Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Renowned educationists on Friday emphasized the need for developing a framework to raise standards of teaching at universities as well as ways to advance national plans regarding improvement in standards through educational technologies and frameworks.

The meeting held at the Higher Education Commission (HEC) was also attended by Dr Ian Willis from University of Liverpool and Prof Arif Khawaja, Director International Centre of Innovation, Learning and Teaching, Global Institute of Human Development (GIHD).

The participants discussed the future plans including development of international certification in university education, training of educational technologists, and integration of project plans.

The meeting observed that educational technologists must bridge the gap between ICT specialists and the teaching staff. “They must be familiar with basic educational or learning theories and practical technological tools to help learning. They must have good knowledge of higher education sector,” they opined, while underlining the need for building digital capability among faculty members so that technology enhanced learning may become a core teaching skill.

The participants stressed the need for encouraging institutional changes by formulating policies and strategies for standards in learning and teaching, evolving specific action on technology enhanced learning, taking action on standardized evaluation systems, and conducting research in learning and teaching practices.

Published in Daily Times, May 26^th 2018.