LASER – LANGUAGE ACADEMIC SKILLS AND
E-LEARNING RESOURCES
An EU Higher Education Project run by the British Council in
Jordan, Lebanon and Syria
LASER –
LANGUAGE, ACADEMIC SKILLS AND E-LEARNING
RESOURCES
Organisation
Country Offer
• A three year project
• Funded by the European
Union
• Will run in Jordan, Lebanon
and Syria
• Targets young people aged 1830
• Those who have experienced
higher education and those
who have not
• Combines academic skills
development with online
learning pathways
• Works with organisations
already working in the field to
reach Syrians and
disadvantaged Jordanians
CARE International
Jordan
Language, academic skills, online
learning support and facilitation
Goethe Institut
Jordan
Language
Institut Francais
Jordan
Language
Norwegian Refugee
Council
Jordan,
Lebanon
Language, academic skills and online
learning support and facilitation
Jordan Education
Initiative
Jordan
Language, academic skills and online
learning support and facilitation
Edraak
Jordan
Online learning
Talal Abu Ghazaleh
(TAGIUNI)
Jordan
Online learning -Amity University
(accredited)
SPARK
Syria
Language and online learning (if
possible)
Open University and
Futurelearn
Jordan,
Lebanon
Accredited online learning (OU) and
MOOCs (Futurelearn)
OBJECTIVES:
To contribute to providing Higher
education to displaced Syrian
students and disadvantaged
youth in host communities.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
• To help students (aged 18-30) to reintegrate into
. education system by providing them with
the
language training, academic readiness skills,
coaching and distance education programmes.
• To help students who cannot access, or who
have dropped out of formal education, to find
new opportunities to continue their higher
education in Syria or in its neighbouring
countries.
THE LASER PROJECT WILL:
• Reach at least 2,930 displaced Syrians of higher education age in
Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, together with up to 30% disadvantaged
Jordanian youth in Jordan
• Provide language learning and academic skills classes in English,
French and German improving student’s access to higher education
and skills
• Provide online short-courses through MOOCs in English (Futurelearn)
and in Arabic through Edraak , with the possibility of studying in
French and German through OpenUp Ed, the EU’s MOOC platform.
• Facilitate online, accredited higher education distance learning
through Open University and Amity University for 300 students who
meet the entrance criteria for these courses.
• Deliver language and academic skills training in Syria through a
partner organisation (SPARK) with the possibility of the future
delivery of MOOCs
THE LASER LANGUAGE PROJECT WILL:
The LASER language programme will support students to:
•
•
•
•
•
develop digital literacy skills and a positive approach to online education
increase their language and communication skills
improve their presentation and discussion skills
learn how to manage their time
develop their ability to work in teams and to work with their peers by learning
collaboratively in groups, in managed learning centres
• develop their confidence and grow their self-directed learning processes
• Be able to have their English language levels tested through Aptis or IELTS - as
appropriate to the level and needs of students.
• be provided with coaching, guidance and support to increase their chances of
success
Participants in this programme will serve as a pool of candidates for other
courses – including credit-bearing online learning, short courses and MOOCs.
(note – students will be encouraged to learn what interests them and makes
sense in terms of their prior learning
LASER ONLINE
.
- Flexibility – meet individual needs: time, skills, language, venue
- Learners select courses they are interested in and which will be useful
- Learners will use digital libraries, textbooks and open access resources
- Be able to develop their own learning pathways – degree and other options
- Recognition of prior learning – students to continue learning programmes
begun in Syria where possible
- Will provide evidence of academic skills – for future opportunities -
THROUGH LASER, WE WILL :
• Track and record the progress of all students through data collection and analysis
mechanisms
• Ensure that both men and women have equal access to community facilities and
learning opportunities
• Evaluate the outcomes of the project through specific KPIs and measures of
success
• Work with local and international organisations to assure the quality and the
successful outcomes of the project.
Through LASER we will
create a model that can
inform further efforts to
provide higher education
for displaced Syrians
across the MENA region