Course-to-Course COIL Partnerships
Creative Inquiry Course ‘Machine Learning and Big Data Research’
Clemson University's Creative Inquiry Undergraduate Research Hub, South Carolina, United States
This collaboration was initiated through Clemson University's Creative Inquiry research hub that centers small group, team-based investigations of challenges with an action and solution driven approach. During this first semester of the initiative, Nadian Melhem and Marah Salem, two students from the computer engineering department, were accepted into the Creative Inquiry course titled 'Machine Learning and Big Data Research.' Nadian and Marah completed a portion of their senior project through this course and had joint project supervision and feedback from Clemson University's associate professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering and Associate Dean of Inclusive Excellence and Graduate Studies, Dr. Melissa Smith, and Research Assistant and PhD candidate Ben Shealy. They were also co-supervised by the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Dr. Samer Arandi, and assistant professor of computer engineering, Dr Mona Demaidi.
International Partners: Dr Melissa Smith, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering and Associate Dean of Inclusive Excellence and Graduate Studies Ben Shealy, PhD Candidate,
An Najah Professors: Dr Samer Arandi and Dr Mona Demaidi
Participating students: Nadian Melhem and Marah Salem
Pilot Robotics Course
Higher Institute of Technological Studies Beja, Tunisia
Through a small pilot collaboration with Higher Institute of technological studies Beja - Tunisia, a small cohort of students studying robotics completed projects with joint virtual supervision.
International Partner: Dr Islem Megdiche, Higher Institute of Technological Studies Beja (Tunisia)
An Najah Partner: Dr Mahmoud Assad
Conference participation: https://staff.najah.edu/en/publications/14365/
Creative Inquiry Course ‘Machine Learning and Big Data Research’
Clemson University's Creative Inquiry Undergraduate Research Hub, South Carolina, United States
This collaboration is through Clemson's Creative Inquiry research hub that centers small group, team-based investigations of challenges with an action and solution driven approach. During this second iteration of the initiative, five selected students from the computer engineering department at An Najah were accepted into the Creative Inquiry course titled 'Machine Learning and Big Data Research' and received partial course credit for their participation.
International Partners: Dr Melissa Smith, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering and Associate Dean of Inclusive Excellence and Graduate Studies,
Mikaila Gossman & Max Faykus (PhD Candidates)
An Najah Team Members: Dr Mona Demaidi and Dr Anas Toma
Pavement Design with Clemson University
Clemson University, South Carolina, United States
As the first iteration of this collaboration, the project brought together students of the Advanced Pavement Design elective course within the civil engineering department at An Najah and students studying Pavement Design and Construction at Clemson University. This exchange included bi-national teams of students who completed projects jointly to solve pavement problems.
Course announcement: https://www.najah.edu/en/academic/academic-news/2021/08/24/an-najah-s-department-of-civil-engineering-offers-joint-course-with-clemson-university-in-usa/
International Partner: Dr Brad Putman
An Najah Team: Dr Khaled Al-Sahili, Alia Gilbrecht
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Sustainable Entrepreneurship Virtual Exchange:
Pennsylvania State University, United States & Higher Institute of Technological Studies Beja, Tunisia
The Virtual Exchange was launched in the end of February 2022 and completed in April of 2022 and has been designed to integrate intercultural competencies and communication skills at the beginning of the program, followed by cross-border teams comprised of 6 students working on developing an innovative solution to a social issue related to the SDGs, conduct needs assessment of the areas of need and market in their communities, and then work together with the educators/myself to support a prototype to pitch their project. Approximately 13 students from An Najah are participating, roughly 30+ in total from all three institutions.
Partner Universities: Pennsylvania State University's EDGE Program , Iset Beja | institut supérieur des etudes technologiques (Higher Institute of technological studies Beja - Tunisia)
Partner Professors: Tracey Carbonetto, Lecturer, Engineering (PSU), Dr Islem Megdiche, Professor of Computational Mechanics and Dr Nadia Cheikhrouhou Professor of Entrepreneurship and Business at the Higher Institute of Technological Studies Beja (Tunisia)
An Najah Partners: Dr Mahmoud Assad, Alia Gilbrecht
An-Najah Concludes the Sustainable Social Entrepreneurship Virtual Exchange
Creative Inquiry Course ‘Machine Learning and Big Data Research’
This collaboration was through Clemson's Creative Inquiry research hub that centers small group, team-based investigations of challenges with an action and solution driven approach. During this third iteration of the initiative, eight selected students from the computer engineering department at An Najah were accepted into the Creative Inquiry course titled 'Machine Learning and Big Data Research' and received partial course credit for their participation.
Participating Professors: Dr Mona Demaidi and Dr Manar Qamhieh
Pavement Design Virtual Exchange with Clemson and Bucknell Universities (U.S.)
Bucknell University, Pennsylvania United States & Clemson University, South Carolina, United States
A virtual exchange project brought together civil engineering students from An-Najah, Clemson University, and Bucknell University, focusing on pavement design and environmental engineering. The group comprised 36 students, evenly divided between the Palestinian and U.S. institutions. They were organized into bi-national teams, each consisting of two students from each country, for a seven-week program.
The first two weeks were dedicated to cross-cultural dialogue sessions led by UN certified facilitators, aimed at fostering trust and team dynamics. This foundation supported the subsequent five weeks of group work, where students applied the five-step design thinking process (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test) to innovate in pavement design. Their challenges included addressing adverse weather, sustainability, safety, construction practices, and budgetary concerns.
Teams collaborated both synchronously and asynchronously, producing solutions such as GPS tracking for roadway taxation, tire reuse for sustainability, and geosynthetic materials for heavy rainfall management.
International Partners: Dr. Brad Putman of Bucknell University, Dr Fabricio Leiva and Shilpa Gupta of Clemson University
An Najah Team Members: Dr Khaled Al-Sahili, Alia Gilbrecht, Dr Abdelhaleem Khader
Cross Cultural Conversations on Social Justice
Wake Forest University, North Carolina, United States
During this short dialogue-based virtual exchange, students of An Najah’s English Literature Department and students studying political science at Wake Forest University reviewed articles related to spatial justice and the right to movement and then engaged in discussions on the material over two virtual sessions. The sessions were organized into an introductory segment with student roles assigned for effective intercultural dialogue, followed by breakout room discussions. It concluded with the full group reconvening to share discussion highlights and a self reflection at the conclusion of each session.
International Partner: Dr Michaelle Browers, Wake Forest University
An Najah Team Members: Dr Rami Qawariq, Alia Gilbrecht
Sustainable Village Virtual Exchange
University of Michigan, U.S., & Higher Institute of Technological Studies Beja, Tunisia
In this tri-national virtual exchange, students from Tunisia, the U.S., and Palestine worked collaboratively in small groups to design a sustainable village for 500 people based in the Northern West Bank. Each team tackled various components of the village, like family units, renewable energy, water and waste systems, and sustainability. The course weaved together architecture, engineering, environmental science, and cultural insights and included a limited materials budget to challenge the teams to find innovative and resourceful solutions. The course culminated in a presentation of the final village designs.
International Partners: Ken Ludwig, lecturer of Entrepreneurship, University of Michigan, Dr Nadia Cheikhrouhou, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Business, Higher Institute of Technological Studies Beja (Tunisia)
An Najah Team Members: Dr Sameh Mona, Dr Mahmoud Assad, Alia Gilbrecht
Cross Cultural Conversations on Freedom
Wake Forest University, North Carolina, United States
During this short dialogue-based virtual exchange, students of An Najah’s English Literature Department and students studying political science at Wake Forest University reviewed articles related to personal freedom, self-determination, and women's rights and then engaged in discussions on the material over two virtual sessions.The sessions was organized into an introductory segment with student roles assigned for effective intercultural dialogue, followed by breakout room discussions. It concluded with the full group reconvening to share discussion highlights a self reflection at the conclusion of each session.
International Partner: Dr Michaelle Browers, Wake Forest University
An Najah Team Members: Dr Abdalkarim Zawawi, Alia Gilbrecht
Chemical Toxicology Virtual Exchange
Northern Essex Community College, Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Over four weeks, students from Northern Essex Community College's Physiological Chemistry course and An Najah's Toxicology course engaged in a collaborative virtual exchange. They explored environmental problems and toxicology principles from a personal lens. Each week, students either shared daily life images or reflected on intercultural videos and readings. The course involved in-depth discussions on chemical contaminants, their ecological impacts, risk assessment, and protective actions.
International partner: Emily Gonzalez, Northern Essex Community College
An Najah Team: Dr Basma Damiri, VE Student Ambassadors
Mental Health and Patience Care in Palestine and the U.S.
Pennsylvania State University, United States
This Virtual Exchange program was a collaboration aimed at improving students' interpersonal and patient-health care practitioner communication skills. Over four weeks, students engage in weekly live Zoom sessions and asynchronous team activities, focusing on cultural perceptions of mental health and practicing intercultural dialogue. They analyzed mental health case studies within their communities, incorporating local interviews to deepen understanding.
International Partner: Dr Melissa Labuda, Pennsylvania State University Lehigh Valley Campus
An Najah Team: Dr Maysa Abuzant, Alia Gilbrecht
Finalist at the IIE Cairo International Virtual Exchange Competition:
Design in Times of Crisis: Resilient Architecture Virtual Exchange
In this virtual exchange collaboration, architecture students teamed up to design a sustainable community center in Nablus, addressing local environmental and cultural challenges. Their work focused on developing strategies for water shortages, energy-efficient systems, sun control for daylighting, and building resilience against earthquakes, supply-chain disruptions, and political violence. The aim was to create a welcoming and climate-resilient center. Activities in the project fostered cross-cultural dialogue and global competency skills, promoting empathy, collaboration, and self-awareness. This was achieved through synchronous classes, team meetings, autonomous group worksheets, and asynchronous team-building exercises, all designed to support the project's goal of creating culturally relevant, resilient community centers.
International Partner: Dr Marika Snider, University of Memphis
An Najah Team: Dr Sameh Mona, Alia Gilbrecht
Winner of the IIE Cairo International Virtual Exchange Competition 2023:
Interview with winning student, Yazan Qadi
Nursing Fundamentals: Infection Control
This was a collaborative discipline specific virtual exchange with nursing students from PSU and nursing and midwifery students of An Najah focused on intercultural communication skills and infection control in healthcare. Over six weeks, groups consisting of 2 US and 1-3 Palestinian students worked together on a problem related to infection control. Their task involved developing an innovative solution considering both Palestinian and US contexts culminating in peer reviewed final presentations. The program included bi-monthly cross-cultural activities and synchronous meetings to build team dynamics and foster inclusive collaboration. The project also involved students interviewing community members impacted by their chosen issue and developing a PowerPoint poster to present their findings and proposed solutions.
International Partner: Dr Bequie Perry, Pennsylvania State University
An Najah Team: Dr Eman Alshawish, Alia Gilbrecht
Semi Finalist of the IIE Cairo International Virtual Exchange Competition
Innovative Solutions to Industrial Problems
In this virtual exchange, students from Palestine, the U.S., and Tunisia collaborated in small virtual teams to address challenges posed by startup organizations in the U.S. and Tunisia, focusing on innovative solutions in logistics and robotics. One challenge involved designing a user-friendly mobile app or device for tracking deliveries in the logistics industry, optimizing functionality for drivers with minimal education. Another task required developing end-effectors or manipulator devices for search and rescue robots, enhancing their utility in delivering life-saving supplies and medical interventions in hazardous environments. Throughout the program, students engaged in intercultural communication activities and activities such as empathy mapping to understand and solve these real-world problems. They engaged in a series of interviews and research, brainstorming sessions, and prototype development, culminating in presenting their solutions and receiving feedback from the companies involved. The project not only addressed technical and logistical issues but also fostered cross-cultural collaboration and understanding among the participants.
Related press:
Intercultural Dialogue Communications: Palestine and Columbia
In this virtual exchange between An-Najah National University's honors English communication students and English students at Uniminuto University in Colombia, participants engaged in a five-week program aimed at developing English skills and intercultural competence. The course facilitated international conversations on various topics, enhancing cultural understanding and awareness. Through small group activities, students engaged in an initial ice-breaker session, where they imaginatively introduced themselves to 'aliens' using three representative items. Sustained activities involved writing about their international peer's day and sharing insights and reflections in a Slack communication group. In addition to Slack, Zoom and Google Meets were used for synchronous meetings, enabling students to reflect on their virtual meetings with international peers and learn from diverse cultural perspectives.
International Partner: Javier Guerrero, Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios
An Najah Team: Caroline Purcell, Visiting English Language Fellow (2022-2023)
Telehealth in Maternal Nursing for Postpartum Care
Florida International University, United States
In this virtual exchange program, students delved into the use of telehealth technology to enhance maternal and neonatal health during the postpartum period. The course emphasized critical reflection on cultural biases and norms related to maternal health, encompassing pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum recovery, from both personal and cross-cultural perspectives. Students explored various telehealth tools that support maternal health interventions and explored how telehealth could positively impact these areas. Collaborative team efforts focused on overcoming challenges in postpartum patient care.
International Partner: Dr Nola Holness
An Najah Team: Dr Eman Alshawish and VE Student Ambassadors
Final Session Media: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rXQqUOdD08wDeSgfNSwHl24UKHntQt-h/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jABXgphv7B031bLQfohRh1SER9jmo_jz/view?usp=sharing
Photos:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JAcEAr4DvijuG6X_ii8E56YsXtQrZEuE/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jM5VW1R_rtSPvz5JB50hfIquv0AcykEy/view?usp=sharing
Chemical Toxicology Virtual Exchange
Northern Essex Community College, Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Over four weeks, students from Northern Essex Community College's Physiological Chemistry course and An Najah's Toxicology course engaged in a collaborative virtual exchange. They explored environmental problems and toxicology principles from a personal view point through activities like "I am From…" poems, sharing value collages, and country trivia. Each week, students either shared daily life images or reflected on intercultural videos and readings. The course involved in-depth discussions on chemical contaminants, their ecological impacts, risk assessment, and protective actions.
International partner: Emily Gonzalez, Northern Essex Community College
An Najah Team: VE Student Ambassadors
IT Infrastructure Relevance in IS Research
Middle Tennessee State University, United States
In this virtual exchange students collaborated on a research paper focusing on AI, Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, and Education using IT. The project aimed to enhance students' problem identification, definition, and research design skills. Pre-engagement included sharing resources about the partner country and city as well as related culture. Students were required to share about their daily lives using Flipgrid and collaboratively in small bi-national groups, students chose a UN Sustainable Development Goal and divided tasks for the research paper, involving both synchronous and asynchronous collaboration. Students were expected to attend guest expert sessions, participate in group evaluations and present their findings jointly. Top performing teams were selected to submit their joint paper to a conference.
International Partner: Dr. Sam Zaza, Middle Tennessee State University
An Najah Team: Dr. Safa’a AbuJarour
Group Photo:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jbREA4mNSeA94vxE0dmXcZgg8jeVrUoR/view?usp=sharing
Pavement Design Innovation
Bucknell University, United States
This virtual exchange project focused on pavement innovation with civil engineering students at Bucknell University and Master students in civil engineering at An Najah. Integrating the intercultural dialogue framework, this proejct focused on intercultural dialogue activities for two weeks. This foundation supported the subsequent five weeks of group work, where students applied the five-step design thinking process (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test) to innovate in pavement design. Their challenges included addressing adverse weather, sustainability, safety, construction practices, and budgetary concerns.
International Partners: Dr Brad Putman Bucknell University
An Najah Team: Dr Khaled Al-Sahili, Dr Abdelhaleem Khader, Alia Gilbrecht
poster and presentation shared project folder
Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences: One Session Dialogue
November 29th, 2023
Bridging Perspectives: A Cultural Exchange Encounter Between Holland and Palestine
Students studying Business Development in Morocco at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS) participated in a 90 minute discussion with VE alumni and current VE students led by An Najah’s VE Ambassadors. The session was focused on small group discussion and included an exploration of the students’ daily lives, values and identities.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MYqOepZjoFIihmoYzQRx7C_fIkyA061m/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DrBVYAPyTmcn9y16bTbJ9EZjadOvIfJH/view?usp=sharing
Dialogue Session with Elon University, North Carolina
Photo:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16I9do5GMGnbJ19jP_c2I13HdAMw8qeBp/view?usp=sharing
Students enrolled in Geography 3640 at Elon University in North Carolina participated in an intensive winter course, studying the history of Palestine, including expulsions and displacements, as well as the current situation in Gaza. At the course's conclusion, they engaged with An Najah Virtual Exchange Ambassadors in a 90-minute session as part of the ambassadors' cross-cultural dialogue training practicum. The VE Ambassadors facilitated and actively participated in these discussions in small groups.
The feedback provided by Elon University students who participated in the virtual exchange reflects a profound impact on their understanding and empathy towards the Palestinian context. The students appreciated the direct dialogue, which deepened their understanding of daily life in conflict zones, challenging their preconceptions and fostering a sense of global citizenship. This exposure not only enhanced their academic learning about the region but also personally connected them to the realities faced by their Palestinian counterparts, contributing to a more nuanced perspective on global conflicts.One Elon University student notes, "The biggest thing I gained from the dialogue was just being able to talk to someone from Palestine, and to hear what their life is like not from the news or a YouTube video or a textbook, but to have a conversation with someone about it." Another Elon student, reflecting on the role the An Najah VE Ambassador played in their discussion, said, "She asked good questions, and asked questions that made us think deeply, and allowed us to be honest and share our honest thoughts with her."
International Partners: Dr. David ‘Sandy’ Marshall
An Najah Team: Mrs. Alia Gilbrecht & VE Student Ambassador
Community-Centric Resilience: Collaborative Design of Nablus Natatorium
Architecture students from University of Memphis and An-Najah National University teamed up to design a structural system for a natatorium (swimming pool and community center) to be built in Nablus, West Bank. The Palestinian students served as experts in the project site and the land that the project would be built on. Additionally, they were more familiar with local building practices and materials.
Both classes came together in weekly synchronous activities as well as informal asynchronous communication working in small bi-national groups collaboratively to propose structural systems and design of a community center. Activities included an intercultural dialogue framework that integrated intentional communication and required dialogue tools within team communication.
Some of the design challenges include a very steep site, the need to have a long span structure to cover the pool without columns, a multi-story building, earthquake risks, human safety, and local feasibility. Students used drawings, sketches, and 3D computer models to communicate and debate their ideas. The project concluded with a synthesis of design and structure in a multi-media presentation with virtual jurors.
International partners: Dr. Marika Snider, University of Memphis
An Najah Team: Mrs. Alia Gilbrecht and Dr Waseem Salameh
Ohio State University Humanitarian Engineering
On March 21st and April 4th, two virtual exchange sessions were held between students in a humanitarian engineering course at Ohio State University (OSU) and Water and Environmental Engineering master students at An-Najah National University (NNU). Both sessions aimed to foster cross-cultural dialogue between students from OSU and NNU while also complementing their course objectives.
In the first session, the NNU students gave a presentation focusing on the reality of water and environmental engineering in Palestine, with a special emphasis on the challenges faced in the Gaza Strip under the current aggression. OSU students received the presentations with keen interest and enthusiasm, so the rest of the session was dedicated to answering their questions for NNU students.
In the second session, the OSU students gave a presentation about Humanitarian Engineering focusing on personal relationships to land and natural resources. Following questions, students broke up into smaller group discussions and engaged in intercultural structured activities facilitated by An Najah’s VE Ambassadors. Students were able to exchange their thoughts, ideas, experiences, and feelings. In the post-survey evaluation, all students agreed that the course was useful to their learning objectives; all "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that the experience was personally beneficial, and all "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that the role of the student VE Ambassadors as dialogue facilitators significantly enhanced the experience.
International Partners: Eng Ada Keohane, Eng. Cherish Vance, Dr. Patrick Sours
An Najah Team: Dr Abdelhaleem Khader, Mrs Alia Gilbrecht, VE Student Ambassadors
Parami University - Burma
An-Najah National University (ANNU) recently collaborated with Parami University (PU) to host a virtual exchange session, allowing students from both institutions to engage in meaningful dialogue about liberation, activism, and social change. Facilitated by student ambassadors, the session included cultural activities like values collages and discussions on shared experiences, highlighting the challenges faced by both Palestinian and Burmese students. This enriching exchange fosters mutual understanding, with plans for further internships and collaborations on the horizon.
For more details, visit: Parami University's Press release
An-Najah National University Launches Successful Virtual Exchange on Climate Justice (CliVex)
An-Najah National University proudly announced the successful completion of the 10-week virtual exchange course, “Climate Justice: From Inequality to Inclusion,” in Spring 2024. With a remarkable 100% completion rate, participants engaged deeply in discussions about the climate crisis and explored inclusive approaches to climate action alongside peers from diverse backgrounds.
This interactive program facilitated meaningful exchanges of ideas through weekly online sessions led by experienced facilitators. Students delved into critical topics such as environmental equity and societal identities, fostering a collaborative learning environment.
The Fall 2024 semester of the course launched on October 14th, running through December, culminating in a climate action project competition for An-Najah participants. Further program details can be found here: https://clivex.eu/