King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) launched its first virtual lab to function as a web platform for distance studying semiconductor fabrication. The fab lab, short for Virtual Fabrication Lab, is a web-based, digital environment designed to help schools with semiconductor tool fabrication tactics and related complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology. The digital lab, developed via the Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Science and Engineering Division (CEMSE) at KAUST, trains users in quit-to-end device fabrication series using well-tested procedure protocols. An interactive Q&A session follows each schooling session.
“I turned into inspired by way of the vision to provide entry to lots of college students and other lovers who do no longer have to get right of entry to pricey cleanroom centers,” said Dr. Muhammad Mustafa Hussain, a professor in the electric-powered engineering software at CEMSE. Fab lab intends to provide the crucial detail lacking in online education, which is an experimental module through labs,” he delivered.
At the postgraduate level, distance mastering is a gateway for students around the sector to have an open entry to understanding and interacting with academic materials and techniques profoundly specific from their normal ones. “Distance mastering is a vital tool to offer stronger learning opportunities to our global cell pupil populace,” said Dr. Tony Chan, president of KAUST. “In the entirety we do, we intention to be ahead-looking. Distance studying suits flawlessly with this goal,” Chan delivered.
KAUST’s first involvement in distance mastering occurred in 2017 in the CEMSE division. CEMSE and Blue Waters Online Course co-produced a MOOC (massive open online path) on high-performance computing featuring Professor David Keyes, director of the Extreme Computing Research Center (ECRC) at KAUST. The fab lab was introduced two years later, taking e-mastering to the next stage.
“The virtual lab is a thrilling idea to take a department of technology that has always been gated by using the provision of a high-priced lab,” stated Professor Mootaz El-Nozahy, dean of CEMSE. “At KAUST, we’re looking to take this idea to the farthest, thereby sharing our infrastructure with the arena.” The fab lab was provided on April 24 during a webinar prepared and hosted with the aid of the IEEE Electron Devices Society.
Established in 2009, KAUST is a graduate-level studies university located on the shores of the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia. The college is devoted to advancing technological know-how and technology through interdisciplinary studies, schooling, and innovation. Research was conducted by college students, faculty, scientists, and engineers to address the world’s urgent clinical and technological challenges associated with food, water, strength, and the surroundings.
The market for distance learning programs is divided into three segments, namely K-12 Learning, Higher Education Learning, and Corporate Learning. It should be clear that “distance learning” in today’s practice includes online, eLearning, flexible, and blended learning. In 2012, analysts estimated the market for distance learning to be at US$90 billion. It is projected to reach US$220 billion by 2017, and the equivalent market share of the three segments would become K12: 27%, Higher Education: 58%, and Corporate: 15%.
Global Market Leaders
Online courses in the higher education segmenttop online universities offer online courses mostly worldwide. The Open University in London, one of the pioneers in distance education, is one of the largest providers of distance learning programs for European local and international students. The Harvard Extension School and the University of Phoenix offer a wide range of distance education programs in the United States. These programs are delivered in video, live web conference, and hybrid (a combination of on-campus and online delivery models). The U.S. and European markets currently account for more than 70% of the global distance learning industry.
