On May 15-18, 2017, UNIR hosted the OpenMed Facilitators’ Workshop in Madrid. The aim of the workshop was to meet with the Facilitators of the OpenMed training Course (pre-announced here) in order to get familiar with the online learning model that will be adopted in the OpenMed course; get acquainted with the course content; design collaboratively the course animation strategy, the course activities, and the calendar of the local learning circle and to start working in collaboration with the team of Facilitators, so to be able to act like a community during the course.
As part of the OpenMed workshop, UNIR have realised a series of video interviews with project partners about open education and the social impact of education. Participants have been asked to express their opinion on the project impact locally, for their institutions and more in general in the South-Mediterranean. What emerged is a very positive assessment of the project, where institutions and staff can learn from one another, being beneficial both ways. In the words of interviewee:
“The region is now facing a lot of challenges, not only political challenges. The political situation reflects on education, so this kind of projects will also give an opportunity to the youth, to the young people, learners and educators, to go beyond the borders” Rania Qasim, Birzeit University
“First of all, the positive point of the project is that it federates a certain number of universities, researchers from different horizons, contributing to the project and exchanging materials, experiences, trainings.. like what we are doing now in UNIR” Ahmed Almakari, Université Ibn Zohr
“In our institution (PSUT) they are more likely into a more traditional academic way of teaching. We are still at the early stages of e-learning and online courses as well, but OpenMed comes at the right time and will provide very good aspects of opening new resources in education” Adiy Tweissi, Princess Sumaya University for Technology
Video capsules can be watched on our YouTube channel and here below: