Dubai: A first of its kind Social Online Learning (SOL) initiative that offers a wide range of training courses, through the social networking site Facebook and will target 2.5 million learners, has been launched by the Hamdan Bin Mohammad e-University (HBMeU) in Dubai.
The initiative will offer learners a competitive-priced social online learning service in English and Arabic and will feature learning courses in maths, science, English language, information technology, business skills and leadership for learners of all ages.
The initiative was launched under the directives of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and President of Hamdan Bin Mohammad e-university during the HBMeU Board of Governors meeting at the Dubai Police Officers Club on Sunday.
The social online learning service will offer online learners 1,200 online lessons in maths, sciences and IT for grades 4-12, based on the best international curricula. It will also have more than 75 online sessions in business skills for adult learners under 10 categories of soft skills, including leadership, entrepreneurship, communication, talent development, marketing and operation management, human resources management and Islamic banking, among others. There are also more than 600 online lessons in English language for all age groups from 3 years to adults, based on Cambridge curricula and examinations.
When a learner completes a course he will automatically receive a certificate. If he wishes to opt for another certificate he can go to the university sit for an exam and receive an official certificate. So basically he can study at home then go get examined at HBMeU.
The SOL is currently targeting 2.5 million casual learners who consist of partners of HBMeUs clients who will receive a 1 month free trail to access all the courses and libraries available. This includes 650,000 people from Zein Group, 800,000 from both Emirates National Bank of Dubai and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, 200,000 from ARAMEX and finally 100,000 people from Sharjah Islamic Bank.
Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Dubai Police Chief and Chairman of HBMeU’s Board of Governors, underlined the importance of SOL to serve as the first e-learning platform based on Facebook in the Middle East. “The new initiative’s role is not limited to education only; it combines educational and social goals, which are primarily based on promoting social responsibility, encouraging the young generation to responsibly use various practical resources on the internet, and reinforcing the culture of e-learning among the youth”
— Noor Nazzal is a trainee at Gulf News
