RESEARCH PROGRAM FOR NEXT-GEN E-LEARNING IN MENA REGION
RESEARCH PROGRAM FOR NEXT-GEN E-LEARNING IN MENA REGION

Summary/Abstract: This brief contribution outlines some of the fundamental qualitative and quantitative research questions that need to be asked regarding e-learning in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Although e-learning has expanded at a rapid rate since 2005, particularly in the Arabian Gulf and in Israel, Egypt and Iran, which have developed mature e-learning infrastructure and systems, the following serious issues remain: 1) both learning and cost effectiveness have not been completely demonstrated 2) accreditation of courses 3) access 4) training, including educators, students, and ITC staff 5) gender and cultural issues. The paper suggests ways in which potential answers can be found to these concerns through well-designed research efforts. Policy planners and educational administrators have relied heavily in the past on cost, validation, and effectiveness studies generated in Western countries, yet due to the different historical, philosophical and cultural dimensions of Arabic education, more research specifically geared to the unique situation of e-learning in MENA would be welcome.

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