ELC (283)
Blending classes was one of the innovative methods used in the ELC classes by Dr. Mohsen and Ms. Adeebah. The purpose of the approach was to engage students where fun and learning are a suitable blend.Students benefited a lot after taking feedback. Both groups (G4 and G8-Level 1) got a chance to exchange their skills and knowledge with their peers. Students found it highly effective and fun to learn from each other. Teaching grammar through speaking was one of the activities that was implemented. Common errors by students were analyzed by the students and teachers. Dr Mohsen and Ms Adeebah brought Group 4 and Group 8 together for analysis. Many thanks to Dr. Abdulsalam for his encouragement and class visits.
An impressive win in the Business Talk competition organized by the Business department on February 25, 2022, by the English Society mentors was another feather in the cap. The top three winners were all from the English Society's mentors. At the end of the ceremony, winners were awarded by the head of the business department, Dr. Abdulrahman and Mr. Mohammed Al Sakaiti. This achievement was one of the remarkable ones for the English Society mentors.
The speech competition was organized on March 31, 2022 (first round), and April 21, 2022 (Final round), in two rounds for Foundation and Post-Foundation students.
Twenty-four students enrolled for the competition. Dr. Mohsen, Ms. Adeeba, and English Society mentors trained some students online and offline in more than six sessions prior to their speech competition in the English Society office.
Many thanks to the respected judges of the competition. The judges were Ms. Sharon, Mr. Mazaher, Ms. Adeeba, Ms Marriete, Ms. Zahra and Mr Andries.
The following were the winners of the competition:
Foundation:
- Aisha Salim Al Yaqoobi
- Al Hanoof Awadh Al Wahshi
- Hiba Hussain Al Farsi & Reem Ahmed AL Saadi (even)
Post Foundation:
- Mazoon Said Al Alawi
- Sara Rashid
Dr Muhammad Amir Abbas underlined the significance of the review of literature in his presentation on April 7, 2022, at the ELC, utas-Ibri. He stated that is an essential part of the research, and the researchers use scholarly literature to present results of similar studies done earlier. They do so to relate their research to an ongoing dialogue in the literature. Their literature review also provides a framework for comparing the results of their research with other studies. He also highlighted the importance of various steps considered essential in conducting it.
Profile
Dr Muhammad Amir Abbas has 29 years of teaching experience and is currently working as an EFL lecturer at UTAS-Ibri. During this period, he taught Applied Linguistics, Socio-linguistics, Psycho-linguistics and English Language & Literature. Transitivity (Systemic Functional Linguistics) and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) are his areas of interest.
The third edition of the student magazine – HUES was launched on 26th May, 2022 under the aegis of Dr Nasser Al Kalbani, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs in the English Language Centre. Other distinguished personalities who were present were Dr Abdulsalam Al Manthari, Dr Abdul Rahman Al Ismaili, Dr Sultan Al Ghafri, Dr Maryam Al Ghafri and Mr Ali Al Abri.
Dr Nasser congratulated all those who contributed to the magazine. Dr Abdulsalam expressed his pride and joy on the launch of the magazine and stressed on the need for motivating the students to write, as well as, the need for reading the articles. The editorial team members Ms Hind Al Mahrouqi, Mr Maha Al Darei and Ms Archana V. Gupta were present. The creative designer Mr Tariq Al Kabani was honored by Dr Nasser Al Kabani. All the students who contributed were also honored by giving them certificates and a copy of the magazine. The students – Rawan Salim Al Gharibi, Saif Muhanna Al Hinai, Tariq Said Al Kalbani, Abdul Karim Al Garibi, Mohammed Sulaiman Al Shuaili and Mazoun Said Al Alawi shared their experiences of writing and preparing for their articles/ visuals; and how it helped them in improving their skills and confidence.
The staff of the ELC, the students who contributed for the magazine and the invited guests were present on the occasion.
Research ethics give a detailed description of the application of fundamental ethical principles to research activities which include the design and implementation of research, responsibility towards the immediate society, the meticulous use of resources and research outputs with respect towards society and others, the use of resources and research outputs, scientific misconduct and the guidelines of research.
Dr Cliff Ransom Wendell B. Lilangan had an informative session on Defining Research Ethics Principles with the ELC staff at UTAS- Ibri. The virtual webinar was hosted by the ELC Research and Consultancy Committee on November 4, 2021.
Profile
Dr Lilangan obtained his BA in Political Science at Central Mindanao University (Magna Cum Laude), master’s in public service at Capitol University and is slated to finish his second doctorate in Public Administration at UP Diliman Philippines. Dr Lilangan is a recipient of the Gintong Parangal 2021 “Outstanding Educator and Advocate for Humanitarian Endeavor Award. He has been conferred the Honorary Doctorate Award of Social Work (Honoris Causa) and the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Award for Social Services.
Research publications have their own identity, place and necessity. They make scientific information publically available and allow the academic audience to evaluate the quality of the research and explore it further.
Dr Arlene Yandug, based on her vast experience, shared a plethora of information on different ways of exploring publication and fundamental copyright issues. The UTAS-IELC Research and Consultancy Committee hosted the webinar on November 25, 2021.
Profile
Dr Arlene Yandug holds a PhD in Creative writing and poetry as her field of concentration at the University of the Philippines-Diliman. Her expertise is in poetry, journal policies, authorship criteria and literary publication. In addition, she has published her literary works in local and international editions. She belongs to the top 500 women poets in the Philippines and is a fellow in national writing workshops. Recently, she co-edited a literary anthology, Tinubdan (2021).
Language Policy accentuates the growth of the field by publishing high-quality studies that lay a strong foundation for the theoretical understanding of the subject area. Dr Lilia A Cotejar shared her experiences on research and language policy through a webinar titled Research and Language Policy on December 2, 2021, hosted by the ELC, UTAS-Ibri.
Profile
Dr Lilia A Cotejar holds a PhD in English Language and Literature from Ateneo de Manila University. Writing mainly about Asian women’s novels, she is actively engaged in national and international conferences dealing with Asian women’s literature and regional writings.
In coordination with the Quality Assurance Coordinator of ELC, the Human Resource Department conducted an awareness session for the new staff on Individual Performance Management System(IPMS) on Thursday, 24 March 2022, at the ELC meeting room. The ELC coordinator Ms Zahra was the speaker and explained the objectives of the IPMS. The four objectives discussed in detail were a. building the culture of the quality performance, b.improving the performance evaluation system, and c. linking productivity with incentives.
Problem-based learning (PBL) is a student-centred approach which encourages students to work in groups to find solutions to open-ended problems. This approach is popular among EFL teachers as it has become a driving force in many contexts.
A presentation on Problem Based Learning (PBL) on Thursday, 24 March 2022, encouraged the audience to share their views on integrating PBL techniques in classrooms.
The speaker, Mr Abdullah Al-Balushi, gave a brief idea of how to orient students to use Problem Based Learning(PBL) in various learning contexts. The session was explained in seven stages with quick tips to implement during teaching sessions.
Profile
Abdullah Al Balushi has been teaching at UTAS since 2011. He has the CELTA certification and a Master’s in the English Language. He has worked in different administrative and teaching positions in the ELC during the last ten years.