Education

Be an Online Tutor in 24 Hours program to be made available in English, Russian, French, Spanish and Arabic languages

HBMSU joins a global communication platform of UNESCO IIE designed to confront COVID-19 along with Google, Facebook, Commonwealth for Education and other key players in Education and ICT fields

To date, free online course achieves remarkable global success in attracting more than 100,000 participants

In line with the UAEs efforts to impart to the world its leading experiences in updating the potential of teaching professionals in less than 24 hours to allow them to offer quality education, Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU), in strategic cooperation with the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (UNESCO IITE), has released the electronic crash course Be an Online Tutor in 24 Hours and making it available in five global languages, English, Russian, French, Spanish and Arabic.

The cooperation looks towards making the teaching and training of educational experts in the language of their own countries to efficiently help make a seamless shift in the distance learning method of teaching with full skill, taking advantage of the considerable success achieved by the first session of the Be an Online Tutor in 24 Hours course, which is a one-of-a-kind initiative for both the Arab region and the rest of the world. The recent HBMSU online course was unveiled in a response to the urgent need to employ mechanisms using smart technology to offer education for all, particularly in lieu of the present international crisis caused by the fast spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

In acknowledgement to its positive contributions to harnessing and adopting technology to serve education for all, UNESCO IITE has declared HBMSU as a new member of its global communications platform for its initiative, the Combating COVID-19: Together We are On the Move, joining global organizations such as Google, Facebook, Shanghai Open University, The Commonwealth of Learning and other major institutions in the fields of education, information and communication technology.

The launch of the training course in the Russian, French and Spanish languages was took place via a teleconference that was participated in by H.E. Hussain Ibrahim Al Hammadi, the UAE Minister of Education; H.E. Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Deputy Chairman of Police and General Security in Dubai, Chairman of the Board of Governors of HBMSU; Professor Tao Zhan, Director of the UNESCO IITE; members of the Governing Board of UNESCO IITE; Dr. Fengchun Miao, Chief of Unit for UNESCO ICT in Education (UNESCO Headquarters); Dr. Venkataraman Balaji, Vice President of Commonwealth of Learning - representing Prof. Asha Kanwar, President and CEO of Commonwealth of Learning; representatives from UNESCO Associated Schools Project Unit (ASPnet) from UNESCO Headquarters and Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, Chancellor of HBMSU, who all had a virtual presence from their homes through the Internet.

His Excellency Hussain Bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, UAE Minister of Education, stated that the UAE has become a leading contributor to the growth and development of education, not only at the local level, but also at regional and global arena, provided its pioneering educational institutions which possess strong academic, technological and teaching resources and capabilities. This the result of the unwavering support of the nations leaders in education as the path to hone human resources and make them to lead a knowledge-based nation towards progress even at the global sphere.

HE also mentioned that the UAE is moving steadily in its social and human development founded on high quality education and a network of high-performing educational institutions that enable the society to become internationally competitive in education. He noted that the Be an Online Tutor in 24 Hours e-training course unveiled by HBMSU in five international languages is part of an educational approach that is based on a highly-efficient foundation, technical advancement, and modern day technological resources which have been rightly put into use to serve human development.

Al Hammadi stated that the strategic cooperation with the UNESCO Institute for Information Technology in Education highlights the high status of the university and UNESCOs belief in its unique role to go beyond education and influence social and cultural development. HBMSUs focus on high-quality educational services is assisting humanity and empowering societies through knowledge, especially enabling teachers from various languages to gain the skills that will facilitate their teaching role via distance learning.

HE Al Hammadi stressed that the universitys constant initiative plays an important role in supporting UNESCOs global efforts to sustain education particularly in light of the current challenges faced by many countries due to the spread of coronavirus and its negative impact in the continuity of learning for students. This effort marks the UAEs concern to participate in offering solutions to global issues that affect many societies and thereby make them to move towards progress.

His Excellency additionally mentioned that the UAEs leading role of developing a multi-faceted educational institution did not take place in an instant, but rather it is an extension of a long journey of support and successful initiatives of the countrys leaders who are genuinely serving people from across the world, using its advancement and capabilities to enhance the humanitys condition a commitment that the country has expressed since the founding of its union.

His Excellency mentioned the University for its High Standards of education, its role in promoting smart learning, and the strategic technological and educational resources that it has employed to increase the capability of the education sector and deliver positive outcomes to the sector as a whole. He expressed his appreciation for the universitys efforts in enhancing the skills of tens of thousands of teachers in the UAE and across the globe to make it possible for them to manage the present-day distance learning process and further hailed the universitys vision and philosophy which is guiding the sector towards a promising future.

Prof. Tao Zhan, Director of UNESCO IITE, stated, We are delighted to inform you that the Russian version of the HBMSU e-learning crash course Be an Online Tutor in 24 Hours has been produced in partnership with HBMSU within the UNESCO IITE initiative Combating COVID-19: Together We are On the Move.

He also stated that, The course allows Russian-speaking teachers to master the most helpful technologies and tools to support distance teaching and learning in the digital age. The course was designed to respond to the rapid shifts in the educational technologies and should contribute to the development of online learning. It was also urged by the outbreak of COVID-19 and quarantine measures and can be used in other emergency situations.

H.E Lt. Gen. Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Deputy Chairman of Police and General Security in Dubai and Chairman of the Board of Governors of HBMSU, mentioned that the launch of the e-training course Be an Online Tutor in 24 Hours in 5 international languages represents a quality-focused leap towards the advancement of education to be more efficient and flexible, falling in line with the fast international developments. H.E. Lt. Gen. Tamim mentioned that the new achievement adds to the march of the UAE to follow after the wise policy and insightful vision of H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, which offered the globe with a role model in investing in quality education, in the belief of the significance of education as a real wealth to construct the future on solid scientific foundations.

H.E. stated, Present-days, the UAE is putting its unique experience in the service of the world through this HBMSU initiative, which is continuing through its fruitful cooperation with the UNESCO ITTE and its strong presence alongside the international elite to support the initiative, Combating COVID-19: Together We are On the Move in playing a pivotal role as a force to influence the international education map. We look forward to the success of the free training course in the offered five languages, to prepare more qualified teaching experts that will offer education for all at any time and under any circumstance, regardless of emergency.

Dr. Mansoor Al-Awar, Chancellor of HBMSU stated, HBMSUs participation to the global educational coalition led by the UNESCO IITE presents an essential opportunity for us to bring to the forefront our accumulated experiences and advanced resources to meet the global efforts of making sure high quality education for everyone, particularly during this unexpected challenge that the world is going through at present as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic.

He added, HBMSU is honored to take the lead in making a positive and real difference to the region as well as to the global community by offering effective tools that will help the education sector meet key challenges in lieu of the present-day situation. This is part of our constant role to support the UAE's goal of leading the march towards an advanced, equitable, and inclusive education in all societies and offer everyone with access to lifelong learning opportunities, in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

In line with the directives of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and President of HBMSU, we look forward to developing unique programs and initiatives that support the aspirations of UNESCO IITE in developing efficiency for teachers and make them to adopt the modern educational methods and best practices using ICT, with the end goal of bettering the quality of education and making sure its constant in the globe. The launch of Be an Online Tutor in 24 Hours in five languages reflects the increasing popularity of the online course worldwide. It is a new achievement which further raises the UAEs reputation as a leader in employing distance learning, considering it as one of the most effective form of imparting knowledge and education that makes sure the constant development of the nation, Al Awar concluded.

The Be an Online Tutor in 24 Hours course, available for free to all, is broadly acknowledged as part of the proactive efforts of the UAE to promote distance learning as one of the most ideal platforms to make sure continuity in the learning process in light of rapid global changes.

The course has witnessed remarkable success, having registered more than 100,000 affiliates from various parts of the world. The e-course has helped pave the way for building international experts armed with modern knowledge and basic skills to manage and operate classrooms via the internet, to make sure the continuity of education in the countries affected by COVID-19 and to overcome the obstacles faced by the international educational sector due to the crisis.

The course, in Russian, French and Spanish, was prepared following the productive partnership between HBMSU and UNESCO IITE. The free course, which lasts for four hours, offers the necessary training needed for the teaching staff and academics from various educational levels based on several modules, including Online Learning Technology Landscape, E-learning management tools, Communication tools and Creation Tools. Anyone interested can register for the course by visiting the link https://futureskills.hbmsu.ac.ae/ where they can create an account after providing the essential information needed. Registrants will receive an automatic email to confirm registration and begin the training online.

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