A delegation from the Libyan Academy for Postgraduate Studies, which included the Director of E-Learning Center, Dr. Omar Saleh Mahmoud, and the Director of Information Technology Department, Dr. Musa Khalifa Fanir, visited Yarmouk University, to discuss activating the terms of the memorandum of understanding signed between the two sides. During the meeting, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Professor Mousa Rababah, confirmed that Yarmouk University is looking forward to activating the provisions of this memorandum in a way that achieves a qualitative addition and serves the scientific and research process of the two universities, pointing out that Yarmouk University is always keen to strengthen its network of relations with various Arab and international academic institutions and universities and build on such relationships to achieve its aspirations and goals. Regarding e-learning, Rababah pointed out that Yarmouk University has reached an advanced level in this aspect by adopting digital transformation strategies and integrating them into the policies and plans of the e-learning center and open educational resources.
In the same context, both Mahmoud and Fanir stressed the interest of the Libyan Academy in strengthening its relations with Yarmouk University because of the status and academic reputation it represents at the level of Jordanian and Arab universities. They explained that their visit comes to Yarmouk is to confirm the Libyan Academy’s keenness to activate the terms of the memorandum of understanding signed between both sides. They also pointed out the Libyan Academy's aspiration to benefit from the experience of Yarmouk University with regard to e-learning and distance education as well as joint supervision of research and university theses in a way that achieves positive scientific and research interaction for both universities.
On the sidelines of the visit, the delegation of the Libyan Academy for Postgraduate Studies visited the Center of E-Learning and Open Educational Resources, where they listened to an explanation from the Center’s director, Dr. Alaa Al-Makhzoumi, about the Center’s vision, mission, nature of work, and the role assigned to it with regard to the educational process.
A number of professors and students of Al-Hijjawi Faculty for Engineering Technology at Yarmouk University participated in a group of training workshops organized by the German University of Bonn-Rhein-Zig, as part of the activities of the RL4Eng project to develop remote and virtual laboratories for teaching and training students of engineering faculties in higher education institutions in the southern Mediterranean and the Sub-Saharan regions.
The Dean of the Faculty - General Director of the Project, Dr. Muwafaq Al-Otoum, said that this project is supported by the European Erasmus Plus program and managed by Yarmouk University, and it involves the participation of 15 academic partners and companies from Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tanzania, Germany, and Spain. He also explained that the project contributes to the process of digital transformation in higher education institutions by focusing on teaching practical laboratories in engineering faculties, indicating that the project is considered unique of its kind because there are no similar experiences in the participating countries from the Middle East, North and Central Africa.
Noteworthy is that the training sessions included introducing examples of practical engineering laboratories taught remotely at European partner universities, mechanisms for designing and developing these laboratories, and the methods of teaching and evaluating them. It also included practical training workshops for students and faculty members on the concepts included in the project.
Funded by Hisham Adeeb Hijjawi Scientific Foundation, three students from Al-Hijjawi Faculty for Engineering Technology at Yarmouk University participated in the North African Conference for Students and Young Professionals organized by the International Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, which was held this year at Egypt University of Informatics (EUI) in Cairo during the period 24- 27, August 2023.
The Faculty students who participated in this conference, Qusai Mashraqi and Yara Shalabi from the Department of Computer Engineering and Ali Jawahra from the Department of Electronics Engineering, explained that the conference aims at networking students, young professionals, and experts in the various fields of engineering and technology in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. They added that the conference aims at providing a unique opportunity for participants to network with their peers, learn from industry leaders, and participate in workshops, panel discussions, and technical sessions.
The Vice President of Yarmouk University for Academic Affairs, Professor Mousa Rababah, discussed with a delegation from the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Amman, which included the head of the education department at the embassy, Magomed Gamzatov, and the director of the Russian Cultural Center in Amman, Alexei Bukin, ways of expanding the horizons of scientific and research cooperation between Yarmouk University and its Russian counterparts.
Rababah said, during the meeting, which was attended by Dr. Samer Samarah, Vice President of the University for Planning, Development, Scientific Research and Quality Affairs, that Yarmouk is looking forward to establishing qualitative relations with Russian academic institutions in a way that serves and achieves the University’s future aspirations. He explained: “this academic partnership may have many forms, such as exchanging students and professors, conducting scientific research, discussing university theses, and many others”. Rababah then pointed out that Yarmouk University was the first university in Jordan to include course packages for a number of foreign languages, such as French, Spanish, Turkish, German, and Chinese, in the study plans for undergraduate programs out of its belief in the necessity of qualifying students with skills that will open up additional opportunities for them. Moreover, Rababah revealed that Yarmouk, through its Language Center, intends to offer a summer program for the Arabic language for non-native speakers, stressing that the University welcomes any possible cooperation with the Russian embassy in this regard.
For his part, Gamzatov expressed the readiness of the educational department at the Russian embassy in Amman for constructive academic cooperation with Yarmouk University, indicating that the educational department at the Russian embassy is fully prepared to cooperate with the Faculty of Arts regarding preparing the “Russian corner”, which will include various books on the Russian literature and the modern educational curricula for the Russian language, in addition to computers and technological equipment that may help in learning the Russian language. In the same context, Bukin pointed out the desire of the Russian Cultural Center in Amman to cooperate and coordinate with Yarmouk University to organize a number of cultural activities and events, most notably the Russian Cultural Day, with the aim of introducing the University and the local community to Russian culture, customs, and traditions.
In cooperation with the Jordanian Handball Federation and the German Olympic Committee, the Faculty of Physical Education at Yarmouk University organized a training course for its students in handball at level D. The course, which included theoretical and practical aspects of training promising players in handball, was conducted by national coaches, namely Dr. Noman Udaybat and Captain Muhannad Al-Mansi, from the Jordanian Handball Federation. The Dean of the Faculty, Dr. Muhammad Khalaf Al-Dhiabat, said that this course comes within the context of the Faculty’s plan to strengthen its partnership with various federations and sports bodies, which reflects positively on its career and students by deepening their physical and training skills, increasing their experience, and qualifying them for the labor market. He explained that the course was held over three days on the University campus with the participation of faculty students and players from the local community and that it aimed at achieving the vision of Yarmouk University in serving the local community, communicating with people, empowering them, honing their skills, and qualifying them in a way that contributes to the development of the game. This target, he stated, is in harmony with the philosophy of the “Hand Union” in refining and developing young talents.
As a continuation of the process of integrating foreign language course packages into the study plans for undergraduate programs implemented by Yarmouk University at the beginning of the academic year 2022/2023, the University's Council of Deans decided to include such language packages in all academic programs offered recently and in some majors that have modified their names and study plans in 2022/2023. These programs are supply chain management and logistical sciences, digital arts, computer engineering - the Internet of things, history and civilization, translation and interpretation, and applied French. This decision stems from the University’s belief in the value of providing university students with the skills needed to successfully engage in the labor market.
The President of the University, Professor Islam Massad, said that Yarmouk believes in the importance of communicating with the rest of the world, which demands providing students with various skills including mastering foreign languages. He then pointed out that the University, within a five-year strategic plan, is working to update the study plans for various academic programs by including foreign language packages, namely German, French, Turkish, Spanish, and Chinese, from which students can choose whatever fulfills their aspirations and future plans.
Based on the vision of Yarmouk University and its strategic plan for attracting the largest possible number of students from various parts of the world to enroll in its multiple, qualitative and innovative programs and to keep pace with the spirit of the times and be in harmony with the needs of the labor market, the Board of Trustees of Yarmouk University, which was held on Thursday, 9/28/2023 , headed by Her Excellency Professor Ruwayda Al-Maaytah, decided to treat the new students of international programs for the bachelor’s level as the Jordanian students of the parallel program in terms of credit hour fees starting from the first semester of the academic year 2023/2024.
In this regard, the President of the University, Professor Islam Massad, said: “this decision stems from the vision of Yarmouk University and its philosophy based on updating its study plans and creating new programs that fulfill the ambitions of students who wish to acquire modern sciences and knowledge to engage in the labor market easily.” Massad added that Yarmouk University is keen to provide an educational and social environment that helps communication between students of different nationalities, highlighting that the University includes more than three thousand students from 48 countries around the world. He then said that Yarmouk seeks to provide the best possible service to international students by integrating them into the academic and social environment of the University, which is known by its quiet, safe, and distinguished geographical location.
The President of Yarmouk University, Professor Islam Massad, praised the efforts of the teaching and administrative staff and students in the various faculties and departments of the University on the occasion of obtaining the American international accreditation, ABET, by ten academic programs in the faculties of Al-Hijjawi for Engineering Technology, Information Technology and Computer Science, and Science. While honoring the deans of these faculties and the heads and members of the departments that offer the programs that have obtained this accreditation, Massad stressed the importance of this achievement as it reflects positively on the reputation and position of the University locally, regionally, and internationally. He also stated that this achievement embodies the teamwork and cooperation conducted by the cadre of these departments and faculties, acknowledging their perseverance and sincerity in serving the University as well as the whole country. He then praised the efforts of the students of these departments and their positive interaction with their professors and their participation in the evaluation processes during the accreditation’s official visits.
For their part, the deans, heads of departments, and professors indicated that obtaining this accreditation for their faculties and academic departments would advance the progress and aspirations of their departments, in addition to providing distinguished competencies and outputs that are scientifically and practically qualified to compete in the labor market efficiently and competently.
It is noteworthy that the programs that have obtained this accreditation are Computer Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Communications Engineering, Biomedical Systems Engineering, and Biomedical Informatics Engineering at Al-Hijjawi Faculty for Engineering Technology, Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, and Business Information Technology at the Faculty of Information Technology and Computer Science, and the Statistics Program in the Faculty of Science. Also, it is noteworthy that this accreditation is considered one of the most reliable international accreditations in the fields of applied sciences, computers, engineering, and technology, and it is the most common accreditation in American universities and other countries across the world.
The Minister of Industry, Trade, and Supply and the Minister of Labor, Youssef Al-Shamali, sponsored the opening ceremony of the international conference "New Trends in the Business Environment", which was organized by the Faculty of Business at Yarmouk University for two days in the Dead Sea region, with the participation of 90 researchers from 7 Arab and foreign countries. In his opening speech, Al-Shamali stressed that Yarmouk University is a place for scientific figures and distinguished graduates at the national, Arab, and international levels, pointing out the importance of the conference as it deals with an important topic that has become one of the most important requirements for achieving an integrated and sustainable economic renaissance represented by creating an advanced business environment that is supportive of various sectors. He also stressed the importance of linking the outputs of scientific research on modern trends in the business environment and the various aspects of economic operations, such as production, innovation, and marketing. Al-Shamali then stated that the government pays much attention to developing the business environment in the Kingdom and implementing sustainable tools to consolidate the elements of developing the business environment, which the government views as the foundation for achieving a sustainable economic renaissance, which provides new job opportunities and achieves social welfare and economic immunity.
For his part, the President of the University, Professor Islam Massad, confirmed that Yarmouk University is moving rapidly and steadily to become a comprehensive university in which the various branches of knowledge and their precise specializations are integrated in three components: a distinguished university teaching system that keeps pace with what the developed world has achieved, precise scientific research that responds to the needs of the nation, and serving the local, Arab, and humanitarian community through openness to the nation’s institutions and building partnerships with them. He added that the University is interested in progressive modernization and development to achieve high performance for its academic and administrative units and raise their productivity as evident in conducting a comprehensive review of the legislation regulating university work and having a thoughtful, systematic, and verified update according to scientific foundations of study plans at all stages. He also pointed out that the University’s keenness to hold this important scientific conference stems from its belief in the exchange of experiences, opinions, and viewpoints among researchers and scientists.
The Dean of the Faculty - Chairman of the Conference-, Dr. Michel Swaidan, said that the idea of organizing the conference is triggered by the University’s plan to benefit from the involvement of business organizations in developing institutional performance in the business sector and enhancing good governance of economic, financial, and administrative policies. He then pointed out that Yarmouk University, through its Faculty of Business, is interested in capturing any advancements in the field of business environment, as made evident in the Faculty’s endeavor to develop its study plans and curricula at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He also pointed to the new study programs developed by the Faculty at the undergraduate level, explaining that some of these programs are already approved, such as “Supply Chain Management and Logistics Sciences” while some others are on their way to approval, such as “Financial Technology (FinTech)”. He then mentioned that the Faculty launched the “E-Marketing” program last year and the “Leadership and Entrepreneurship” program three years ago.
The Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Business - Head of the Conference Preparatory Committee, Dr. Buthaina Kharabsheh, confirmed that the conference comes in the context of the Faculty’s vision towards leadership, progress, and support of the process of education, scientific research, and community service locally, regionally, and globally. She added that the importance of holding such event stems from the Faculty’s futuristic plans of moving towards more important changes in the business environment, which is characterized by rapid technological development and digitization. She then thanked the participants coming from seven countries, namely Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Palestine, Malaysia, Britain, and Nigeria, stating that the scientific papers included in the conference program covers several topics, which are accounting, finance, business administration, marketing, economics, management, public administration, and health services management.
The preparation of scientific competencies in various fields of knowledge, and the production of innovative scientific research aims to serve society by providing exemplary education in an intellectually stimulating university environment.