As children across the UAE prepare to begin two weeks of home learning, Aldar Education has implemented an innovative e-learning programme – which has already been a year in the making – to facilitate distance education anywhere, anytime.
As the premier provider of private education in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, Aldar Education’s distance learning programme will be utilised across its network of 18 schools, which caters for 20,000 students across the Emirate, to ensure continuity of classes for students during the government mandated period of home learning.
The Central Education Technology strategy (Ed-tech) features online platforms – allowing students to connect in real-time with teachers – and incorporates Microsoft Office 365 capabilities, allowing access to web conferencing and chat functionalities.
Having been phased into Aldar Education’s schools 12 months ago, students and teachers are already well-versed in using the digital platforms as a supportive tool to complement traditional classroom education. Now, the use of the e-learning programme will be increased as the primary mode of education from 22nd March until children return to their classrooms. Detailed home learning packs have been distributed for both students and parents. The pack includes tutorials to answer any questions and guidelines on how to communicate with teachers working digital office hours.
The e-learning platform contains a variety of learning resources — as well as assigned tasks that need to be completed online – allowing Aldar Education to continue offering the highest quality of learning to all students.
Teachers will have digital classroom hours, offering students the opportunity to extend their learning experience beyond traditional school hours and allowing working parents to support their children after work. Redefining the delivery of education, Aldar Education is committed to educating students holistically and beyond the academic learning experience.
Aryeah Mohasses, Director of Strategy and Innovation, at Aldar Education, said: The distance learning programme will be supported by a network of tech coaches across our schools to ensure everyone has access to learning anytime anywhere. Over 1,000 teachers have been trained in the Office 365 suite and all staff are supported by our network of tech coaches and digital champions. We are implementing a blended approach to home learning with both interactive lessons and prerecorded and interactive content to ensure a wealth of resources and support are available to students at all times. The e- learning ecosystem we have developed will help foster a supportive learning environment for our students whilst also giving them autonomy over their education – skills that will be critical in higher education.
Through our cloud-based learning platforms and the dedication of our phenomenal teachers, we will offer the same high standard of education remotely as we do in the classroom.”
Sahar Cooper, CEO at Aldar Education, said: “We are passionate about providing all of our students a future focused education and our home learning programme is simply an extension of the methodology and platforms we use to enrich our curriculum on a daily basis. Our staff and students are already well- versed with the technology and software and parents will also be familiar with the interfaces.
Our educators are committed to delivering a world class education in all circumstances and have worked extremely hard in recent weeks to augment the resources that will be available to our students online. I am extremely proud of what we have implemented to date and look forward to the full launch on 22nd March.”