UNDER THE PATRONAGE of

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed
Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Crown Prince of Dubai, President of the University

20 November 2010

HBMeU seeks to stimulate scientific interaction and strengthen quest for excellence in learning through Annual Congress 2011

Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and University President, Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University (HBMeU), a leader in the field of e-Learning and quality management in the Arab World, has announced that it will hold the Annual Congress 2011 from January 31 to February 3, 2011.

The Annual Congress 2011 will provide an international platform for three important conferences: the 5th Quality Conference in the Middle East – TQM and Excellence: A Framework for Managing Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility; the 4th Conference on e-Learning Excellence in the Middle East – In Search of New Paradigms for Re-engineering Education; and the 3rd e-Health Conference in the Middle East – Excellence in Healthcare: From Global Perspectives to Local Opportunities.

Organised under the theme “Being at the Leading Edge – How to Give Quest for Excellence a New Meaning”, the Annual Congress 2011 will feature an international gathering of thinkers, researchers, experts, gurus and practitioners who will present novel ideas, demonstrate how original research is supported by evidence-based arguments, share new concepts and illustrate best practice applications in various sectors of the economy. HBMeU has revealed that it has invited scholars, researchers and intellectuals in the Middle East and from other parts of the world to submit various research works concerning quality, e-Learning and e-Health.

The Annual Congress 2011 will also include special Policy and Strategy Roundtables and the Annual Congress Exhibition, which will be a showcase of technologies being used by organisations to drive excellence and innovation in their respective fields. Another key component of the event is the Congress Awards, which has been organised to encourage and recognise pioneering and original research work. The awards to be handed out are the Harrington Best TQM Thesis/Project Award, Parasuraman Service Excellence Prize, Kondo Research Prize: People and Organizational Culture Perspective, and the Masie e-Learning Research Grant.

The Annual Congress 2011 will open with a presentation from the main keynote speaker, Professor Farouk El Baz, Research Professor and Director of the Center for Remote Sensing at Boston University in the USA, and Adjunct Professor of Geology at the Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University in Egypt. Professor El Baz will expound on the topic “Essence of Management: Lessons from the Apollo Program”, wherein he will focus primarily on good management practices that result in organisational excellence based on his experience as one of the scientists who worked with NASA to assist in the planning of scientific exploration of the moon.

Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, Chancellor of HBMeU, said: “We expect lively debates and discussions as there will be hundreds of scientific research works that will be presented at the Congress. The focus on scientific research is a key factor that will help distinguish the Annual Congress 2011 as the definitive platform to cultivate fresh ideas, concepts and innovations from various schools of thought. The Congress also complements the efforts of HBMeU to nurture the growth of the body knowledge in the UAE and across the Middle East region by stimulating scientific interaction and a healthy, useful exchange of ideas among specialists, scientists, researchers, distinguished professionals and other likeminded people from various inter-related fields of expertise.”

“The excitement has certainly been building up as we eagerly look forward to the latest innovations, new scientific research work and ideas that can be applied in various sectors of the society. In this regard, we are also inviting other intellectuals, researchers and scholars to submit their findings and studies as we aim to further enrich and expand the scope of the Congress across a much wider range of specialities,” added Dr. Al Awar.

“HBMeU believes that the quest for excellence in learning in the 21st century necessitates a change in vision and strategies that focus on leadership, productivity and services. Moreover, as we enter a new frontier in our continuing pursuit of knowledge, we likewise need to reassess and evolve existing culture, structure, behaviour and systems as we emphasise more on services and quality as well as technological advances. HBMeU has organised the Annual Congress 2011 to serve as a strategically important platform to achieve these objectives and to further strengthen our quest for excellence in learning, particularly in light of emerging challenges and complexities,” said Dr. Al Awar.

Following the official opening of the Congress, there will be concurrent general assemblies held by the Middle East Quality Association, Middle East e-Learning Association and the e-Health Scientific Society. The opening day activities conclude with an advisory board meeting involving the e-School of Business and Quality Management, the School of e-Education and the e-School of Health & Environmental Studies.

The concurrent conferences will commence on the second day of the Annual Congress 2011 and will continue until the third day. Keynote addresses will be delivered by prominent personalities in the fields of e-Learning, e-Health & Environment, and Quality. Each conference will also host a panel discussion wherein parallel presentations will be delivered by various researchers and intellectuals.

Meanwhile, the Virtual Executive Club (VEC) will conduct the Feigenbaum Leadership Excellence Award (FLEA) ceremony on the evening of the second day of the Annual Congress. A Gala Dinner will also be held on the third day of the Annual Congress, to be attended by participants of all three conferences.

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.

 

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