King Khalid University will launch the second edition of the annual event "Innovation Hackathon in Education" organized by the Deanship of Electronic Services, in cooperation with the Deanship of Student Affairs at the university and in partnership with a number of entities. The hackathon will be launched under the patronage of the Acting President of the University, Prof. Saad bin Mohammed bin Dajam.

The Dean of the Deanship of Electronic Services at the university, Dr. Hamid bin Saleh Al-Qahtani, explained that this event aims to enhance innovation in the field of education and targets students, faculty members, technology and business pioneers, and specialists in the field of education. The hackathon focuses on providing smart and innovative solutions to meet the challenges of learning, teaching, evaluation and assessment using emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence. The hackathon will be held at the Exhibitions and Conferences Center in Al-Fara'a and will last for five days.

Dr. Al-Qahtani explained that the hackathon aims to develop innovation in education by encouraging participants to innovate educational solutions to face current and future challenges. It also aims to empower participants to use emerging technologies and artificial intelligence in innovative ways.

The Vice Dean of the Deanship of Electronic Services for E-Learning, Dr. Adel Al-Suri’a, explained that the hackathon focuses on strengthening cooperation between participants from different backgrounds, including teachers, technicians, designers, and business experts; to benefit from each other's strengths and create powerful solutions. The hackathon also seeks to improve educational outputs, through the use of emerging technologies and opening up new educational horizons, as well as successful and effective assessment methods that guarantee exceptional outcomes.

Dr. Al-Suri’a explained that the hackathon paths include the learning and teaching path, which focuses on exploring and applying modern methods in the field of learning and teaching, such as: flexible learning, gamified learning, and peer learning. This track allows participants to innovate digital solutions using emerging technologies to address the challenges facing the learner and facilitate their educational journey. It also includes the evaluation and assessment path, which focuses on modern tools and innovative solutions, using emerging technologies to address the challenges of monitoring the learner's achievement and progress.

He also added that the program includes several workshops and training courses that cover various topics, such as: digital learning environments and modern digital tools to measure learning outcomes, the future of education in the world of artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence tools in education, innovation and entrepreneurship, design thinking, business analysis, project management, web basics, user experience, Python basics, and artificial intelligence algorithms. These courses will be offered in-person and remotely, allowing participants the opportunity to benefit from diverse and advanced expertise.

He pointed out that first place winners will receive a financial prize of up to 30,000 Riyals, in addition to training grants from a reputable platform for 3 months for each member of the team. He added that the Innovation Hackathon in Education represents a unique opportunity for participants to develop their skills and collaborate with their colleagues in providing innovative educational solutions.

It is worth noting that the Innovation Hackathon in Education in its second edition at King Khalid University represents a pioneering initiative that seeks to empower participants to innovate and develop exceptional educational solutions, using emerging technologies and artificial intelligence, in a way that enhances community cooperation and partnerships, and achieves a tangible improvement in educational outputs in the Kingdom.