The National VCL

JORDAN OPPORTUNITY FOR VIRTUAL INNOVATIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING

The National VCL (nVCL)

The National VCL took place between the 7th July 2020 and 5th September 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic and included 50 students.

Taking place on the updated JOVITAL learning space curated by TU Dresden, a total of 30 students actively took part from across the five Jordanian Partner institutions:

• Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT), Jordan (6 students) • Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), Jordan (5 students) • German Jordanian University (GJU), Jordan (5 students) • Al Hussein bin Talal University (AHU), Jordan (5 students) • Tafila Technical University (TTU), Jordan (9 students)

As part of the experience, students were mixed into six interdisciplinary teams and worked in virtual teams to practice discussing and exchanging knowledge with peers from different universities and locations. The National VCL cumulated in the student group’s presenting their experiences, demonstrating not only subject-level knowledge, but also capabilities for critical thinking, problem solving, communication skills, and collaborative work.

This VCL delivery resulted in the following headline findings from the evaluation:

• VCL platform • Student Engagement • E-Tutors • Use of the English Language

Each headline finding is expanded upon below:

VCL platform

As with the pilot VLE tests, students felt that the VCL platform could be further improved, particularly with regards to accessing the platform on mobile phones. In addition, learner participants expressed that the VCL would send email notifications at overly frequent intervals, causing some confusion around communications.

JORDAN OPPORTUNITY FOR VIRTUAL INNOVATIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING

Student Engagement

It was widely reported by participants who engaged in the evaluation survey that certain students were undertaking a majority of the course work set, whilst other students did not engage much in the activities. In particular, the E-Tutors shared that they were chasing a small number of students to engage, resulting in separate WhatsApp and social media groups being created to ensure that students were undertaking the VCL related tasks.

Nonetheless, students who did engage expressed that they felt that they had developed and demonstrated soft, transversal skills and benefitted greatly from the opportunity to mix with students from other regions in Jordan.

E-Tutors

The E-Tutors served a central role in the National VCL delivery and received praise from staff and students alike. Their role in offering peer support and as an interface between staff and students was well received, with student participants stating that they felt far more comfortable in seeking assistance and talking with the E-Tutors when compared to talking with their Professors / teachers / tutors. In addition, the E-Tutors themselves expressed that they found the experience to be highly beneficial and were happy to have been able to put their training into action during the National VCL.

English Language

A final headline from National VCL was the use of the English language for instruction. The use of the English language received a mixed reception, with some students finding the use of Arabic to communicate easier, whilst others viewed the use of Arabic as undermining the purpose of the VCL. There was a perception that the use of the English Language was preferred on an academic and intellectual level, resulting in a small number of students feeling isolated if they preferred Arabic.