IRRT (International Relations Round Table)

Date: Thursday, July 9, 2026

Time:
10 AM Eastern Time (EDT)
3 PM British Summer Time (BST)
5 PM Jerusalem Time
View in your timezone

Join us for a thoughtful and learning-centered session exploring how educators sustain teaching and learning in emergency-affected contexts, with a focus on higher education continuity, student support, learning loss, and teacher preparation.

This session features educators Aida Mohammad Bakeer of Al-Quds Open University and Saida Affouneh of An Najah National University, both located in Palestine. Drawing on lived experience and collaborative work, the speakers will explore how the concept of sumud, often translated as steadfastness, shapes educational practice, and how virtual pathways and open approaches help students remain connected to learning during ongoing disruption. The conversation will highlight both the challenges educators and students navigate and the practical ways Open Education communities can offer support. 

To help ground the discussion, participants are encouraged to read in advance:

• Sumud as Connected Learning: Towards a Collective Digital Commons in Palestine

Note to Attendees: This session is intentionally structured and moderated with care for presenter safety and well-being. It is not a political forum or a space for real-time commentary. To maintain a respectful and supportive environment, participants are invited to submit questions in advance via the registration form and the speakers will determine which questions can be addressed. There will not be a live Q&A. If you have already registered, please send questions to cccoer@oeglobal.org 

Presenters:

• Aida Mohammad Bakeer, PhD, Lecturer, Al-Quds Open University

• Saida Affouneh, PhD, An Najah National University 

Zoom Registration 

This meeting will be recorded and shared on the CCCOER website.