Guidebook-MOOCS-Network

Guidebook The University of Balamand participated in the Erasmus+ capacity Building Project for Higher Education entitled "European project DesigN and Management In the South MediTerranean region - EuNIT". The main objective is to create a European unit in each partner university involved in the project (i.e. three universities in Lebanon, two Universities in Jordan and three Universities in Libya) and consequently, to provide the needed services, help and guidance to its staff (teaching and administrative) and students who are interested in participating international projects and particularly in European projects. Thus, the project provides an opportunity for the colleagues in the involved institutions to respond efficiently and effectively to EU initiatives and proposals. Also, the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) or universities in the South Mediterranean region, particularly the partners universities, can become aware of the importance of EU project design and management to develop and modernize their Higher education systems, can build a durable partnerships with the European HEIs and can maximize their internationalization efforts that lead to higher visibility and better ranking regionally and internationally.

In this context, a valuable and important deliverable of the EuNIT project is the production and the publishing of a "Guidebook", entitled “European Project Design and Management Unit Installation Guidebook in the South Mediterranean region within the Framework of the EuNIT Project", to i) be used internally i.e. help and guide the partner HEIs to set-up and install an European Project and management unit in the framework of the second development phase in their respective HEIs (Activity T3.1) and ii) be used externally i.e. help and guide the interested colleagues from the non-participating universities in the project, located in the South Mediterranean region, to acquire and gain such knowledge and skills, and to transfer the know-how in order t0 install such EU unit in their corresponding HEIs. The main target group is mainly the staff (administrative or teaching) and the universities’ officials in HEIs that are located in the three partner countries (namely, in Lebanon, Jordan and Libya) as well as in the South Mediterranean region.
Several actors were involved in the production of the Guidebook". University officials from Partner Country HEIs are involved in its development i.e. by implementing Activity T1.2 (the observation period). In the framework of the latter activity, two official members from each partner university have performed mobility at a particular European program university in order to observe the corresponding EU unit and learn about its operation, its services, its staff, their roles, the administrative aspects, the financial aspects, etc... Thus, each group has the opportunity to observe a different EU unit and consequently, different perspectives have been gained by implementing the “observation period”. The corresponding activity served as a foundation for the production of the guidebook. Also, the trainees from each partner HEI have played a role in the guidebook's preparation and development. The three selected trainees from each partner HEI have performed during the first development phase a) a Cooperation training session, b) a research training session and c) a practical placement. They were trained to equip them with the needed skills, expertise and information to help in the framework of the created EU unit and consequently, to help and guide the colleagues in their institutions in developing international and EU projects that respond to the needs of their HEIs. In the framework of the training activities, the trainees have attended the sessions in different universities and consequently, different perspectives have been gained.
The acquired skills, knowledge and skills should not be limited to the staff/colleagues in the corresponding HEIs participating in the project. They should be disseminated and the results exploited to the fullest possible manner. Subsequently, the availability of the produced guidebook on the project website and/or the partner universities' websites allows its dissemination and its access by more staff/colleagues from the HEIs across the South Mediterranean region. Thus, the dissemination of the “Guidebook” will be a mean to reach the intended target group even after the completion of the project.
The guidebook defines the procedures to install the EU unit in a particular university, its missions, its objectives, its services, the required resources in terms of staff and finance, its staff members and their roles, the needed equipment, the good practices to adhere and the sustainability issues. The guidebook introduces a structure and an organization of the project design and management unit. However, flexibility is envisaged so that the university interested in setting-up an EU unit can adopt the most appropriate structure which can be easily incorporated in its organization. The operations of the unit, its functioning, its evaluation and the quality control are also addressed. The guidebook can be accessed in its English version or its Arabic version. The guidebook is also available on the website of the EuNIT project at http:\\www.eunitproject.eu.

MOOCs

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) is another important and valuable outcome of the EuNIT projects. They are based on the training sessions (cooperation training sessions and Research training sessions) that were performed in the program universities during the first development phase. The MOOCs are intended to reach all the interested staff/colleagues who have been able to participate in (or attend) the various dissemination activities that were performed during the span of the project such as the first External training session In Amman (Jordan), the second external training session in Beirut (Lebanon), the internal training sessions (in the partner HEIs), etc.…. The courses are accessible to all interested colleagues with a free registration service. They can be accessed by pressing on the following link MOOCs Courses.

EuNIT Regional network

The EuNIT regional network, created by the eight partner’s universities and the leader of the Work package 5, is an open network and another mean to disseminate the information and the project’s results (exploitation). The network was launched during the conference that was organized in Amman, Jordan. The conference was an opportunity to generate the interest of invited HEI officials and staff in the activities of the EuNIT project and to highlight their importance to the participants for EU projects and proposals. The network’s activities will continue after the end of the project and a coordinator (Princess Sumaya University for Technology-PSUT) was assigned. Therefore, similar to the diffusion of the guidebook and of the MOOCs, the EuNIT regional network will lead to the sustainability of the project. In this context, following a modest plan discussed during the Final meeting of the project, the network will continue to reach HEIs which require support in developing project design and management, transfer the know-how and experience. More information about the network, its activities and how to join can be received by contacting the coordinator of the network i.e. pressing on the following link “Network coordinator”.