The Staff Development Committee (SDC) of the Information Technology Department arranged a webinar on “Social Skills for Workplace Success” on Wednesday, 26 January 2022. The webinar was conducted through MS Teams and Mr Wasim Raja, Lecturer Math, Information Technology Department, was the speaker.
The speaker started the session with a welcoming message and conducted a short activity for discussion and knowledge sharing.
During the presentation, the speaker emphasised the basic and essential elements of social skills required for workplace success, along with definitions of social skills and the need for social skills at the workplace to achieve the goals of the organisation. Techniques to improve the success rate at the workplace and solutions to various social problems were discussed in the session.
At the end, Mr Wasim thanked the participants for their participation in the discussion and knowledge sharing. He also thanked the Information Technology Department council, UTAS HR department, and Staff Development Committee for providing opportunities of professional growth, knowledge sharing, and discussion by arranging such sessions.
Feedback was collected from the participants on a scale of 5, the result of the feedback was 4.7.
The Students’ Activities Committee conducted two Writing workshops for level one and two students on the 1st and 4th of January 2022. The workshops aimed share some useful tips with the students to prepare them for the final writing exam. More than 140 students attended the workshops.
The sessions were mutually conducted by Dr Mohsen and Ms Adeebah Al Sawafi. The feedback was encouraging, and there were requests from students for similar workshops. It was a much-needed initiative for the foundation students and tips and tricks shared by the teachers instilled immense confidence in the students.
The English Language of UTAS- Ibri, has always been at the forefront in rendering services to the local community. As part of the novel initiative, the ELC conducted a General English Course for more than 20 students from the Public Authority of Consumer Protection, General Directorate of Agriculture Wealth & Water Resources, Administration of Heritage & Tourism, Al Dhahira Municipality, Administration of Culture, Sports & Youth, Civil Defense & Ambulance Authority, General Directorate for Social Development, Wali's Office (Ibri) and the ROP in the Dhahira region.
A five-day introductory English language course was offered from January 9 to January 13, 202 and was conducted by Ms Adeebah Mohammed Salim Al Sawafi, Mr Shaikh Muhmmed Waheed and Dr Mohsen Amiri. Based on the data gathered from needs analysis, Ms Sharon Ruth Devaneson created and designed the teaching materials for all four English language skills (LSRW) that catered to the student's language needs. The learning materials were compiled in a booklet that served as a ready reckoner to the students and helped them enhance their functional English and ESP.
The English language instructors engaged the students with interactive activities in a stress-free environment, instilled confidence, and encouraged them to learn the language further. Dr Mohsen and Ms Adeebah used popular classroom activities like role-playing, pantomime, and Kahoot to make the language tangible and exciting.
The course ended on an impressive note, and the feedback was highly encouraging. The students described it as an enjoyable experience and requested the team for more. They also thanked the management for encouraging them to take this course and benefit from it. Some of the students were IbriCT's alumni and walked down memory lane with some of their senior teachers. Dr Sultan Al Ghafri, Head of Sections -ELP, congratulated the students on completing the General English course and wished them the best in their future endeavours. He distributed Certificates of Participation to the students. He also appreciated the teachers for their efforts and dedication.
OJT & Industrial link committee of Engineering Department organized Industrial visit to Steam Boiler unit “IBRI HOSPITAL”. This visit is for Bachelor students. Eight students and four staff members, Mr. Santhosh B, Mr. Mohammed Riyaz, Mr.Joseph Michel & Mr. ALMUHANNAD YAQOOB KHALFAN AL-NADABI from Mechanical and Industrial engineering section visited on 02nd December 2021at 10:00 am to 3:30 pm.
List of operations & units which are useful for bachelor students by this unit at Ibri Hospital.
Ø Steam generation, distribution & utilization
Ø Sewage water treatment plant
Ø Operation maintenance of pump stations.
Ø Operation and maintenance of RO system, Vacuum Pump & Chillers
They explained & students had a practical exposure about the following
Ø Operation & working principle of Yorkshire make fire tube boilers
Ø Process involved in RO plant and its maintenance
Ø Detailed explanation of chillers working principles
Ø Clear understanding about working of Fire tube boiler mountings & accessories
Ø Steam generation ,Transmission & utilization
Ø Students came to know about practical applications of steam i.e. for sterilization of medical accessories, for boiling of water & cooking purposes
Ø Working of chillers & Working of vacuum pumps
Ø Process involved in sewage treatment plant
During the session, the students interacted with the engineers very effectively. All the students expressed thanks to the officials for the opportunity. This visit was highly useful for the students in having practical exposure about various concepts in Mechanical Engineering.
An orientation programme for On-the-Job Training (OJT) for students of Information Technology was conducted on 6 January 2022 from 2 – 3 pm. The objective of the programme was to give students insight in the OJT process. The OJT process is classified into three levels by its time frame, which are Pre-OJT, During-OJT, and Post-OJT.
The speaker, Mr Junath Naseer Ahamed, discussed the eligibility criteria of OJT in various study levels and special cases of OJT for students in the Pre-OJT process.
The During-OJT process is the longest of all three processes, and the speaker enlightened the student’s responsibilities during the training such as importance of attendance (in-time and out-time), recording of daily activities, reporting to the industry supervisor, and the involvement in performing tasks in the workplace.
Finally, the speaker discussed the Post-OJT process such as approaching the OJT coordinator, uploading documents, presenting the OJT report, applying student clearances, completing the graduation notification process, and other requirements.
The feedback was collected from the students on a scale of 5, and the result of the feedback was 4.60.
On 29 December 2021, a team from the Information Technology Department visited the International Marble Company in Ibri. The team was headed by the HoD – IT, Dr Amal Al Abri, and the following members:
- Dr Pugalarasu Rajan (HoS-Math Section)
- Ms Fatma Al Shamali (HoS-IT Section)
- Dr Qais Al Janabi (IT – Lecturer)
- Mr Abdullah Al Shukeily (IT – Lecturer)
During the visit, the team had a meeting with the Directorate General of the company, Mr Hussain Al Kalbani and the Operations Manager, Mr Manoj Joseph). During the meeting, Mr Hussain welcomed the team and gave a brief introduction about the company and their business. Then the team discussed the university and the specialisations offered. The discussion continued how cooperation can be established between both sides on the following aspects:
- OJT opportunities for IT students
- Ideas for course projects
- Research and consultancy
- Type of systems used in the factory to automate the production process
The discussion resulted in two ideas of research that could be undertaken:
1- Automation of marble categorisation according to their pattern
2- Automation of carpentry
After the meeting the team had a tour, accompanied by the operations manager, to the different factory sections to see the marble production lines.
The Research and Consultancy Committee of the ELC, UTAS-Ibri, hosted a webinar on December 23, 2021, on Translingualism and Translanguaging Pedagogy in ELT.
Dr Maria Luisa Saministrado introduced the term "translanguaging" as the process whereby multilingual speakers use their language as an integrated communication and "languaging" as the term used to refer to the activity of mediating cognitively complex ideas using language.
The speaker stressed the importance of translingualism to bilinguals and multilingual communities. She also shared how power politics influenced the country's language policy and the status of minority languages. She also stated that language minorities in most countries continue to be educated in the dominant language without leveraging their home language practices.
The topic was novel and interesting enough to make language teachers think about integrating new methods and practices in language teaching.
Profile
Dr Maria Luisa Saministrado holds two doctorate degrees: A PhD in English at the University of Newcastle, Australia and a PhD in Educational Management from Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan. She was the former head of the English Language And Literature Department of XU-Ateneo, where she served for seven years and was also the Director of the English Communication Development Institute ( ECDI ). She has produced several English textbooks for tertiary and high school students, which are used in various universities in the Philippines. Also, she has published papers in peer-reviewed journals on language and literature.
The Research and Consultancy Committee of the ELC, UTAS-Ibri, hosted a webinar titled How to get Poetry Published on December 16. Dr Zola Gonzalez introduced the audiences to different ways of getting poetry published in international research journals of repute(both paid and unpaid). She demonstrated submitting poems to Griffel, a journal of international repute. Dr Zola shared an interesting observation and said that when a poem is submitted for publication, its just not just for publishing but also to people, biases, preferences, readers, screeners and editors who project themselves as gatekeepers by establishing their values when it comes to poetry and other forms of writing. She also shared the latest norms of publishing poetry. The session was interesting to those who had a penchant for poetry.
Profile
Dr Zola Gonzalez-Macarambon is a writer and teacher from Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines. Her works are published in various national and international publications, including Gasher (USA), Poets Choice (India), Loch Raven Review (USA), Cordite (Australia), Peril (Australia), Asian Cha (Singapore), among others. In 2021 she received the Pandemic Writers Grant from the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing (the USA. She received the Ninja Arts Grant for ‘Sendong’, a suite of poems ranked 1st by judges of the Hawker Prize for Poetry 2019. She has a PhD in Communications from Monash University (Australia), an institution ranking among the world’s top 100.
Dr Sepidah Damirichi was invited to speak on the applicability of neuroscience of learning in online classes at the ELC, UTAS-Ibri. One of the references she quoted states that when one has to learn something entirely unrelated to anything an individual already knows, the brain still craves a reference point, without which it can find itself in an infinite search loop. The brain neuro constructively scaffolds information. (Siros et.al 2008).
She connected the dots with the study of the biological processes and aspects that underlie cognition and cognitive activities that are affected or controlled by neural circuits in the brain.
Her main focus was on the applicability of neuroscience of learning in online classes, emphasising two significant factors: bringing neuroscience of learning to online teaching and learning principles. It was an apt discussion for teachers to ponder and execute in their classrooms.
Profile
Dr. Sepideh Damirchi holds BA. in English Language and Literature, MA. In Linguistics. She is a PhD student of Cognitive Science language. She is interested in research in the field of Cognitive Linguistics, Cognitive Semantics, Neuroscience of language, Neuroscience of bilingualism and Neuroscience of learning.
UTAS-Ibri hosted a webinar on “Modern Interactive Apps for Online Teaching” on December 16, 2021. The presenter Ms Aybüke Demet ÖREN, from Turkey, shared her insights and acumen of modern interactive apps for online teaching.
Due to recent developments in technology, evolving needs of our learners and especially the pandemic affecting every nation globally, online teaching has become more widespread than ever worldwide. With this paradigm shift, teachers are expected to catch up with the latest trends and developments in education, making it impossible to overlook the online tools utilized in teaching.
She came up with an exciting list of interactive apps for Math, IT and ELT. For language teachers, she suggested Wordwall, Padlet and Live worksheets.
She also shared a colourful description of the qualities of a good teacher, and the audience could easily relate to the visual.
Profile
Aybüke Demet ÖREN, Turkey, is an EFL teacher of 17 years from Turkey who believes in life-long learning. She holds a BA from Marmara University and an MA from Bahçeşehir University in the English Language Teaching Department, located in İstanbul, Turkey. She has published articles and translations in the field of ELT. She is also a Cambridge certified teacher trainer, a DELTA candidate by Cambridge University, and an İstanbul University-Cerrahpaşa CEARC certified Turkish as a Foreign Language teacher. Currently, she works at İstanbul Atatürk High School of Science.
