On the first day of the International Conference on Open and Distance e-Learning (ICODeL) on 13 October 2021, the first Plenary Session on Quality Assurance for e-Learning Institutions was presented by Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, Chancellor of Hamdan Bin Mohammed’s Smart University. The session was moderated by Dr. Consuelo Habito, Program Chair of the Diploma/Master of Environment and Natural Resources Management (D/MENRM) from the Faculty of Management and Development Studies, University Philippine Open University (UPOU).
Dr. Mansoor Al Awar introduced in his session their university’s establishment as a Smart University. He emphasized the university’s value in innovation to enable their learners’ full potential. The Hamdan Bin Mohammed’s Smart University is the first to be awarded ISO Certification for e-Learning in their region.
Dr. Mansoor Al Awar shares their university’s values and practices as the first accredited e-Learning institution in their region.
Dr. Al Awar discussed the various dimensions of quality assurance that their Smart University has created and adapted.
He gave importance to identifying the different types of learners. He emphasized that knowing the type of learners they have and their target learners give the university an advantage in creating a tailor-fit kind of education system. Dr. Al Awar gave importance to having Continuing Learners — the ones that go beyond the four corners of the classroom–to develop a holistic and full approach in an education system.
“A knowledge adaptor transforms into a knowledge creator when learning becomes fun,” Dr. Al Awar shared. This holistic approach in the gamification of their education system (when learning becomes fun), helps transform their learners from knowledge adaptors to knowledge creators. also discussed this transformation through sharing that universities should divert their focus to creating a Learner-Driven approach rather than a Learner-Centric system. A learner-driven approach in a Smart University is essential to ensure that learners value innovation for society after graduation.
The rest of the session focused on the Smart University’s approach of creating quality inputs for distinguished outputs. Dr. Mansoor Al Awar discussed that the first step for their Smart University was creating quality inputs: meaning ensuring that the university’s practices and their faculty was ready and innovative in e-Learning.
During the Question and Answer portion, Dr. Al Awar further explained the faculty’s flexibility and willingness to adapt e-Learning tools and materials that are essential for smart learning. He shared some of the challenges of the faculty members in getting out of their teaching comfort zones and underestimating learners. “We need to be ahead of the game because our learners are smart. (If innovation is neglected) we will become obsolete. We will be mere teachers (rather than contributing for knowledge creators)”, said Dr. Al Awar
Moreover, once the quality inputs are established, they are now ready to contribute to generating distinguished outputs — this portion is focused on how Smart learners generated knowledge and brainstormed for innovation.
To end the session, Dr. Al Awar also shared that for 2022, their university will be launching an activity to change education from being a service to a utility. When we see education as a utility, we value innovation. Innovation leads to disrupting an old system that barricades learners in accessing information and transforming into a borderless education through smart learning.
ICODeL 2021 is the fourth in a series of biennial conferences hosted by the UP Open University. Carrying the theme “The University of the Future: Sustainability and Agility Amidst Disruption,” ICODeL 2021 was held virtually on 13-15 October 2021. The conference was sponsored by Panopto and co-organized with the Philippine Society for Distance Learning (PSDL), and UPOU Foundation, Inc. (UPOUFI).
Written by the ICODeL 2021 Publicity Committee
Edited by Joane V. Serrano, Anna Cañas-Llamas and Alessa Shainne Hostalero
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