Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 59 | Page 69

INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Mobile Technology

Umm Al-Qura University champions distance learning with Cisco

More than 700,000 meeting minutes and 13,000 virtual meetings and events delivered digitally using Webex .

Umm Al-Qura University , one of

Saudi Arabia ’ s largest educational institutions , has deployed Cisco ’ s most advanced collaboration software , Webex for Education , to enable distance learning for over 100,000 participants across its 36 colleges .
The successful implementation has enabled Umm Al-Qura University to empower students and provide them with uninterrupted education and services , despite the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown restrictions .
Using the conference platform capabilities of Webex for Education , Umm Al-Qura has facilitated around 700,000 meeting minutes and more than 13,000 virtual meetings and events , supporting 120,000 students , teaching staff , faculty and other participants . educational institution that has always prioritised technological advancement to revolutionise education services in the Kingdom and deliver high quality education to Saudi students . Through this successful implementation of Cisco ’ s Webex solution , we have been able to stay on track to ensure that our educational offerings remain engaging and give educators the tools they need to create a focused and modern learning environment ,” said Khalid Al-Mutairi , Dean , E-learning and Distance Education and Vice President , Digital Transformation at Umm Al-Qura University .
In addition , Umm Al-Qura was able to hold its major annual events virtually , using the conference platform capabilities of Webex Events . Over 3,000 participants attended Umm Al-Qura ’ s Annual Contest for Memorisation of the Holy Quran , while the Crisis Management Forum brought together a number of high-level experts to discuss effective crisis management in different areas and industries .
Salman Abdulghani Faqeeh , Managing Director , Cisco Saudi Arabia , said : “ Umm Al- Qura University ’ s achievements in providing continuous education and support to its students illustrates a clear commitment to learning and innovation , especially in a time where there is so much pressure placed on educational entities to deliver . We at Cisco are very pleased that our solutions for the Education sector are able to support Umm Al-Qura and other educational institutions in the Kingdom so that they can continue to educate a large number of students remotely and help teachers securely deliver learning to students of all ages anytime , anywhere and on any device .” •
Umm Al-Qura has utilised Webex ’ s features and capabilities to replicate a wide range of its usual lessons , services and other activities , via the digital platform , to ensure that students continue to benefit from the full educational offering that the university provides .
For example , Webex meetings enabled over 225 students to conduct and discuss their graduate research projects with HD video , audio and screen sharing . Webex training enabled educators to create an exceptionally rich and interactive classroom experience during the Quran recitation sessions . Furthermore , the Personal Meeting feature enabled counsellors to contribute to the students ' development and learning . “ Umm Al-Qura University is a pioneering
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