Experts and academics suggested expanding the new style of distance education after the end of the Corona pandemic (Covid 19) in light of its mandatory application in the country at the present time, stressing that the strong digital infrastructure in the UAE helped to continue education in its new form, while more than 776 million students were affected. In the world because of the pandemic.
They said during a session held by the Dubai Police Scholars Council remotely, under the title "distance education ... to the unknown", that the Corona pandemic imposed on the state to jump into the future in the education system, and it was helped by this application of distance education in several schools and universities years ago From the occurrence of the current exceptional circumstance, expecting the emergence of a different type of smart school, and the disappearance of the traditional form of schools gradually in the future.
In detail, the President of Dubai University, Dr. Issa Al-Bastaki, said at the session moderated by the Director of the General Department of Training in Dubai Police, Colonel Badran Al Shamsi, that the UAE experience in distance education is not a result of today in light of the Corona pandemic, but began in practice since the nineties of the last century When students were taught in the western regions, pointing out that there are certainly differences between traditional education and distance education, the former provides direct communication between the student and the teacher, which generates a sense of comfort, as well as interaction and intimacy, while distance education saves a lot of time, Especially the waste in transportation Li schools, it also provides opportunities for students training in practice on the use of modern technologies in communication.
He added that there is a difference between distance education and smart education, for the first represents only the beginning of the second, which is an advanced stage that completely abolishes dependence on one source of education, and allows the student to obtain knowledge from any source or place, and does not require it at a specific time for education, as well as it depends on More advanced methods such as artificial intelligence and robotics.
Al Bastaki anticipated the emergence of what can be described as smart schools that provide the previous two types of education, the disappearance of the traditional style of schools with their buildings and facilities, as well as increased interaction with families, so that they are involved in the development of educational courses, and give students full freedom to choose their academic programs, and obtain them in a way that Fit their circumstances and their vision of their future.
For her part, Director of the Education Council in the Ministry of Education, Hessa Al-Rasheed, said that the continuation of education in the UAE, despite the current circumstances, is something worthy of pride, noting that the Ministry of Education was prepared through a strong infrastructure, which includes a smart education portal that It includes all students and teachers, and allows the teacher to design natural content, in addition to containing interactive books, an audio-visual library, an electronic training curve for the teacher, and an intelligent examination management system.
She added that the curriculum may be framed at the moment, but the student may participate in its design in the future, stressing that distance education is going well in its seventh week in the country now, and we are in an experimental phase that started before the Corona pandemic through five schools, then it started compulsory in The precautionary procedures remained, and they are continuously evaluated by monitoring students ’opinions, pointing out that the Ministry held a remote meeting two weeks ago with a group of students at the UAE level. To that, a representative from the Fourth Industrial Revolution Center in the Emirates, Arwa Al-Qasim, said that Dubai Future Exploration Foundation was keen to study the form of education after the end of the Corona pandemic, and concluded that the UAE has an opportunity to be a regional center for smart education, pointing out that the state was planning changes In the education system, but the outbreak of the virus contributed to the acceleration of this step, as educational institutions suspended their traditional activities, then resorted to distance education in order to protect students, and such a change takes years of planning in the current circumstances.
For its part, Hind Al-Mualla, head of creativity, happiness and innovation in the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, said that it is necessary to distinguish between two important matters regarding the mechanism of distance education, the first is the application of this system in times of disasters such as "Corona", and the second is its application in normal circumstances. Pointing out that the evaluation is continuing for this experiment, and based on the results, the need for legislation will be determined to ensure the continuity or codification of this system.
She added that the UAE has an excellent infrastructure in the education sector, which helped to overcome the crisis to a large extent, explaining that the psychological psyche of students is affected if they sit at home without learning.
Smart education
Participants in the "distance education .. to the unknown" session emphasized that there is a difference between distance education and smart education, although both rely on modern and virtual techniques in communication, but the former maintains the usual framework of receiving from the teacher to the student, but about Yet through modern technologies, while smart education comes out completely from this framework by allowing him to obtain his scientific goal from many sides, and at any time he wants, relying on artificial intelligence techniques.
Innovative solutions
A recent study, conducted by the Dubai Foundation for the Future, concluded with results, including some regulatory bodies resorting to innovative solutions away from traditional education, such as training students ’parents in teaching, students’ and families ’participation in designing learning tools and curricula, as well as changing tuition fees due to schools , Which may require less space that does not require receiving cohorts of students, and invest more in developers of distance education programs.
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One million students worldwide are affected by Corona.
The Corona pandemic forced the state to jump into the future in the education system.