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Overview

The world of work is evolving at a rate never before seen – from remote and hybrid offices to the use of artificial intelligence (AI), today’s workplace is not the same 9-to-5 of previous decades. This means that the next generation of professionals needs to be prepared for a different employment setting.

One of the foundational shifts needed in education is the adoption of smart education practices. Smart education leverages advanced technologies to create a more efficient, personalized, and engaging learning environment. Integrating smart education practices not only enhances the employability of graduates but also positions them as proactive, adaptable, and innovative professionals ready to navigate the complexities of the modern workforce, ultimately improving society as a whole.

To explore these exciting implications, the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Saudi Arabia (C4IR Saudi Arabia) and Oliver Wyman are hosting a high-level panel discussion of the 4IR Saudi Horizons series: Saudi Arabia and the Future of Smart Education.
December 10, 2024
10:00am - 11:30am
King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Conference Hall, Building 36

Smart Education Implications For Saudi Arabia

Context: Including technology-aided classrooms, individualized learning experiences and classroom integration.

Context: Focusing on inequality in access to smart education, the need for regionalized curricula and resistance to adoption.

Context: Insight on how to safely implement, maintain integrity in fair assessment and regulation or tailored AI solutions per grade level.

Speakers
Dr. Sami Mahroum
Dr. Sami Mahroum is a distinguished expert in innovation, technology, and public policy with over 25 years of experience collaborating with globally renowned institutions such as INSEAD, OECD, Nesta, the Rand Corporation, and the European Commission. He specializes in advising governments on strategic initiatives, designing transformative policies, and delivering executive education programs. A prolific author, Dr. Mahroum has contributed extensively to leading scientific journals and global media outlets, including Harvard Business Review and California Management Review.
Faina Karlitski
Faina Karlitski is a Principal in Oliver Wyman’s Public Sector Practice in the Dubai office, with a strong passion for education.

Faina started her career in the core job in education – teaching. After teaching students from disadvantaged backgrounds as part of the Teach First program, Faina has spent nearly 10 years consulting public sector and NGO clients on education, labor, and people topics.

Faina has supported a variety of clients across the education spectrum, including:
  • Setting up the education division of a large German foundation
  • Designing a strategy for a leading university
  • Establishing a leadership academy for 5,000 leaders
  • Designing a skill assessment strategy and video-based assessment tool for refugees and non-formally qualified individuals
During the Ukraine refugee crisis, Faina founded her own chain of pop-up schools to ensure refugee children fleeing from war could continue their education.

Prior to joining Oliver Wyman, she worked with BCG and Germany’s largest private university and EdTech player.

Faina holds an MSc from ESADE Business School in Spain. An avid learner herself, Faina is fluent in English, German, Spanish, and Russian, with advanced knowledge of French and first steps into learning Arabic.
Professor Ehsan Hoque
Dr. Ehsan Hoque is a leading expert in AI-driven health technologies and smart education. He is currently a full professor of computer science at the University of Rochester, USA.

His work focuses on leveraging AI to create interactive, personalized, and accessible learning experiences, paving the way for a future where education is more tailored to individual needs.

Dr. Hoque earned his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where his dissertation of ‘using computers to help with conversations’ was highlighted by the MIT Museum as one of MIT’s most unconventional inventions. Microsoft is currently using his patent to introduce “presenter coach” in Microsoft PowerPoint.

His ideas and impact of developing health and education interventions have been recognized through MIT Technology Review Top Innovators Under 35 Award in 2016.

In 2017, Science News named him one of the ten early- to mid-career scientists to watch, and in 2018, he received the Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (ECASE)—the highest honor bestowed by the US Army Research Office for young scientists and engineers.

In 2020, Dr. Hoque was named an emerging leader in health and medicine by the US National Academy of Medicine.

He is currently a board member of the Health Sciences Policy of the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Dr. Hoque is a Distinguished Member of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM)—the world's largest computing society, and a senior member of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI)—the largest scientific society for AI.