NAHE Launches 4-week Course On Online Teaching

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Mar, 2021 ) :The National academy of Higher Education (NAHE) on Saturday launched a four-week course on Online Teaching for capacity building of faculty of both public and private sector higher education institutions during the pandemic.

In keeping with the remit of NAHE, and in view of the current COVID-19 pandemic and post pandemic teaching in a blended or online environment, the Academy is extending support to the higher education sector for online delivery of courses, a press release said on Saturday.

To this end, NAHE has developed a foundational level course, Online Teaching Level 1, for online teaching to facilitate the Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) in the enhancement of online teaching pedagogies, engagement in online learning environment, educational technology, and online evaluation strategies.

The main purpose of Online Teaching Course Level 1 is to develop and enhance the probability of success of the participants in teaching online and blended courses at the HEIs in Pakistan.

This course has been designed as a follow up to a high demand from universities in preparing and supporting faculty for online teaching and use of educational technology tools to enhance instructional design of online content, increase engagement in online lectures, and develop formative and summative assessments in an online environment.

This is a 20-hour course comprised of both synchronous sessions containing live webinars lead by reputable and qualified instructors.

NAHE initiated a call to all higher education institutions for nominations on March 5, 2021 by reaching out to vice chancellors of all private and public universities in Pakistan. Based on the nominations received over the course of next two weeks, 403 faculty members from academic disciplines ranging from social sciences to physical sciences, medicine, and arts have registered for the course from all across Pakistan.

Prof. Shaheen Sardar Ali, Rector NAHE, delivered the opening remarks and instructors introduced themselves before commencing the first module i.e. enhancing instructional design with educational technology using cognitive load theory.

Over the next four weeks, faculty members are expected to attend the live webinars, submit evaluations, complete assessments, and engage in discussion forums, creating an online community of practice which will lead to a certification by NAHE upon successful completion by April 10, 2021.