E-ducation without borders 2001

The CFA of the Pierre and Marie Curie University and Thales University allowed me to attend the first "E-education without borders" conference which took place from 22 to 24 April 2001(ewb 2001) in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

Organised by students from the local University "Abu Dhabi Men's College", the main purpose of this conference was to present the expectations, ideas and objectives of e-learning among students. The presence of 300 students of different nationalities and cultures with various academic backgrounds (architecture, sciences, arts, computer science, business, etc.) was very enriching.
My participation in this conference was possible thanks to the will of the University Pierre et Marie Curie and the financing of the company THALES University, the two organisations at the time co-managers of my training, the DEUST in Sciences for Engineering option "Multimedia Engineering for Documentary Information".
In addition to the students, about fifty university or professional "companions" took part in the conference to broaden the subject.

The "E-education without borders" conference was a very interesting opportunity for sharing and exchange between people of all backgrounds and ages. The cultural diversity and the multitude of nationalities present (47 countries represented from all over the world) allowed for fruitful exchanges. These exchanges were made by the following three methods:

  • Student speeches on different aspects of e-learning. Speakers were selected before the conference by a jury of academics and industry.
  • Speeches by internationally known personalities present to "broaden" the scope of the discussion, such as Jean-Michel Cousteau or Bertrand Picard.
  • Student discussions, led by academics or professionals.

All the activities took place in the federal parliament: speeches in the large room where the parliamentarians sit and discussions in small groups (about 20 students and a few personalities) in the adjoining rooms. These different interventions were based on the following themes

  • E-learning and the fall of national borders
  • Study models and their impact on teaching
  • The role of students in the teaching process
  • A student's perspective on teaching technologies
  • What are the qualities of teaching and learning
  • Sociological impact of the transition to a virtual world.

At the end of this conference I wrote a report exposing its progress and the strong points of what I heard there. It was intended primarily for Thales University, which keeps all documents related to this kind of activity. To consult this report: click here "".
Consult thearticle on the conference. Watch a presentation of the country

Since then, other conferences on the same theme have been organised by the same university. To my knowledge, Thales University has also sent speakers!
The April 2001 conference was the first one organised. It became a bi-annual event for about ten years.
The organisation had made information about "E-ducation without borders" available on the web. The space is no longer available today.