The Partnership to Enhance Nursing Education at JUST JEP

The Partnership to Enhance Nursing Education at JUST is quite a demanding project – partners have set themselves challenging goals to achieve. I leave it to colleagues from JUST Nursing Faculty to talk about the technical aspects of this project and will concentrate on other key issues. EU systems are usually complex and demanding. The detailed and comprehensive system that has been developed for the Tempus Projects, which gives guidelines for submitting applications and for project management, is proving to be of great help. Introduction..

Ensure that the application put forward: 1.Clearly contributes to Tempus Programme objectives, e.g. curriculum development, university management etc.; 2.Is well studied and in line with the priority areas defined for Jordan; 3.Is a priority area for Jordan, in terms of a real need identified by the university; 4.Contributes to the social and economic development of Jordan – the more those evaluating the proposal feel this is an important area for Jordan, the more they are inclined to approve it. In terms of completing an application, extra care needs to be taken to follow the guidelines set by the Commission. An application could be discarded for overlooking a small detail – as experienced by us. Proposing a project

 Building strong shared partnership amongst the project stakeholders. Although they come from different countries and cultures, they face the same issues, they can learn new ideas and approaches from each other.  Supportive rather than directive approach to develop Jordanian ownership and to achieve the agreed outcomes;  Focus on capacity building of institutions and individuals. This is more likely to bring sustainable change. Organisations are made up of individuals. If the organisation is to be effective, the individuals should have a shared view of how outcomes will be achieved and have ownership of the process and the relevant skills and competencies to achieve that;  Commitment to effective communication and consultation strategy, carried out at different level, and based on listening, openness, transparency and sharing of knowledge. British Council Management Style: Style:

British Council Management Style: Style: During the first project meeting, that brought together members of the Steering Committee (senior staff representing partner institutions) and members of the management teams, the JUST team went into deep length and put a lot of energy to explain their system. In assessing developments since this meeting, the partners felt that they could see things changing and that this exchange of information and sharing of ideas has been very useful, in:  Laying firm grounds for the activities that were scheduled to take place in Year 1 including assigning responsibilities, agreeing staff mobility and confirming dates.  helping the EU partners to have an insight to the local socio-economic scene, working culture, and facilities available for JUST nursing faculty and students;  Enabling the partners, on the academic level, to share information and to reflect on own practices.

As Project Contractors, the British Council holds full responsibility for compliance with the Commission’s legal obligations including ensuring that project activities are carried out within the agreed allocation and in a way that will guarantee realization of the Project’s objectives and securing the Commission’s agreement to any modifications relating to budget or activities: 1.Request for modifications should be duly justified in relation to the project activities; 2.Modifications should be detailed, indicating reason, impact and expected outcomes. Legal, administrative and financial liability: financial liability:

Our experience in managing EU projects stretches over a number of years – and we believe that the experience we accumulated is worth sharing with you: 1.Once a project has been agreed, the Commission’s agreement is needed where there are major changes; 2.Funds allocated under a certain budget heading, cannot be used for another i.e. move part of allocation for equipment towards staff costs; 3.Any increase of more than 10% of the approved amount allocated under each budget heading needs the Commission's authorization – e.g. British Council experience vs. the “Women in Parliament” Project; 4.& keep in mind that a response from the Commission normally takes a minimum of 15 working days, and more. Finance:

 Directly connected with the subject of the agreement;  Necessary for realizing the objectives of the agreement;  & that they are reasonable, justified, cost-effective and must accord with the principles of sound financial management; To cover:  Cost of staff, involved in the project whether academic or administrative, as well as staff travel and stay;  Translation, printing, publishing and photocopying of information and teaching material;  Equipment, justified for achievement of the project objectives. Eligible Costs:

1. Sales tax;  Furniture, motor vehicles, telepones, mobile phones;  Hospitality, even those directly related to an activity, e.g. refreshments or meals for a workshop participants;  Costs incurrred by hosting universities relating to the use of materials (computer, laboratory, library etc) by visiting staff;  Registration fees for courses, seminars, conferences etc;  Costs of renting, purchasing or heating premises. TEMPUS does not cover:

Over a three year cycle of the project, the Commission asks for three reports:  The first report is a simple one that describes the start-up activities and reports changes (if any) to activities that were made in the original proposal.  The second report goes into more depth, e.g.  Is the project working towards achieving its defined outcomes;  Problems encountered, whether academic or administrative;  Roles played by each partner institution;  Impact that staff development is having on realising project objectives – focusing on:  Staff selection criteria;  Measures agreed to evaluate and recognize an activity;  Sharing outcome within the institution;  & measures taken, at institutional level, for sustaining the results of this collaboration? Reporting:

The third, and final report gives an overview of achievements made since the second report as well as of overall achievements, e.g.:The third, and final report gives an overview of achievements made since the second report as well as of overall achievements, e.g.: New and restructured courses, including assessment measures that have been introduced;New and restructured courses, including assessment measures that have been introduced; Multiplier effect of the project and how far will it go beyond the immediate target group;Multiplier effect of the project and how far will it go beyond the immediate target group; Sustainability;Sustainability; Local impact on the economic and social reform as well as on the reform of higher education.Local impact on the economic and social reform as well as on the reform of higher education. Reporting: