A new Economic Impact Assessment report, produced by Oxford Business Group (OBG) in partnership with Saudi Electronic University (SEU), explores the transformational potential of online and blended learning approaches in expanding educational inclusion and differentiated instruction across the Kingdom.
The report forms part of a new OBG series designed to analyse the effectiveness of higher education institutions in nurturing a future-ready workforce and supporting national development objectives in areas such as digitalisation, innovation and research.
The report is now ready to view and download at https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/news/report-will-e-learning-transform-tertiary-education-saudi-arabia
This inaugural report provides in-depth analysis of the Kingdom’s tertiary education sector in an easy-to-navigate and accessible format, focusing on key data and infographics in three sections: Education, Innovation and Acceleration.
It shines a spotlight on Saudi Arabia’s well-regulated educational ecosystem, which is playing a key role in meeting the demands of the Kingdom’s increasingly digitalised and diversified economy by successfully aligning graduate skillsets with today’s job market.
There is detailed coverage of the steps that higher education institutions are taking to ensure their curriculums and teaching methods are aligned with the demands of both students and employers, including STEM programmes in key areas such as ICT and engineering.
The report also considers the extent to which Saudi Arabia’s efforts to transition to a knowledge economy and accelerate human capital development will boost future competitiveness and reduce the risk of job displacement from automation.
Elsewhere, readers will find analysis of the steps being taken to provide education and skills development outside of the traditional classroom using digital tools, and the extent to which this is opening up new lifelong learning opportunities for previously underserved segments of society.
While covering broad economic and educational issues in Saudi Arabia, the Economic Impact Assessment report has a particular focus on SEU and its distinct role within the Kingdom’s e-learning and lifelong learning ecosystem, tracking SEU’s growth story and development plans through a series of in-depth case studies. It examines the university’s Strategic Plan 2021-2025, noting how it aligns with the Kingdom’s national development priorities, while highlighting the partnerships set up with ICT firms, alongside its other achievements.
The report also includes an interview with Lilac Ahmad Al Safadi, President, SEU, in which she outlines Saudi Arabia’s transformational approach to modernising education, and, in particular, the decision to move learning from a time-based, teacher-centric model to a mastery-based, student-centric system.
“Saudi Arabia’s recovery strategy aims to maintain and even expand upon the achievements gained during the pandemic and establish e-learning as a tool to be leveraged in every higher education facility,” she said. “This will help the Kingdom meet its Vision 2030 goals and prepare the workforce for the future.”
Jana Treek, OBG’s Managing Director for the Middle East, said that decisions taken by Saudi Arabia’s schools and universities to incorporate ICT-based, self-directed learning into their teaching methods before the arrival of Covid-19 not only helped to facilitate a relatively smooth transition to e-learning during the pandemic, but also showed that the digital transformation of the Kingdom’s economy was well under way.
“Saudi Arabia’s universities understand the need to cultivate a deep and diverse workforce equipped with the skills required for a highly disrupted job market,” Treek said. “Given that the education system has been allocated a key role in taking the Kingdom’s long-term economic development plans forward and facilitating non-oil growth, edtech is fast becoming a significant area of interest for investors, supported by ongoing innovation and new technologies.”
The Economic Impact Assessment forms part of a series of tailored reports that OBG is currently producing with its partners, alongside other highly relevant, go-to research tools, including a range of country-specific Growth and Recovery Outlook articles and interviews.
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