Higher Education in the Arab World: Digital Transformation

This book provides a comprehensive insight and roadmap to accelerate the implementation of digital transformation (DX) within Arab Universities along with an understanding of the challenges that accompany such change. It explores the elements of DX in universities and presents case studies and experiences from Arab Universities along with recommendations that facilitate the use of DX in higher education. Within the Arab region, the potential for digitization within the higher education landscape has significant outcomes and impacts on the growth, progression, and development of this sector. Digital transformation allows universities to respond to change while fostering a student-centered approach and remaining relevant to the growing demands of the twenty-first century.  It also improves the universities activities such as teaching and learning, curricula development and implementation, processes, operations, support services, and infrastructure. This increases the university’s competitive advantage locally and internationally. Embracing and adopting DX requires a paradigm shift in a university’s strategy and culture.

The Arab world is home to more than 1,000 universities and in excess of 13 million students, and its higher education system offers a diverse range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs. To continue our series of books on higher education, we propose that the theme of this 8th book should be “Higher Education in the Arab World: Digital Transformation” in universities. In a complex regional and global climate, this book provokes a rich exploration of ideas around the challenges surrounding this sector and how to address them.

Professor Badran is currently Chairman Board of Trustees University of Jordan, Chancellor University of Petra, with 120 publications, including 22 books and patents. Received BSc, at Okla. State Univ. MSc, PhD, at Mich. State Uni. Awarded honorary doctorates from, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul; an Honorary Doctorate in Science from Michigan State University; West Watkins distinguished Lectureship Award and Hall of Fame Alumni Award from Oklahoma State University USA; Honorary Professorship from Eurasian National University Kazakhstan; Honorary Doctorate in Business, Yarmouk Uni., Jordan.

Awarded Arab Thought Foundation for best Arab Scientist in higher education research; TWAS Regional Prize for Building Scientific Institutions; Asia award for Outstanding Contribution to education.

Prof. Badran is the President Arab Academy of Sciences and AFED; President of University of Petra, Jordan (2007-2014); Former Prime Minister of Jordan (2005); Minister of Agriculture Minister of Education (1989); President of Philadelphia University (1998 – 2005); Former Deputy Director General of UNESCO (DDG/ADG) Paris (1990-1998); Founding President of Yarmouk University & Founder of the Science and Technology University Campus (JUST University), Jordan (1976-1986); Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Jordan (1971 – 1976).

Dr Elias Baydoun was educated at the University of Jordan, Amman (BS 1971), the American University of Beirut (AUB; MS 1977), and the University of Cambridge where he obtained his MPhil in 1978 and PhD in 1980. He is currently Professor of Biology at AUB, Secretary General of the Arab Academy of Sciences, Honorary Professor at the University of Jordan and Adjunct Professor at the University of Petra in Jordan. Previous positions included: Chairman of Biology (1978-93) and Associate Professor at AUB; Associate Professor, Assistant to the President (1983-86), Director of Planning and Development (1985-1986), and Director of Personnel (1985-1986) at Yarmouk University, Jordan. His awards include: Federation of Arab Scientific Research Councils Award, Abdul Hamid Shoman Prize for Young Arab Scientists for Biology, AUB Research Award in Natural Sciences (twice), Distinguished Scholar Award of the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, Developing World Study Award of the Royal Society UK and TWAS-ARO Regional Prize for Public Understanding and Popularization of Science. He is Fellow of several learned societies including the Institute of Biology, London, TWAS, Islamic World Academy of Sciences and the Arab Academy of Sciences. He organized and chaired 26 international conferences on topics related to the development of the Arab Middle East Region. His research interests include membrane and carbohydrate biology, biotransformation, nanotechnology, and medicinal plants. Professor Baydoun supervised and served on the committees of 60 PhD and MS students. He has published over 125 articles in international refereed journals and over 120 abstracts and papers in the proceedings of international conferences, as well as authoring several biology textbooks for secondary schools and community colleges. He is the first inventor of a patent on treatment of protozoal diseases (US Patent 9,173,888). He translated into Arabic a university textbook in biochemistry and was the General Coordinator of the four volumes of the Arabic Encyclopedia on Knowledge for Sustainable Development published by UNESCO. He is the editor of nine books published by Springer; one on “Water, Energy and Food Sustainability in the Middle East – The Sustainability Triangle” and eight on Higher Education in the Arab World. He served as consultant for several local, regional, and international organizations including UNESCO and UNEP.

Dr. Hillman was educated at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth where she obtained a BSc in Botany (1965) and a PhD in Plant Physiology and Chemistry (1968). She worked part time as a Demonstrator at the Department of Environmental Studies, University of Nottingham, England (1968–1971) and at the Department of Biology at the University of Glasgow, Scotland (1971–1985). For several years, she was an Examiner for the Oxford Examination Board for ‘A’ Level Biology (1975–1986). In the period 1978–1980, she had a part-time post-graduate research position at the University of Glasgow working on gravitropism in plant roots (3 publications). From 1980, until retirement in 2005, she worked as editorial assistant for the Springer-Verlag plant science journal ‘Planta’, and as a freelance editor.

Dr Joelle Mesmar is a Research Associate at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, working on the investigation of the role of plant extracts in the treatment of cancer using tissue culture techniques and nanotechnology. Previously, Joelle worked at the Office of the First Lady in Syria and was responsible in overseeing and facilitating the affairs of the Board of Trustees of the Syria Trust for Development by providing advice on governance principles and practices and supporting the work of the Board Committees as required in areas related to strategic planning. She graduated from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon with a degree in Biology (BS 2004) and obtained her PhD in plant biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Glasgow, UK in 2009.