Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University continues to lead the march towards excellence in Arab world

Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and President of Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University (HBMeU), the Annual Congress 2012 commenced Tuesday, January 31, 2012 with a series of parallel conferences gathering leading scientists, experts and regional and international intellectuals to discuss key issues about education, e-health and quality. Rowan Gibson, who is widely recognized as one of the world's foremost thought leaders in enterprise innovation and is acknowledged as “the Innovation Grandmaster”, was the main keynote speaker of the Annual Congress, where he discussed the process of promoting a culture of creativity and innovation. He also spoke about the “four lenses of innovation”, which encourages enterprises to rethink their products, services, strategies and business models in order to create a new value for customers, thereby opening new growth opportunities and enhancing global competitiveness. 

The 6^th Quality Conference in the Middle East under the theme “Innovation-based Competitiveness and Business Excellence”, commenced with a speech by Professor Peter Hines, Chairman of the Lean Enterprise Research Centre at Cardiff Business School, who talked about the Lean Business System, which plays a central role in achieving quality management and keeping pace with rapid developments in various fields. Professor Hines also discussed the importance of establishing a clear and sound foundation that includes setting ambitious goals to improve performance and achieve the desired results, and excellence on both a personal and institutional level. During the conference, participants discussed the role of total quality management in the promotion of competitive advantages and furthering sustainable development, which is a pressing concern in all modern societies. 

The 5^th Conference on eLearning Excellence in the Middle East was held under the theme “Sustainable Innovation in Education – Capacity-Building, Blended Learning and Beyond”. It was attended by Dr. Frits Pannekoek, President, Athabasca University in Canada, who discussed the role of innovative approaches in promoting competitiveness, creating an environment for learning, and developing competencies to take advantage of available technologies to improve blended learning. Prof. Alain Senteni, Chair of the eLearning Conference and Dean of the School of e-Education at HBMeU, delivered a speech wherein he emphasized the importance of innovation in enhancing intellectual abilities and achieving personal success particularly with the advent of the Information Society, which has enabled societies to evolve and keep pace with rapid changes. Prof. Senteni noted that the conference has succeeded in strengthening its role as a forum for those involved in the creation and evolution of management methodologies in learning, innovation and excellence in e-learning. It also provides an interactive platform to exchange experiences and best practices through the participation of leading experts and thinkers who have invested considerable time and expertise in preparing the agenda of the event. 

The “4^th e-Health and Environment Conference in Middle East” which was held under the theme “Building an Innovative and Competitive Vision for e-Health and Environment in the 21st Century”, discussed the key issues and challenges related to e-health in developing regions, with the participation of Professor Maurice Mars, Head of Department of TeleHealth at the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, who delivered a speech titled “Health in the Developing World: Is the Health Divide Widening? 

The speakers and participants of the three parallel conferences lauded the efforts of HBMeU in organizing the Annual Congress 2012, which continues to consolidate its position as an interactive platform that cultivates scientific interaction and promotes a culture of excellence, innovation and quality among the academic, social and business communities. They also highlighted the pioneering role of the university in continuing the drive for academic excellence and promoting the concept of e-learning. 

HBMeU is the first e-learning institute in the Arab World that was established with the vision to develop a new learning process through the implementation of learning practices characterised by flexibility, quality and diversity to strengthen self-leadership among learners and prepare them socially and academically for a future career through integration in the job market. HBMeU’s philosophy is based on vital methods that have been developed through extensive research and development by specialists from all over the world. These methods include offering high quality programs, supporting the pursuit of lifelong learning, promoting the freedom of information, reinforcing the culture of excellence and innovation and providing education for everyone in line with the highest standards of comprehensiveness and credibility. The university seeks to constantly identify knowledge needs, support research and development programs and create an outstanding environment for e-learning.