The current Covid-19 crisis has obliged most education systems to adopt alternatives to face-to-face teaching and learning. Many education systems moved activities online, to allow instruction to continue their schools by not closing.
Online education become one of the indispensable tool in this pandemic period. Many researchers provided new dimensions of research in online education. Technology also played immense role in imparting the online teaching and learning to the students and also to the faculty. Google, Microsoft, Cisco, Coursera Inc and many contributed significant role in the online education. Most of the countries started zoom, teams, classroom, WebEx etc. given good platforms in the teaching, meetings and imparting the new technology.
In the Sultanate of Oman many government and private universities also turned to technology. As an example if we analyses the online programmes conducted by one of the quality approach college of Oman namely Oman College of Management and Technology (OCMT) conducted 18 major online platforms within 41 days. This shows how college is dedicated for strengthen the online education.
Among 18 online programs, 11 were conducted one of its biggest department known as Administration and Financial Sciences. In these 11 online interactions Online Seminar for Accounting: Brock University Canada on October 20, 2021 and Virtual Co-Curricular Activity 1: The Future of Marketing by Professor. Philip Kotler on November 24, 2021 are to be mentioned. Computer Science and Management and Information System Department conducted 3, Innovative Department called as Interior Designing conducted and three are conducted to all the departmental students. On December 15th of 2021 David Gurteen who is a writer, keynote speaker, and conversational facilitator. He works in the fields of knowledge management, organizational learning, and conversational leadership conducted The Future of Knowledge Management webinar and all the 24 students of OCMT who studies this course registered and participated. OCMT not only concentrate on its students but also it believes that the staff has to be trained in to new technology so it emphasizes the staff to learn online courses.
The other private universities and colleges also conducting seminars online trainings. Governmental agencies also stressing on these agencies. The performance appraisal is going to link by the new technology learning and contribution to the Online education. The teaching staff has to initiate its students to register and attend the different online training programs. But still we need knowledge cafes and workshops to strengthen the knowledge. Knowledge is not only acquiring but it is also sharing.
If we observe the opinions of the different educationalists in the Round table held in November 2021 on How Omani institutions are finding success in blended learning, then the importance of online education in the Sultanate of Oman can be easily understandable. Here I am mentioning only few educationist’s opinions. Zaher Srour, partnerships director at Coursera, agreed that online was good for boosting employability and soft skills – for faculty as well as students. “I hear that many in the Sultanate of Oman want to keep digital learning active, especially for emerging skills that universities are not used to teaching. Fouad Chedid, Vice-Chancellor of Al Sharqiyah University, spoke about the importance of retaining some level of digital delivery. “All the additional skills that students were equipped with... online is an approach that should stay irrespective of the pandemic,” he said. Al Sharqiyah is now offering additional digital skills training to students. “This is what employers want to see,” Chedid said. The panelists agreed that there was a blended future for lifelong learning and employability skills. (Source: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/hub/coursera/p/how-omani-institutions-are-finding-success-blended-learning )
So it is the time to think to strengthen the online education and the role of the teaching staff is cannot be limited.
Dr Mohammed Shafiuddin
shafishamshad@gmail.com
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