OPATEL Project


The Online Platform for Academic Teaching and Learning in Iraq and Iran (OPATEL) is a collaborative effort co-funded by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union. Its primary aim is to establish and develop a center that provides training to staff and students in universities across Iraq and Iran, using online platforms for teaching and learning. OPATEL seeks to serve as a hub for implementing best practices in ICT in education and enhancing the competencies of lecturers and teachers, thereby improving the learning processes of students.

The project, running from October 15, 2016, to February 14, 2020, has a budget of €1,000,000 and involves all university faculty members and students in the target regions. The overarching goals include addressing challenges such as the lack of professional skills among educators, outdated teaching methodologies, and limited access to technology. To achieve these objectives, the project has established a comprehensive set of activities and methodologies.

These activities include:

  1. Review, agreement, and network establishment between partners.
  2. Preparing an operational plan and methodology for sustainable ICT integration in teaching and learning.
  3. Assessing the needs of teachers, lecturers, and administrators in the target regions.
  4. Identifying entities to utilize ICT in education and determining necessary skills.
  5. Purchasing teaching equipment and bibliographic materials.
  6. Implementing an E-Learning platform for training and development.
  7. Developing teaching and learning programs.
  8. Conducting training courses for staff and administrators.
  9. Ensuring quality control and monitoring.
  10. Disseminating project results.
  11. Exploiting project results for long-term sustainability.

The expected impacts of the project include:

  1. Improving the quality and relevance of higher education.
  2. Strengthening cooperation with ICT enterprises and regional authorities.
  3. Enhancing administrative and teaching efficiency through the use of ICT and E-Learning systems.
  4. Linking higher education, research, and business for excellence and regional development.
  5. Developing knowledge alliances with regional and foreign universities and ICT companies.
  6. Organizing educational activities to use ICT and E-Learning systems effectively.

The dissemination and exploitation strategy of the project involves press and media involvement, presentations through websites, participation of relevant government officials, and regular communication between EU partners and the target regions.

OPATEL Partner Universities

In OPATEL project with the European Union through Erasmus+ programme there are 12 universities participated as partners in addition to the project coordinator from the European Union represented by the University of Leipzig. The universities are:

Work Plan

Online Platform for Academic TEaching and Learning in Iraq and Iran [OPATEL]

Contact Info Address

Technical College of Engineering
Duhok Polytechnic University

61 Zakho Road, 1006 Mazi Qr Duhok, Kurdistan-Iraq
dpu.edu.krd

Other Details

Project Coordinator: Prof. Dr. Subhi Rafeeq Mohammed
Email: [email protected]

International Coordinator: Dr. Riyadh Qashi
Email: [email protected]

Website & Social Media

Website: http://gsia.tums.ac.ir/opatel
Facebook Page: Facebook Link

DPU Project Members

Moodle@dpu

The Duhok Polytechnic University (informally DPU) is a collegiate research university located in Kurdistan Region-Iraq. Kurdistan Region is rapidly evolving and has witnessed a continual shift in educational needs for its society. Both higher education enrollments and the number of institutions have expanded dramatically during the last decade. As a public multi-campus university, DPU has eight technical institutes and four technical colleges in seven districts within Duhok Governorate, each of which has a unique community with local economic, social, cultural, and environmental development needs. Duhok Polytechnic University, established in 2012, is one of three polytechnic universities in Kurdistan under the auspices of the (KRG) Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

Link: Moodle

E-Learning Lab

DPU has established an E-learning Lab, funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union. This lab, located at the Technical Engineering College, boasts twenty desktop computers connected to a server. Additionally, it is equipped with a Sony brand data projector, ideal for showcasing interactive data during workshops. For instructor-led lectures, a Lenovo laptop is available. The server is maintained round the clock to support uninterrupted operations. The primary purpose of the lab is to train University faculty members in the effective use of Moodle, a Learning Management System (LMS).