Seminar on Regulations of Distance Education in Saudi Higher Education: Issues & Ambitions 

(Via satellite) Umm Al­Qura University, Makkah 

E­LEARNING AND
DISTANCE LEARNING 
IN SAUDI ARABIA
Issues & Implications
BADRUL HUDA KHAN, PH.D.
President
In the information society, 
learners require rich learning 
environments supported by 
well‑designed resources. 
They expect  flexible 
learning environments with 
good support services. 
       
2
Learners want to have more 
say in 
­ WHAT they learn
­ WHEN they learn
­ WHERE they learn
­ HOW they learn 

       
3
FROM
TO
Wanting to be
taught mostly Wanting
in lectures or increased
direct training flexibility.
sessions

       
4
Can we provide what learners want?

YES, we can! 
New developments in learning science and 
technology provide opportunities to 
develop learning environments that suit 
learners' needs and interests by offering 
them the choice of increased flexibility. 

       
5
However, only  open  learning 
systems such as e­learning can 
provide the kind of flexibility that 
learners need.
But NOT the  closed  learning 
systems such as instructor­led 
traditional classroom­based 
instruction.
       
6
As we are accustomed to teaching 
and learning in a closed system, the 
openness of an open system such as 
e­learning is challenging to us. 
To create effective e­learning 
environments for diverse 
learners, we need to jump out 
of our closed system mentality. 
       
7
        

WeWe
needneed
to a
Paradigm Shift!
change our mindset!

       
8
Digitizing instructor­led 
classroom materials DOES 
NOT necessarily mean that 
you are actually creating 
meaningful e­learning. 

       
9
E­learning materials must be designed 

• with proper instructional design 
principles and learning theories. 
• by addressing critical issues 
encompassing various dimensions  
of open learning environment.

       
10
Considering “Trends in regulation, by­laws, 
and standards governing distance higher 
education” as  the  theme of the conference.

I would like to present a FRAMEWORK 
of E­LEARNING which I believe 
would serve as a guide to formulate 
regulation, by­laws, and standards for 
distance learning in Saudi Arabia.

       
11
To develop regulation, by­laws, and standards 
governing distance higher education, we must 
investigate the critical issues regarding …

What does it take to create 
meaningful and quality 
educational environment 
for distance learning?
       
12
Since 1997, I have communicated with learners, instructors, 
administrators, and technical and other support services staff 
involved in e­learning (in both academic and corporate 
settings) all over the world to learn “What it takes to create a 
meaningful e­learning environment?”

I found there are a myriad of issues. I clustered these issues 
into eight critical dimensions to develop the E­Learning 
Framework.
These issues in the Framework generate many questions that 
we can  ask ourselves when 
• planning
• designing 
• developing
• evaluating 
• implementing e­learning systems. 

       
13
A Framework for 
E­Learning 
 Academic,
Assessment
On-line
Content
Ethical administrative
Infrastructure,
ofPhysical
Learning
learner,
and
development
considerations
off-line
layout
evaluation
and
hardware &
teachingstudent
resources
and
and
navigation
of
in
and services
maintenance
e-learning
learning
issues
&
software
support
environment
Pedagogical

Te
l
na

ch
tio

no
i tu

lo
st

gi
In

ca
l
Interface
Ethical

Design
e-Learning

Re
S u so n
it o
pp urc ua
or e al
t E v
Management

       
15
 ‫تربوي‬

‫م‬
‫ؤس‬

‫ني‬
‫سي‬

‫تق‬
‫أخلقي‬

‫الواجهة‬
‫تصميم‬
‫التعلم اللكتروني‬

‫در‬
‫ال قت‬
‫صا‬
‫الم‬
‫عم‬
‫د‬
‫و مي‬
‫الدارة‬
‫‪       ‬‬
‫‪16‬‬
1. PEDAGOGICAL
1.1 Content Analysis
1.2 Audience Analysis
1.3 Goal Analysis
1.4 Medium Analysis
1.5 Design approach
1.6 Organization
1.7 Methods and Strategies
2. TECHNOLOGICAL
2.1 Infrastructure planning
2.2 Hardware
2.3 Software
3. INTERFACE DESIGN
3.1 Page and site design
3.2 Content design
3.3 Navigation
3.4 Accessibility
3.5 Usability testing
4. EVALUATION
4.1 Assessment of learners
4.2 Evaluation of the instruction
& learning environment
5. MANAGEMENT
5.1 E‑Learning Content Development
5.2 E-Learning Maintenance
6. RESOURCE SUPPORT
6.1 Online support
6.2 Resources
7. ETHICAL
7.1 Social and Political Influence
7.2 Cultural Diversity
7.3 Bias
7.4 Geographical diversity
7.5 Learner diversity
7.6 Digital Divide
7.7 Etiquette
7.8 Legal issues
8. INSTITUTIONAL
8.1 Administrative Affairs
8.2 Academic affairs
8.2 Student services
       
18
 Pedagogical
Content
What types of content
Audience
are appropriate to
Goals teach via a variety of e-
Medium learning approaches?
Design
Organization
Methods
 Pedagogical
Content Do we use multimedia
Audience attributes of the Internet and
Goals digital technologies?
- text
Medium - audio
Design - video
Organization - graphics
- other (specify)
Methods
 Pedagogical
Content • What is the instructor’s
Audience role?
Goals - more facilitative than
Medium didactic
Design - more didactic than
facilitative
Organization
- a combination of both
Methods
 Pedagogical
Content • Does your e-learning
Audience program promote Inside
Goals Collaboration by providing a
supportive environment for
Medium asking questions, clarifying
Design directions, suggesting or
Organization contributing resources and
working on joint projects
Methods with class members?
 Technological
Infrastructure Does your institution create
Planning learning objects by following the
international interoperability
Hardware standards (such as SCORM,
Software IEEE, etc.)
(SCORM - Shareable Content Object Reference Model)
 Technological
Infrastructure
Do you have
Planning personnel who can
Hardware assist learners to
Software set up for starting
the course?
 Technological
Infrastructure
Planning Are the hardware &
software requirements
Hardware
for the e-learning
Software
program clearly stated?
 Interface Design
Page and Site
Design Do the appearance and
Content Design functionality of the
Navigation screen look good?
Accessibility
Usability
Testing
 Interface Design
Page and Site
Design Is the program
Content Design designed to be
Navigation accessible by a wider
Accessibility user population?
Usability
Testing (A common accessibility concern
in the USA -- Is the course 508
compliant?)
 Evaluation
Assessment
Does the program have
of Learners
a mechanism in which
Evaluation of
Instruction & a learner can be truly
Learning measured and not
Environment allowed to cheat?
 Evaluation
Does the program have a system
Assessment to accept students evaluation of
of Learners the following?
Evaluation of - content
Instruction & - instructor
- learning environment
Learning
- learning resources
Environment
- course design
- technical support
 Management
Does the program notify students
Content about any changes in due dates or
Development other course relevant matters (e.g.,
Maintenance server down) via following means?
- e-mail
- announcement page
- alert boxes
- running footer added to a page
- phone call
- mail
 Resource Support
Online Does the course provide
Support troubleshooting (or
Resources expert technical support
from specialized staff)
assistance or a help line?
 Resource Support
Online Do students have
Support access to a digital
Resources library?
 Ethical
Social/Political
Influence
Does the institution have
Cultural Diversity to get approval from any
Bias
external entities (who can
Geographical
Diversity serve as political barriers)
Learner Diversity to implement e-learning?
Digital Divide
Etiquette
Legal Issues
 Ethical
Social/Political
Influence
To improve cross-cultural
Cultural Diversity verbal communication and
Bias avoid misunderstanding,
Geographical does the program make an
Diversity
Learner Diversity
effort to reduce or avoid the
Digital Divide use of jargon, idioms,
Etiquette ambiguous or cute humor,
Legal Issues and acronyms?
 Ethical
Social/Political
Influence Does the program
Cultural Diversity
Bias
present more than one
Geographical viewpoint on
Diversity
Learner Diversity
controversial issues?
Digital Divide
Etiquette
Legal Issues
 Ethical
Social/Political
Influence Is the program offered to
Cultural Diversity a geographically diverse
Bias
Geographical
population? If yes ...
Diversity Is the program sensitive about
Learner Diversity students from different time-
Digital Divide zones (e.g. synchronous
Etiquette communications are scheduled at
Legal Issues reasonable times for all time
zones represented)?
 Ethical
Social/Political
Influence Is the program designed
Cultural Diversity to have patience for
Bias
learners who adapt to
Geographical
Diversity individualized open and
Learner Diversity distributed learning
Digital Divide
Etiquette
environment slower than
Legal Issues others?
 Ethical
Social/Political Information accessibility issue must
Influence
be expressed in terms of digital
Cultural Diversity
“haves” and “have nots,” a gap
Bias
Geographical
expressed in the term “digital
Diversity divide.”
Learner Diversity
Digital Divide
Is the digital divide issue
Etiquette
considered in designing the
Legal Issues
e‑learning content?
 Ethical
Social/Political
Influence • Does the program provide
Cultural Diversity any guidance to learners
Bias
Geographical
on how to behave and post
Diversity messages in online
Learner Diversity discussions so that their
Digital Divide
Etiquette postings do not hurt
Legal Issues others’ feelings?
 Ethical
Social/Political
Influence Does the program get
Cultural Diversity students’ permission to
Bias
Geographical
post any of the following
Diversity on the Web?
Learner Diversity
Digital Divide
- students’ photographs
Etiquette - students’ projects
Legal Issues
 Institutional
Administrative Is the institution ready
Affairs to offer e-learning?
Academic
Affairs
Student
Services
 Institutional
Administrative Does the e-learning
Affairs program provide
Academic
academic quality such
Affairs
as one would expect in
Student
Services a traditional course?
 Institutional
Administrative Are instructor/tutor
Affairs and technical staff
Academic
available during online
Affairs
orientation (if any)?
Student
Services
Within the scope of today’s
presentation, I have presented
few learning issues in the form
of questions that you can ask
yourself when planning,
designing, evaluating or
implementing meaningful
e‑learning.
As the scope of e‑learning design
expands, design projects change from
one-person operations to complex
team efforts. The E-Learning
Framework can be used to ensure that
no important essential factor is
omitted from the design of
e‑learning, whatever its scope or
complexity.
I strongly believe that the Ministry 
of Higher Education in Saudi 
Arabia can benefit from the 
perspectives of issues covered in the 
E­Learning Framework.
 ‫تربوي‬

‫م‬
‫ؤس‬

‫ني‬
‫سي‬

‫تق‬
‫أخلقي‬

‫الواجهة‬
‫تصميم‬
‫التعلم اللكتروني‬

‫در‬
‫ال قت‬
‫صا‬
‫الم‬
‫عم‬
‫د‬
‫و مي‬
‫الدارة‬
‫‪       ‬‬
‫‪48‬‬
        

The Framework has the potential to guide the

Ministry of Higher Education in Saudi Arabia to:

Develop
Establish
Develop
Develop
Develop E-Learning
FormulateAResearch
E-LNational
&
E-Learning&
ACCREDITATION Distance
FUNDING
E-Learning
Distance Learning
&
Review
Establish
Develop Existing
Establish National
NATIONAL
E-L & REGULATIONS
DIGITAL
CENTER
Distance Learning
Learning
CRITERIA
&CRITERIA
of
FACULTY
Distance
INSTRUCTIONAL
Distance for
for
Learning
Learning
E-Learning &
and
E-LearningSTAFF
E-Learning
PLAN
Standards
POLICIES
Distance &&
Learning
TECHNICAL
LIBRARY
of Distance education
DISABILITIES Standards
Standards
DEVELOPMENT
Distance
DistanceLearning
LearningTRAINING
Projects
Programs

       
49
The Framework has the potential to guide the
Ministry of Higher Education in Saudi Arabia to:
- Develop A National E-Learning & Distance Learning (E-L & DL) Plan
- Establish National Center of E-Learning & Distance Learning
- Analyze Current Regulations of Distance education
- Formulate E-Learning & Distance Learning Policies
- Formulate E-Learning & Distance Learning Technical Standards
- Formulate E-Learning & Distance Learning Instructional Standards
- Formulate E-Learning & Distance Learning Disability Standards
- Develop Accreditation Criteria E-Learning & Distance Learning Programs
- Establish Research Funding Criteria for E-Learning & Distance Learning
Projects
- Establish National Digital Library
- E-Learning Faculty and Staff Training
I am very honored, blessed and fortunate to be able 
to participate in several educational technology and 
e­learning related projects in Saudi Arabia:
2001, Virtual Education
ASHRM

2004, e­Learning Workshop
KFUPM, ARAMCO, Islamic University of Al­Madinah, 
KAU, TV Channel 2’s Zoom In Program 

2005, Educational Technologies Use in Saudi Universities for 
project offered by "Aafaq".  Taibah University 

Present, Research Projects (Saudi Professors and Doctoral 
Students)
REFERENCES
Questions and comments?
This presentation is available at:
http://asianvu.com/bkglobal/keynote/ksa/3ed.ppt

Homepage:
http://BadrulKhan.com/khan
       
56
Seminar on Regulations of Distance Education in Saudi Higher Education: Issues & Ambitions 
(Via satellite) Umm Al­Qura University, Makkah 

E­LEARNING AND
DISTANCE LEARNING 
IN SAUDI ARABIA
Issues & Implications
BADRUL HUDA KHAN, PH.D.
President