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FOI Facilitating Introduction of E-Learning Model in Maldives

A dose of expertise from the Varazdin FOI has found its place in the distant Maldives as the Varazdin Faculty of Organization and Informatics (FOI) has implemented an e-learning system with project partners called AMED - Advancing Higher Education in the Maldives Through E-learning Development.

As total-croatia-news.com writes, this is a project in which FOI has been providing expertise for the last three years to introduce an e-learning model to the National University of the Indian Ocean Islands, which really needed such a system due to its poor traffic and network connectivity over more than 200 islands.

The project started back in 2019, is fully funded by the Erasmus + program of the European Commission in the amount of 720,592 euros, and its main goal is to strengthen capacities and dissemination of knowledge in higher education. So far, almost all of the project activities have been carried out involving more than 50 participants from the University of the Maldives (MNU).

They participated in various fields of education there through a developed study program with the aim of capacity building and training for the application of online teaching. A study program in four modules has been developed and will be accredited to be made available for the future training of teachers and other staff at MNU and after the completion of the AMED project.

Project partners from the Maldives, the Open University of Catalonia and the Croatian Academic and Research Network (CARNET) were in Varaždin this month to present examples of good practice in implementing e-learning and applying new technologies and distance learning models.

"Within the project, we worked on raising the strategic approach to the introduction of e-learning and developed a unique strategic document that will enable the University of the Maldives to further develop its e-learning," said the project manager and vice dean at the Varazdin FOI, Assoc. Prof. Igor Balaban, Ph.D.

Experts from FOI Varazdin and CARNET organized so-called job shadowing that enables the transfer of good practice in the organization and implementation of e-education/learning to the Maldivian education system.

"A total of sixteen of our representatives from various sectors of the Maldives National University are participating in the presentations and workshops in the field of e-learning to improve the existing processes in our institution" explained the project manager at MNU, Ms. Shimna Shakeeb. The equipment for the implementation and further development of e-learning in the Maldives worth 200,000 euros was also procured and installed.

"Many of our teachers weren't familiar with this type of technology and we're glad that after this project, our university will be making even more progress in terms of technological development" said Vice-Rector of the National University of the Maldives, Mohamed Shareef, Ph.D.

More about project outcomes you can find here.