Jordan University of Science and Technology participates in the "JOVITAL" project

Based on the Jordan University of Science and Technology's keenness on the necessity of linking with different Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) within a virtual academic exchange network, integrating students into a virtual collaborative learning environment with their counterparts and faculty members in different universities and countries, and introducing modern teaching methods based on funded projects and educational problem solving, the university participated (And within the Erasmus program) in the closing session of the JOVITAL "Jordan's Opportunity for Innovative Virtual Learning and Learning" project funded by the European Union, which was organized by the Union of Mediterranean Universities (UNIMED) and in the presence of a large number of faculty members, administrators, students and alumni from different Jordanian universities, UK, Germany, Italy and Slovenia.

Prof. Dr. Saeb Khreisat, President of the University, affirmed that the university is working on building partnerships and networking with local and international educational institutions, adding that this project enhances the opportunities for adopting developed and proven methods and employing results to provide an interactive educational experience for its students and faculty members, whether within virtual environments or through blended learning that combines Between the flexibility of digital learning and the possibilities of direct communication within the classroom, and the contribution to enriching the interactive dimension of the educational process despite the conditions of social distancing through social media channels, and enabling teachers to follow students in the virtual environment using modern digital support and evaluation methods.

The Dean of Computer and Information Technology college, Prof. Dr. Ismail Hmeidi, emphasized that the project had an effective role in developing effective online collaborative activities by understanding research and how learners process information in a digitally connected environment. Many of the JOVITAL project activities, led by the University's College of Computer and Information Technology, had an impact on the faculty members using online virtual learning environments, participating by focusing on educational and pedagogical best practices in order to deliver effective online education. These activities for virtual collaborative training help support the faculty members and students build resilience and help everyone re-align with purpose. This type of subsidized training for employees shows that the university is interested in developing its staff and is willing to invest in them.

The project coordinator, Prof. Dr. Mostafa Z. Ali from the Faculty of Information Technology at the university, said that the various activities in "JOVITAL" have trained more than 100 academics and faculty members on virtual and global cooperative learning methods, and organized academic visits to Germany and UK for more than 60 faculty members, and the introduction of Mini-projects for virtual collaborative learning in more than 15 university educational courses in Jordan and the organization of a global educational course that included 60 students from Jordan, Germany, Slovenia, Italy and Georgia, and the establishment and equipment of five computer laboratories in the participating Jordanian universities to support digital and integrated learning activities and build a virtual learning community of more than 800 members from students, teachers and academics around the world.

It is noteworthy that the "JOVITAL" project, which began in 2017, includes five local universities, including "Jordan University of Science and Technology" and four institutions of higher education in Germany, Britain, Slovenia and Italy.

​