners at the outset, including: The roles of both the educator and the learner, the expected workload, the overall timeline, and the requirements for attendance and participation along with their impact on progress.
- Provide an overview of the course assessment, including its components, weight, and deadlines.
- Clarify the available communication channels, netiquette, and expected response times, in alignment with the approved communication policy under sub-dimension 3.5.
- Clarify the controls governing the use of digital tools and AI within the course, including use limits and documentation requirements, with reference to the approved policies under sub-dimensions 1.3 and 1.7.
- Provide easily accessible links to technical and academic support services, along with the mechanism for requesting support, throughout the duration of the program.
3.4 Engagement and Interaction
Description:
Designing interactive activities within its digital programs and courses to enhance the learner's engagement with the content, peers, and the educator, therefore promoting participation and providing a sense of belonging to the learning environment.
Requirements:
- Design diverse interactive activities that enable learners to engage with the content, peers, and the educator, in alignment with the program and delivery mode.
- Build virtual learning communities that foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, and a sense of belonging within the eLearning environment.
- Offer tools and mechanisms that support learner presence, sustained focus, and active engagement during learning.
- Monitor learners' engagement levels periodically, identify low-engagement learners, and take appropriate supportive actions.
3.5 Communication
Description:
Providing effective communication channels within the institution’s programs to foster positive engagement among learners, and between learners and educators, utilizing synchronous and asynchronous modes that align with the program design and learners' needs.
Requirements:
- Implement the approved communication policy under sub-dimension 1.3 within the program and provide to beneficiaries, specifying the available communication channels, netiquette, and expected response times.
- Provide diverse communication channels within the course, including synchronous and asynchronous modes that suit the course and the learners' needs.
- Provide digital discussion spaces that enable learners to interact with one another and with the educator to support collaborative learning.
- Respond to learners' inquiries within defined and announced timeframes to ensure learning continuity.
3.6 Feedback
Description:
Providing continuous and effective feedback to learners throughout the duration of the program and, utilizing diverse methods that support their progress and enhance their performance.
Requirements:
- Provide clear mechanisms for delivering timely feedback on tasks and activities throughout the course, using different methods that are appropriate for the task and the learner's needs.
- Utilize available learning analytics to improve the quality of feedback and support data-driven decision-making.
- Provide mechanisms that enable learners to offer constructive peer feedback within the eLearning environment to foster collaborative learning.
- Ensure that AI-supported feedback includes the source and remains within a defined scope. In addition, provide human review, appeals channel when required, and periodic checks for quality and bias mitigation.
Assessment
4.1 Assessment Strategies
Description:
Adopting an integrated assessment framework that defines methods, tools, and techniques to measure the achievement of learning outcomes, while ensuring academic integrity and protecting learner data.
Requirements:
- Establish an assessment framework that defines its methods, tools, and standards, and ensure alignment of all types of assessments including activities, tasks, and exams with the target learning outcomes, the content, and its delivery mode.
- Balance between continuous formative assessment and summative assessment to support learner development and measure achievement.
- Design assessments assuming AI tools are readily available. Diversify assessments methods to measure thinking and analysis, and authentic learning outcomes, in accordance with the governance controls approved under Sub-dimension 1.7.
- Design assessments that uphold academic integrity and mitigate cheating and identity impersonation in compliance with the integrity policy approved under Sub-dimension 1.3, while providing verification tools appropriate to the level of risk.
4.2 Assessment Procedures
Description:
Maintaining structured procedures for designing and managing assessments, encompassing planning, implementation, grading, and appeals to ensure the accuracy, reliability, and fairness of assessment tools.
Requirements:
- Define performance criteria, rubrics, and grading standards, and share it with learners to enhance transparency and assessment fairness.
- Ensure consistency and fairness in applying assessment procedures across all programs and course classes, with periodic verification of the accuracy and reliability of assessment tools.
- Define and publish the grading mechanism within each course or program, and ensure learners are fully prepared for digital assessments when required.
- Establish documented procedures for grievances, reviews, and re-assessments, including announced timelines for responses, decisions, and escalation mechanisms.
- Document any use of AI in supporting assessment processes while ensuring human review prior to approval, in alignment with the framework under Sub-dimension 1.7.
4.3 Assessment Methods
Description:
Adopting diverse digital assessment tools and methods that match the content and targeted thinking levels, providing all learners with fair opportunities to demonstrate their achievement.
Requirements:
- Diversify online assessment tools to include multiple methods such as exams, projects, presentations, portfolios, and others in alignment with the content.
- Align the selected assessment tools with the targeted thinking levels, ranging from comprehension and understanding to analysis, assessment, and creativity.
- Provide assessment alternatives when needed to support equal opportunities without compromising the core learning outcomes.
4.4 Types of Assessment
Description:
Utilizing an integrated set of assessment types (diagnostic, formative, and summative) across different learning stages, supporting evidence-based educational decisions and providing multiple opportunities to measure the achievement of learning outcomes.
Requirements:
- Utilize diagnostic assessment prior to commencing the program or unit to determine the learners' baseline knowledge and guide teaching decisions.
- Utilize formative assessment regularly throughout the program to monitor learner progress.
- Utilize summative assessment to measure the achievement of target learning outcomes, balancing theoretical and practical aspects.
- Ensure the integration of the three assessment types into a balanced ecosystem that offers learners multiple opportunities to demonstrate their achievement.
Technology
Description:
Maintaining an integrated technological ecosystem for eLearning that includes supporting platforms and tools, ensuring their integration and ease of access for beneficiaries across operating systems to support various delivery modes.
Requirements:
- Provide an accredited learning platform that supports content organization, management of activities and assignments, communication tools, tracking of learner progress and issuing reports, while enabling integration with supporting educational systems.
- Ensure the interoperability of the technical ecosystem across common devices and operating systems (computers, tablets, smartphones) to guarantee user access without technical limitations.
- Provide tools and applications that support various delivery modes (distance learning: synchronous and asynchronous, blended learning) in alignment with the program.
- Ensure the integration of AI tools with the technical ecosystem to support a seamless user experience, facilitate support and tracking, and maintain alignment with governance frameworks.
5.2 Internet Access
Description:
The institution ensures its beneficiaries are enabled to access reliable internet services for eLearning, while providing alternatives and support procedures in case of internet failure or poor quality.
Requirements:
- Determine the minimum internet connectivity requirements to utilize the online programs and inform beneficiaries prior to enrollment.
- Provide alternatives to support learning continuity during weak or interrupted connectivity, such as making content available for download or providing asynchronous learning options.
- Provide a mechanism for reporting and tracking connectivity issues in cooperation with beneficiaries to improve service quality.
5.3 Service Continuity, Reliability, and Scope
Description:
The institution guarantees the continuity and reliability of eLearning services through technical and administrative procedures that include contingency planning, proactive monitoring, data backup, and scalability.
Requirements:
- Develop a documented plan for eLearning service continuity that includes outage and crisis scenarios, implementation mechanisms, roles, and responsibilities.
- Ensure regular backup, data restoration, and disaster recovery solutions in accordance with the approved practices.
- Apply continuous proactive monitoring of systems to identify and address potential issues before they impact the educational process, while providing alternative solutions for emergencies.
- Manage system capacity to accommodate expansion and high demand during peak times.
- Establish service level metrics and conduct periodic reviews to support continuous improvement.
5.4 IT Service Management for eLearning
Description:
Providing effective IT services for eLearning to meet user needs and ensure the quality of technical support and its integration with the technical ecosystem.
Requirements:
- Define a documented reference or manual for eLearning IT services, and clarify the scope of each service, its targeted performance level, and its access mechanisms.
- Establish a mechanism for technical incident management that includes incident classification, prioritization, resolution procedures, documentation, and lessons learned to prevent recurrence.
- Provide a unified access point for technical support services to facilitate reporting and tracking issues until resolution.
- Comply with relevant regulatory and security requirements in delivering IT services, and periodically review to ensure continuity.
5.5 Educational Data Management and Analytics
Description:
The institution ensures the security of the eLearning environment and protects the privacy of beneficiaries' data through clear policies for identity management, access and verification, alongside effective mechanisms for responding to security incidents.
Requirements:
- Provide systems and technologies to collect and analyze educational data, and create a unified dashboard that supports decision-making and continuous improvement.
- Ensure the quality of educational data in terms of accuracy, completeness, and currency, and define clear procedures for data verification and error correction.
- Provide governance mechanisms for data access and data availability according to roles, authorities, and approved regulatory policies, in alignment with relevant national policies.
- Ensure technical integration with the National eLearning Platform and share educational data with NeLC in accordance with the policies and requirements set by NeLC.
- Define controls for data use in AI-driven analytics, including data quality, output interpretation, and limitations, prior to utilizing them in decision-making.
- Monitor the impact of AI-driven analytics on equity and implement corrections whenever bias or deficiencies are detected.
5.6 Security, Privacy, and Identity Management
Description:
Ensuring the security of the digital learning environment and protecting the privacy of beneficiaries' data through clear controls for identity management, access and verification, alongside effective mechanisms for responding to security incidents.
Requirements:
- Apply user identity verification appropriate to the risk level when accessing eLearning systems, including multi-factor authentication (MFA) or its equivalent.
- Provide a secure Single Sign-On (SSO) when multiple systems are utilized, coupled with centralized identity and access management.
- Define and manage access privileges based on roles and the principle of least privilege, with periodic reviews of privileges and revocation when roles or needs change.
- Implement technical controls to protect the confidentiality of beneficiaries' data during use and exchange, including access control, tracking of sensitive operations, and protection against unauthorized access.
- Ensure that beneficiaries’ data sharing with AI tools is in accordance with clear privacy rules that define the scope and purpose of the permitted data to be shared.
- Establish a documented mechanism for handling security and privacy incidents and breaches, including reporting, remediation, documentation, and escalation within specified timeframes, alongside procedures to mitigate their recurrence.
- Record relevant security activities and review them periodically to support investigation and verification when needed, in accordance with approved policies.
- Comply with approved privacy and data confidentiality policies, while providing regular backup solutions and clear recovery plans.
Learner and Parent Support
6.1 Guidance and Counseling
Description:
Providing comprehensive guidance and counseling services that support learners and parents in navigating the eLearning environment and achieving their academic and professional goals.
Requirements:
- Provide guidance and counseling services that support learners in developing eLearning skills such as time management, learning, critical thinking, and teamwork to enhance independency and success in the digital environment.
- Provide academic and career counseling regarding program and pathway selection, while offering information on labor market demands and relevant future skills.
- Provide guidance and counseling services for parents to enable them to support their children in the eLearning environment and monitor their progress.
6.2 Technical Support for Beneficiaries
Description:
Providing effective technical support services for learners and parents to ensure smooth and continuous use of the eLearning environment and timely responses through multiple channels.
Requirements:
- Provide multiple technical support channels for learners and parents such as phone, email, live chat, and other communication methods, and define service hours and clear response timeframes.
- Provide guidelines and self-help materials that enable beneficiaries to resolve common issues without the need for direct contact.
- Ensure that recurring technical issues are addressed with root-cause solutions, while documenting and analyzing them to reduce their recurrence.
- Engage beneficiaries in developing and improving technical support services based on their feedback and experiences.
6.3 Digital Citizenship and Safe Behavior
Description:
Enabling beneficiaries to utilize technology safely and responsibly within the eLearning environment by fostering digital awareness, positive behavior, critical thinking, and the responsible use of AI.
Requirements:
- Offer awareness programs on the safe and responsible use of technology, including protection against digital risks and promoting positive participation in digital communities.
- Develop critical thinking and digital analysis skills to assess information, verify its sources, and mitigate misinformation.
- Provide a documented Digital Code of Conduct to all parties involved in the learning process and raise awareness of its associated obligations.
- Include awareness materials regarding the responsible use of AI within digital citizenship programs, covering the risks of misinformation and academic integrity.
- Promote the balanced use of technology, digital time management, and the mitigation of risks associated with overuse.
- Measure beneficiaries' awareness level of digital citizenship principles periodically, and update awareness programs based on the results.
6.4 Equal Opportunities and Accessibility
Description:
The institution guarantees equal opportunities for all learners to leverage eLearning by addressing challenges, facilitating access, and providing assistive technologies tailored to diverse needs.
Requirements:
- Identify groups that require additional support in eLearning, continuously monitor their needs, and provide the required support according to a clear and announced mechanism.
- Provide digital educational resources in various formats and alternatives that support different needs, ensuring all learners have access to content and activities.
- Provide assistive technologies and tools when needed to enable all groups to learn and access the digital learning environment.
- Engage learners with special needs in assessing the suitability of the services and resources provided to them, utilizing their feedback for continuous improvement.
6.5 Social and Mental Support
Description:
Providing a comprehensive social and mental support ecosystem within the eLearning environment that enhances learners' well-being, sense of belonging, and motivation through clear support services, and early monitoring and intervention mechanisms.
Requirements:
- Provide social and mental support channels and services for learners and parents when needed, including specialized counseling and clear procedures to request help with strict confidentiality.
- Establish an early detection mechanism for mental and social risk indicators related to eLearning, such as isolation, withdrawal, and burnout, implementing clear interventions and referrals when needed.
- Train educators to detect indicators of mental and social vulnerability among learners in the digital environment and refer them to tailored support according to a clear mechanism.
- Enhance learners' sense of belonging and social integration in the digital environment through initiatives and activities that encourage positive communication and relationship building within the learning community.
- Offer targeted mental support to manage the effects of prolonged technology use, such as digital fatigue, within the framework of mental and social support.
Educator Support
7.1 Technical Support for Educators
Description:
Providing technical support for educators, enabling them to effectively utilize educational platforms and tools, and address operational issues to ensure teaching continuity and quality.
Requirements:
- Provide clear and multiple technical support channels for educators, specifying service hours and announced response timeframes that align with actual teaching schedules.
- Provide concise and updated user guidelines and manuals, enabling educators to perform common tasks and troubleshoot recurring issues independently.
- Define a clear mechanism for receiving, classifying, documenting, and tracking tickets until resolution, with an escalation process for critical cases that disrupt the teaching process.
- Ensure prompt resolution of emergency technical issues during teaching as a top priority, minimizing disruption, and guaranteeing the continuity of the learning process.
- Analyze reports to extract root causes and implement improvements that reduce issues recurrence and elevate support quality.
- Provide technical support for auxiliary educational tools such as virtual classrooms, assessment tools, and AI to guarantee their smooth integration within the ecosystem.
7.2 Professional Development
Description:
Promoting continuous professional development for educators in eLearning through initiatives and projects that enhance their teaching competencies, support adapting to developments, and encourage the building of effective professional learning communities.
Requirements:
- Establish an annual professional development plan based on educator needs assessments, outlining pathways, priority topics, target groups, and implementation and follow-up mechanisms.
- Offer flexible, tiered professional development pathways that accommodate the educator’s experience level and needs, while incentivizing and documenting participation to support sustainability.
- Encourage participation in professional learning communities and diverse development activities, such as workshops, courses, and conferences, to foster knowledge sharing and build effective digital teaching practices.
- Include professional development programs (teaching competencies in eLearning environments), such as digital learning strategies, instructional design, online assessment methods, and the deployment of emerging technologies.
- Incorporate specialized professional development modules on the responsible use of AI in teaching, which cover the design of authentic learning activities, verification of AI-generated outputs, and their utilization to improve teaching quality.
- Measure the impact of professional development programs on the quality of digital teaching and learning outcomes, and update the plan based on the results.
7.3 Qualification and Training
Description:
Providing structured qualifications and training programs for educators to enhance their practical competencies required to execute eLearning effectively, ensuring training matches experience levels and is continuously measured and improved.
Requirements:
- Deliver an onboarding program for new educators that clarifies roles, expectations, and fundamental workflows in the eLearning environment prior to the start of teaching.
- Provide progressive training pathways tailored to the educator's experience level and practical needs, supported by field assistance when necessary, such as professional mentoring and classroom observations.
- Integrate core practical competencies into training programs, including online classroom management, activity design, creation of assessment tools, documentation, verification, and classroom management with AI tools.
- Update training programs periodically to reflect emerging technologies and evolving eLearning delivery modes.
- Measure the impact of training on educator performance, assessment quality, and academic integrity indicators, and update training content based on the results.
7.4 Work-Life Balance
Description:
The institution supports the well-being of its educators in the eLearning environment by regulating workloads and offering flexible work arrangements, thereby maintaining teaching quality and performance sustainability.
Requirements:
- Define and announce clear expectations for the educator's roles and responsibilities in eLearning to enhance role clarity and support effective time management.
- Regulate the workload associated with digital teaching such as follow-ups, interaction, assessment, and feedback, through clear task distribution mechanisms and operational support when needed.
- Provide flexible work mechanisms appropriately to support work organization and time management in alignment with eLearning requirements and approved rules and regulations.
- Share available resources and supportive services to help manage digital work stress and promote professional well-being among educators.
- Monitor work-life balance indicators such as actual workload versus planned workload, measure educator satisfaction, and take corrective actions based on the findings.
Continuous Evaluation and Improvement
8.1 Measuring Satisfaction
Description:
Measuring beneficiaries' satisfaction with eLearning systematically and periodically, analyzing the results, and utilizing them to improve the quality of the educational experience.
Requirements:
- Design comprehensive satisfaction measurement tools that cover all aspects of the eLearning experience such as the quality of teaching, content, assessment, support, and platforms, for all categories of beneficiaries.
- Conduct satisfaction measurements periodically through multiple channels, while defining the target groups and feedback collection mechanisms.
- Analyze satisfaction results and identify improvement opportunities, while engaging stakeholders in interpreting results, preparing improvement plans, and documenting them.
- Monitor the impact of improvements on satisfaction indicators over time and prepare periodic reports that reflect the level of improvement achieved.
Description:
Measuring the performance of the eLearning ecosystem through quantitative and qualitative indicators and learning analytics, supporting data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement.
Requirements:
- Define key performance indicators (KPIs) for eLearning at the institutional level (e.g., interaction, attendance, achievement, completion, quality of assessments, and effectiveness of support, etc), and define the calculation mechanisms and data sources.
- Systematically employ learning analytics to monitor performance, track trends, and identify gaps. Additionally, issue periodic reports to relevant stakeholders to support decision-making.
- Compare performance against pre-defined goals and baselines and monitor changes over time to measure the improvement achieved.
- Utilize AI in analyzing performance indicators according to clear controls, and analyze variances among categories and determine result-based improvement actions.
- Participate in the National Digital Learning Indicator issued annually by NeLC, provide the data and requirements, and utilize the results to determine improvement priorities and institutional development plans.
8.3 Evaluating the Quality of Curriculum and Course Outcomes
Description:
Assessing the quality of learning outcomes and the effectiveness of the eLearning programs and courses in achieving target outcomes. In addition, utilizing assessment results to develop design processes, content development, teaching, and assessment.
Requirements:
- Measure the achievement of the target learning outcomes and link them to performance evidence and assessment results to support judgment on the quality and effectiveness of online programs.
- Conduct periodic assessments to measure the effectiveness of digital content, design processes, learning and teaching methods, and assessment methodologies. Furthermore, engage stakeholders in interpreting results and identifying improvement opportunities.
- Periodically monitor the impact of improvements on the quality of learning outcomes in terms of knowledge, skills, and competencies, and document the achieved changes to support continuous development decisions.
8.4 Periodic Review and Update
Description:
Systematically and periodically reviewing online programs, courses, policies, and procedures, and updating content and practices to address assessment results and keep pace with latest developments.
Requirements:
- Conduct systematic and periodic reviews of eLearning content and practices according to a clear plan that specifies the review frequency, required updates, and the approval mechanism for changes.
- Update content and educational materials when needed based on the results of assessments, analytics, feedback, and relevant developments, and document all changes.
- Periodically review and update eLearning policies and procedures to ensure alignment with recent developments, national frameworks issued by NeLC, and relevant authorities.
8.5 Innovation
Description:
Adopting a culture of institutional innovation in eLearning and managing initiatives through a systematic framework that ensures receiving, testing, and measuring the impact of ideas. In addition to making evidence-based scaling decisions to enhance the quality and sustainability of eLearning practices.
Requirements:
- Approve an institutional framework for innovation in eLearning that defines roles, responsibilities, and governance mechanisms, and links innovative initiatives to strategic priorities.
- Provide a unified methodology for managing the innovation lifecycle, including ideation, prioritization, initiative design, piloting, impact assessment, and the decision to scale up or terminate, while documenting results and transferring knowledge.
- Allocate resources to innovative initiatives according to clear eligibility criteria, and foster an institutional environment that encourages experimentation and learning from experiences.
- Build effective partnerships with relevant institutions and technology providers to support experimentation, knowledge transfer, and expertise exchange.
- Transform successful innovative initiatives into scalable practices, while documenting lessons learned from experiences with their diverse outcomes to enhance institutional learning.
- Measure the level of innovation culture and its outcomes such as the number of proposed and implemented initiatives and their results, utilize emerging technologies including AI within approved usage controls, and measure impact.
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