On Thursday the 2nd of May 2019, the team of "TAP" project started their training activities at Cork University in Ireland, the training sessions continued for three consecutive days. The team of Cork University contributed significantly to the University's experience in developing the teaching and learning strategy, which included training in the preparation and formulation of the academic strategy and the design of the evaluation strategy for representatives and officials of Palestinian universities. The training also included detailed presentations of UCC's strategy and academic strategic plans, focusing on harmonizing effective evaluation practices with learning outcomes, academic management reform, related curriculum development, teamwork policy, and policy evaluation within the UCC.
"TAP" project (Transforming Assessment Practices in Large Enrollment First Year Education) is one of the Erasmus + projects funded by the European Union. The leader of the project Al-Najah National University in Palestine and included the participation of the National Commission for Accreditation and Quality, Birzeit University, Polytechnic University of Palestine, Al-Aqsa University and the University College of Applied Sciences. The project EU partners are UCC University in Ireland, the University of Alicante in Spain, STU University in Slovakia, and Greece Four Elements.
The team of Al-Aqsa University included Prof. Dr. Ayman Sobh, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Alaa Eddin Khalil Al-Sayed Project Coordinator, and Dr. Ahmed Al-Mabhouh Director of Quality Department.
As a leader of the project, Al-Najah National University declared the start of the training meetings by the project manager, Prof. Dr. Abdulkarim Daraghmeh. He clearly explained the objectives of the program and the expected outputs.
The activities program also included a meeting with Professor Patrick O'Shea, the President of UCC, who welcomed the attendees at UCC showing the most important developments at UCC, and answered questions and interventions of the attendees.
At the end of the program, the participating Palestinian universities, in the presence of a prominent Palestinian accreditation and quality body, discussed ways to formulate unified national policies for higher education institutions to employ effective evaluation practices. Palestinian universities discussed their priorities in light of the challenges they face as a step towards formulating unified policies for the development of evaluation methods at universities the National. The program recommendations and outcomes were to prepare a document for higher education at the national level, which includes the development and diversification of evaluation methods in academic programs and is considered as one of the requirements for accreditation of academic programs or renewal of accreditation of existing programs.
