Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Palestinian HEls: An e-Learning Initiative that Bridges Educational and Socio-Political Gaps “TEFL-ePal”
Overall objective of the project
The core aim of the project is to implement initiatives that develop learners’ linguistic capacity, skills, and English language excellence, aiming to bridge the educational and socio-political gaps, and enhance modernization, internationalization and lifelong learning. The project helps to initiate TEFL team and language centers to enhance ICT integration, blended learning & research studies. The special geopolitical context added to the restrictions imposed by occupation, undoubtedly, affects access equitable, and quality education for all students in Palestine. The aim of the team is to make excellence in TEFL available to the widest possible audience through the platform; easy access to knowledge and the availability of OER are a crucial opportunity to focus on one-to-one personalized instruction powered by digital tools adapted to each student’s strategy and solution as it is not restricted to a geographical area, or a specific classroom. TEFL-ePAL will be a platform and reference for educators, students, and professors; it is the first time that TEFL specialists in our HEIs have a channel to work side by side with their European peers who generate mutual understanding, and the first gate for TEFL experts of EU partners to contribute to develop TEFL outcomes.
Innovative characteristics of the project
- Develop lifelong learning skills
- Conduct studies on TEFL
- Coordination to promote English T/L, increase linguistic capacity
- Free access to knowledge
- Enhance ICT integration
- Innovation in teaching approaches
- Digital educational resources
- Flexible curricula & accessibility
- Infrastructure & language centers
Project Approach
- Plan the overall strategy, approach, and team structure.
- Define the project requirements.
- Design interaction and visual concepts and evolve them into detailed specifications.
- Develop, test, and refine the solution.
- Deploy the solution via messaging, training, and a planned launch.
Project Outcomes
The project includes main components; capacity building for academic and technical teams at Palestinian partner Universities, transfer of knowledge and best practices from European partners to Palestinian partners, dissemination activities, establishment of modern language centers, and the development of new four textbooks that is culturally customized to suit Palestinian context and culture, simultaneously, the new text books have electronic versions that integrate technology in the teaching/learning processes in a blended learning manner. These books are OERs and can be downloaded below.
Partners
Nine partners altogether are part of this consortium, of which five EU partners, TU Chemnitz, University of Wolverhampton, Anadolu University, Al Quds open University, Palestine Ahliya University College, Al-Istiqlal University, Universal Learning Systems, Palestine Technical University Kaddorrie.
PAU project team
To visit the project website: