| Danial Norjidi |
A TWO-WEEK training programme on ‘Learning and Course Management Systems for Best Classroom Technology Integration’ concluded on Friday with a closing ceremony at the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) Regional Centre for Vocational and Technical Education and Training (Voctech).
The programme, which involved 22 participants from all 10 ASEAN member countries, featured lectures, workshops, idea-sharing sessions, country report presentations, discussions and sessions on questioning processes, as well as developing and producing Learning Management System (LMS)-focussed projects and outputs.
The programme also took participants on educational visits to the Centre for Lifelong Learning of Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Politeknik Brunei, and a number of cultural visits to different attractions in Brunei Darussalam.
SEAMEO Voctech Centre Director Haji Mohd Zamri bin Haji Sabli said, “I am confident that the modules covered in this regular training programme have helped the participants in better honing their LMS capability for teaching and learning in the 21st Century.
“With the facilitation skills and expertise of the resource persons – Dr Abbes Sebihi, Ariffin Yusof and Heri Nugroho – the knowledge and skills in applying the appropriate pedagogical approaches and the latest ICT tools and applications to develop learning contents for the LMS will serve as your guide in developing an effective curriculum relevant to the programmers that ultimately meet industry needs and make your graduates marketable and employable.”
He urged all participants to make full use of the knowledge, skills, meaningful experiences and networking gained from this training programme in their institutions.
High Commissioner of Australia to Brunei Darussalam cum guest of honour Nicola Rosenblum said, “I congratulate the participants on successfully concluding the course and commend the SEAMEO Voctech team on delivering the regional training for educators across the Southeast Asian region and in Brunei Darussalam.”
She noted that Australia has been an associate member of SEAMEO since 1974, is a regular financial contributor to SEAMEO and funds the SEAMEO-Australian Education Links Award.
“I understand that over the last two weeks this course has featured the Australian-developed online learning platform, ‘Moodle’,” she said, noting that it allows educators to create a private online space filled with tools that easily create courses and activities, all optimised for collaborative learning.
“It is the world’s most popular learning platform with more than 140 million registered users. I hope this practical innovative education tool will help you to harness the power of technology in the classrooms,” she added. “I am confident that this and the many other interesting skills and information that you have obtained through the course will help you to boost the delivery of vital technical education and training in your countries.”
After a video presentation recounting some highlights from the programme, the ceremony continued with a presentation of certificates to the participants and resource persons, as well as the presentation of a token of appreciation to the guest of honour.
The event concluded with a demonstration of the participants’ projects.