On March 16, 2023, UNESCO-ICHEI visited the Faculty of Engineering and the Smart Classroom (SCR) of Ain Shams University (ASU). Vice Dean of Faculty of Engineering welcomed the UNESCO-ICHEI delegation, and team of Smart Classroom in Ain Shams University introduced the status and experience using the Smart Classroom. UNESCO-ICHEI and Ain Shams University exchanged views on the next step and future plans of upgrading the Smart Classroom to enhance the functions and user experience by introducing virtual reality (VR) technology to empower teacher professional development in higher education.

Group Photo of UNESCO-ICHEI and Ain Shams University in front of the Smart Classroom

UNESCO-ICHEI will cooperate with partner enterprises to introduce virtual reality (VR) technology to enhance the functions and user experience of the SCR and empower teacher professional development. The introduction of VR will bring new technologies, new applications and new ecosystem to higher education institutions in developing countries in Asia and Africa. UNESCO-ICHEI will cooperate with ASU to conduct a pilot project on VR technology through introducing VR teaching platforms, VR courses, VR hardware, etc., to provide teachers with immersive professional and hands-on training opportunities. It will improve teachers’ digital literacy and innovative capacity. In addition, both sides will also explore the integration of VR technology into the SCR to provide students with richer, more engaging and more effective learning experiences.

The SCR of ASU was officially launched in January 2020 and located in Faculty of Engineering. It was jointly established by UNESCO-ICHEI, Ain Shams University, WEDON Cloud Education Group (China), and Southern University of Science and Technology. WEDON Cloud Education Group provided the hardware and software of the Smart Classroom. Through SCR solutions based on cloud computing, artificial intelligence, big data and other technologies, it supports various teaching and learning scenarios through multi-media interaction, remote collaboration, online assessment, personalised learning, acting as a key tool for Ain Shams University’s digital transformation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Smart Classroom played a huge role in ensuring teaching and learning at Ain Shams University. UNESCO-ICHEI will continue to cooperate with Chinese education technology enterprises to upgrade the software, hardware and supporting resources of smart classrooms to provide more support for Egypt's digital transformation.