Saudi Arabia Launches ‘Multiversity’ to Transform Digital Higher Education and Industry Collaboration
Riyadh – Saudi Arabia’s National eLearning Center has launched a new initiative titled “Multiversity,” marking a significant step toward reshaping higher education through deeper collaboration between universities and the private sector.
The initiative was announced during the Digital Learning Forum held at the center’s headquarters in Riyadh, bringing together education leaders, policymakers, and digital learning specialists from across the Kingdom.
The forum was held under the patronage of Education Minister Yousef bin Abdullah Al-Benyan, who also serves as chairman of the National eLearning Center’s board, underscoring the initiative’s national importance.
Multiversity is designed to strengthen cooperation between academic institutions and industry partners, enabling shared responsibility in developing future-ready academic and professional programs.
A core focus of the initiative is collaborative program development, allowing universities and private sector entities to co-design curricula aligned with evolving labor market needs.
Joint teaching models form another pillar of Multiversity, encouraging knowledge exchange between academic faculty and industry professionals to enrich classroom and virtual learning experiences.
The initiative also emphasizes the sharing of digital educational resources, aiming to reduce duplication, improve efficiency, and widen access to high-quality learning materials.
By integrating these elements, Multiversity seeks to enhance the overall effectiveness of higher education delivery while expanding access to flexible and technology-driven learning pathways.
The Digital Learning Forum also served as a platform to recognize excellence in digital education across the Kingdom, reflecting Saudi Arabia’s growing focus on measurable learning outcomes.
Institutions that demonstrated outstanding performance in the National Digital Learning Indicator for 2024–2025 were honored for their progress in digital learning and training.
This national indicator tracks the adoption, quality, and impact of digital education initiatives, offering insights into how institutions are adapting to new learning models.
Winners of the second edition of the Innovation Award in eLearning and Training were also recognized, celebrating creative and impactful approaches to skills development.
The award aims to foster innovation in digital education, enhance the quality of national skills programs, and acknowledge institutions contributing to human capability development.
As part of the forum’s outcomes, the Professional Certificate in AI Augmented Teaching was officially launched in partnership with the National Institute for Educational Professional Development.
The certificate is designed to equip educators with the skills needed to use artificial intelligence tools responsibly and effectively in teaching and assessment.
By focusing on ethical and practical AI integration, the program seeks to enhance learning quality while supporting educators in adapting to digital-first environments.
The event also marked the launch of the “Numo” platform, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and affiliated with the National Institute for Educational Professional Development.
Numo aims to support continuous professional growth for teachers through integrated, personalized, and flexible online training pathways.
Together, Multiversity, the AI teaching certificate, and the Numo platform reflect a comprehensive approach to digital education reform in Saudi Arabia.
These initiatives align with the Kingdom’s broader vision of building a knowledge-based economy by modernizing education, strengthening industry linkages, and investing in human capital.
