Projects and Training Courses (2017-2018)

The smart course of Open Educational Resource (OER)

The smart course of OER project is implemented by OLC and the Center for Continuing Education and Community Service, in partnership with the Jordanian Ministry of Education, funded by UNESCO and supervised by its regional office in Cairo. The aim of the project is to enhance awareness of the importance of OER in terms of production, reuse and redistribution with high quality standards, as well as to promote open educational practices tin order o improve the quality of education and its outputs in Jordan, Palestine and the whole Arab world. To achieve this, an open, smart course in Arabic had been developed and workshops have been held in Jordan and Palestine to prepare trainers who are able to use this course in OER training.

Investigative Journalism

An electronic course on TV investigative journalism was developed. This course will help media students understand the basic concepts and tools used to conduct investigations and equip them with the required skills.

Arabic for non - native speakers

A project funded by the E-OMED and implemented by the Center for Continuing Education and Community Service, OLC and the Faculty of Arts. The first phase, which included training the team and preparing the content of the first course, has been completed. The project aims to train Arabic-speaking academics to prepare content for the development of the first level of the Arabic language course. The course consists of six levels and designed to provide services to students, researchers, those interested in Arab issues and representatives of international institutions who wish to learn Arabic. The course aims to enhance communication with the outside world and exchange cultures between Palestine and the Western world through electronic means.

Research Output Management through Open Access Institutional Repositories in Palestinian Higher Education Institutions ROMOR

One of Erasmus + projects led by the Deanship of the Faculty of Technology and Applied Sciences besides many other Palestinian and European universities, the project aims to develop digital repositories to manage and disseminate the outputs of scientific research. The Center contributed with the team in the preparation of a strategic plan to manage the outputs of scientific research, and in developing a policy paper to control and update the repository to meet the new requirements.

Virtual Reality Employment Project in Palestinian Universities

It is one of Erasmus+ projects supervised by the Continuing Education and Community Service Center and OLC. The project aims at training and qualifying staff in Palestinian universities to design content and develop virtual reality technology that simulates reality. Through this project, several joint courses will be developed between Palestinian universities. QOU is developing a practical Physics course.

Future Projects

1. Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Palestinian Higher Education Institutions, TEFL-ePAL an e-learning initiative that fills the educational, political and social gaps." The project is funded by Erasmus+.

2. Capacity building of academics and students of Al - Quds Open University in English skills in cooperation with the University of "Kent" in the United States.

External and Internal Participations

1. August 2017: Participation in Idrak Regional Conference, which was held in Amman, Jordan. The conference aimed at shedding light on the experience of "Idraq Foundation” in the development and dissemination of Massive Open Online Course (MOOCs) with its partners from various Arab and international universities.

2. September 2017: Participation in "Research Output Management through Open Access Institutional Repositories in Palestinian Higher Education (ROMOR)" workshops held in Italy. The workshops aimed at training the staff on preparing institutional policies and strategic plans to run the digital repositories and outputs of scientific research.

3. November 2017: Participating in the closing ceremony of the “ ALECSO Arab Mobile Apps Award in Tunisia. The University was honored for obtaining the first place in the field of culture in Palestine for its smart application of the history of Jerusalem.

4. November 2017: Participation in the evaluation meeting of the (Erasmus +) in Palestine, which was held in Birzeit University to evaluate the achievement of the project "Research Output Management through Open Access Institutional Repositories in Palestinian higher education institutions (ROMOR)", supervised by the Faculty of Technology and Applied Sciences.

5. .November 2017: Participation in a workshop held by the Faculty of Technology and Applied Sciences on the management of the outputs of scientific research. The Center participated in a presentation on the institutional policies of digital repositories.

6. December 2017: participating in TOT for the Open Educational Resource Project in Amman and Ramallah, where two workshops were held and attended by more than 40 trainees.

7. December 2017: Conducting a workshop on OER. The workshop, which was held in Ramallah Branch, aimed to raise awareness about open educational resources.

8. December 2017: Participation in launching virtual reality project in Slovakia. Agreements were signed during the meeting and action plan was set.

9. .January 2018: Participation in the advanced training of Research Output Management through Open Access Institutional Repository/ ROMOR held in Palestine. The training included many participants from Palestinian and from European universities. OLC made a presentation on the business-planning model developed with the project team.

10. .April 2018: Participation in the scientific symposium organized by the Faculty of Technology and Applied Sciences and Bethlehem Branch on the employment of technology in education. The Center presented a paper on the University's experience in smart learning.

11. .April 2018: Participating in “Education in the Arab World “conference which was held in the University of Jordan in cooperation with Al-Quds Open University, OLC presented two research papers on smart courses and interactive activities of Math courses.

12. .September 2018: Participation in a workshop in Slovakia on virtual reality project, during which the educational scenario for physics was developed and the book of educational reference specifications and the book of technical reference specifications of the courses were prepared.

Projects 2016:

• Developing self-Learning Open Online Courses in cooperation with QOU’s T.V Channel and the University’s faculties. The project aims at developing the University’s courses to fulfill the needs of learners and digital natives. The courses are uploaded as Open Educational Resources and target learners from around the world.
• Initiating a project to produce taped lectures to be broadcasted on QOU’s T.V channel and to be uploaded on QTube as Open Educational Resources courses.
• Unifying the visual identity of the University’s e-learning platforms in cooperation with ICTC.
• Initiating a cooperation project with Edraak in Jordan to develop the courses of MOOCs which are directed towards learners and researchers from around the world.
• Initiating a project to train and develop the capacities of students enrolled in majors related to computers. The project enables students to train and volunteer at the Open Education Center to develop their skills. The project is in cooperation with OLC, Students Affairs Deanship, and Deanship of Technology and Applied Sciences.
• Contributing in an action research project that aimed at evaluating Mobile learning at Palestinian schools, through field work, activities design, statistics analysis and supervision.
• Initiating a course on IT employment in education which targets school teachers in Tubas and Jordan Valley. The course is designed within the project of mobile learning.
• Participating in the institutional self-assessment project in the field of continuing education, community service, academic programs, and teaching methods.

OLC Projects (2014-2015):

• OLC monitored and contributed in conducting an action research to assess e-learning in schools through conducting field research and implementing several related activities. The center also contributed in the statistical analysis of the research.
• OLC monitored the process of establishment of Palestinian Center for Excellence in E-learning.

OLC Projects (2013-2014):

• Palestinian Center for Excellence in E-learning:
  OLC was responsible for writing and submitting a proposal for establishing a Center for Excellence in E-learning to the Deanship of Scientific Research at QOU. The project budget was approx. $9 millions. The Center is designed to develop e-learning at QOU and local communities.
• Assessing the e-learning project of MOEHE:
  OLC provided field researchers and statistical analysts to assess MOEHE’s E-learning project, which was funded by Belgium.
• Training Palestinian police officers:
  OLC and CEC were responsible for preparing a project proposal to train police officers. The center was also responsible for the implementation of the project and it was funded by UNOPS.
• Development of a mobile computer lab for marginalized areas in southern Hebron and eastern Jerusalem:
  OLC and CEC prepared a proposal to establish a mobile computer lab to offer educational services, following e-learning model, in marginalized areas in southern Hebron and eastern Jerusalem.
• Diploma in French Language:
  OLC, University of Toulouse, and QOU’s Faculty of Educational Sciences are working on developing a Diploma in French Language, with four of its courses to be taught using e-learning approach.

Accomplishments concerning trainings offered by OLC (2014-2015)

• A webpage for all offered workshops that shows their schedule, material and aims.
• An online self-study training course for using WizIQ platform (an online courses platform.) The webpage for the training is reinforced with videos, activities, trainings, virtual classes, and a guidebook.
• A self-study e-training course on using PowerPoint.
• E-training course on Microteaching directed towards instructors of Faculty of Educational Sciences.
• TOT e-training course on producing interactive videos using Camtasia.
• Designing a webpage for the Diploma “E-learning and Instructional Design".
• A series of workshops directed towards faculty staff to empower and train them on blended learning and its tools.
• An action research to assess the capabilities of faculty staff in e-learning. Based on the results of the research, a training program was designed to train the faculty staff on using virtual classrooms and PowerPoint.
• A training course on Instructional Design directed towards OLC staff.
• A training course on skills of virtual classrooms, basics in PowerPoint, and presentations. The training was directed towards Faculty staff and was available for the whole academic year 2014/2015.
• Two examinations for students on basics of blended learning, around 600 students registered for the exam.
• Online courses directed towards the local community in cooperation with CEC.

• Stage one of Blended Learning Pilot Project:
  Implementing a Pilot project for teaching 10 courses following blended learning method (combining between traditional classrooms and e-learning.) The pilot was later assessed by Ms Cathlin Matheus, who concluded that the project was a great success and it should be applied on the rest of the courses.


• Stage two of Blended Learning Pilot Project:
  26 additional courses were added to the project and online platforms were developed to link students with the online material and instructors, platforms such as virtual classes, Academic Portal, and Moodle.


• The interactive Educational Network for faculty staff:
  The Network was launched in 2008 to establish a communication channel for the faculty staff and employees of QOU to exchange experiences, discussions, and opinions regarding academic matters. The Network is managed and developed by deans of the faculties and their assistants. The Network can be accessed via the following link: http://qoupal.ning.com


• Virtual classrooms- first stage:
  Developing virtual classrooms was important to complement the work and philosophy of the University to follow open learning method and develop e-courses. The project created an electronic network where students, faculty staff, and University’s various department interact and exchange information. The project was funded by the World Bank and EU.


• Virtual classrooms- second stage:
  The Second stage of the project was implemented with the funding of Palgroup. Servers were provided to manage virtual classrooms from inside the premises of the University. The servers provided around 999999 virtual classrooms to be used for lectures, workshops, meetings, etc.
  
• Developing Hebron, Ramallah, and Rafah Branches to be based on e-learning:
  The project initiated in 2009 and aimed at teaching a part of the courses at the Branches using blended learning method.


• English training course on open learning and e-learning at the higher education institutions:
  The training program aims at expanding the skills of faculty staff in e-learning and open learning to enhance and develop its academic programs and educational services. The training was presented in English in cooperation with the Canadian University Manitoba, and it targeted 28 members of faculty staff. One of the training outcomes was designing and developing 20 courses based on blended learning model and using Moodle platform.


• Training on instructional design in e-learning and blended learning:
  The training was implemented in cooperation with the Canadian University Manitoba and it focused on connecting theory with practice to design courses that follow blended learning model. One of the outcomes of the training was preparing 10 supervisors who have basic skills in instructional design in e-learning.


• Training in basics of e-learning environment and their use at QOU:
  About 2055 members of faculty staff benefited from the training. It was later assessed and recommendations were concluded.


• Training on employment of virtual classrooms in education:
  The training was funded by Palgroup and targeted 400 members of faculty staff and administration.


• Professional diploma in open learning and e-learning at the higher education institutions:
  The program is designed to develop competencies of faculty staff to design and teach e-courses following blended learning model. The program lasts for one year and it is accredited by the councils of the University and AQAC.


• Self-study training course on basics of virtual classrooms:
  This training program is directed towards faculty staff to equip them with basics of virtual classrooms. It’s conducted at the beginning of each semester and it can also be a need-based program.


• Advanced training in virtual classrooms:
  The program tackles the advanced strategies and teaching methods of virtual classrooms to sharpen the skills of faculty staff in the field of e-learning. Moreover, it focuses on designing interactive content knowledge, using assessment tools, and developing cognitive skills. It also includes role-playing, group work, and interactive learning.


• UNRWA Training for capacity-building:
  The program aimed at building capacities of faculty staff at both collages and schools in the field of e-learning. It consisted of 50 training hours that combined theory with practice and targeted 255 instructors. The training tackled the following topics:
  • Designing and running educational websites
  • Employment of social networks in education
  • Designing and instructing content knowledge
  • Employment of e-documents in education


• Training in SPSS:
  OLC designed a training course in SPSS for statistics and data analysis. The training is held through live online meetings or through interactive content (presentations, videos, discussion panels, tasks, and assessment.) The training contains different teaching methods and tools such as, brain storming, group work, discussions, problem solving, presentations, and interactive learning, etc.


• Refresher courses:
  These courses are held by OLC as part of the professional development of faculty staff in the field of e-learning. The workshops are held on two stages:
  • The first stage equips faculty staff with the basics of virtual classrooms.
  • The second stage is held based on the specializations of the faculty staff and aims at equipping them with advanced skills in virtual classrooms.


• Student to Student Support Program:
  This program is designed to equip students with basics of e-learning such as, the Academic Portal, virtual classrooms, e-courses, video streaming, etc. A website has been designed for the program to upload the training material and have a discussion forum to exchange ideas and inquiries. The trainers are top students who passed previous similar workshops successfully, and they receive TOT workshop before each new round of the program.