Applied Algebra and Analysis Group (AAAG), Department of Mathematical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Frontier Materials Research Alliance, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) had organized Online Global Classroom (OGC) 2021 in collaboration with Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran and Salahaddin University-Erbil, Iraq.
This was the second OGC organised by AAAG through a virtual platform to share knowledge and research from experts around the world. The conducted OGC program was divided into eight different sessions (one or two hours lecture per session). The sessions were lectures by Prof. Dr. Ahmad Erfanian from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad and Dr. Sanhan Muhammad Salleh Khasraw from Salahaddin University-Erbil.
Four lecture series of Prof. Dr. Ahmad Erfanian were presented on 19, 21, 26, and 28 April 2021. The first two lectures were on Free Groups and Group Presentation, and the other two lectures were on Some Graphs Associated to Rings. Meanwhile, the second speaker’s lectures series were organized and presented on 3, 5, 17, and 19 May 2021. His four lecture series focuses on two different parts, which comprises Fields & Integral Domain and Rings of Polynomials. Both speakers started by sharing the basic concepts and definitions before explained the advanced topics. Proven results were shown and some open problems that researchers and students can work on for future research were also suggested.
The OGC was attended and benefited by more than 40 participants including academic staff, researchers, and students. The lecture series managed to bring AAAG and UTM together with other 14 institutions from six different countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, India and Afghanistan.
UTM International has come up with this OGC framework as an initiative to maintain the University’s internationalization agenda amidst the current COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, UTM International focused on outbound and inbound mobility programs where students flew to other institutions to attend classes and experience new cultures of teaching and learning. As a result of new practices to cope with the new norm, the current OGC was introduced. Hence, despite the pandemic and new normal practices, UTM students are still being able to experience attending classes taught by external researchers around the globe.
In line with this internationalization agenda, AAAG supports the initiative by organizing the OGC to provide a platform for students and lecturers to learn from experts. Based on the feedback from the participants, the OGC has broadened their knowledge in the area of group and graph theories. There will be more invited experts to share their knowledge and expertise on this platform subsequently.
Prepared by:
Prof. Dr. Nor Haniza Sarmin, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nor Muhainiah Mohd Ali, Dr. Nur Idayu Alimon & Dr. Ibrahim Gambo
Applied Algebra and Analysis Group, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Frontier Materials Research Alliance, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.
