Al Jouf University partners with Saudi Telecom Company to offer Cisco WebEx for e-learning

Cisco announced today that the Al Jouf University, in upper north Saudi Arabia, has deployed Cisco WebEx enterprise collaboration solutions for efficient, yet cost-effective and secure e-learning. Cisco WebEx will provide Al Jouf University students, lecturers and staff members with an easy way to exchange ideas and information with anyone, anywhere. Cisco WebEx combines real-time collaboration with Voice over IP technology, so everyone sees the same thing as they converse. Al Jouf University is following the precedence set by Harvard University which also uses Cisco WebEx for distance and e-Learning. 

Cisco WebEx is available to businesses in Saudi Arabia through the Saudi Telecom Company (STC), which has an agreement with Cisco to supply Cisco WebEx communications technology to businesses throughout the kingdom. 

Al Jouf University is a recently established university with 19,000 students. It boasts over 100 full-time professors and comprises 12 colleges offering a wide range of majors including  Science, Applied Medical Sciences, Engineering and Medicine

Al Jouf University will deploy a number of WebEx products including Cisco WebEx Meeting Center, WebEx Event Center, WebEx Training Center and WebEx Support Center.

Classes became more engaging and interactive with Cisco WebEx delivering dynamic e-learning, anywhere in the world. The solution enables teaching professionals to reach more people in less time as well as save money by adopting a simple, powerful e-learning strategy.

Cisco WebEx delivers clear, crisp audio and seamless video and data sharing. It also allows students to interact in real time through application sharing, chat, and threaded Q&A. Material retention can be increased with Cisco WebEx with tools like breakout sessions, hands-on labs, and integrated tests. Furthermore, class attention and performance can be monitored through a visual attention indicator, as well as instant polls, tests, and reports. Digital libraries can be created from on-demand recorded lectures that can be accessed for years to come.

Cisco WebEx is often referred to as either Web conferencing because of the sharing via the Web and telephone connection, or an online meeting because users can take care of business online as they do in in-person meetings. The solution also offers phone conferencing options that can maximize flexibility and minimize costs. Participants can either join meetings dialing a toll-free access number or set up a call-back feature by entering their phone number, allowing the WebEx solution to call them when the meeting starts. Calls are free for participants—whether they call in or choose the call-back option – making it particularly cost effective for students.

Cisco WebEx is software delivered as a service. The user simply subscribes to the service and can then use it from any computer with an Internet connection, and even from most smart phones such as the  iPhone or BlackBerry. Participants can be invited to attend a WebEx meeting via email, IM, or text and do not have to subscribe to WebEx. They simply click a link in the invitation to join online, where they’ll get visual prompts to join the phone conference. Once a session is started the meeting organizer and participants can share documents, presentations, and applications or even open a blank document and start creating together. 

Eid M. Al-Mohammed General Director, IT Department, Al Jouf University: "Our goal is to become one of the Kingdoms’s leading Universities delivering world class education. Cisco WebEx will keep us ahead of the game by enabling us to offer us a cost-effective e-learning solution that will allow our students and teaching professionals to meet online and enjoy the richest, most interactive online classroom experience wherever they are, as easily as if they were face-to-face.” 

Yahya S. Almansour, general manager of marketing at the STC: “With more than 6 million people throughout the world now using Cisco WebEx every month, it is the right solution for e-learning as well as established as the fastest e-learning solution in deployment. Education is at the forefront of Saudi’s national agenda so it is important that educational establishments in the Kingdom are able to utilize the latest collaborative technologies to enhance the delivery of education. Cisco WebEx is helping them to achieve that. As the leading provider of telecommunications services in Saudi Arabia, it is important that we are at the forefront of technology so that we can always offer our customers the latest enhancements in the market. Cisco’s WebEx solution is enabling us to do this.”   

Mohammad Al Rehaili, WebEx channel manager Cisco, WebEx Technology Group, Saudi Arabia: “With Education being at the top of the national agenda of  the Kingdom, this is a very strategic and important deployment for Cisco in Saudi Arabia. The University of Jouf now has access to a richer collaboration environment within WebEx, which will provide more of an 'in-person' type of experience, which can lead to greater productivity in virtual classroom sessions. Cisco WebEx takes advantage of real-time collaboration and the ability to monitor and measure class effectiveness thereby slashing training costs and streamlining  administrative processes.”