Oman is planning to establish a virtual university to serve as a strategic online platform for higher education and to foster a flexible learning environment that will enable students from both inside and outside the country to access educational content.
“We are currently studying a vision for establishing an Omani virtual university to provide higher education via the internet,” according tothe Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Innovation (MoHERI), Rahma bint Ibrahim Al Mahrooqi, at Majlis A’Shura, Consultative Assembly of Oman, on 24 June.
“This initiative seeks to enhance accessibility to education and support continuous learning opportunities for students,” the minister said.
The news followed an announcement in October last year by the COMSTECH Inter-Islamic Network on Virtual Universities(CINVU) that it is cooperating with MoHERI in the establishment of an international virtual university based on AI and metaverse educational technology (AI-driven metaversity).
CINVU is one of the networks affiliated to COMSTECH, the Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation hosted by the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology of Iran.
National strategy
The establishment of the AI-driven metaversity is in line with the future goals contained in the Oman Vision 2040 strategy, which includes among its top priorities education, learning, scientific research and national capabilities for the development of a knowledge-based society and competitive national talents.
It also comes ahead of the Oman AI Summit to be held under the theme „Accelerating investments towards the National Vision with intelligent innovation“ to be held from 27-28 January 2025.
Magdi Tawfik Abdelhamid, a research professor at the National Research Center in Cairo, Egypt, told University World News the environment in which the new institution will operate was recently improved by upgrading the country’s current internet capacity but the cost of internet connectivity was still relatively high.
The 2023 Artificial Intelligence Readiness Index (AIRI) ranked Oman 50 out of 193 indexed countries. Among the top five Arab countries included in the index, Oman ranked third after Saudi Arabia and Qatar and was followed by Jordan and Bahrain.
The index measures governments‘ willingness to use AI technologies by assessing their governance, infrastructure and data management, skills and education, and government and public services.
Recent statistics show that the 2024 Internet penetration in Oman is estimated to be 98.00% of its population of about 4,7 million (4,712,725). It is ranked by Data Pandas at 67 out of 177 countries for internet speed. However, Oman was ranked 168 out of 187 countries for internet cost in 2023.
Expanded access
Dr Essam Hussain Al Lawati, head of innovation and technology transfer at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences in Oman, told University World News that an AI-driven metaverse in Oman will transform education by expanding access for remote students, offering personalised learning experiences and creating immersive, interactive environments.
However, “ethical considerations, such as ensuring data privacy, preventing bias in AI algorithms, and promoting digital equity, will be vital,” added Al Lawati.
“The metaverse will drive technological and scientific advancement through programmes in STEAM [science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics], AI and machine learning, cybersecurity, environmental sciences, and creative arts,” Al Lawati said.
“It will also foster digital transformation, support the digital economy, and encourage entrepreneurship and startups,” he added.
He said achievement depends on addressing challenges such as technological access, educator training, quality assurance, student engagement, and data security while promoting innovation, critical thinking, and alignment with the vision 2040 to prepare students for future challenges and opportunities in a dynamic global landscape, Al Lawati said.
An engaging and supportive environment
Professor Atta-ur-Rahman, a UNESCO Science Prize laureate and former coordinator general of the 57-country COMSTECH, of which Oman is a member, said: “Enhancing the quality of education in an AI-driven virtual metaversity involves leveraging advanced technologies, personalised learning approaches, and fostering an engaging and supportive learning environment.”
Some of the benefits of the metaversity included personalised learning pathways which catered for the diverse needs of students. “By using AI algorithms, educational content and learning paths can be tailored to each student’s individual needs, preferences, and progress,” he explained.
He said interactive and immersive learning environments could enhance student engagement and understanding. “Virtual Reality (VR) classrooms can recreate realistic scenarios for subjects such as history, science, and geography, allowing students to explore and interact with these environments in ways that are not possible in traditional classrooms,” he explained.
He said simulation-based learning was also particularly beneficial for complex subjects like medicine, engineering, and chemistry, allowing students to experiment and learn from their actions in a risk-free environment.
Atta-ur-Rahman said adaptive learning technologies played an important role in maintaining an appropriate level of challenge for students, while data-driven insights and analytics were invaluable for monitoring student performance and making informed decisions about curriculum development and teaching strategies.
“By integrating these strategies, an AI-driven virtual metaversity can provide a high-quality, engaging, and personalised educational experience that meets the diverse needs of all students,” Atta-ur-Rahman said.
“This approach not only enhances learning outcomes but also ensures that education is inclusive, accessible, and continuously evolving to meet the demands of the future,” he added.
However, he cautioned that its success requires “visionary leadership” in the university so that the latest technologies and lecture materials could be optimally utilised.
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