The Hijjawi Faculty for Engineering Technology at Yarmouk University led the fifth meeting of the project “Development of Remote and Virtual Laboratories for Teaching and Training Engineering Students in the South Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan Higher Education Institutions (RL4Eng)”, funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ program. The event was recently held at the University of Balamand in Lebanon.

This project aims to enhance the educational process in engineering by integrating modern technology into teaching and training. It seeks to create interactive virtual platforms that provide students with practical learning opportunities and realistic simulations, regardless of time or location. The project also contributes to strengthening faculty competencies and enables students to gain valuable practical experience, aligning with the requirements of the regional and international labor market.

The meeting brought together 15 academic institutions from Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tanzania, Spain, and Germany. Participants shared the latest updates and outcomes achieved since the project’s launch and reviewed future work plans and strategies to expand the initiative to reach a larger number of students.

The event included specialized workshops on integrating virtual laboratories into curricula and utilizing them to enhance students’ engineering skills.

The Yarmouk University project management team, consisting of Dr. Mohammad Alzubaidi, Dean of the Hijjawi Faculty for Engineering Technology, Dr. Dania Bani Hani, Vice Dean (participating remotely), and Dr. Amin Jarrah from the Department of Computer Engineering, highlighted the university’s leadership role in overseeing the project since its inception. They emphasized the university’s strong commitment to supporting international initiatives that enhance higher education quality and foster cross-border academic collaboration.

It is noteworthy that Yarmouk University, through the Hijjawi Faculty for Engineering Technology, received EU support under the Erasmus+ program three years ago as the project owner, managing its activities in cooperation with partners from the six participating countries. This reinforces the university’s position as a pioneering institution in leading international projects aimed at advancing higher education in the region.