Page 32 - HBMSU PR REPORT - DECEMBER 2023

The meeting was attended by several prominent figures, including H.E. Dr. Amr Ezzat Salama,
Secretary General at the Association of Arab Universities (AArU); Prof. Nadia Badrawi, President of
Arab Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ANQAHE); Ms. Torunn Gjelsvik, Secretary
General of the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE); H.E. Dr. Mansoor Al
Awar, Chancellor of HBMSU; and many other distinguished members and representatives of the
Consortium.

Participants were presented with the global report on the 2023 benchmarking implementation cycle,
which was implemented by ten universities of the Consortium, followed by the findings of the two
expert committees nominated at the previous Members’ meeting. The meeting also discussed future
plans to enhance online higher education, in alignment with the Consortium’s growth trajectory and
maintaining top-quality output standards.

H.E. Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, Chancellor of HBMSU commented: “The Annual Meeting is a strong
reminder of the collaborative spirit and commitment that drive our common goal of raising the bar for
online education worldwide. This common outlook and dedication have greatly contributed to the
success of the Consortium for the Benchmarking Framework since its inception nearly five years ago.
The year 2023, marked by its noteworthy accomplishments and innovations, therefore serves as a
testament to our combined efforts in the field of online, open, smart, and technology-enhanced higher
education.”

His Excellency added, “A major contributor to the Consortium’s success has been the continued
assistance we have received from member universities and partners. We firmly believe that this
meeting, providing ample opportunities for all members to leverage their participation in our digital
transformation endeavor, is essential to the Consortium’s continued growth and development.”

H.E. Dr. Mansoor Al Awar made the opening remarks at the meeting, which was followed by remarks
from H.E. Dr. Amr Ezzat Salama, Secretary General, Association of Arab Universities (AARU), who
expressed his gratitude to HBMSU for initiating the Consortium and bringing together all its members.
He emphasised the crucial goal of the Consortium — to establish a collective understanding of quality
in online higher education in the rapidly changing world and to ensure that students receive the
highest levels of educational excellence.

Ms. Torunn Gjelsvik, Secretary General of the International Council for Open and Distance Education
(ICDE), reaffirmed ICDE’s steadfast support to the Consortium as a strategic partner, expressing, “I
must commend HBMSU, led by Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, for the notable achievements in 2023. The
creation of a highly valuable toolkit is particularly noteworthy.”

Prof. Moustafa Hassan, Vice Chancellor for International Cooperation in HBMSU, presented the
benchmarking implementation cycle report for 2023, while also making a presentation on the
benchmarking framework toolkit. Several other discussions on key topics that would impact the future
of online higher education were also held, making the Annual Meeting for Online Higher Education
Consortium a remarkable success.

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benchmarking-framework-for-online-open-smart-and-technology-enhanced-higher-education/