Universities in Bahrain are making effective use of virtual classrooms and e-learning methods as classes remain suspended over fears of the coronavirus.
Bahrain University e-learning centre director Dr Fay Abdulla Al Khalifa said the infrastructure to conduct online classes using Blackboard and Microsoft 365 Teams was already in place while the faculty had also been trained to use them.
However, the sudden surge in users led to problems initially.
There was an overload on the network but fortunately the disruption was short and random, and did not adversely affect the education process.
“At one point there were one million users on Blackboard at the same time; this was unexpected, so the capacity had to be increased with more servers,” she said.
“I think the majority of the students are enjoying it. We’ve seen resistance, we’ve seen jokes about it, students cooking and doing all sorts of things while listening to their instructors; it is really something fun.”
As for courses requiring practical work, Dr Al Khalifa said efforts are being made to transfer as much as possible online.
“For example, the department of architecture and interior design are running their courses online although some of the courses are 100 per cent practical because they are drawings-based.
“For some courses, such as physical education, which can’t be put online, our focus currently is on theoretical content. Once on-campus learning resumes we will shift the focus to the practical content.”
The Royal University for Women (RUW) said its move to online classes has been a great success.
Acting president Dr David Stewart said the students had adapted well to the exercise.
“It makes sense. Our students have grown up around technology and they adapt quickly to changes, and this has been the case with the recent shift to our virtual learning space, Moodle,” he said.
“We have witnessed increasingly high levels of class attendance and engagement amongst our students with online learning.”
RUW is delivering its classes through live sessions as per the normal class schedule, with the faculty streaming classes live from the university campus in Riffa, with students interacting from their homes using a shared screen.
Similarly, AMA International University Bahrain (AMAIUB) has introduced several mechanisms for teaching, learning and assessment.
“Virtual learning classes have been implemented in all courses using the Moodle platform where learning activities such as presentation, lecture notes, videos, web-links, assignment and online formative assessments are appropriately designed and uploaded for students’ ease of access,” said the university.
“The students have firmly responded to their teachers’ instructions, as evidenced by their formative activities, interaction to online sessions and post queries through other platforms like WhatsApp, Viber, SMS and calls.”
At Bahrain Polytechnic things are going as planned, according to deputy chief executive for academic affairs Dr Reem Al Buainain.
“The teaching and learning processes of the virtual classes are being executed as planned, as the polytechnic includes qualified academic cadres and distinguished technical expertise ready to accompany the transition to online classes, in co-operation with the institution’s ICT directorate.”
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