The English
Department of UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya has successfully held a web seminar with
the theme Blended Learning: From Theory to Practice on July 15, 2020. This
virtual event is one of the webinar series organized by English departments in
Islamic universities under the auspices of the Ministry of Religious Affairs
and was conducted in collaboration with the Linguistics and Literature
Association (LITA), an association of English language and literature educators
under the auspices of ADIA (Association of Adab Lecturers, MORA).
This webinar presents three speakers, namely Professor M. Arskal Salim (Director of Higher Education, MORA), Professor Zuliati Rohmah (UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya) and Ms. Raudhatul Jannah (UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya). The purpose of holding this event is to share information and experiences about the use of Blended Learning, especially amid the Covid-19 pandemic which forces educators throughout the globe to carry out their teaching and learning process virtually. In his presentation, Professor M. Arskal Salim emphasized the importance of language and literature studies, because language is the main means of communication across nations. With an understanding of language and culture and the uniqueness it carries, humans will work together to enshrine equality, instead of the diversity. Professor Zuliati Rohmah, in her presentation, said that teachers should be more literate with technology in their classrooms, not only during a pandemic or crisis but also in normal situations. She emphasized that the use of technology in learning might impact positively on students, especially in increasing their motivation. Miss Raudlotul Jannah, following the presentations of the two previous speakers, shared her experience using the English Discoveries (ED) learning platform for Blended Learning in the intensive English program at UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya.
The participants seemed very enthusiastic about participating in this event as indicated by the number of people who registered. It was recorded that approximately 925 people registered for this event, but due to the limited seat quota, only 500 applicants were nominated. Participants who attended this webinar were free of charge and received an e-certificate, sent to their email. The next webinar is planned to be hosted by the English Department, UIN Alauiddin Makassar with the theme Gender, Migration, and Diaspora in Women’s Literature of the Ummah. See you in the next webinar.