ELC (283)

The Preparatory Studies Centre (PSC) of the University of Technology and Applied Sciences-Ibri (UTAS-Ibri) recently concluded a highly successful online IELTS training course. The course, designed specifically for schoolteachers, ran from March 20, 2024, to March 25, 2024, and comprehensively covered all four key skills assessed in the IELTS test: listening, reading, speaking, and writing.

The online course was led by the skilled IELTS instructors Ms. Sharon Devaneson, Ms. Frizha Melgarejo, Mr. Tatha Rao, and Mr. Jabez Syam from the PSC. Their extensive experience in IELTS instruction made the training thorough, engaging, and highly beneficial for all attendees. The primary audience for this course included teachers from the Indian School Ibri as well as members of the Ibri community at large, all of whom were aspiring to achieve higher IELTS band scores.

In the weeks leading up to the course, participants completed a detailed needs analysis form. This allowed the instructors to tailor the course content to meet the specific needs and goals of the participants, ensuring that the training was both relevant and effective.

One standout success story from the course was a participant who achieved an impressive overall band score of 7.5. She attributed her success to the high-quality instruction and dedicated support provided by the PSC teachers. In her words, the targeted training sessions were instrumental in her achievement, and she expressed her deep gratitude to the instructors who guided her throughout the course.

The feedback from all participants has been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the course’s effectiveness in enhancing their IELTS skills and boosting their confidence. The PSC at UTAS-Ibri is proud of the impact this training has had on the professional development of school teachers in the region.

Overall, the course not only met but exceeded expectations, providing valuable skills and knowledge that will undoubtedly aid the participants in their future endeavours. The success of this course underscores the commitment of PSC at UTAS-Ibri to deliver high-quality educational programmes that meet the needs of the community.

The University of Technology and Applied Sciences-Ibri, through the Engineering and Technology Department organized its annual National Level Symposium on Scope of Renewable Energy Systems & Green Hydrogen Applications (SORESA) 2024 on 8^th May 2024.  This national symposium endeavors to present the latest research trends and findings in the area of Renewable Energy and Green Hydrogen.  Students from across the Sultanate participated in this event.

Two papers from the Preparatory Studies Centre (PSC) – Level 3 students were accepted, however only 1 group successfully presented their paper. Mr William Ancheta, Lecturer, was the supervisor of the students.  The details are shown below:

TP_116- Biofuel and its Production 

TP_109 -Issues and Challenges in Renewable Energy

After the paper presentation, on behalf of PSC council, Mr William M Ancheta, CS Lecturer and paper supervisor, gave away the certificates of participation to the students.

On May 08,2024, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., the Health & Safety Committee of PSC organized an activity for students and staff. The workshop: “Stay Healthy- Tips and Tricks”, was presented by Mr. Ahamed Nishath, IT Department Lecturer and Ms. Rabeea Ibrahim, PSC Lecturer.

Mr. Ahamed Nishath gave a number of tips for sudden pains and aches, like a strong headache, migraine, serious back pain, leg pain and nose bleeding. His tips were very simple and feasible any time anywhere. The audience who had joined were involved and asked questions to get more clarifications about certain pains and aches they personally experience.

At the end of the session, Mr. Sultan Al-Sawafi, PSC Head of Section Curriculums and Teaching Methods thanked the presenters, and gave away a certificate of appreciation to Mr Ahmed Nishath, and thanked him for his efforts in building the ability of students and staff to deal with cases of emergency on the spot.

The atmosphere was constructive and came out with useful ideas and tips. The overall impression of the attendees about the event was highly encouraging for all members of the H&S Committee.

SPD committee of PSC UTAS-Ibri, organized a presentation by Dr. Hilal Al Shandhoudi and A.S.M. Shamim Miah on April 18, 2024. The presentation was on a research paper entitled “Implementation of Remedial Feedback and Observable Progression System in GFP English Writing”. The researchers said that their paper highlighted how much written corrective feedback (WCF) is effective in General Foundation Program (GFP). They did their research on experimental and control group setup involving 10 teachers and 100 GFP English students. Their research had a cognitive focus; it aimed at understanding how WCF can improve GFP English students. Their research classified WCF into three major categories: (i) Direct WCF (refers to finding faults); (ii) Indirect WCF (refers to finding errors and supplying the right forms); (iii) and Metalinguistic WCF (refers to offering more details about the type and source of the problem). Their research was designed to use a custom writing booklet with 10 topics (from the Pathways Level 3 Book), 4 genres (Process writing, Compare & Contrast Writing, Incident Report Writing, and Graph description). They used three drafts of each with pre-feedback, post feedback, and post-review-feedback. Before the session concluded, there was a Q/A session. At the end, the presenters were awarded with certificates.

On May 9, 2024, the Preparatory Studies Centre (PSC) witnessed a stimulating presentation by Mr. Juma Al Shammakhi, an esteemed English lecturer, addressing the intriguing question: Are learning styles fact or myth? The event, held in D001 at UTAS Ibri. It was organized by the Staff Professional Development (SPD) Committee and drew attention from lecturers across the Foundation Program.

His engaging presentation sparked a reflective dialogue among attendees, exploring the complexities of learning preferences and their impact on educational practices. Drawing upon a rich blend of research and pedagogical insights, he delved into the diverse modalities of learning, including visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile approaches.

Despite ongoing debates within academia, he emphasized the practical significance of accommodating varied learning styles to enhance student engagement and academic success. Attendees were captivated by his insightful discourse, which culminated in a dynamic exchange of ideas on effective teaching strategies.

The session concluded with a gesture of appreciation from the SPD Committee, who awarded him a certificate of recognition. The event concluded on a high note, reflecting the commitment of PSC's educators to fostering inclusive and effective learning environments.

PSC Staff Professional Development committee organized a training session for the teachers’ training on May 9, 2024 at D003, UTAS, Ibri. The topic of the presentation was “Let's discuss the less-discussed issue! The Realities of Attaining Graduate Attributes”. Ms Hiba Behram, PSC staff member, was the presenter of this activity. It’s the destination and prime objective of our teaching to attain Graduate Attributes (GAs) mentioned in UTAS’ Strategic Plan. However, some of the educators do not focus on attainment of GAs. They find it difficult to integrate GAs into their syllabus, course materials, delivery plans and lessons.

Ms Hiba cited references of various researches conducted by Global and Omani researchers. They have found that GAs are very important part of teaching and learning, and they help the HEIs prepare their students for the job market. But unfortunately, it has been pointed out in these researches that in most of the cases, GAs are either neglected in teaching and learning or not given focus. Therefore, OAAAQA has urged upon HEIs in Oman to establish and implement GAs more effectively to meet both the OAAAQA’s expectations and good international practices.

In order to make their teaching focused and meaningful one, the teachers must keep GAs in mind while teaching their courses. According to OAAAQA’s findings, there seems to be a lack of awareness of GAs across student cohorts and some staff, and there is a need for a systematic awareness-raising and embedding of GAs within the institutions’ teaching and learning activities. Furthermore, Omani employers also complain that local graduates lack communications skills and higher critical thinking ability. So it’s need of the time that Oman’s HEIs should take some practical measures for the attainment of GAs in their respective institutions.

The session ended with QAs, and discussion on how GAs can be integrated in to the syllabus and delivery plans. At the end, Dr. Sultan, HoC of PSC, gave certificates of appreciation to the presenter and the moderator. The participants showed keen interest in this enlightening session.

Preparatory Studies Centre always focuses on teachers’ continuous professional development. For this purpose, PD Committee of PSC organized a training session for the staff on April 25, 2024. The presenter, Mr Sipho Israel Nkosi, a PSC staff member, highlighted some of the effective strategies for teaching reading. His topic was “Teaching Reading: Strategies & Activities”. Many teenagers and adults often view reading as a tedious activity. However, it's widely acknowledged that reading is fundamental for enhancing vocabulary, understanding different cultures, and nurturing critical thinking. It's a skill we can't afford to overlook. Mr Sipho stressed the importance of reading skill for navigating life’s challenges. He analyzed the existing teaching strategies used for reading, and suggested some new ones that can be utilized for enhancing students’ reading confidence by using their PK and interest. In this way, teachers can enhance students’ comprehension of complex reading texts and even make reading an interesting activity. The participants showed keen interest in the topic, and agreed that if such strategies are used in the classroom, our learners’ reading skills can be improved considerably. At the end, Mr William, the moderator of the event, presented a certificate of appreciation to Mr Sipho on behalf of PSC.

In this age of stupendous transformation in technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has got the focus of the world. There is no such domain in the world, which has not been influenced by AI, and teaching and learning is one of them. AI has opened new horizons in teaching and learning __ from top notch teaching tools to efficient self-learning platforms; using latest infographics, AV aids, and other engaging techniques. In order to keep the lecturers abreast of latest developments in teaching and learning, PSC Staff Professional Development committee organized a concurrent training session for the staff on April 25, 2024. The topic of the workshop was “Magical AI Tools for Teachers”. Ms Adeeba Al Swafi, PSC staff member conducted this training session.

This PD workshop focused on introducing teachers to magical AI teaching tools that can enhance their teaching methods. The workshop covered various AI websites that can be incorporated into lesson plans and assignments, making the learning experience more interactive and engaging for the students. Ms Adeeba gave practical demonstration of using various AI tools in order to create support materials such as lesson plans, PPTs, grammar exercises, reading, writing, listening and speaking activities. It was very enlightening session and the participants showed keen interest in the AI’s tools. At the end, the moderator Mohammad Aslam, thanked Ms Adeeba for her wonderful presentation and gave away a certificate of appreciation on behalf of PSC. The participants expressed their desire to have such sessions again.