Universities to be allowed to offer online BA degrees

AMMAN — Jordanian universities can now offer online bachelor’s programmes under a decision announced by the Higher Education Council on Tuesday.

The online programme, however, should be offered by a coalition of at least three universities and should meet the standards set for this type of education, the council said in a statement.

Hani Dmour, secretary general of the Higher Education Ministry, said the move seeks to assist those who cannot spare the time to physically attend lectures or are already in the job market and want to continue their studies and develop their qualifications.

He told The Jordan Times the programme will be open for those residing in Jordan as well as outside the country.

But there will be specific regulations governing this programme, Dmour noted, adding that the ministry also has a list of foreign universities that Jordanians can study at online where their certificates will be accredited.

Also on Monday, the council decided to allow the Kingdom’s universities to introduce blended learning programmes, but without exceeding 25 per cent of the courses in a certain specialty.

Blended learning entails combining the traditional lecture structure with online material and interactive content, allowing students to choose when to receive the online part and where, according to web sources.