A guest lecture on Computer and Information Security was held last Saturday, 26th of July at Jabrin Hall attended by Abdullah Al Mahrooqi, Regional Manager for Dakhliya Region of Bank Muscat, other guests from Bank Muscat, Mr. Sami Mustafa, HoD of IT, Internet and E-Security specialization students and other IT staff and students.

The lecture was conducted by the guest speaker, Mr. Ramgopal, Head of Information Security Department, Bank Muscat. The speaker comprehensively enlightened the audience with the core principles of information security including confidentiality, integrity and availability (CIA) along with various kinds of threats to information security that organizations face in the modern world. Throughout his lecture, the speaker quoted a variety of examples from daily life for explaining the practical aspects of vulnerabilities, threats and attacks faced by the organizations. Followed by this, was an interactive Q/A session in which the audience raised a variety of questions pertaining to the information security architecture of Bank Muscat, including customers training, Anti-phishing features provided by Bank Muscat's website along with the use of Digital Certificates etc. The speaker comprehensively answered all the questions to the satisfaction of the audience. The speaker also mentioned the bright scope of Internet & E-Security specialization to the audience.

Mr. Sami K. Mustafa, Head of IT Department Nizwa College of Technology, concluded the session by sharing his views on the importance of information security in the modern world, as well as thanking the guests and the audience for sparing their precious time.

A 2nd workshop on Moodle module “Grade” is conducted last June 9 for the IT Department at IT202 attended by Mr. Sami Mustafa, HoD of IT, HoSs and IT staff. The workshop was conducted by Mr. Sreekumar and Mrs. Subha, both Math lecturers from the IT department who uses the “Grade” module after attending the 1st workshop presented by the IT e-learning coordinator at the start of 2nd semester.

The presenters discussed grade category and grade item – two important building blocks to set up the Grade module in Moodle. They also discussed how grades from all Moodle activities are automatically added to the “gradebook” and how teachers could add grades of the students from activities provided in the classroom by typing the grades directly to Moodle “gradebook” or by importing .csv files.

The aim of the workshop is to inform the staff about the availability of such facility in Moodle and to encourage them to use it for the benefit of the students.


Alice Lontok

The IT Department holds a Quality Awareness and Anti-Plagiarism workshop at IT303 on 1st June attended by the HoD, HoS and staff.

The first part of the workshop aims to promote awareness on the academic integrity initiative of the college and to introduce the IT staff to the features of VIPER as anti-plagiarism software. Ms. Alice Lontok conducted the said workshop and she encouraged all the IT staff to share the same information to their students, particularly their advisees. She emphasized the importance of VIPER as a tool in helping staff and students find the possible plagiarism in the documents including the proper interpretation of the plagiarism percentages and color-coding used in the software. In the said workshop, Ms. Alice explained possible ways to rewrite the documents using the VIPER report to make sure that documents do not contain any plagiarism or the plagiarism is of acceptable percentage.

The second part of the workshop aims at promoting awareness regarding quality issues among IT staff. As this was the first in a series of quality awareness workshops in the department, Mr. Arun discussed the College Vision and Mission, NCT Strategic Plan and the Department Operational Plan. He also discussed the plans regarding the promotion of quality awareness in the department.

The event shows the IT department’s support in the college’s goal of achieving quality in teaching and learning and its objective of becoming the “college of choice”.

Alice Lontok

A bilingual dynamic website for "Nizwa Modern Printing Press" was developed by Fatma Abdullah, Jalila Nasserallah, Zamzam Abdullah under the supervision of Mr. T V Sathyanarayana with the aim of helping the community through the development of a database-driven website in HTML, Javascript, PHP and MySQL.

The website can be managed by an administrator who may login and perform administrative tasks such as adding new services that the company provides, viewing list of job orders placed online and viewing job applicants. The website also provides information about the company so that potential customers can view the services provided by them and place the order online. Similarly, the website is used to post the vacancies and accepts online applications from jobseekers. If a vacancy is not available, the job seeker may post a CV for future reference. The site also takes and lists feedbacks from the customers and a site map is made available for easier access.

Jalila Nasseralah presented the project to Mr. Khalid Salim Al Alawi, Manager of Nizwa Modern Printing Press on Sunday, 27th of July at IT306 with the presence of Mr. Sami Mustafa, HoD of IT, Mr. T.V. Sathyanarayana, , some IT staff and students. Mr. Khalid appreciated the work done by the students.

Alice Lontok

4 IT students from NCT joined the 2nd Oman Skills Competition,a 4-day event held in Ibra College of Technology
from 8th – 12th of May. Oman Skills Competition provides a unique means of exchange and comparison of competency standards among students in the Technical Colleges. The students joined the "Information & Communication Technology"(ICT) category, which covers all the skilled areas that are related to information services such as Graphics Design Technology, IT Software Applications, IT/PC Network Support and Web Design.

Qais Al Toobi won the gold medal in the IT Software Applications, Said Al Riyami got bronze in Web Design and Hilal Al Nabhani secured the bronze in IT/PC Network Support. The first 3 winners of each category will be trained by the Ministry of Manpower and they will be given another test where the best will be selected as the Sultanate’s representative in the GCC Skills which will be hosted by Oman on 7th – 9th of November.

Business students taking up Principles of Management visited Saud Bahwan Automotive Company, Nizwa Branch last 29 and 30 March. The activity exposed the students to real business environment. Mr. Babu Vithayathil, the Assistant Senior Manager, received the students with warm welcome. He delivered a presentation about the company activities, mission, departments, and opportunities and challenges that face car manufacturing companies. At the end of the presentation, the manager gave the students opportunities to ask questions.

The students asked many questions. Most of the questions were about the company’s leadership, performance, competition, quality, and types of services they provide to customers. The manager and students interactions were exciting and interesting. The experiences of students affirm their understanding of management theories and practices in Saud Bahwan Automotive Company. They became more aware of management issues and challenges of local companies. /saud alfahdi

The work camp activity “Green and Clean College” was inaugurated yesterday by staff and students of the college under the patronage of Mr. Abdulhakeem Said Qaooq, Director General of the Ministry of Manpower in Al-Dakhliya region. A simple inauguration programme was held at the college multi-purpose hall at 10:00am to kickstart the event. Staff and students of the college, including several college officials headed by the Dean, Dr. Bader Ahmed, attended the programme.

After the inauguration programme, the participants walked to the garden in front of the English Language Centre to plant trees. Mr. Abdulhakeem, assisted by staff and students, planted the first tree, which was followed by college staff and students planting several more.

This activity will run from 6th to 8th April, and is envisaged to cover the front of ELC building, the students’ parking lot, and the areas near the female restroom and the clinic. Cleaning of the aforementioned areas and planting of trees will be from 8:00am to 10:00am from 7th through 8th April. All college staff and students are invited to participate in this endeavor by donating seedlings and volunteering in the tree planting activities. /junlontok

The Physics Laboratory under the Engineering Department has recently acquired several new equipment and instruments to enhance teaching delivery and instruction. These instruments include: Thermal Radiation System and Stefan-Boltzmann Lamp for the study of heat radiation effects; Speed-Collision Smart Timer for recording time up to 4 decimal places and for measuring parameters in collision and velocity experiments; Free Fall System for determining the gravitational acceleration or "g" value for various objects at different altitudes, and this Free Fall apparatus is connected to a powerful computer with a Science-Workshop 750 Interface and Data Studio Software for accuracy and verification of results.

Other new equipment and instruments consist of Basic Electrostatic System and Electrometer for the study of electrostatics; Van de Graff Generator for demonstrating the production of charges; Resonance Tube, Sonometer, Hand Crank Generator, Permanent Magnet Motor, Series/ Parallel Circuit, Charge and Equipotential Field Mapper. These above-mentioned instruments have been installed in the Engineering Science Laboratory (ESL), and students have already used them in several relevant experiments.

The Health Activity Unit of NCT conducted a Blood Donation drive for staff and students of the college last 21 to 24 February at the MPH. Two days each were allotted for male and female donors. The blood donation activity attracted 75 donors in total after four days. At the last day of activities, presentations and other pertinent shows on the importance of blood donation were held at the MPH. These were highlighted by poetry recitals and short theatre activities by students of the college. This event was organized in cooperation with Nizwa Hospital, and was sponsored by the Hospital Director. The closing ceremonies were attended by the college dean, as well as other college officials, staff and students.

Four lecturers from IT department attended the Oman Skills Competition workshop held in Muscat Higher College of Technology (MHCT) on 25th of February. The said workshop was organized by the Ministry of Manpower to prepare for the Oman Skills Competition which will be held in April of this year. The aim of this competition is to promote vocational education and training and to provide a unique means of exchange and comparison of world-class competency standards in the industrial trades and service sectors. The workshop was attended by all IT category experts from different Colleges of Technology in Oman to prepare the test projects, marking sheets and finalize all the necessary requirements before the competition. On a higher note, all the IT experts from NCT were selected as Chief Experts for their respective categories. They are Alice M. Lontok (Graphics Technology), Arun Kumar (Web Design), Amal Raj (IT Applications/Software) and M. Srinath (Networking).

In a related development, the IT department has selected four students who will represent the College in the IT categories of the Oman Skills competition. The students are Khalid Awad Sinan Asabah (Graphics Technology), Said Suleiman Abdullah Al Riyami (Web Design), Qais Rashid Salim Al Toobi (IT Application/Software) and … (Networking).

Several staff and students from IT department and ETC attended the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority’s "Telecom Awareness" presentation held in Muscat Higher College of Technology. The presentation was attended by staff and students from different Colleges of Technology in Oman. They also launched a theme-based competition entitled "Telecommunications for Better Life" to raise awareness about telecom services among college students.

On this light, TRA is inviting all interested students to join the Best Project Ideas on Role of Telecommunication in Social and Economic Life. The last date of submission is on 3rd of April 2010. For more information, please visit: http://www.tra.gov.om/newsite1/educomp/

Forty-six (46) Business Studies students completed their Enhancement Practical Training (EPT) from 23 January to 10 March 2010. Fourteen of them specialized in Human Resource Management, twelve in E-Business, seventeen in Marketing, and three are in Certificate Level. The said students underwent I.T. Skills Training such as Basic Computer Operation, Microsoft Applications (Word, Excel and Power Point), Adobe Photoshop and Dream-Weaver especially for the E-Business Specialization students. The IT Skills Training was provided by the Educational Technologies Center (ETC).

Furthermore, the same students attended a series of seminars and workshops in Office Management Practices conducted by Mr. Radhakrishnan, Business Writing by Dr. Jacob George, and Know About Business (KAB) by Mr. Hernani, Ms. James, and Mrs. Vardhani. They also got practical exposure from various units in the College where they were assigned in the offices for one week. They were also trained in resume preparation and handling the job interview.

The main objective of EPT is to fill the gap in various skills in which the students are deficient or needing improvement. With the opportunity provided to 46 Business students this semester 2, 2009-2010, the training program of EPT has fulfilled the primary objectives for which it is designed./hmanalo

The Business Department, headed by Dr. Imran Hameed has added another pillar of innovation in the College. Starting Semester 2, 2009-2010, a weekly series of staff development activities have been conducted. These activities are mostly presentations of various teaching-learning models, tools, and approaches by various staff in the department. These presentations enable the staff to learn some impetus in developing teaching-learning styles best suited to their class. Eventually, these activities will ensure quality development in the department.

So far, the following presentations have been conducted: Developing Course Content for JST by Hernani D. Manalo; Innovative Methods in Teaching by Dr. Noushad P. Mohamed; Experiential Learning by Dr. Imran Hameed; Student Differentiated Teaching by Mr. Mohamed Atif Khan; Team Play by Mrs. Vardhani Dasika; Cue Cards Method by Mr. Radhakrishanan Subramaniam. According to Ms. Rajani James, Coordinator of Staff Development Unit (SDU) in Business Studies, five presentations by various Business Studies staff are expected to be made in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the Staff Development Unit of Nizwa College of Technology utilized the expertise of two stalwarts in the College. Last 8 February 2010, Dr. Bader, Ahmed, Assistant Dean for Academics presented the ADRI model before the staff of NCT at the Multi-purpose Hall. Furthermore, Dr. Imran, HOD of Business Studies conducted a Health and Safety Training to some staff last 3 March 2010. His acumen in the field of medicine and healthcare, as well as his business expertise, was evident during the training-workshop./hmanalo

The Industrial Link Committee of the Engineering Department has recently organized a workshop on "Web Page Design" last February 24, 2010. Said workshop was conducted by Mr.Ben Sujin, an Engineering Department lecturer. The workshop was attended by NCT staff and students of Higher Diploma. During the activity, participants were able to experience hands-on training in creating attractive web pages using Adobe Dreamweaver. The participants also appreciated the simple approach on how the whole workshop has been designed and delivered. On the end part of the activity, Mr.Ben Sujin has been requested by participants to deliver another presentation and workshop on a similar topic in the near future.

Oil and Gas Engineering students visited the PDO rig site (Rig10) at Fahud last March 21, 2010. This industrial visit is a significant part of the course of students in Well Drilling, Petroleum Production, Plant Rotating and Surface Equipment. Guided by PDO supervisors, twelve (12) selected students of Mr. Shiyas and Dr. Antonio, Engineering Lecturers, surveyed the workplace, understood the rig tasks of personnel, and familiarized themselves with the rig environment. The said visit also helped students relate technical details at the rig site to the theories learned in the classroom. A possible future employment at PDO is another motivating factor for students who joined the trip.

This industrial visit to PDO rig site is made possible through the collaborative efforts of the College Dean, Dr. Ahmed Al-Ghassani, the PDO Management, Mr. Ismail Al Riyami, NCT OJT Head, and Mr. Rada Nair, HoD of Engineering, NCT.

Nizwa College of Technology held its graduation ceremonies in pompous fashion last 6th March 2010 in a specially-built tent on the college grounds. The event was graced by HE Dr. Hilal bin Ali Al-Hinai, Secretary General of the Research Council, who also served as the Guest of Honor for the activity. HE Hamed bin Khamees Al-Amri, Undersecretary of Technical Education and Vocational Training, was also present during the ceremonies. The event was also attended by other prominent personalities, including Shiek Saif bin Hamiar Al-Shuhi of the Wilayat of Nizwa, as well as deans from other colleges.

Mubarak Ibrahim Mubarak, an Engineering graduate read the graduation speech on behalf of all the graduates. In his speech, he narrated how the college helped him hone his talents, not only in the technical aspect, but also in entrepreneurial and interpersonal aspects. He also thanked the college, as well as his parents, for the success he attained in his graduation.

This edition of the college graduation saw a total of 365 students graduating from the college. Expectedly, a big chunk of it – 235 came from Engineering. The remaining graduates came from the other departments of IT and Business Studies, which have 63 and 89 graduates respectively.

Dr. Bader Ahmed Al-Khalaf, the current college Asst. Dean of Academic Affairs, was recently elevated to the position of Acting Dean of the college following the vacancy to the post which happened when the former Dean, Dr. Ahmed Mohsin Al-Ghassani, was assigned to assume the Deanship of Muscat Higher College of Technology. Dr. Bader Ahmed assumed the position of Acting Dean of NCT last 10th March 2010.

Dr. Bader has been in the college for 10 years. Prior to this, he served as member of faculty in various higher educational institutions in Iraq, including the Technical Military College in Baghdad and University of Basrah. Dr. Bader’s expertise is in the area of mechanical engineering where he specializes in machine design and vibration and fault analysis. He completed his B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Basrah in 1979, his M.Sc. in Machine Design from University of Baghdad in 1982, and his Ph.D. in Vibration from Technical University, Sofia Bulgaria in 1992. Dr. Bader joined NCT in 2000 as a lecturer in the Engineering Department. His dedication to work was rewarded when he was appointed Asst. Dean of Academic Affairs in 2004. His diligence and commitment, coupled with results-oriented work ethic allowed him to be a consistent figure in various important committees and units in the college. His leadership is proven time and again as shown by the continuous development in the teaching-learning standards of NCT.

The college community congratulates Dr. Bader Ahmed for his appointment and wishes him the best on his new job.

The NCT Staff Development Unit (SDU) conducted a workshop on Team Play last 22 February at the MPH. This is part of SDU’s series of seminar-workshops on Innovative Methods of Teaching, which is envisaged to assist college staff in being acquainted with various forms of teaching methodologies that they can practice in their classes. The said workshop was attended by staff from various academic departments, including some college officials. Ms. Vardhani Dasika, lecturer from Business Studies department, facilitated the event. She was assisted by Ms. Ramani James, SDU Coordinator and also a Business Studies lecturer. Dr. Imran Hameed, Business Studies department HoD, served as overall speaker for the event.

During the workshop, two game play activities were done by the participants. First, Ms. Vardhani introduced the game “Team Chain” to the workshop participants by describing them the mechanics of the game. Then, after the participants were grouped in two, they were asked to form a circular chain and were given a task to do without breaking the chain. After one group successfully did the task given, the facilitators discussed the roles played by members of the group in solving the task at hand, and how teamwork played an important part in it.

The second game involved dividing the participants into three groups, then selecting one member of each group to be blindfolded and then asking them to draw something. The facilitators gave the groups 10 minutes to do the task, explaining to the participants that other members of the group not assigned to give instructions to the “painter” on how to draw the required object, can “distract” the painter of the other groups. After the time elapsed, the facilitators scrutinized the work of the three groups and asked them how they attain the outputs.

Dr. Imran gave a short explanation on the implications of the roles played by the members of the group in coming up with an accurate drawing. He also delved on the methods and strategies employed by the groups to do the required task accurately. Furthermore, he provided links/relationships between the game played by the participants and the teaching they do in their classes.

Dr. Imran also encouraged the participants to share their ideas on the games played during the workshop as a form of summarization and generalizations of the lessons learned during the activity. He then thanked everyone who participated in the event, especially those who facilitated it. /junlontok

Officials of Oman Trading Establishment LLC (OTE) visited the college recently to hold talks with college management on possible collaboration in different areas, particularly in giving training to students. The OTE Group was headed by Mr. Jahanbux Mistry, OTE General Manager. Other officials that came with Mr. Jahanbux are Dr. Anirudha Sen, Mr. VR Nayak, and Mr. Warma. They were met by NCT officials that included Dr. Ahmed Al-Ghassani, College Dean, Dr. Bader Ahmed, AD Academics, Dr. Imran Hameed, HoD Business Studies, Mr. Ismail Al-Riyami, HoD OJT Department, and Mr. Mohammad Samiuddin Saheem, HoS Marketing.

During the meeting, the two groups shared information between the two organizations, focusing on student training systems and processes. Dr. Ahmed said that the college is enjoying the reputation of having high standard in its graduates, and that the college would like to further build into this by improving its training program for students. He said that because of this, the college is currently in the process of establishing a business simulation centre which will help provide exposure to its students on the real-world application of running a business organization. Dr. Ahmed also disclosed that the college is forging ties with various industries not only to improve existing partnerships but also to provide better training to students.

On behalf of the OTE Group, Mr. Jahanbux said that since human resource development and training is also a core business of his organization, and inasmuch as OTE also provides formal training programs for Omani youth with the support of the Ministry of Manpower, they would like to take the initiative of further taking this forward by collaborating with NCT. Mr. Jahanbux proposed an internship program for the students of the college, wherein OTE will accept internships for one to two months during summer vacation and give them practical training in various OTE departments such as the workshops they maintain as well as in Audit, Accounts, Credit, and IT Applications departments.

The meeting of the two groups also produced other agreements such as exchange of guest lecturers between the two organizations, offering of short courses for OTE staff to upgrade their skills, formal visits to OTE Training Centre for students of the college to gain more practical skills, and future collaboration regarding staff development between the two organizations.

In a related development, the OTE Group recently agreed to become one of the Gold Sponsors of student activities for the current academic year. In this regard, the company donated a total amount of 3,000 OMR to fund various student activities such as the Cultural Week celebrations and other similar events. /junlontok (with reports from Dr. Imran Hameed and Office of the College Dean)

Dr. Bader Ahmed, NCT Asst. Dean of Academic Affairs, conducted a presentation on ADRI for Course Delivery yesterday, 8 February, at the MPH. The presentation was attended by about a hundred staff from various centers and departments in the college.

In his presentation, Dr. Bader explained what ADRI is, and how this self-assessment tool can be used by staff in the performance of their jobs. He explained in detail each component of the ADRI Model – Approach, Deployment, Results and Improvement, and provided actual examples on each component’s use in managing and delivering a course. Dr. Bader also shared information on common ADRI practices in the college, and how the staff, particularly new ones, can benefit in using this model in assessing and improving the way they teach a course and handle students.

Dr. Bader’s presentation was followed by a short question and answer forum, in which staff posed relevant questions and raised important issues on the topic. /junlontok

Various officials of the college met with their counterparts at the Dean’s Office yesterday, 8 February, to discuss various cooperation and benchmarking activities between the two organizations. Present in the meeting were Dr. Bader Ahmed, AD Academics who headed the NCT group, Mr. Michael Reith, HoC of ELC, Dr. Rolando Lontok, HoC of ETC, Mr. NKR Nair, HoD-Engineering, Dr. Imran Hameed, HoD-Business Studies, and Mr. Syed Azzamuddin, HoS-IT. Also present were Dr. P. Marichamy, HoS-Engineering, Dr. Shafiuddin, HoS-HRM, Dr. Casimir Ignatius and Ms. Thuraya Al-Hinai, HoSs-ELC. The College of Applied Sciences (CAS) Nizwa group, meanwhile, is composed of Dr. Ahmed Shakir El-Qilabi, Head of English Language Department, Dr. Alex Mathew, HoD of IT, Dr. Mohammad Abdul Madar, HoD of International Business, Mrs. Ameena Hamed Al-Abri and Mrs. Huda Said Al-Habsi, English Language lecturers, Mr. Mohammed Abdullah Ambusaidi, IT lecturer, and Mr. Said Mohammed Al-Riyami, International Business lecturer.

Before the exploratory talks on future cooperation and benchmarking activities of the two institutions, the NCT group provided the guests with a video presentation of the college. The 8-minute presentation showed the college advocacies, as well as its various services and facilities. Dr. Alex Mathew, CAS-Nizwa Head of IT Department, also provided a short presentation describing the College of Applied Sciences.

During the meeting, the two groups discussed varied topics and issues, which included comparison of organizational structures of the two colleges, sharing information on various policies and procedures such as general management, student assessment, information systems, practical training of students (OJT), advising and other relevant standards, and staff development among others.

A tour of the college, followed by a more detailed discussion of systems, procedures and processes between staff of similar departments from the two institutions, capped the day’s activities for the two groups. /junlontok

Officials of Suez-Tractebel Operation and Maintenance Oman (STOMO) headed by its General Manager, Mr. William King, met with NCT officials on Monday, 01 February, to discuss existing cooperative endeavours at the same time explore other forms of collaboration between the two organizations. Accompanying Mr. King in his visit were Mr. Ravi and Jumaal Al-Balushi, HR Officers, and Mr. Sunil Kumar, Training Officer of the company.

Aside from meeting NCT officials, STOMO’s visit included a short presentation about the company to college students and staff, a tour of the college for the aforementioned company officials, and a dialogue with prospective trainees.

In his presentation, Mr. King provided staff and students with information about STOMO, focusing on the company’s role in the power generation and water desalination sector in the Sultanate. He also introduced the company’s training program and for the benefit of students in the audience, how prospective employees can be hired by the company. After his presentation, Mr. King and the other company officials answered questions from the attendees. They also allotted some time interacting with students who are interested in spending their On-the-Job Training in the company. Aside from students from various departments, Mr. King’s presentation was also attended by college officials, including the Dean, AD Academics, and Heads of different departments.

After the company presentation and dialogue with students, Mr. King and his staff were given a tour of the college. Dr. Bader, AD of Academic Affairs, showed to the STOMO group the various laboratories and other facilities that the college provides its students, particularly in the development of practical technical skills. Afterwards, the group met with the College Dean again for a final briefing. /junlontok

Dr. Rolando Lontok, Head of the e-Learning Working Group of the college, today conducted three workshop sessions on the use of Moodle and NCT eLearn for Foundation level students. A total of 40 students, 22 males and 18 females, attended the sessions which were held at the Self-Access Centre of the ELC building. The sessions, each lasted for 40 minutes, were held from 8:00 to 10:00am. The sessions were organized by the ELC through its head, Mr. Michael Reith, and were coordinated by the ELC e-Learning Coordinator, Mr. Adeel Badar.

In the workshops, Dr. Rolando discussed the importance of e-learning portal in extending the learning process of students. He also gave a general description of the NCT e-Learning Portal, and how students should use it. More importantly, he gave the participating students the chance to experience using NCT eLearn through Moodle by giving them a walkthrough of the steps - from accessing their Moodle accounts, to changing their passwords, to accessing their courses and using the files uploaded by their tutors – and letting the students do said activities on their own. Short question and answer activities followed each workshop session. Dr. Rolando was assisted by Mr. Ramil Rabang, ETC Technician, throughout the workshops.

The Information Systems Group of the Educational Technologies Centre (ETC) presented the OJT System to college officials and OJT supervisors and assessors last January 7 at the College Multi-purpose Hall. The event was attended by about 40 staff from the different departments who are involved in OJT activities. The event, which was organized by the ETC - ISG, was divided into two parts – the presentation and workshop parts – and lasted for about two hours.

Mr. Froilan Buelo Jr., one of the programmers of the ETC-ISG, provided a walkthrough of the project in the presentation part. He described the different features of the project to the participants, explaining in detail how each menu works, and how each of the personnel involved in OJT activities can use the software. He described in detail the functions of the software that pertains to the Head of OJT, the OJT Supervisor, as well as the OJT Assessor. In the presentation, Mr. Froilan used the actual software - currently available via the college network – in explaining and describing its various features.

The second part of the activity witnessed the participants trying the OJT software themselves. Once the software presentation is finished, the activity moved to IT Lab203 for the workshop. Mr. Froilan was supported by Ms. Mylyn Nostarez, the other ISG programmer, in this undertaking. In this endeavor, the participants tried to explore and navigate the program themselves, trying its different features and getting a feel of how they will actually use it. After spending some time exploring and trying the software, the participants were given a short time to ask questions to the presenters.

The event was attended by college officials including the College Dean, Dr. Ahmed Al-Ghassani, and the Asst. Dean of Academic Affairs, Dr. Bader Ahmed Al-Khalaf.

The College's Internet connection, which was increased to 2Mbps just two months ago, is further increased to 4Mbps starting the first week of January. This was made possible by adding another line of 2Mbps to the existing 2Mbps line, which effectively doubled the bandwidth the College community will be using this year. This endeavour is made possible with the support of the College administration and through the giving of priority to the projects of the ETC which would serve all College stakeholders.

The connection of the new 2Mbps line was completed on January 6 through the collaboration of the technical personnel from Omantel and the ETC staff assigned for the maintenance and management of the College's network. The connection was done on the existing router of the College by just using another port for connecting the extra 2Mbps line.

In line with this upgrade, the ETC personnel is hopeful that the current bandwidth will be more than enough to support the current requirements of both the students and staff regarding their research and Web browsing activities. Moreover, it could help them for better communication and collaboration with peers outside of the College for improved academic experience.

Meanwhile, in a related development, the ETC continues the blocking of audio and video streams in the College network. This is to ensure that files not related to teaching and learning activities will not be downloaded using College computers, as well as to ensure further that normal browsing and search activities will not be hampered by these downloading tasks. Through this, the ETC believes that faster and more meaningful Internet learning experience can be provided to the College community.