Universities gearing up to log on to e-learning as classes suspended over coronavirus fears

AMMAN — In light of the government’s measures to suspend classes at Jordanian universities for two weeks to combat the novel coronavirus, an emergency meeting scheduled for Sunday was postponed until Monday, according to the Ministry of Higher Education.

“Higher Education Minister Muhyiddine Touq is going to meet with delegates from public and private universities on Monday to discuss remote teaching and also the matter of suspending attendance for the administrative and academic staff,” the ministry’s Spokesperson Muhannad Al Khatib told The Jordan Times on Sunday over the phone.

On its website, Al Balqa Applied University (BAU) published a statement, in which it said it will begin remote teaching “immediately utilising all available means”, to ensure the education process remains unaffected.

The university started training instructors in e-learning in cooperation with French experts to prepare lessons for conducting online classes, BAU President Abdullah Zubi said in the statement.

Zubi noted that all students received a username and password to be able to access their subjects and resources online, interacting with their professors within virtual classrooms.

The university already prepared new servers that are not impacted by power outages and can handle a heavy load, the university president said. 

University of Jordan (UJ) President Abdelkareem Qudah  said that all subjects will be taught through e-learning, adding that “12 per cent of subjects are already being taught completely online”. 

“Around 31,000 students already take online courses, but today the council of deans discussed teaching all subjects online,” Qudah told The Jordan Times on Sunday, noting that UJ has the necessary infrastructure to facilitate the change in coursework. 

On Saturday, the government announced that all educational institutions, including kindergartens, nurseries, schools, universities, colleges, training institutions and institutes, are to be closed as of Sunday, March 15, for a period of two weeks.