International Workshop on Knowledge Management in Scientific Organizations g g

Syrian Education Syrian Education O i t d Vi t lO i t d Vi t lOriented Virtual Oriented Virtual Management ofManagement ofManagement of Management of

KnowledgeKnowledgeKnowledgeKnowledgeDamascus 9 -11 March, 2009

Samer DAKAK, PhD Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology, Damascus, SYRIA

content

National education models and policies. Approaches to knowledge management Approaches to knowledge management. Traditional and Virtual education

oriented Knowledge managementoriented Knowledge management. Syrian Education Ministry and Syrian

Virtual UniversityVirtual University. Innovative Networking Collaboration with

SVUSVU.Conclusion

Samer DAKAK, PhD Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology, Damascus, SYRIA

National education models and policies

Failure of traditional methods and structures toaccommodate the current complex worldaccommodate the current complex world

All national policies are occupied by upgradingteachers’ assimilation of new trends in S&Tteachers assimilation of new trends in S&Tduring the transfer of knowledge to theirstudentsstudents.

Accelerated changes in academic knowledged di f h l iand spreading use of new technologies

supplying knowledge to students.

Samer DAKAK, PhD Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology, Damascus, SYRIA

National education models and policies

Growing gap between education outputs andGrowing gap between education outputs and labor market needs.

It is so difficult for a limited number of It is so difficult for a limited number of teachers to stop day to day jobs for few months to follow some upgrading coursesmonths to follow some upgrading courses.

Samer DAKAK, PhD Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology, Damascus, SYRIA

Approaches to KnowledgeApproaches to Knowledge Management

KM : Identify, create, represent and distributeknowledge for awareness and learningknowledge for awareness and learning.

Organizations consider KM as a part of IT orHRM S ti t d di tl t thHRM. Sometimes reported directly to thehead.

KM programs are intended to achieve sharedintelligence, improved performance,competitive advantage, innovation.

Samer DAKAK, PhD Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology, Damascus, SYRIA

Approaches to Knowledge

Increasing effectiveness through faster

Approaches to Knowledge Management

Increasing effectiveness through fasterlearning and new knowledge creation(academic teaching)(academic teaching)

KM Techno-centric (technology for sharing), KMOrganizational ( ) and KMOrganizational (facilitating knowledge process), and KMEcological (complex adaptive system).Th h h d The three approaches are approvedconcerning Syrian education activities((education is a first priority, continuous search for dynamic interactionbetween players and restructuring education system. Still techno-

centric system)centric system).Samer DAKAK, PhD Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology, Damascus, SYRIA

Approaches to Knowledge Management

Teaching process influences the wholesituation of the nation (innovation healthsituation of the nation (innovation, health,protection..)

Teaching players are overcharged and Teaching players are overcharged andcan not follow continuous training( )(especially in IT and foreign language).

Imperative seek of innovative methodfi i f i l d kiprofiting from virtual era and networking

communication capacities.

Samer DAKAK, PhD Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology, Damascus, SYRIA

Traditional and Virtual KnowledgeTraditional and Virtual Knowledge management

Explosion of information science provedth i it f t diti l tthe incapacity of traditional managementmethods.

Virtual environment induced by theemergence of new technologies (email,internet,..).

New sources of wealth are knowledge andgcommunication (no more natural resources and physicallabor).)

Samer DAKAK, PhD Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology, Damascus, SYRIA

Traditional and Virtual KnowledgeTraditional and Virtual Knowledge management

New organizations decreases dependenceon command and control style of leadershipon command and control style of leadershiptoward commitment to virtual technologies.

JIT Training modules via website email and JIT Training modules via website, email andVirtual University became the ideal practice.SVU ff d l i ( SVU offered real time (according to teachers’schedules) and tailored training (anywhere)

bl d i h ill i l f ll l denabled with illustration tools for all learnedsubjects.

Samer DAKAK, PhD Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology, Damascus, SYRIA

Traditional and Virtual KnowledgeTraditional and Virtual Knowledge management

Training organization is soft and suitable todiversified natures of learned subjectsdiversified natures of learned subjects(math, electronics….).

The virtual system of communication The virtual system of communicationpermits to education staff to assist sessionson line (night & weekend) and off line (anyon line (night & weekend) and off line (anytime later) without leaving offices or houses.

Samer DAKAK, PhD Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology, Damascus, SYRIA

S i Ed ti Mi i tSyrian Education Ministry

Syria witnesses radical changes.S hi f d d ti lSearching for modern educationalformulas matching the scientific

l tievolutions. The ministry defined directions to

develop educational practices tocontribute to the social & economicalbuilding process.

Samer DAKAK, PhD Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology, Damascus, SYRIA

S i Ed ti Mi i tSyrian Education Ministry

Applying various flexible and efficientth d i hi h lmethods, enriching scholar programs

with innovating concepts, trainingt h i t d i f iteachers, introducing more foreignlanguages, enhancing informatics and

ti l d tivocational education.Conventional education doesn’t fall in

line with the fastness of knowledgebursting.

Samer DAKAK, PhD Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology, Damascus, SYRIA

Syrian Education Ministry

It was important to emphasize theti f lifi d t h dpreparation of qualified teachers and

establish training halls furnished withd i tmodern equipment.

Faculties of Education are not sufficient.Teachers needs to acquire a lot oftechniques. The complete stop ofeducator’s teaching for one year tofollow courses is too expensive.

Samer DAKAK, PhD Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology, Damascus, SYRIA

Innovative Networking CollaborationInnovative Networking Collaboration with Syrian Virtual University

Syrian first electronic state-ownedi it i 2002 (5th i it ) ithuniversity in 2002 (5th university) with

courses contents from American andE i iti (European universities (initially concentrated onsciences, engineering and IT).

In partnership with EDEXCEL (Britisheducation council and university of London) SVUdeveloped Higher National Diploma.

Samer DAKAK, PhD Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology, Damascus, SYRIA

Innovative Networking CollaborationInnovative Networking Collaboration with Syrian Virtual University

SVU is not limited to academicprograms. It provides infrastructure,

i l i i t l libcarrier planning, virtual library, programstailored to specific needs…Building‘telecenters’ in popular Syrian regionstelecenters in popular Syrian regionswith computers and speed Internetaccess.

Syrian Education Ministry has found itstarget at SVU in a system of knowledgediffusing via networking virtual processdiffusing via networking virtual processof teachers’ qualification upgrading.

Samer DAKAK, PhD Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology, Damascus, SYRIA

Innovative Networking CollaborationInnovative Networking Collaboration with Syrian Virtual University

Training programs elaborated to assurebalance between theoretical & practicalpaspects using IT tools (figures, auto cad,power point, databases…).

Audio facilities replaces linguistic laboratories. SVU is a radical change of the training modeg g

in order to produce entrepreneurs andtechnopreneurs thinking critically. Itencourages the graduation of suitable peopleto the needs of the new Syrian Economy.

Samer DAKAK, PhD Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology, Damascus, SYRIA

Figure 1 : students number evolution at Syrian Virtual University

1600

Virtual University

1000

1200

1400tu

dent

s

TotalBE

600

800

1000

mbe

r of S

t BEISEBIT

200

400

600

Num BIT

HND

0

F03

2003

SP04 F0

420

04SP

05 F05

2005

SP06 F0

620

06SP

07 F07

2007

S S S S

+ 1700 learner in 2005 &2000 Learner in 2007 for theEd ti l H bilit ti Di l

Cumulative total= 3500 Students

Educational Habilitation Diploma

Samer DAKAK, PhD Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology, Damascus, SYRIA

Innovative Networking CollaborationInnovative Networking Collaboration with Syrian Virtual University

SVU is offering a special education tothose who wants to learn but can not gothose who wants to learn but can not goto ‘brick and mortar’ university.

The positive experience has difficulties The positive experience has difficulties(augmentation of number of studentsconducted to infrastructure problems dueconducted to infrastructure problems dueto network limitations, increasing need tospaces, equipments, people,p , q p , p p ,organizational and scientificmanagement

Samer DAKAK, PhD Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology, Damascus, SYRIA

CONCLUSIONCONCLUSION

New knowledge-based economy pushedSyrian institutions to find new elasticSyrian institutions to find new elasticorganizational forms to deal withchallenges.challenges.

Improving teaching process bytransferring knowledge through a virtualtransferring knowledge through a virtualorganization of collaboration has a lot ofadvantages (efficiency quality availabilty)advantages (efficiency, quality, availabilty)

Samer DAKAK, PhD Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology, Damascus, SYRIA

CONCLUSION

Innovative collaboration between Education Ministry and SVU with the aid of ICT needsMinistry and SVU with the aid of ICT needs new management forms.

This new model should be a good example This new model should be a good exampleof realizing multiple objectives : innovation,collaboration profiting from technologiescollaboration, profiting from technologies,upgrading qualification, generalizingknowledge coordinating policies applyingknowledge, coordinating policies, applyingnew management rules and formulatingsmooth organizationssmooth organizations.

Samer DAKAK, PhD Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology, Damascus, SYRIA

THANK YOU FORTHANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

Samer DAKAK, PhD Higher Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology, Damascus, SYRIA