The European Union’s Erasmus+ program is a funding scheme to support activities in the fields of Education, Training, Youth and Sport. It offers opportunities for organizations to collaborate in project partnerships in the fields of academic and vocational training, schools, adult learning, and European sport events.
Key Action 2 (KA2) stipulates “Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices Capacity Building in the field of Higher Education.” The actions under KA2 make it possible for organizations from different participating countries to work together to develop, share and transfer best practices and innovative approaches in the fields of education, training, and youth.
eSTEM– The International Diploma for School Teachers in STEM Education Project
Al Alfi Foundation participated in the International Diploma for School Teachers in STEM Education (eSTEM) in the monitoring and evaluation work package by assessing its alignment with intended learning outcomes and the development of related skills. Quality assurance is emphasized through systematic monitoring, focusing on course outcomes identification and teaching strategies. A rubric, covering course layout, learning outcomes, materials, assessment, and activities, guides the evaluation process. The review utilizes data from the diploma structure and core courses available on the project website.
The submitted report by Al Alfi Foundation aimed to provide insights into the diploma’s effectiveness, identify areas for improvement, and offer recommendations for enhancing STEM education for teachers.
STREAM – University Student Capacity Building: Towards Readiness for Sustainable Development-Oriented Regional Job Markets in Partner Countries
Launched in November 2020, STREAM is an Erasmus+ Project under Key Action 2. The aim of this project is to develop a generation of globally exposed university graduates, equipped with essential character, social and cognitive skills blended with and into academic and subject-matter competencies. The program aims to equip students with a higher degree of readiness for the fast-evolving community and job market and provide them with the capability to integrate effectively in a multi-cultural, diverse ecosystem in Egypt, Jordan, and Algeria. Al Alfi Foundation is a proud partner in the winning consortium tasked with managing this project.
Al Alfi Foundation actively participates in all project activities and has been instrumental in the development of a Gap Analysis of existing and future student qualifications and the competencies needed by the market. This analysis will be the basis of the design of the student journey throughout the academic life cycle at the university level. First, the Foundation participated in writing the methodology of the survey questionnaires, disseminated the different surveys among different stakeholders, followed up on the data collection process, and presented the findings of the surveys conducted in the three partner countries. The reports presented by Al Alfi Foundation increased the awareness of the current employability and market needs compatibility situations and paved the road for guided development of the project activities in fulfillment of its goal.
STREAM PROJECT PARTNERS:
- From Latvia: Riga Technical University – Project Coordinator
- From Egypt: Nile University, Japan University of Science and Technology, South Valley University, Al Alfi Foundation, and Wuzzuf
- From Jordan: Princess Sumaya University for Technology, and Irbid National University
- From Algeria: University of Mostaganem and University of Tlemcen
- From Germany: University of Applied Sciences Dresden
- From Spain: Technical University of Cartagena
OPPM – Online Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine Postgraduate Program
Although the healthcare community in Egypt and Lebanon has identified the need for academic educational programs on pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine, yet there has been no appreciable effort done in either country so far to fill this gap. Even the awareness of such programs is low. There exists no higher educational degree for pharmacogenomics in Egypt, Lebanon, or in the whole Middle East. Thus, there is a pressing need to implement this personalized medicine educational program in core training of pharmacists and physicians in the region.
This program, implemented under KA2 of Erasmus+, helps increase the awareness and acknowledge the importance of this type of knowledge in enhancing the health of the community. It also works towards raising the level of awareness for other target groups such as nurse practitioners, clinical scientists, workers in pharmaceutical companies, and medical research laboratories.
Moreover, there are very few programs in Egypt or Lebanon that make use of online education using IT and e-laboratories. These kinds of smart learning programs facilitate the education process and make it suitable for the greatest numbers of target groups outside the Egyptian and Lebanese borders. Additionally, the identification of the proper drugs for specific patient phenotypes will heighten the drug efficacy, lessen expected adverse outcomes, increase cost effectiveness and elevate public confidence in marketed pharmaceuticals.
Al Alfi Foundation participated in the development and reporting of a gap analysis about the importance of the development of postgraduate degrees in pharmacogenomics in Egypt and Lebanon and in the implementation of quality control, monitoring and quality assurance procedures. Al Alfi Foundation is leading all dissemination and sustainability activities of the project.
OPPM PROJECT PARTNERS
- From Egypt: Alexandria University (Project Coordinator), Nile University, Fayoum University, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, the Children’s Cancer Hospital, and Al Alfi Foundation
- From Lebanon: Beirut Arab University and the American University of Beirut
- From the United Kingdom: Newcastle University
- From Germany: University of Kiel
- From Greece: Democritus University of Thrace
- From Spain: Universidad de Oviedo
