Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University (HBMeU) has launched new ‘cloud’ initiatives at a conference in Dubai.

The one-day conference on the Cloud Campus, under the theme ‘Learning Just Got Social’ was held at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel.

It included a panel session on ‘The End of Private Lesson with Media,’ chaired by lieutenant general Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, deputy chairman of Dubai Police and Public Security and chairman of HBMeU.

The university demonstrated the initiatives, ‘Cloud Campus Prepaid Card’ and the ‘Microsoft Zone on Cloud Campus’ at the conference which was aimed at raising awareness among the local community and media about the role of the Cloud Campus, an initiative to provide high-quality e-learning services via social networking websites.

The first initiative, the ‘Cloud Campus Prepaid Card,’ is the result of cooperative efforts among HBMeU, the Commercial Bank of Dubai and Visa. It targets learners between the ages of 8 and 18 and can be used at any Visa transaction point in the world and online with parents having control on the spending limits. Learners and parents can review e-reports about expenditure amounts.

It also offers a free Basic Service subscription to holders, who can avail discounts in many youth-related retail stores and learners will be eligible for these discounts as long as they take up a minimum number of lessons per month and gain a minimum number of points. Those who score more points than the required minimum will be eligible for awards and prizes such as ‘Learner of the Month’ and ‘Learner of the Week.’

The second initiative, the ‘Microsoft Zone on Cloud Campus,’ is a cooperative effort between HBMeU and Microsoft which will integrate the e-university’s Cloud Campus with Microsoft’s Cloud Office. Learners and professors will get free access to all learning materials and teaching tools. Cloud Campus learners will be eligible for certification within the ‘Microsoft Partners In Learning Network’ portal and will be provided with a free Office 365 account on the cloud.

Lieutenant General Tamim said: “The launch of the two initiatives is in line with our commitment to support the “Dubai Smart City” project and to offer high-quality learning via social networking websites which have become increasingly popular among youths. The Cloud Campus initiatives reaffirm our continued endeavours to ensure the success of this method through facilitating direct access to high-quality learning sources.”

Cloud Campus is a ground-breaking yet affordable social online learning program which delivers e-learning services to all segments of society via personal accounts on Google+, LinkedIn and Facebook. It is the result of a strategic partnership with Global Learning, a specialist in modern learning methods and techniques.

Participants have access to over 1,600 interactive online lessons in the fields of mathematics, sciences and IT for school students from first to twelfth grade, as well as business skill development for adults via 180 certified programmes in leadership, communication, marketing and islamic banking. Programme benefits include academic support, certification and multi-screen access. - TradeArabia News Service