Leadership Development Channel: Now available in Arabic!

XpertLearning, in collaboration with SkillSoft, a leading SaaS provider of on demand e-learning and performance support solutions for global enterprises, government, education and small to medium-sized businesses, is proud to announce that the Leadership Development Channel (LDC), an on-line leadership resource from Books24x7, is now available in Arabic.

Middle Eastern nations are rapidly expanding their internet usage so more and more content is in the national language. According to World Internet Statistics, latest recorded figures show that from 2000 to 2009, Arabic language on the web grew 2,297 per cent, easily ahead of Russia's 1,359 per cent. Of the world's total 1.8 billion web users, 60.2 million (3.3 per cent) are Arabic speaking (Gulf News, 2010). The mushrooming of Arabic on the internet can be attributed in part to ambitious policies such as those advocated by the United Arab Emirates, which leads the Middle East region with 74.1 per cent internet penetration (Gulf News, 2010). As many as 3.5 million of the 4.8 million residents in the UAE are online. Since 2000, the UAE has witnessed a 384 per cent increase in internet user growth, during a financial and social renaissance that has propelled the Emirates onto the world stage (Gulf News, 2010).

However, inspite of this growth, the Chief Strategist of Etisalat, the UAE’s largest telecommunications company, Ali Al Ahmed, reported that there is not enough Arabic content on the Internet to take full advantage of newly built broadband networks in the region (The National, 2010).

The new Arabic LDC offering from SkillSoft goes a long way to bridge this gap.

LDC is a unique collection of 100 on-demand programs (videos) in multiple learning formats featuring best-selling business authors, experts and CEOs, who can have the biggest impact in motivating and challenging the thinking of learners. Offerings include:

• Leadership QuickTalks - Concise, just-in-time, application-based learning from best-selling business authors and leaders! These five minute video learning programs are designed for immediate and contextual application to drive success in the workplace.

• CEO QuickTalks - The CEO QuickTalks feature the best thinking from Bill Marriott, Bob Wright, Blake Nordstrom and more of today’s top business leaders and practitioners.

• Video On-Demand Programs - Covering key competencies including business acumen, diversity awareness, attracting and retaining talent, and more; offers a suite of video learning assets targeted to drive excellence at all levels of the organization.

• Live Events - Provides executives with cutting-edge thinking in business and leadership through live and interactive presentations featuring the most recognized and sought-after thought leaders including Marcus Buckingham, Stephen Covey, Ken Blanchard and more. Up to eight Live Events are produced annually.

Video programs range in length from one minute to two hours. Many are downloadable to your computer or video iPod!

These video resources are ideal for:

• Self-Development: Just-in-time learning

• Individual Coaching: use QuickTalks for one-on-one coaching

• Team Meetings: use a QuickTalk to start your weekly meeting

An online brochure for the Arabic LDC is available here.

For more information about the Arabic LDC and for pricing, please contact XpertLearning at info@xpertlearning.com or call +97143910504.

Lakshmi Prakash, active researcher in the field of e-Learning

Lakshmi Prakash completed her Masters Degree in Computer Applications from Madras University, and worked in India for some time at Amrita Institute of Technology & Science (AITEC) currently under Amritha Vishwapeedam University, Kerala, India. After a few years in India, she moved to Oman in 2001 and joined Sohar University as Course Coordinator. Since then, she developed her research interest in personalized e-learning systems tools and architecture.

Lakshmi is currently publishing research papers in these areas in collaboration with Prof. N.S. Kutti (Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman) and Dr. A.S.M. Sajeev (Professor of Computer Science, UNE, Adelaide, Australia).

Being an avid fan of e-Learning, Lakshmi has always believed that the availability of good quality learning resources plays a very important role in improving students’ performance. Tracking and reporting on students’ performance are two of the issues that almost all educational institutions face today. She feels that learning management systems and content portals like SkillSoft’s Books24x7 are the answer to this problem. At Sohar University, e-Learning was introduced very gradually. As the Course Coordinator and e-Learning Researcher, Lakshmi was able to introduce many of the University staff and students to a learning management system, through several workshops. It was not easy in the beginning. Unfreezing people’s mindsets, moving them to a new paradigm and freezing them again can be a challenging task indeed. The learning curve was quite high for people who were quite new to such a system. However, the students embraced the initiative and the software with open arms. e-Learning has brought Sohar University and its staff closer to students and the students closer to the learning process. They appreciate the availability of resources within the learning management system and can easily develop a learning path which helps them meet deadlines, get access to their learning topics and also communicate with their course coordinators and among themselves.

The senior management at Sohar University and the Faculty of Computing & IT was quite open to new forms of learning. Lakshmi kept in touch with Xpert Learning and after assessing their learning needs, Xpert Learning presented them with SkillSoft’s Books24x7, which suited their requirements and was subsequently acquired. Students and faculty members were grappling with the need to acquire more knowledge and needed more resources. Similar to the learning management system adoption, it was not easy to encourage the students and staff to use Books24x7; most of whom often cited time as a constraint. However, within a short period of time, Books24x7 experienced a growing number of users. This, anytime, anywhere, library with such a large and ever-growing collection of very useful book excerpts, covering almost every topic in IT, Engineering and Business is more than what we expected at the University. Now students are free not only to refer books that are mentioned in their course profiles, but also read books on the latest technologies and new research areas. Students browse the site from their mobile phones and a growing number of students are using Books24x7 more for knowledge rather than just to pass the course. The Search, Personal Folders, History, Recommended, Mobile Access, Top Titles and other features provide the much required personalization tools that endear Books24x7 to serious learners at Sohar University.

Contact Lakshmi Prakash at lakshmi@soharuni.edu.om