ELC (283)
The University of Technology and Applied Sciences-Ibri, hosted the International English Language Teaching Symposium- (IELTS-2022): Paradigms, Pathways and Possibilities in ELT on June 29-30, 2022. The English Language Centre was back after a hiatus of two years with its striking initiatives, and the two-day symposium was the result of the collaborative efforts of the ELTPDW. Mr Faisal Al Shamali, the head of the Professional Development Committee led the team. The symposium provided a platform for virtual and in-person presenters and participants from 35 countries. More than 3,000 participants registered for the mega-event.
The opening ceremony was hosted by Dr Mobina Rahnama and graced by Shaikh Saif Bin Abdullah Al Mamari, the Wali of Yanqul; Dr Hamdan Al Manthari, the Dean of UTAS, Ibri; assistant deans Dr Naser Al Kalbani and Mr. Rashid Al Hinai; heads of department Dr Sultan Al Ghafri (ELC), Dr Maryam Al Ghafri (ELC), Dr Nasser Al Shammaki (Department of Engineering) and Dr Abdulrahman Al Ismaili (Department of Business Studies). Dr Abdulsalam Al Manthari, the Head of the English Language Centre, addressed the audience and underlined the significance of the symposium in the national and international arenas.
Day one of the symposium was virtual and hosted ten keynote speakers and 42 presenters. The keynote speakers who graced the occasion on day one were Prof Stephen Krashen, a linguist, educational expert, political activist and honorary professor from the USA; Dr Mick King from Community College of Qatar; Dr Christine Coombe from Dubai College of Men, UAE; Dr Christel Broady, from Georgetown College, USA; Dr Fouzia Rouaghe from University of Mohamed Lamine Debaghine Sétif 2; Prof Khalil Motallebzadeh from Tabaran Institute of Higher Education, Iran; Prof. Carol Evans, an honorary visiting professor at Cardiff University; Dr Wafa Zoghbor Associate Professor, from Zayed University, UAE; Dr Jamila Al Siyabi, from SQU, Oman; and Prof. Liz England, Founder of TESOL International Association Career Path Development Professional Learning Network, USA. The canvas of their talks was huge, and the impact was immense on the audience. There were experiences and lessons replete with inspiration, expertise and novelty for all.
Day two session was hosted exclusively for in-person keynote speakers, presenters and participants who took immense interest to benefit from the event. The keynote speakers who graced the occasion were Dr Hashil Al Saadi, Language Lecturer, Oman; Dr Fatemeh Ranjbaran from UTAS-Nizwa; Dr Anfal Al Wahaibi, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs for Social Services at Sultan Qaboos University; Dr Misida Al Jahwari, College of Economics and Political Science from SQU, Oman; and Eva Grayzel, Master Storyteller and Visionary Survivor from USA.
The virtual and in-person keynote speakers, presenters and participants were awarded certificates and mementos as a token of appreciation.
The closing ceremony celebrated the joyous moments of the much-awaited success. Dr Abdulsalam thanked the virtual and in-person keynote speakers, presenters and participants, the heads of departments/centres, ETC staff, and all the ELC staff who made their presence felt with their support, motivation, and commitment.
As serving the community is part of the UTAS-Ibri Mission and goal, the ELC management of UTAS-Ibri decided to provide a General English course for the community. The General English course was advertised on the UTAS-Ibri website, Twitter and Instagram account. A needs analysis survey was conducted, and more than 350 students expressed what they needed from the course. The General English course catered to university students, self-employed, unemployed students and employed students. The placement test was conducted on May 30, 2022 and students were put in different levels.The teachers who taught the course were Michael Cassidy, Zumrut Cassidy, Hind Al Mahrouqi, Dr Miriam Cordova, Dr Eman Issa, Andries Oberholzer, Rosalie Balmas, Mariette Oberholzer and Dr Mohsin.
The material was created and compiled based on students’ needs. The course ran from June 12 to June 23, 2022) The classes were packed with highly interactive student-centred activities focused on speaking and writing and motivating them to overcome their weaknesses and excel in what they needed. An inspiring talk was conducted by Ms Misoon Sulaiman Al Sakiti, an alumna of the Engineering department. She spoke about job opportunities at the PDO and her experience in the engineering field to the unemployed students on June 15, 2022, to motivate them.
All the students gave a presentation on their classroom learning experiences on the ninth day. There was a Video presentation of the classroom activities. On the final day, 23/6/2022, there was a General English programme held at the lecture theatre of UTAS- Ibri. Sheikh Mohsin Hamed Mohsin Al Maskari, the wali of Ibri, presided over the function. A report on the General English Programme was delivered by Dr Abdusalam Al Manthari, HOC, ELC, UTAS-Ibri.
Certificates were distributed to the students and teachers by the chief guest Sheikh Mohsin Hamed Mohsin Al Maskari, the wali of Ibri and Dr Hamdan Al Manthari, the dean of UTAS-Ibri. One can tell that the General English course was a complete success as there was evidence of joy and happiness on the faces of the students and the fact that they were already asking about the dates of the next course.
The IELTS free course was conducted from June 19 to June 23, 2022, as students took the IELTS test on the 24th and 25th of June,2022 at UTAS-Ibri. Around 15 students attended the course and found it very beneficial. Ms Sharon Devaneson focused on giving essential strategies that would enable a student to score high. Activities related to the strategies were dealt with in the classroom. Certificates were given to them at the end of the programme.
Dr Sultan Al Ghafri and Ms Sharon Ruth Devaneson coordinated with the rest of the team to enable the smooth functioning of the Community Courses
In the academic year 2021–2022, Dr. Abdulsalam Al Manthari and Dr. Mohsen Amiri delivered three presentations at different conferences and symposiums. The first presentation was delivered at the Oman International ELT Virtual Conference at Sultan Qaboos University on October 15, 2021. The topic of the presentation was Interpersonal Skills and Personality Development for GFP Students. The second presentation was presented at the ELT symposium at UTAS-Shinas on May 17,2022. Both presenters spoke about the challenges, opportunities, and effective strategies The of teaching English in the GFP. The third presentation was conducted in person at the ‘First National Symposium on Post-pandemic ELT: from Reflation to Action Research’ organized by the English Language Center at UTAS-Ibra. The Importance of Extracurricular Activities for the GFP Students was the topic of the presentation that was highly appreciated by the participants of the session.
Julie Walters aptly quotes: “Debate is so much better than denial’’ For the second time in AY 2021-2022, the ELC Students’ Activities Committee conducted another debate competition on June 1,2022. This time, two groups of Public Speaking students compete against each other. The topic of the debate was ‘Teachers’ Attitudes vs. Teaching Methodologies’. The topic was selected by the students after providing them with more than 35 different topics. Overall, the debate was competitive and interactive. Many students and alumni from different levels actively participated in the ceremony. Both teams were excellent based on the feedback, and that is the reason the competition was neck to neck. As per the final scores, Team B received two marks more than Team A; however, out of three judges, two judges announced Team A as the winner as per their overall judgments. The best speakers from each group were chosen by the judges as well.
The ELC Students’ Activities Committee extended heartfelt thanks to the judges and Ms. Heba and Ms. Sandra, who encouraged and supported their students to make the competition a grand success. The lists of winner teams are as follows:
Judges:
- Mr. Mazaher Engameh
- Ms. Zahra Zohair Arab
- Ms. Nasiyba Salim Saif Al Ghafri
Team A: (First Place)
- Samah Mubarak Said Al Ghafri
- Hamam Salim Hamdan Al Shaaili
- Abdullah Marhoon Mana AL Kalbani
- Jawahir Hamed Muslem Al Yaaribi
Team B: (Second Place)
- Abdulaziz Khalid Abdullah Al hinina
- Marwah Mohammed Ali Al Mazrouai
- Shuhd Ali Aamir Al Hatmi
- Afara Ghamil Obaid Al Wahshi
Best Speakers of the Debate:
- Samah Al Ghafri (Team A)
- Afara Ghamil Obaid Al Wahshi (Team B)
The ELC has always been a support platform for the community, university staff and students. In continuation with providing services and knowledge contributions, Dr. Mohsen Amiri conducted a two-day intensive English course for the administrative staff of the university. In this course, the most common written and spoken phrases related to the workplace taught were made available in the form of a booklet, written and compiled by Dr. Mohsen. In addition, the most common mistakes made by employees in writing and speaking have been covered in various ways and one of them was role-playing. Excellent feedback was received from the participants at the end of the course. Certificates of course completion were awarded to the participants by the ELC.
After establishing the official training office, the Students’ Activities Committee received many students. In order to prepare students for the midterm and final exams, the committee decided to organize tutorial workshops for each level. In the first semester (AY 2021-2022), the committee organized six (Writing & Speaking) workshops, and in the second semester, the number of workshops reached 12. Out of 18 workshops, 16 were done by Dr. Mohsen Amiri and Ms. Adeebah Al Sawafi for foundation students. Two workshops were done by Ms. Sandra (TW1, March 29) and Ms. Lubna (Level 2 Writing, April 24). The second semester’s workshops were like a series, and more than 800 students attended, not only from our university but also from many other colleges and universities in Oman. The recorded sessions of all the workshops are available on the English Society Teams channel and Instagram. Each workshop lasted for 2 hours. Some of the workshops are available on YouTube as well. The committee would like to thank Ms. Moza, Samiya and Mr. Syam for their active role in the workshops. Last but not least, we would like to appreciate Dr. Abdulsalam (HOC) for his constant support and encouragement throughout this remarkable achievement.
The Peer Tutoring Program has been one of the most popular activities in the second semester. After commencing the English Society Office, a vast number of students enrolled in the Peer Tutoring Program. According to available records, our tutors have trained more than 60 students in about 150 sessions in semester 2 in the English Society office. More than 300 students visited and have been trained in one-to-one and small group sessions by Dr. Mohsen, Ms. Adeebah and Mr. Mazaher.
The head and the second lead of the Students’ Activities Committee have been available every day in the office from 9 to 10:30 a.m. for training students and monitoring tutors. For quality assurance purposes, photos and appointment forms are available for the record. The committee generated six talented students(Tutors) by training them before teaching other peers(Tutees). Based on students’ feedback, the GFP students have found the English Society office a positive and unique environment to learn and practice English.
The Students’ Activities Committee had a successful and fruitful visit to Fatma Bint Assad School on March 31st, 2022. Our English Society mentors delivered outstanding motivational speeches for grade 10 and 11 students. They also shared their experiences and activities with the students and conducted a small competition. Dr Mohsen and Ms Adeeba accompanied the students by presenting the importance of the English language and life skills. The feedback from students and school authorities was impressive. The school authorities warmly welcomed and thanked the committee members and students at the end of the program.
One of the Students' Activities Committee (SAC) objectives has been to create a room for language-based extracurricular activities for the foundation and the post foundation students. The dean of the university, Dr Hamdan and the head of ELC, Dr Abdulsalam, extended their support and facilitated the English Society's establishment. It has become a hub for training and engaging Foundation and Post foundation students.
It has become an excellent platform for students to enhance their communication skills. Training students in small groups and peer tutoring programs have been in great demand since the start of the English Society. More than 150 students have been trained through Peer Tutoring and Teacher training sessions daily, and more than 15 students have been trained as trainers to teach their peers as tutors. It has welcomed more than six outstanding highly-skilled students enrolled as members of the English Society.
Overall, approximately 200 students have enrolled in the English Society so far. Many lecturers have recommended their students to the English Society for training purposes. Initiating the English Society office has been the most significant achievement for the Students' Activities Committee.
The English Society consists of seven members, and all of them were trained to deliver to motivate foundation students by visiting various classes. Our mentors have visited more than 15 classes and have encouraged many students with their inspiring pep talks. Many thanks to Ms. Adeebah and the English Society mentors for their artistic talents in decorating the office.