International Journal of
Information and Education Technology

Abstract

This contribution provides a comprehensive analytical overview of e-learning in the State of Qatar. A systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature was carried out in Sciverse, Web of Knowledge, IEEE Xplore, Proquest, SpringerLink, and Google Scholar. Government reports and white papers were additionally obtained from the Internet regulatory agency ictQatar. The history, development, and current state of e-learning as well as related e-services such as e-governance are presented in an analytical narrative. In addition to providing a valuable case study of technological advancement in a developing nation in the Middle East, the topic is of great interest internationally due to Qatar’s national development strategy to diversify its resource-based economy to include education, training, and ICT research and development. Lessons learned from Qatar’s e-learning initiatives and investments in communications infrastructure (Ooredoo) and cybersecurity (Q-Cert) are instructive for other developing nations, in particular Muslim-majority and Arab-speaking nations since several key cultural and social factors in e-learning services provision are being actively resolved by the State of Qatar.