Dubai: The UAE plans to introduce a standardised system to evaluate the quality of distance education provided to students of determination at learning centres, it was announced on Sunday.
It follows the completion of the evaluation of distance education at centres for people of determination, by the Ministry of Community Development in the 2021/22 academic year. The evaluation was based on a scale prepared by the Department of Welfare and Rehabilitation of People of Determination.
Now, plans are underway for the wider use of a pilot scheme that was used in the evaluation of 204 special education teachers in government and private centres.
How centres fared in evaluations
Nasser Ismail, assistant undersecretary of social welfare at the ministry, said: “The results of the educational process for the 2020/2021 academic year are characterised by many achievements despite the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic. The [ministry] has benefited from the outcomes of the virtual education experience as well as the challenges facing people of determination and their parents during the pandemic in developing the virtual education system for them.”
Wafa Hamad Bin Sulaiman, director of Welfare and Rehabilitation Department for People of Determination, said the results of the evaluation at the centres ranged from 87.1 per cent to 95.6 per cent satisfactory.
What is evaluated?
The participants gave their feedback on the evaluation system, which has accordingly been modified. The scale checks 38 items in six main areas. These include educational plans in accordance with the abilities of students, virtual configuration of students; virtual education environment and its suitability for students; distance education methods used with people of determination; follow up with the family at their home environment; and outputs achieved from virtual education and its relationship with educational plans developed for students.
