A few years ago, the Qatar Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) adopted an initiative, Qeducation, to develop educational curricula with a particular focus on competency-based learning designed to meet the job market needs and higher education requirements. The MOEHE chose CYPHER as the best modern learning platform to help them forward the Qeducation initiative.
In March 2023, one year after the successful implementation of the CYPHER platform for all of the public schools in the state of Qatar, CYPHER, in collaboration with the Qatar Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE), led a well-attended workshop: Providing students, teachers and parents with digital technology for learning for the private schools of Qatar to discuss the best learning solutions for advancing education. The March workshop was held to:
Before CYPHER, the Ministry relied on a traditional LMS system and a separate, stand alone communications platform. With limited digital capabilities and without mobile device support, teachers, students, and parents became frustrated with the inability to track progress or communicate with each other. Administrators and teachers found it increasingly difficult to manage the educational electronic content, integrate with other ministry systems, create reports, or scale out to support the number of students who needed to access the system.
Compelled by an urgent need for a comprehensive learning management to help them manage the educational process, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education officially launched the e-learning management system for public schools in the State of Qatar, "Qatar Education" in January 2022. The objectives were as follows:
To create the best possible learning experience for their students, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education partnered with CYPHER to provide Qeducation.
In 2022, when Qeducation was implemented, Qatar’s education system was enriched with many new classes, videos, and content for a more enjoyable learning experience. Adoption rate in the first month of teachers and students from grade 3 to grade 12 registered on the system was 99% and 91% respectively. And engagement of students, teachers, and parents skyrocketed.
Designed to be simple and easy for students, the stylish and intuitive user interface was well-received. With a mobile application and device support, and tools to increase student motivation and participation, student engagement increased, and students participated more with the ability to interact with the lessons at any time and place and on any device they chose for learning.
One of the most important features of Qeducation has been the ability to connect through community. Connection and community are crucial for effective digital learning, which is why communication was built into the platform. By prioritizing the ease of communication between teachers, students, and parents, as well as providing a safe means of collaboration and sharing, Qeducation creates a sense of belonging and support that is essential for learning success. Students and teachers also appreciated the variety of interactive tools such as chat rooms, forums, groups, blogs, and more.
The accurate assessment of competency is crucial in competency-based learning as it ensures that students have truly mastered the required skills and knowledge. Qeducation allows students to create personalized learning paths and targeted interventions to support students in areas where they may be struggling. These assessments are leading to a more effective and efficient online learning experience for students improving overall learning outcomes:
Increased motivation and participation means students are actively engaged and invested in their coursework. Both teachers and students are empowered by the ability to link and align lessons and assessments to learning outcomes. Factors leading to a more positive and productive learning experience included:
Qeducation provides teachers and students with three types of source libraries and digital content that are rich with quality content, easy to use, and accessible to all parties in the educational process. Teachers and students found the resource libraries intuitive and accessible to all parties in the education process.
During the workshop, and in collaboration with the MOEHE, CYPHER extended the Qeducation offering to the private schools in attendance, and many of those schools immediately joined. Subsequently, a group of new founding members was formed. In the second part of this blog series, we’ll announce and welcome those new members. In a third, final blog post we’ll talk about recent recognition that MOEHE has received for educational excellence and innovation.
Ready to experience firsthand how CYPHER can help your organization with a competency-based learning approach to make learning, fun, meaningful, and effective for modern learners? Schedule a free demo.