Umm Al-Qura University
The "Processor and Accelerator of Educational Design" training course, offered by the Deanship of E-learning and Distance Education within the framework of the Accredited Trainer Program, has witnessed distinguished demand by faculty members from different specialties, institutes and colleges. The course was delivered by trainers from the deanship on 20 October 2017, corresponding with 2 Safar 1439AH at King Abdullah Library at the UQU campus in Al-Abideya.
The course is considered the sixth specialized one delivered within this framework. The Accredited Trainer training program includes a general course about basics, followed by five specialized courses. One is about virtual classrooms, then two courses about e-tests, in addition to a course about educational videos production, and another about basics of educational design.
After establishing the course’s framework, Dr. Al-Asaad Al-Samirani gave an overview of the presentation’s content. He wondered with the attendees: What are the advantages of using an e-courses accelerator? He emphasized that using the e-courses designs accelerator enables teachers to produce e-courses very quickly and with good specifications, stressing that some of the most important specifications to be available in the e-courses includes their being usable, standardized, and available based on the efficacy of the assessment.
He also noted that the process of designing e-courses is rich with learning experiences. It practically supports learners to achieve their goals. It includes defining learning objectives based on learners' current situations and needs, and selecting the learning activities to help learners develop sufficiently to achieve their goals.
The presentation included an explanation of how to reach the educational design processor provided by UQU through the e-learning portal, then an explanation of establish the course structure alongside with managing the content using the course developer.
The presentation also showcased the practical side of using the courses design accelerator which includes the following phases:
Before delving into the practical side, Eng. Waleed Ali explained how to use the courses design processor and accelerator. He also explained the selection method of the general objectives and adequacies for each course. He also provided a simplified explanation of the types of behavioral objectives and how to connect them to the course’s general objectives.
In the second part of the training course, a workshop was held where each faculty member used the accelerator of the educational design and applied it to their current course, with guidance and care from the trainees. At the same time, Eng. Waleed Ali provided the necessary explanations while following all the practical steps and applying all the procedures on a course approved for that purpose.
All the attendees have praised the organization of such courses and emphasized the important benefits they gained from the workshop, especially that they had designed the basic structure of an electronic course at a high speed and with unmatched efficiency.
They have also expressed their thanks to Dr. Bakri bin Maatouq Assass, the President of Umm al-Qura University, for caring for the faculty members and supporting them to receive specialized training courses. They have similarily expressed their gratitude towards the UQU Vice-President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Abdulaziz bin Rashed Al-Saruji, as well as the Dean of E-learning, Dr. Khaled Al-Mutairi and his vice deans.
