Careers & Professional Development

 November 27 & 28, 2020

2-DAY INTERNATIONAL VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

THEME: Effective Blended and Online Teaching: Using the Best Practices

About the Conference

The objective of this conference is to present the know-how obtained from the learning and practice of online and blended teaching. Selected participants will present their reflections, share their knowledge, research, case studies and practice which will help in enhancing the knowledge and skills of the participants. This conference is not a research conference, but a practice conference where the focus is on providing insights on the use of the best practices.

Conference Partners

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Conference Sponsors

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Conference Testimonials

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A well organised conference with an excellent line up of key note speakers, session chairs and presenters! Very contemporary topic and themes! Excellent time management! I am truly honoured to be part of this conference and look forward to participating in future academic endeavours of Blue Crest University.
All the best! Cheers

Dr Praveen Balakrishnan Nair

- Associate Professor
Edinburgh Business School - Heriot-Watt University Malaysia
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I would like to thank BlueCrest University, the British University in Egypt and all the Organizing Committee for the generous opportunity of attending this outstanding 2-day International Virtual Practice Conference on “Effective Blended and Online Teaching Using the Best Practices” (Nov 27-28, 2020). I want to extend my heartiest congratulations for producing such an enriching, and informative conference. The outstanding quality, and excellence went beyond all my expectations and I am truly honoured to have been invited to join you on this compelling subject.

The conference was excellent, well organised and its themes were very well-structured. The quality of the Keynote speakers was A class and the participants were quite diversified in terms of countries/universities represented. The four-theme concept worked well and the Chair persons managed these themes very well. There were so many stimulating fruitful PowerPoints in each theme that was presented by such distinguished guests. Furthermore, the conference was very inspiring and had high-quality content, high levels of interaction, hands on examples to learn from and constructive questions/answers. I learned a great deal and I plan to implement the knowledge that I acquired in this exceptional conference. It is actually wonderful how many people with different backgrounds and academic knowledge meet and exchange rich ideas and best practices. I hopefully look forward to being a part of your future international conferences.

Dr. Nagwa Soliman

- Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities
English Language and Literature Department - The British University in Egypt
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Thank you to BlueCrest and Dr Agrawal for this enlightening conference. It provided us with a platform to share our teaching experiences as we transitioned to the online space during the COVID-19 pandemic. The high quality presentations enriched us and encouraged us to experiment with new online tools to encourage student engagement in the online environment. My sincere gratitude for the Best Presentation award. I wish BlueCrest and Dr Agrawal all the best in their future endeavours

Dr Upasana Gitanjali Singh

- University of Kwa-Zulu Natal
Durban, South Africa
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At the outset I would like to congratulate the organising committee for successfully conducting the two days virtual international conference on the theme “Effective Blended and Online Teaching: Using the Best Practices” It was a great privilege and honour for me to attain the Best Reviewer Award. I want to show my genuine gratitude to the Organising Team of the conference for acknowledging my work. The process of review actually provided me an opportunity to get to know the research work academicians are pursuing across different regions specifically related to the online teaching environment. The conference was well organized and presented key insights to the best practices in the effective blended and online teaching learning process. All in all it was a great learning experience and once again many congratulations for the conduction of such a wonderful conference.

Dr. Shubhangi Jore

- Associate Professor
QT & OM - Off. Super Corridor, Bada Bangarda - Indore

ABOUT BlueCrest

Established in the year 2000, BlueCrest College has been leading Western Africa through market-relevant education, training, and research programs as a pioneer. Our four pillars with the acronym LITE, the three foundation blocks at the bottom, and the top two summit blocks make our symbol of quality and passion.

The symbol not only makes us unique but also provides the direction for institutional building. The four pillars: Leadership (L), Innovation (I), Technology (T), and Entrepreneurship (E) are reflected in all our endeavors and activities. At BlueCrest we value Empowerment & Passion, Success of Students, and Partnerships & Collaborations to provide Life-long Learning aimed to create a Holistic Impact on all of our stakeholders. BlueCrest College is and will remain one of the best colleges in the region with a focus on high-quality affordable programs, training, research & consultancy activities, and impactful community development initiatives.

Registration Policy

  • The registration fee must be paid in full when registering for the virtual conference.
  • Authors with multiple papers must register for at least one paper to participate in the virtual conference.
  • All accepted papers will be included in the BBC journal/conference proceeding.

CONFERENCE COMMITTEE


Organizing Committee

Dr. Anand Agrawal

Rector - Bluecrest University College

Email: anand.agrawal@bluecrest.edu.gh


Prof Ahmed Hamad

President - The British University in Egypt (BUE)

Organizing Committee Members

Prof. Shadia Fahim

Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities


The British University in Egypt (BUE)

Dr. Rania M Rafik Khalil

Research and Postgraduate Studies Coordinator /Internationalisation Coordinator, Faculty of Arts and Humanities


The British University in Egypt (BUE).

Dr. Patrick Kudjo

Committee member Teaching & Learning Centre and Lecturer, School of Technology


BlueCrest College (BCC)

Ms. Elsie Rebecca Osei

Committee member Teaching & Learning Centre and Lecturer, School of Fashion Design


BlueCrest College (BCC)

Ms. Anita Bans-Akutey

Head, Teaching & Learning Centre and Lecturer, School of Business and Communication


BlueCrest College (BCC)

Dr. Sameer Pingle

Associate Dean


SBM, NMIMS Indore Campus, India

Keynote Speakers

Professor Leslie Croxford

Vice President for Teaching and Learning


The British University in Egypt (BUE)

Professor Malcolm Mciver

Provost and CAO


Lancaster University Ghana

Mr. Dev Varyani

Founder and Chairman


Vista Group & Subsidiaries

Session Chairs

Ms Nodumo Dhlamini

Director - ICT Services, Comms & KM


Association of African Universities

Session:

Online and blended Teaching 1: Design, pedagogy, and practices

Dr Kamilla Swart

Associate Professor


Hamad Bin Khalifa University

Session:

Online and blended Teaching 2: Resources, assessments, and evaluations

Dr Prachi Gharpure

Director


Indore Campus SVKM's NMIMS

Session:

Student's perspective on online and blended learning

Professor Omar H. Karam

Dean of the Faculty of Informatics and Computer Science


The British University in Egypt (BUE)

Session:

Using the existing or emerging technology for online and blended teaching

CALL FOR PAPERS & SUBMISSIONS

Inviting presentations and papers

Please note that this is not only a research conference but more a practitioner’s conference with the aim to learn from the best practices and experiences being shared at the conference. Therefore, you can submit the following for presentations:

  • Case studies
  • Professional articles and whitepapers
  • Best practices presentations
  • Research papers

Format of submission, review, and selection

All papers must conform to the format and submission guidelines set by the steering committee. Thus, all submissions must be in English and in PDf format. Note that submission that do not comply with the above instructions will be rejected without review.

Presentation Session Details

  • The time allotted for presentations is 10 minutes for each, followed by 5 minutes of questions and answers.
  • There will be two invited chairs (co-chairs) for each panel session.
  • Each theme session is of 2 hours

Paper

All accepted papers much be presented at the virtual conference in order to be included the BCC journal/proceedings. It is important to reiterate that this requirement cannot be met by a guest presented who is not a co-author of the accepted paper.

CONFERENCE PROGRAM DETAILS

DAY 1: Nov 27, 2020. All times mentioned are as per GMT

Session Theme & Topics Time (GMT) Speaker
A. Inauguration and Keynotes
1 Introductions by Honorary Chair, Organizing committee 9:45 AM Professor Anand Agrawal, President - BlueCrest College, Ghana
2 Welcome Address by Honorary Co-Chair, Organizing committee 10:00 AM Professor Ahmed Hamad, President - The British University in Egypt (BUE)
3 Keynote speech 1: EUREKA AFRICA and VISTA impact on Africa, and future plans in the education sector 10:15 AM Mr. Dev Varyani, Founder and Chairman - Vista Group & Subsidiaries
4 Keynote speech 2: Virtual Exchange Programmes – International Exchange in a Time of Lockdown 10:30 AM Professor Malcolm Mciver, Provost and CAO - Lancaster University Ghana
5 Key note speech 3: Pedagogy of Hybrid Learning 10:45 AM Professor Leslie Croxford, Vice President for Teaching and Learning - The British University in Egypt (BUE)
6 Session Closing note by the Organizing Committee member: Rethinking Higher Education 11:00 AM Professor Shadia Fahim, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities - The British University in Egypt (BUE)
B. Theme 1 Presentations: Online and blended Teaching 1: Design, pedagogy, and practices: Session Chair: Ms Nodumo Dhlamini
1 Session Opening, Introductions, and housekeeping by session chair 11:15 AM Ms Nodumo Dhlamini, Director, ICT Services, Comms & KM - Association of African Universities
2 Presentation 1: Blended Teaching Pedagogies and Facilitating Online Interaction 11:20 AM Nagwa A. Soliman PhD, Senior Lecturer of English Language and Literature, Advanced Writing Module Leader, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, The British University in Egypt.
3 Presentation 2: Micro-learning: Strengthening Blended Learning Courses 11:45 AM Nesma Hesham Mansour, Assistant Lecturer, Teaching and Learning Coordinator, English Division, Faculty of BAEPS, The British University in Egypt.
4 Presentation 3: Shakespeare in Blended LearningMode:Examining its Effectiveness at the British University in Egypt(BUE) during COVID-19 Pandemic 12:10 PM Dr. Mervat Shukry, Associate Professor, Department of English Language and Literature Faculty of Arts and Humanities, British University in Egypt (BUE)
Ms. Salma Alsaady, Assistant Lecturer, Department of English Language and Literature (DELL), Faculty of Arts and Humanities, The British University in Egypt (BUE)
5 Closing note by session chair 12:30 PM Ms Nodumo Dhlamini, Director - ICT Services, Comms & KM, Association of African Universities
C. Theme 2 Presentations: Online and blended Teaching 2: Resources, assessments, and evaluations: Session Chair: Dr Kamilla Swart
1 Session Opening, Introductions, and housekeeping by session chair 1:00 PM Dr Kamilla Swart, Associate Professor, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar
2 Presentation 1: Interactive Online Assessment Tools 1:10 PM Mostafa Youssef Mahmoud, English Language Instructor & Module Leader, Faculty of Nursing, The British University in Egypt (BUE)
3 Presentation 2: A Blended Learning Approach Responsive to Pandemic Related Uncertainties and Change 1:35 PM Dr. Praveen Balakrishnan Nair, Associate Professor, Edinburgh Business School, School of Social Sciences, Heriot-Watt University Malaysia
4 Presentation 3: Blended and Online Constructive Feedback 2:00 PM Samir Omara, English Language Teacher, Teacher Trainer & NileTESOL President-Elect
5 Closing note by session chair 2:25 PM Dr Kamilla Swart, Associate Professor, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar
D. Sponsors Demos and Panels: Coursera and RAKLET
1 Sponsor Session: Panel by Coursera
a. The State of Skills in Africa
b. Fireside Chat on Digital Transformation and Skills Development with Coursera for Campus
3:00 PM a. Adam Lewis - Head of Skills Transformation , EMEA, Coursera
b. Kerry Houchen - Partnerships Director, EMEA Coursera, With Professor Anand Agrawal, President, BlueCrest College, Accra, Ghana
2 Sponsor Session: Demo by Raklet 3:30 PM Mr Gerçek Karakuş,President, Raklet

DAY 2: Nov 28, 2020. All times mentioned are as per GMT

Session Theme & Detail Time (GMT) Speaker
A. Insights from Day 1
1 Day 1 insights from the organizing committee member Dr Rania M Rafik Khalil 9:45 AM Dr. Rania M Rafik Khalil, Research and Postgraduate Studies Coordinator /Internationalisation Coordinator, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, The British University in Egypt (BUE).
B. Theme 3 Presentations: Students’ Perspectives on Online and Blended Learning: Session Chair: Dr Prachi Gharpure
1 Session Opening, Introductions, and housekeeping by session chair 10:00 AM Dr Prachi Gharpure, Director, Indore Campus SVKM's NMIMS, India
2 Presentation 1: International Learning Collaboration: Exploring Students' Perspectives in Learning Psychology 10:15 AM Mona Mohamed Fouad El-Sawaf, Psychology Assistant Professor, The British University in Egypt Ain Shams University
Coauthor: Dr Helena Girgis, PhD, Assistant Professor, Director of Children's Learning Lab Childhood Studies Minor Research Chair Psychology Program - Stockton University
3 Presentation 2: Student reactions to e-assessments, for controlled tests in a face-to-face environment, in a Human Resource Management module 10:45 AM Khalida Akbar, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
4 Presentation 3: Online Teaching at Algerian Universities During Covid-19: A Blessing in Disguise 11:15 AM Fatima Zohra Hebbali, Doctoral researcher, Tlemcen University–Algeria, Faculty of Letters and Foreign Languages, Department of English
5 Closing note by session chair 11:45 AM Dr Prachi Gharpure, Director, Indore Campus SVKM's NMIMS, India
C. Theme 4 Presentations: Using the existing or emerging technology for online and blended teaching: Session Chair: Professor Omar H. Karam
1 Session Opening, Introductions, and housekeeping by session chair 12 noon Professor Omar H. Karam, Dean of the Faculty of Informatics and Computer Science, The British University in Egypt (BUE)
2 Presentation 1: ‘Online education that connects’ Adopting Technology to support Feminist Pedagogy – A Reflective Case Study 12:15 PM Dr. Upasana Gitanjali Singh, Senior Lecturer, College of Law & Management Studies, School of Management, Information Technology & Governance, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban
3 Presentation 2: Exit Tickets: Engaging Students in Online Classes 12:45 PM May Serag El Dine Soliman, Lecturer and Staff development coordinator, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Department of English Language and Literature, The British University in Egypt
4 Presentation 3: Pushed out of the Sanctum: Retaining the Teacher and the Students’ Voices through Online Teaching 1:15 PM Prof. Heba Makram Sharobeem, Professor of Modern British and American Literature, Former head of the English Department in the Faculty of Education, Alexandria University, Egypt.
5 Closing note by session chair 1:45 PM Professor Omar H. Karam, Dean of the Faculty of Informatics and Computer Science, The British University in Egypt (BUE)
D. Sponsor Demo and BlueCrest Note
1 Sponsor Session: Demo by McGrawHill 2:00 PM Ralph Azar, Business Development Manager, MEA McGraw Hill | International
2 BlueCrest Note 2:30 PM Professor Anand Agrawal, President, BlueCrest College, Accra, Ghana
Day 2 Concluding session, awards and Closing: 3 pm to 4 pm
Bcc Sponsorship

SPONSORSHIP

Sponsors will get a 30-minutes time slot for presentations/demo. Three sponsors will be given the slots. Each sponsor has to fund USD 100 that will be used for the best presenter and best reviewer awards. The sponsor's brand and logos will be prominent on the webpage, throughout the conference and also for another three months after the conference on our webpage. If requested by sponsors, we can redirect our webpage visitors to the desired landing pages by the sponsors when they click their brand logo.

Careers & Professional Development

AWARDS


Distinguished Reviewer

USD 100

(1 reviewer)

Best Presenter

USD 100

(2 presenters)

  • Certificates for all presenters, chairs, reviewers and speakers
  • Selected presentations will be published online by BlueCrest College Teaching and Learning Centre, and research papers may be published in the BlueCrest College journal after another set of reviews.