Perceptions of student-centered learning in online translator training: findings from Jordan

Heliyon. 2022 Jun 9;8(6):e09644. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09644. eCollection 2022 Jun.

Abstract

On January 5th, 2021, the Jordanian Ministry of Higher Education released its 2021-2023 directives for online learning at the institutions of higher education which stressed the significance of implementing a student-centered learning (SCL) in online education. In compliance with the Ministry's vision, the present study investigates the enhancement of SCL in translator training in Jordan from the perspective of students and teachers at five Jordanian universities. This study is the second phase of an empirical mixed methods research in which the first phase surveyed 109 students from three universities. The sample of this phase consisted of 148 senior translation students and ten translation teachers in which students were surveyed using closed-ended questionnaires and teachers were interviewed. SPSS IBM 28.0.0 and NVIVO 12 were used for data analysis. The results revealed that students agreed on the implementation of four out of seven student-centered learning facets and teachers showed a general propensity towards the enhancement of SCL. However, some reservations and challenges were raised with relation to teamwork, time management and peer review.

Keywords: Authentic translation project; Instrumental competence; Interpersonal competence; Online-learning; Student-centered learning.