Organized by Canadian University Dubai, the International Conference on Web & Open Access to Learning (ICWOAL 2014) was held at Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai, UAE on November 25th to 27nd, 2014.
Open access to learning and education encourages a variety of pedagogical and technological approaches to achieve the dissemination of knowledge, skills and competencies across diverse social and cultural backgrounds.
In 2002, UNESCO adopted the term Open Educational Resources (OER) to refer to the “open provision of educational resources enabled by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)”. Though much progress has been made in the field of OER and online learning, such as open access journals, learning objects, and open source software, there are still challenges in addressing the global education gap.
The three-day conference provided a platform for debate between researchers, practitioners, industry, students, and education policy makers interested in new developments in web learning technologies, eLearning solutions, smart learning systems, social media & learning, and policies and regulations for open access to learning and education. The event also featured a special workshop on Dubai 2020: Smart City Learning.
Among the keynote speakers were Carlo Ratti, Director of the MIT Senseable City Lab, and Mike Sharples, Professors of Educational Technology at the Open University, UK.
ICWOAL 2014 included five tracks:
Track 1: eLearning Solutions for Open Access to Learning
Track 2: Smart and Virtual Learning Systems
Track 3: Web Technologies for Open Access to Learning
Track 4: Social Networks and Open Access to Learning
Track 5: Curriculum, Policies and Social Concerns for Open Access to Learning & Education
For more information about ICWOAL 2014, visit http://www.icwoal.org