The COVID-19 pandemic has affected educational systems worldwide. Despite the challenges thrown by the pandemic, educators across the world have come up with interesting alternatives to keep the teaching and learning process continuing.
UTAS, IbriCT has always been in the forefront to embrace the changes and the challenges and prove its mettle. The English Language centre (IbriCT) has come up with a resourceful platform to encourage ELT professionals, to share their innovative ideas on English language teaching.
As part of this initiative, Mr. Tahir Alam Awan gave an online presentation on August 24,2020 on the topic titled “How to Teach online.” He delivered his sixty minutes presentation in two parts: the first part was the theoretical aspect and the second part focused on the practical aspect of the online teaching and learning process.
The interesting part of the presentation was the three different categories of the teachers with different perspectives on online teaching process. It came as a natural progression to the first category of the teachers and the teachers of the second category were compelled to learn and third category was interested but had constraints. Another interesting observation was, online teaching has been a boon to many teachers with disability.
The presentation highlighted the emotional aspects of teachers and other pros and cons of online teaching. The educational technology is dynamic and has plethora of information on teaching and learning tools. As a word of caution, he stated that the ELT teachers should be prudent enough to choose the right ones to generate interest towards learning in their students.
Mr.Tahir also underlined the smart choices of technologies which meet the combination of two elements: the institutional policy and learning objectives of the classes we deliver. He drew the attention of the presenters to open access technology and the institutional supported technology. He also opined that technology as a standalone medium is inadequate to make teaching complete. A teacher’s exposure to right technology, pedagogy, content and knowledge becomes the pre-requisite to effective online teaching and a conducive environment gives an edge to the teaching and learning process.
A sample reading lesson along with relevant activities were also discussed during the presentation.
He ended the presentation by extending heartfelt thanks to Dr Abdusalam, Mr. Faisal and all the attendees who added value through their interaction.
The English Language Centre at Ibri College of Technology conducted its 1st International Virtual ELT Web Conference with the theme “The Importance of Using Innovative Methods in ELT Classrooms” on Wednesday, July 8, 2020 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The event kicked off with an opening speech from Dr Abdulsalam Maktoum Ali Al Manthari, the head of the ELC, in which he stressed the efficacy of virtual web conferences in enabling teachers to impart language skills through digital classrooms during the COVID-19 pandemic. He mentioned that teachers around the world had embraced technology and were well-equipped to handle virtual classrooms and stay connected with their students. He emphasized that virtual web conferences would emerge as a platform for sharing ideas, expertise, and trends among teachers.
The conference included 56 presenters from 23 courtiers in 6 virtual rooms with 6 concurrent sessions including 8 keynote speakers, who shared their know-how with more than 3600 participants from around the world. Heike Philip from Belgium, Dr Christine Coombe from the UAE, Georgios Kormpass from the KSA, Rana Khan from Kuwait, Dr Ali Al-Issa from Oman, Joshua O’Neil from the UK, Dr Christel Broady from the USA and Prof. Hisham Al Saghbini from the UAE shared their rich experiences as keynote speakers. Their themes covered a wide range of topics, primarily related to innovative approaches to teaching and assessments, integrating technology in ELT, and strategies and activities for online classrooms.
For many participants, it was the first time that they had been involved with an online conference. The feedback shows that the experience was positive for many and offered a promise for the future of instruction in ELT classrooms.
At the end, Mr. Faisal Shamali, Head of the Staff Professional Development Committee in the ELC, delivered closing remarks
The Chennai Institute of Technology (CIT), Chennai, organised the International Conference on Recent Advancements in Wireless Communications, Signal and Image Processing, on 29 to 30 June 2020 on a virtual platform. They invited Dr G. Kumaravel (Lecturer, Engineering Department, Ibri College of Technology) as a keynote speaker for the session Signal and Image Processing. He delivered a speech as a keynote speaker on 30 June 2020 in the timeslot 2-3 pm. He covered different areas in the image processing techniques and its impact on the machine vision applications in the automation sectors.
IT department organised a webinar titled "Using FOSS for Distance Learning" on 30 June 2020. The webinar was delivered by Dr Ahmed Al-Maashri from the Engineering College of Sultan Qaboos University. Dr Ahmed is a senior IEEE member, and he is the founder IEEE Oman Computer Chapter, and the past Chair of IEEE Oman Section.
The main goal of the session was to highlight some of the best free opensource software to be used for online teaching such as Moodle and BigBlueButton. The session was conducted online using Microsoft Teams. Around 30 staff members from the IT, Business, and Engineering Departments as well as from the English Language Centre attended the session.
The session started by welcoming the invited speaker. Afterwards, the resource person highlighted the main topics of the webinar. He discussed the different types of the assessments on Moodle such as using Calculated MCQ questions, and calculated questions. He also discussed BigBlueButton (BBB) as it is used for the virtual classroom environment. He mentioned some examples of programs that can be used or editing videos such as Obsproject and Blender. The last few minutes were spent answering the questions raised by the attendees.
Feedback was collected from members attending the webinar. The majority showed their satisfaction on the arrangements done. On the scale of 5, the average feedback was 3.59. Most of them want similar sessions to be conducted in the future.
The Alumni Follow-up Committee of the Business Studies Department organized two activities to support Business alumni in finding good job opportunities. On Thursday, 2 July 2020, a workshop titled “Your Passport to the Job Market” was conducted from 10:30 to 11:30 AM. Mr Saif Al-Azizi, Career Guidance Specialist, delivered the workshop emphasizing the secrets to a successful job, the art of preparing a professional CV, the art of self-marketing and job market trends. The number of alumni who registered for the workshop exceeded 50.
The Alumni Follow-up Committee has also allocated 15 free seats for Business alumni to attend an online workshop titled “The Art of Self-marketing” on Friday, 3 July 2020, from 3 to 6 pm. Ms Fatima Al-Balushi, a certified trainer in self-development and marketing, delivered the workshop. The workshop focused on the secrets of CV writing, how to prepare a professional CV, finding a job through recruitment agencies and the secrets of getting a dream job.
The Staff Development Committee of the Engineering Department organised a programme on “Biofuels: An overview as an Alternative Fuel” on Tuesday, 24 June 2020 from 10 to 11.20 am. Mr Santhosh Byatappa, lecturer (Mechanical Engineering), delivered the presentation for the benefit of the staff members. He gave a general introduction to Biofuels and its derivatives. His presentation focused on various feedstocks available for biofuels and their global footprints, and procedures related to various extraction methodologies. He also explained about various generation of biofuels, challenges and drawbacks. The presentation was well-received by the staff with good interaction. A total of 32 staff members participated.
The Staff Development Committee of the Engineering Department organised an online workshop on “ANSYS Workbench” on 18 June 2020 from 10 to 11 am. Dr Sivananth Varatharajan, Lecturer (Engineering Department), delivered the presentation for the benefit of the staff members. He gave a general introduction about the Ansys software and its application to solve real time problems. His presentation mainly focused on the structural analysis of a simple supported beam to explore the software tools. The participants were trained to understand modelling using Design Modeler and the import options from other modelling software. He also explained about assigning material properties, meshing and boundary conditions to perform the simulation. The speaker concluded the presentation by comparing software and analytical results to highlight the software accuracy. The staff members felt that the presentation was very useful and effective.
OJT and the Industrial Link Committee of the Engineering Department organised an industrial visit to Steam Power Plant, Ibri Hospital, Ibri. This visit was organised for Bachelor students. Fifteen students and two staff members, Mr Santhosh B and Mr Irshad Ahmed, from the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Section, visited the site on 11 March 2020 from 10:15 am to 2:30 pm.
The following is a list of operations and units which are useful for bachelor students at Ibri Hospital.
- Steam generation, distribution and utilization
- Sewage water treatment plant
- Operation maintenance of pump stations.
Mr Kumar MP, the head of the Maintenance Department, welcomed the staff and students, and gave a brief introduction about the activities. He explained, and students had a practical exposure to, the following:
- Operation of Yorkshire-made fire tube boilers
- Clear understanding about the working of the fire tube boiler mountings and accessories
- Steam generation, transmission, and utilization
- Students came to know about practical applications of steam i.e. for sterilisation of medical accessories, boiling of water and cooking purposes
- Working of chillers and vacuum pumps
- Processes involved in the sewage treatment plant
During the session, the students interacted with the engineers very effectively. All the students expressed their thanks to the officials for the opportunity. This visit was highly useful for the students. A special word of thanks is extended to Mr Santhosh B, Mr Irshad Ahmed and Mr Zaid Al Badi who were actively involved in arranging this industrial visit.
The Staff Development Committee of the Engineering Department organised a programme on “Artificial Neural Networks and their Application in MATLAB” on 25 June 2020 from 10 to 11.00 am. Mr Veera Nagi Reddy. V, lecturer (Electrical Engineering) delivered the presentation for the benefit of the staff members. He briefed an overview of artificial neural networks, and various machine learning algorithms. His presentation mainly focused on recent research trends of artificial neural networks in the field of Engineering. He also explained neural network-based function approximation using MATLAB. The presentation was well received by the staff with good interaction. The workshop was interactive, informative and effective. A total of 39 staff members participated.
The Staff Development Committee of the Engineering Department organised a programme on “Modern Radar Systems - An Overview” on 22 June 2020 from 10 to 11.30 am. Mr Antony Judice, Lecturer (Electronics and Communication Engineering) delivered the presentation for the benefit of the staff members. He gave general introduction on modern radar systems and their application. His presentation mainly focused on the different types of radars (Military and civilian); features of the new Muscat Air Traffic Control Centre (MCC) and its function which is being governed by Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA). He also elaborated about the future of radar systems and air traffic management, benefits, challenges, and their framework. The presentation was well received by the staff with good interaction. A total of 49 staff members participated.
