On behalf of the President of Yarmouk University, the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Dr. Mervat Al-Sous, sponsored the opening of the activities of the "Distance Education in Pharmacy - Opportunities and Challenges" symposium, organized by the faculty in cooperation with members of the Arab American Association of Academic Pharmacists.
Al-Sous referred to the efforts made by the university administration and its various faculties to be able to shift from face-to-face education to distance education in light of the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected the whole world and made it imperative for the higher education sector to deal with this emergency situation in a correct manner so that the quality of education and information received by students are not affected. She commended the efforts made by the faculty members in the college who kept pace with the various technological developments in the field of distance education to be able to give the various courses offered by the college and to deliver the information in the correct form to ensure that students absorb it and benefit from it.
Al-Sous stressed the importance of cooperating with the American Society of Academic Pharmacists and exchanging experiences with them, which will reflect positively on the progress of the educational and research process in the college. To reach a qualified graduate in various fields of pharmaceutical work and to achieve distinguished pharmaceutical care that takes into account the comprehensive quality.
For his part, the main speaker in the symposium, Dr. Nasser Al-Sharif from Creighton University, USA, referred to the best methods of distance education. At the beginning of his speech, he reviewed the objectives of the Arab American Association of Academic Pharmacists, and its tasks, which include introducing the basic steps before, during and after the design of electronic courses "distance", And identify the sources that can be used.
Al-Sharif said, “Has distance education become an option or is it mandatory for all of us to be familiar with it and to be fully aware of how to deal with it?” stressing the importance of the teacher reflecting the personality that students see in the classroom during electronic courses as well, and that mutual respect between teachers and students is The basis of dealing, explaining that e-learning "distance" includes cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, and cultural skills.
He explained the steps that the lecturer must follow to design distance-taught courses, which must include and reinforce with pictures, videos, and audio recordings that make education easier and more enjoyable and enable students to receive information better. He also reviewed the most prominent distance education theories, and how to prepare study plans for courses. Which are taught remotely, the methods of distance education, and the technological knowledge that the teacher and student must be familiar with.
He stressed the need for the availability of modern technological equipment and fast internet connection, which is a basis for the success and benefit of the distance education process.
The symposium included a number of lectures entitled "Distance Pharmaceutical Training - Benefit and Applicability" by Dr. Hanin El-Amawi from the university, "BINGO, the use of educational games to stimulate engagement in distance education" by Dr. Ola Ghoneim from Western New England University in America, and "Education Remotely in pharmaceutical laboratories” by Dr. Rasha Bachattowa from the university.
At the end of the symposium, which was attended by a number of faculty members at the faculty and members of the Arab American Association of Academic Pharmacists, a discussion took place among the participants about distance education in the pharmaceutical field, ways to develop it, and the challenges it faces.