With a shared interest in innovative digital pedagogy, student support and delivery, PADILEIA consists of three universities – King’s College London, Al Al-Bayt University in Jordan, and the American University of Beirut in Lebanon – as well as Kiron Open Higher Education (a digital-education NGO) and FutureLearn (a leader in online learning).
PADILEIA is increasing access to higher education for refugee and disadvantaged host communities in Jordan and Lebanon. PADILEIA’s education offering consists of blended academic programmes, including short online courses, targeted online learning and classroom-based learning. Its target learners are displaced individuals living in Jordan and Lebanon; however, the project has seen thousands of online learners from around the world also benefit.
In June 2018, King’s launched two free short online courses in English on FutureLearn, which learners can join from any device, computer or smartphone with an internet connection. These courses enable refugees and displaced people to resume their studies, learn everyday conversational English, and develop transferable skills for their futures. They also provide a foundation for learners to advance onto higher education programmes. To date, 492 refugee and disadvantaged Jordanian and Lebanese students have completed a King’s College London short course in English. While the course content was specifically designed around the study interests of communities in Jordan and Lebanon, they are open to all people in the region and beyond. There are currently 54,097 learners on the English courses worldwide.
The PADILEA partnership also runs two 8-month foundation programmes in Jordan and Lebanon for over 100 students a year, led by the American University of Beirut in Lebanon and Al Al-Bayt University in Jordan, alongside custom-made online study programs using massive open online courses (MOOCs) and blended activities run by Kiron Open Higher Education.
PADILEIA