Izah Azahari
The online learning and educational technology industry witnessed a staggering growth in primary, secondary and tertiary education during the COVID-19 pandemic, where institutions that have traditionally been teaching face-to-face were forced to move online using various technology tools such as Learning Management Systems (LMS), virtual tutoring and video conferencing to ensure learning continuity for the students.
Centre Director of SEAMEO Voctech Alias bin Haji Abu Bakar explained how training was designed to ensure educators are better prepared to implement the LMS in their training, to overcome the challenges posed to teaching and learning which had resulted in unprepared and ineffective online teaching and learning management, professional development and support to teachers in utilising and implementing online classroom technology and pedagogy.
He said this when TVET Regional Centre, SEAMEO Voctech concluded their last virtual regional training programme for the fiscal year by honouring 23 participants from 10 SEAMEO countries – Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Republic of Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam – with certification for undergoing training on ‘Effective Application of Learning Management System in Online Teaching and Learning’.
Lao PDR Governing Board Member, Deputy Director General for Department of Technical and Vocational Education, Ministry of Education and Sports, Lao PDR Saykham Phantavong was the guest of honour.
Deputy Director of Administration Pengiran Haji Mohamad Sufri bin Pengiran Ali; instructional designer and content editor and course coordinator Dr Foo Sze Yeng, together with other managers and officers of SEAMEO Voctech were also present. The training programme was designed with these issues in mind, with the hope that teachers, lecturers, instructors and management staff will be equipped with the knowledge, skills and mindset of a competent digital online teacher and be able to make the right and best choice when it comes to stabilising, planning, designing, developing, implementing and evaluating their LMS, and its effective application in online teaching and learning,” Alias said.
During the training, participants were able to gain new understanding through sessions with experts from different subject areas and to share their knowledge and skills with peers with diverse experiences, to help develop them professionally as educators and implementers of LMS in their institutions.
