Learning Without Limits: Leading Digital Learning-Teachers

Program Description

This three-session training program offers an integrated scientific and practical framework for teachers who wish to design effective and purposeful e-learning experiences. The program includes three sessions: Learning Anywhere: Designing Effective Learning Outside the Classroom; Beyond Participation — Fostering Genuine Interaction in Zoom; and Every Learner Matters — Inclusive Assessment and Differentiated Support.

 

The program focuses on translating educational theory into structured, learner-centered practice that improves engagement, interaction, and learning outcomes in digital classrooms. Participants engage in models, case studies, and collaborative activities that can be directly applied in their upcoming online classes.

 

•        Design online lessons structured according to the adapted 5E Model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate), with the appropriate digital tool identified for each phase.

•        Apply the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework to build teaching, social, and cognitive presence in online classrooms.

•        Select appropriate digital tools to activate genuine learner participation and interaction.

•        Develop effective online teaching routines that support consistent learning and virtual classroom management.

•        Diagnose barriers to engagement and interaction in Zoom environments and intervene to address them.

•        Design inclusive formative assessment strategies that accommodate the diverse needs of learners in digital environments.

•        Apply differentiated instruction principles (content, process, and product) to ensure progress for all learners.

•        Critically reflect on online teaching practice and identify concrete, actionable improvement steps.

 

The program is delivered entirely online through a distance learning platform. It consists of three live interactive sessions, each 90 minutes long (4.5 total training hours). Sessions include facilitated discussions, case-based analysis, practical design activities, peer collaboration, and tools that can be immediately applied in the classroom. Participants are expected to actively engage in all activities and complete short reflective tasks between sessions.

 

Session Name	Facilitator	Day	Time
Learning Anywhere: Designing Effective Learning Beyond the Classroom	Dr. Heba Nusaiba	Thursday, March 26	4:00 – 5:30 PM
Beyond Participation: Driving Meaningful Interaction in Remote Learning	Dr. Salma Wayl	Tuesday, March 31	4:00 – 5:30 PM
Every Learner Matters: Inclusive Assessment and Support	Dr. Rana Osama Taani	Thursday, April 2	4:00 – 5:30 PM

 

Participants who attend all three sessions in full will receive an attendance certificate accredited by the Sharjah Academy for Educational Excellence (SEA).

 

Delivery Method: Online (Distance Learning)

Training Hours: 4.5 hours (3 sessions × 90 minutes)

Track: Professional Development

Target Audience: Teachers at all grade levels and subject areas in Sharjah schools

Language: Arabic

Session Dates:

•        Thursday, March 26

•        Tuesday, March 31

•        Thursday, April 2

 

Session One

Learning Anywhere: Designing Effective Learning Beyond the Classroom

Thursday, March 26  |  4:00 – 5:30 PM  |  Online (Distance Learning)

Session Description

This opening session introduces the conceptual and practical foundations of effective online teaching. Participants explore why traditional classroom methods require deliberate adaptation for digital environments, and how structured lesson design directly impacts learner engagement and outcomes. The session presents the adapted 5E Model as an applied framework for designing cohesive, interaction-rich online lessons, and addresses the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework with its three presences: teaching, social, and cognitive.

Session Learning Outcomes

•        Design an online lesson structured according to the adapted 5E Model, identifying the appropriate digital tool for each phase.

•        Explain the three presences in the CoI framework and diagnose symptoms of any absent presence in the online classroom.

•        Apply cognitive chunking by integrating at least one interaction point every 8–10 minutes of direct instruction.

•        Establish one online teaching routine with a clear sequence, digital tool, and contingency plan for technology failure.

•        Evaluate current online teaching practice using the Three-Presence Checklist (18 behaviors).

Session Content

1.      Why online teaching requires deliberate redesign

2.      The adapted 5E Model: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate

3.      The Community of Inquiry (CoI) Framework: Teaching, Social, and Cognitive Presence

4.      Cognitive load theory applied to online lesson design

5.      Online teaching routines: design principles and quality standards

6.      Applied activity: Routine Design — designing a classroom routine in Zoom

 

Delivery Methods	Digital Tools
• Facilitated discussion • Live demonstration • Breakout room group activity • Peer feedback • 3-2-1 chat closure	• Distance learning platform (breakout rooms, annotation, reactions, chat) • Mentimeter • Jamboard / Google Slides • Three-Presence Checklist

 

Session Two

Beyond Participation: Driving Meaningful Interaction in Remote Learning

Tuesday, March 31  |  4:00 – 5:30 PM  |  Online (Distance Learning)

Session Description

This session goes beyond surface-level participation to explore what genuine engagement in online classrooms truly means — and how to design for it intentionally. Participants examine why many remote lessons produce compliance rather than real engagement, and learn practical strategies to activate three types of interaction: learner-content, learner-instructor, and learner-learner. The session introduces Zoom-based interaction techniques and questioning strategies adapted for online environments.

Session Learning Outcomes

•        Distinguish between surface participation and genuine interaction using visible, measurable classroom indicators.

•        Design three differentiated interaction strategies within a single online lesson, each tied to the appropriate Zoom tool.

•        Apply elevated questioning techniques adapted for both synchronous and asynchronous environments.

•        Build social presence through classroom community routines integrated into every session.

•        Diagnose patterns of declining engagement and identify which type of presence is most likely absent.

Session Content

1.     Participation vs. interaction: what research says

2.     Three types of interaction in e-learning: learner-content, learner-instructor, learner-peers

3.     Distance learning interaction tools: chat, breakout rooms, polls, annotation, reactions

4.     Questioning strategies in digital environments: fostering higher-order thinking

5.     Building social presence and classroom community in the virtual space

6.     Diagnosing disengagement and intervening in real time

7.     Applied activity: Designing a high-interaction lesson segment

 

Delivery Methods	Digital Tools
• Live modelling of interaction techniques • Case analysis • Paired and group design activity • Think-Pair-Share via breakout rooms • Exit poll	• Distance learning platform (chat, polls, breakout rooms, spotlight) • Mentimeter • Padlet / Jamboard • Google Forms

 

Session Three

Every Learner Matters: Inclusive Assessment and Support

Thursday, April 2  |  4:00 – 5:30 PM  |  Online (Distance Learning)

Session Description

This closing session addresses one of online teaching's most complex challenges: ensuring every learner is visible, supported, and making progress. Participants explore how to design inclusive and practical formative assessment strategies in digital environments, and how to use data from digital tools to make immediate instructional decisions. The session also covers differentiated support approaches — how to adapt content, process, and product to meet diverse needs without unsustainable workload.

Session Learning Outcomes

•        Design formative assessment tasks that are accessible to all learners in the online environment.

•        Use data from digital formative assessment tools to make evidence-based instructional decisions.

•        Apply differentiation principles (content, process, product) to online lesson planning in a practical and manageable way.

•        Identify equity-affected learners not making progress using visual and digital indicators.

•        Develop a personalized follow-up strategy for learners who need additional support after the online session.

Session Content

1.     Formative assessment in digital environments: challenges and opportunities

2.     Digital tools for real-time formative assessment: Mentimeter, Nearpod, Google Forms, Padlet

3.     Reading the data: using assessment results to make immediate instructional decisions

4.     Differentiation in e-learning: adapting content, process, and product

5.     Identifying and supporting equity-affected learners not making progress in distance learning environments

6.     Asynchronous support strategies: reaching learners between sessions

7.     Applied activity: Designing an inclusive assessment sequence for an online lesson

 

Delivery Methods	Digital Tools
• Data analysis activity • Small group case-based discussion • Individual design task • Peer feedback • Final program 3-2-1 closure and commitment protocol	• Distance learning platform • Mentimeter • Nearpod (demonstration) • Google Forms • Canvas • Three-Presence Checklist (final self-assessment)

 

Professional Standards Addressed	Certification & Prerequisites
✓ Professional Knowledge ✓ Professional Practice ✓ Professional and Ethical Conduct ✓ Professional Development	Certificate of Attendance Awarded by Sharjah Academy for Educational Excellence (SEA) to participants who attend all three sessions in full. Prerequisites No prerequisites. The program is open to all teachers across all grade levels and subject areas.