Education is a truly dynamic industry and one that intertwines with almost every other industry, as it fosters the development of future leaders and game changers. Touted as one of the oldest professions in the world, teaching and learning takes many forms and is a continuous work in progress.
INTI’s Teaching and Learning team received the Blackboard 2020 Award for Professional Development.
In recent months, education has taken the form of virtual learning and with it, a new set of realities for both learners and educators. With COVID-19 throwing a wrench into the gears of traditional, face-to-face classrooms, the next phase of education’s evolution has already begun.
“There is no escaping virtual education as the way forward. 2020 has been a catalyst for the changes education must make in order to remain relevant. If we ignore the lessons from this year, educators risk being left behind amid accelerated global transformation. While there is still a need for the collaborative and safe spaces physical classrooms offer, online learning is now a key factor in how institutions reinvent the way we engage students, facilitate knowledge sharing, and build capabilities successfully,” shared Tan Lin Nah, Chief Executive Officer, INTI International University & Colleges.
While technology facilitated the move to online learning earlier this year and buffered the impact when schools, universities and colleges were closed due to global lockdowns, at the core of this evolution remains educators and learners themselves.
INTI International University’s Intensive English Programme team from the Centre of Languages and Liberal Arts were awarded Blackboard’s 2020 Award for Student Success.
Spotlighting the resilience of the human spirit despite the crisis, INTI was recently named the winners of two Blackboard Awards: the 2020 Blackboard Award for Professional Development and the 2020 Blackboard Award for Student Success.
Presented by Blackboard, a global leader in learning management systems, collaborative tools, and analytics, the winners were announced during Blackboard’s Teaching and Learning Conference Asia 2020. Having been recipients of Blackboard’s awards since 2017, INTI was also acknowledged as the most awarded institution in Asia to date.
“Since INTI began its online learning journey almost a decade ago, Blackboard’s customised and secure platforms have helped us lead in blended learning capabilities. This along with our collective experiences across six campuses were lifesavers during the movement control order, when we had just a day to move all our lessons online. As our students and academic teams were already familiar and had access to Blackboard where ever they were, we were able to minimise delays to our students’ academic journeys and graduations,” Lin Nah recalled.
Blackboard’s Professional Development award recognises institutions who use Blackboard programmes to support and enhance faculty and staff’s professional development. INTI’s Teaching & Learning team including Lee Chew Ging, Azlina Che Ani, Shirrina Ng, Khairul Bariah Ahmad and Christine Wong, were recognised for their work in implementing an online learning continuity plan during Malaysia’s Covid-19 movement control order.
The Student Success award on the other hand, recognises individuals and/or institutions whose creative programme application has led to increased retention, completion, and/or improved student outcomes. INTI’s recipients this year were Jonathan Bryce, Merena Francien Kok, and Jane Xavierine of the Intensive English Programme team from the Centre of Languages and Liberal Arts at INTI International University, along with Christine Wong from INTI’s Teaching & Learning team. There were awarded for their work in using Blackboard Learn and Blackboard Collaborate Ultra to manage student retention, motivation and student success during the MCO for INTI’s Semester Abroad Programme students.
A snapshot of both the trophies received from Blackboard celebrating INTI’s achievements despite the pandemic.
Lee Blakemore, Blackboard’s Chief Client Officer & President, Global Markets shared, “We are delighted to have INTI among our award winners once again. They have always been our lighthouse client in the Asian region, due to their strong adoption of Blackboard solutions.
“INTI has implemented all of the Blackboard Learning Insights solutions, with a heavy focus on our Analytics for Learn solution. Their strong Teaching and Learning Department provides support and enablement to their faculty members on the use of our solutions, while their established technical team is quick to resolve any issues related to the use of our technology and external integrations, ensuring minimal disruption to students and lecturers.
“We also always see great paper submissions by INTI’s faculty members during Blackboard’s annual conferences that really showcase all the different ways they are leveraging digital tools to drive student engagement and professional development, that goes beyond just the learning management system. They show great commitment to professional development for faculty members with a consistent training approach, and we have seen them do great things with data to advance learning,” he said.
Lin Nah explained, “Winning these awards this year is a truly significant victory as it recognises the resilience of INTI’s academic teams during the global pandemic. Despite the sudden shift to fully online learning, the limitations of connectivity and technology, and the personal challenges many were facing at home during this stressful period, our teams continued to deliver exceptional student outcomes and truly pushed the boundaries of innovative teaching and learning.
“These awards are dedicated to all of our academic teams for the invaluable efforts they have made during this period of crisis,” she concluded.