ELC (283)
Roleplay is considered one of the important methods to achieve active learning. It engages the participants and instils confidence to present themselves before the audience.
Ms Nusaiba Al Ghafri and Mr Humaid Al Mamari, English language lecturers at the ELC, demonstrated the same through a Role Play Contest at the Multi-Purpose Hall in the Engineering Building on Tuesday the 29th of March from 12:00 am to 2:00 pm. The participants were from groups two and eleven.
The contest was a platform for the students to enhance their speaking skills, build confidence, enhance creativity and imagination and accentuate their communication skills. A detailed explanation of the rules was provided to the students.
Four teams participated in the contest, three teams from group eleven and one team from group two. Mr Humaid Al Mamari started the contest by performing a short sketch called “The Silent House” to arouse students’ interest in acting and break the ice. The panel judges from the ELC Ms Anuradha, Ms Zahra and Dr Mobina announced the winner from the four teams.
After the contest, students participated in two other activities: Pictionary and Charades. These two activities were conducted to ensure maximum participation from the students. The vocabulary used in the activities was mainly from the course book, which was a good practice for the students to revise what they had studied earlier.
The role play contest was conducted for the first time in the ELC between two groups. The students showed great interest in it and increased their confidence and presentation skills. They also got very excited and hoped to participate in similar contests in future.
On behalf of UTAS-Ibri, ELC, Mr Mohammed Al Shammakhi gave a detailed presentation on the fire safety workshop on Thursday, March 10, 2022, at 10 a.m. The scheme of the presentation included fire triangle & classification, types of fire extinguishers, Use of fire extinguishers, rules for fighting a fire, and first aid for fire injury. The presentation, coupled with a practical demonstration by the Health and Safety Committee, created awareness among the staff and prepared them for contingencies.
An awareness session on Risk Management was conducted on March 24, 2022, by the ELC, UTAS-Ibri. The speaker Mr Rabee Al Shekeili explained the objective of the committee to the newly recruited teaching staff. He clarified that the committee was formed to identify, prioritize, and develop action plans to avoid potential risks and consequences that may affect the efficiency of the college operations. He added further that to understand the risk management process, and one should be conversant to identify, analyze, evaluate and treat the existing and potential risks. The presentation also made the audience familiar with the registration process.
Conducting extra-curricular activities aiming at academic excellence has always been a norm at UTAS-Ibri, ELC.
Ms Nusaiba Al Ghafri and Mr Humaid Al Mamari, English language lecturers at the ELC, organised a quiz competition at the Multi-Purpose Hall in the Engineering Building on Wednesday the 9th of March from 12:00 am to 2:00 pm. The participants were from groups two and ten.
The main objective of the competition was to test students’ knowledge prior to the quiz competition to generate their interest in learning English. A detailed explanation of the rules and the four rounds of the quiz was provided to the students.
The first round was based on grammar and vocabulary, and Kahoot, a free game-based learning platform, was used in the second round, and three winners were finalised. The third round had a quiz contest that involved all students from both groups, and five winners were selected. The final round challenged the students to put the selected words into error-free sentences.
The competition was the first of its kind, and the effectiveness was evident.
The participants found the class and the quiz contest engaging and beneficial. It was a successful event where students were active, attentive, encouraged and enjoyed learning English.
The English Language Centre, of UTAS-Ibri has always been an anchor for the IELTS aspirants. As part of its novel initiative, a 2-day refresher course in IELTS was conducted on the 23rd and 24th of February 2022, from 4 pm to 6 pm.
This course was designed to train and prepare students for the IELTS test. Dr Abdulsalam, Head of the ELC, welcomed the students and encouraged them to seize the opportunity provided by the ELC of UTAS-Ibri and progress in their selected careers. The course was designed and customized by conducted by Ms. Sharon Devaneson. The participants were shown the samples of common errors while practicing listening, reading, writing and speaking skills. She discussed the strategies that could be used to overcome these problems. A few links and handouts of a complete sample IELTS test were given to the students for self –study. The sessions were highly interactive as the participants asked for clarifications and showed immense interest in the sessions. The sessions instilled immense confidence and was a much-needed platform for beginners. These students showed great zeal and determination to achieve the IELTS 5.0 needed for their bachelor's degree programme. The course was a game changer for the beginners and a defined goal for those who wanted to reach the next milestone.
To help improve the employability skills among students and enhance the achievement of Graduate Attributes (GAs) through innovative teaching methodology, staff at the English Language Centre of UTAS-Ibri initiated the idea of 'Live Experience' of job interviews for the students of Public Speaking. This event was an achievement under the usual support and encouragement of Head of English Language Centre Dr. Abdulsalam Al Manthari. Ms. Heba Qureshi (Lecturer ELC and Coordinator Public Speaking) provided the platform of formal walk-in job interviews to help the Post-Foundation students in learning and polishing the required skills of appearing for an interview in a real-life scenario. The interviews were scheduled for two days 22nd Feb-23rd Feb.2022 (Tue-Wed.).
Students underwent a great deal of practice in the classrooms before the actual day of walk-in job interviews. They also provided their views during the practice sessions. The other arrangement included setting up the venue, preparing the waiting lounge for the candidates, panel members’ arrangements, recording each interview and candidates’ opinions before and after the interviews. Panel members were also video interviewed for their views and opinions about the activity. The ELC staff members who participated in the activity included; Mr. Khalid Al-Gharibi, Mr. Salim Al-Shukeli, Ms. Maha Al-Darei, Ms. Adeebah Al-Sawafi, Mr. Mokhtar Lafi, Ms. Zahra Arab, Ms. Rabeea Ibrahim, Dr. Amir Abbas, Ms. Frizha, Ms. Mobina Kamran, Dr. Mamo Alo, Mr. Mazahar Engameh and Dr. Michelle.
As analysis of any activity helps in the implementation of ADRI and this analysis is critical for better planning in the next stage. In this regard, the feedback of involved staff and students was also taken via questionnaire. As per the result of the survey conducted, both students and staff showed a high rate of satisfaction 5 on a Likert scale of 1-5. The result also indicates that students want to go through more practical sessions like this as it helps strengthen their self-confidence, manage pressure, and employability skills and these are the skills set as per the Graduate Attributes (GAs). Ms. Heba requested the panel members to ask any other question which is not in the list of questions if the panel observes a candidate as more competent. This intended to test the preparation level for extempore answers and students presented great answers for any surprise questions. Both days were successfully covered by ETC and a video is in progress to be uploaded on the university website. Students and staff have expressed their views and comments in this video. The Head of ELC, Dr. Abdulsalam Al-Manthari appreciated the efforts and congratulated the staff and students on their hard work and great performance.
Dr Mariam Al Ghafri, the Head of Curriculum and Teaching Methodologies, ELC, UTAS Ibri, presented significant findings of a research conducted at the beginning of semester one, 2021, to study the experiences of Foundation Program Students who took online courses during COVID-19 Pandemic at UTAS-Ibri. The objective of the survey was to know the challenges faced by the students and the ways and means to overcome them. It also tried to study the efficacy of the instructional methods and resources provided by the ELC. The survey was in Arabic with open-ended questions for free responses. According to the survey, 125% of the students who responded felt staying motivated and focused was a significant challenge, and 75% said domestic distractions were a major issue. The other challenges identified were less interaction with teachers and peers, internet difficulties, limited resources, and time management. On a positive note, students overcame challenges through peer tutoring, reviewing lecture notes and adhering strictly to the schedule provided. The survey also highlighted the effectiveness of instructional resources, and e-books and interactive activities topped the list.
Profile:
Dr Mariam Al Ghafri is the Head of Curriculum and Teaching Methodologies UTAS IBRI. She has a doctorate in Education and Technology from the University of Sheffield /United Kingdom
She believes that inspiration, motivation and support can unlock the hidden potentials of individuals.
A novel presentation by Ms Saoussen Jilani engaged the audience on February 23, 2022, at the ELC, UTAS-Ibri. Ms Saoussen states that efficient speakers demonstrate energy and power and engage the audience. She further stated that a guest speaker requires a suite of abilities to make transformative experiences for audiences. According to her, a great orator should entertain the audience, energize them, be creative, and be a role model; they should present themselves as the source of inspiration and be the light of hope.
Ms Jilani shared a presentation assessment rubric that was a kind of ready reckoner for the first time, virtual guest speakers. The takeaways were rich, and the audience had many novel tips waiting to get executed.
Ms Saoussen Jilani was awarded a certificate of appreciation on behalf of the English Language Center, UTAS-Ibri.
Profile:
Saoussen Jilani is a lecturer at the Higher Institute of Health and Medical Techniques in Tunisia. Currently, she teaches medical English to the first year and second-year students of obstetrics and prosthetics. Her main preoccupation is to engage such students in the English course actively and therefore use it for external reasons that far exceeds the borders of a classroom.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a massive shift in how we work, learn and connect with others. Effects rippling from the Covid 19 emergency include changes in the personal, social, and economic spheres.
The Business Studies department and the ELC jointly hosted a webinar titled Learning the New Normal Way on March 3, 2022 at UTAS, Ibri. Dr. Fitzgerald Kintana took the audience through an informative presentation that focussed on challenges faced by teachers while embracing and adapting the new normal way. The gaps he stated were: limited experience in synchronous online teaching, lack of training needs, time constraints and naïve logistics and instructional strategies. He introduced the audience to Tech-Champs, who led the way to implement a technology-based curriculum and further added that they are indigenizing the curriculum and the hybridization of technology in the new normal. The presentation had plethora of information on asynchronous learning activities. The audience was exposed to the truth of e-learning and shared challenges students face while going digital and strategies to keep them engaged in digital classrooms.
Dr Fitzgerald, the presentation with a thought-provoking quote “Technology, will not replace great teachers, but technology in the hands of great teachers can be transformational -George Couros.”
Profile:
Dr Fitzgerald Kintanar is the Dean, College of Education CTU – Argao Cebu, Philippines. He is a classroom teacher, community teacher and researcher.
ELC at UTAS-Ibri conducted an online workshop on Thursday, February 10, 2022 on “How to Overcome Struggles during the Acquisition of a New Language” by Lourdes Sarita Alzamora Vargas, Peru. It was organized by Staff Professional Development- English Language Centre at University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Ibri-Oman.
Ms Laurdes focused on integrating Emotional Intelligence in language classrooms to achieve learning outcomes. She emphasized on making EI as part of language curriculum as it helps students to overcome traumas, resilience and unexplained fears while learning English as a foreign language. She further stated that teachers play a vital role in creating a conducive learning environment and sustain the interest of the learners, especially during pandemic times.
Profile
Ms Lourdes Sarita Alzamora Vargas has been Teaching English for over 18 years at different private schools, institutes and universities. She runs a school of her own and conducts English and Spanish online sessions.