RIYADH -- Taibah University in Madinah has awarded Pearson, the world's top learning company, a contract to roll out an all-inclusive, state-of-the-art learning ecosystem as part of the university's preparatory year program, which enrolls more than 4,000 students each year.
The agreement will transform Taibah University from a traditional campus to a fully blended learning environment over the next three years, placing the university at the forefront of digital learning transformation in the Kingdom, according to a press release issued by Pearson.
The agreement builds on a close existing relationship between Pearson and Taibah University, which started last year with the initial roll-out of customized foundation resources.
Under the new agreement, Pearson will provide the university with Pearson's Personalized Learning Platform, which is a comprehensive learning ecosystem providing a personalized, adaptive and interactive learning experience.
The company will help the university design, develop and deploy a fully blended learning program that includes digital course ware, digital lesson plans and formative assessments. It will also provide remediation tools for mathematics, chemistry, physics and biology; enterprise reporting and data analytics, and faculty change management and development program to assist the transition to blended learning.
Taibah University's Dean of the Preparatory Year Program Dr. Waleed Bleyhesh Al-Amri said: "The ecosystem being implemented under the agreement will prove efficient in improving student outcomes by increasing motivation and attendance. Saudi university students are very tech-savvy and expect their education to reflect the latest developments in digital and online learning. The holistic system that we are employing has been specifically designed to connect with young learners and make their education more relevant and engaging".
The launch of the program at Taibah indicates universities in the Kingdom are on-board with the government's goal of increasing the presence of digital technology in the Kingdom's tertiary institutions as a means of achieving better learning outcomes and employability rates among graduates, he said.
© The Saudi Gazette 2014
