Accreditation

  On Monday, March 28, 2022, the accreditation team celebrated news of the Bachelor of Arts in English Program, one of the leading programs at King Khalid University, being awarded full accreditation for the first time by the Education and Training Evaluation Commission, represented by the National Center for Academic Accreditation and Evaluation (NCAAA) for 7 years beginning in the first quarter of 2022.   The new accomplishment cements BAEP's position as a prestigious language and translation program offering an excellent quality of education centered on preparing students to be future leaders in the fields of English language studies and translation and contributing to the overall development and economic growth of the Kingdom.   "We are grateful to the entire senior leadership team of King Khalid University at the level of the president, vice president, vice rectors, and deanships. Without their support, this achievement would not be possible. We would also like to thank all internal quality consultants, whose dedication to the program and enthusiasm for its success made this possible. Finally, we thank all faculty members and staff who worked together to accomplish this feat. We strive to uphold the highest standards in teaching, learning, research, student support, curricula, learning resources and community service. This is an accomplishment for all of us," said Dr. Abdullah Al-Melhi, Dean of the Faculty of Languages and Translation.   "I want to express my tremendous gratitude to the quality team for their tireless efforts. Working day and night, their efforts have helped us continuously improve our quality assurance system. It was not an easy task for all of us, and now it is time to celebrate," said Vice Dean for Quality and Development, Dr. Abdulrahman Almosa. He then congratulated all faculty and staff and mentioned that BAEP is aligned with Vision 2030 and the Aseer Strategic Plan in that we aim to graduate students who can contribute positively to the national economy and development being witnessed on all levels all across the Kingdom, especially the Asir region.   Date: 3/30/2022 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  Vice Dean of Academic Development and Quality, Dr. Abdulrahman Almosa, sponsored a training seminar for the Bachelor of Arts in English program titled 'Creating and Assessing Learning Outcomes' on Saturday, February 8, 2020. The event was co-sponsored by the Deanship of Academic Development and Quality. In attendance were nearly 50 course coordinators from numerous campuses. It is worth noting that both male and female team members attended the event at Saudi German Hospital.   Dr. Abdul Wahed Al Zumor began the event by presenting on the purposes and requirements of developing course learning outcomes and the relevance of this move to the educational aspirations of the Kingdom, as stated in Vision 2030. He stressed the need to shift the focus from content-based education to outcome-based education. When comparing both forms of education, Dr. Al-Zumor explained that content-based learning is dependent mainly upon mastery of course material content. In contrast, outcomes-based education goes beyond mastery of content and into constructing knowledge and skills by the students themselves with guidance from instructors. "Outcomes-based education is part and parcel to the SAQF Level 7 Descriptors and the three domains in which they are in," he said. There was a call to action at the conclusion of his presentation to align course learning outcomes and the program learning outcomes with the SAQF framework.   Dr. Eman Alzaanin, Supervisor of the Academic Development and Quality Unit, expounded upon the fundamentals of outcomes-based education. Dr. Alzaanin emphasized the need to create an aligned curriculum where the intended learning outcomes, the learning activities and resources, and the assessment tasks and criteria are all aligned to enhance students' attainment of the intended learning outcomes at the course and programme level. She walked the participants through an exercise designed to activate the ability to spot the extent of alignment between course intended learning outcomes and written assessment tasks. "We do not want students just to learn what they think they will be tested on. By ensuring that assessment tasks mirror intended learning outcomes, the curriculum will be accurately reflected," she noted. Dr. Alzaanin also introduced a checklist to evaluate and ensure the quality of assessment in three phases: designing of the assessment, marking and verification, and review and recommendations. "This will ensure that the teaching activities of the instructor and learning activities of the student are heading in the same direction," she concluded. The end of Dr. Alzaanin's session was quite active, with a proposal put forward towards modifying the assessment structure in use.   The FLT is grateful to the Deanship of Academic Development and Quality for its co-sponsorship of the event and Quality Consultant, Dr. Ahmed Farid, for his brief explanation of benchmarking and measuring course learning outcomes along with assessments. "Thank you all for giving up part of your weekend to attend this most important event. We will begin the process of revising course learning outcomes in the near future," said Dr. Almosa.   The Faculty of Languages and Translation is dedicated to providing excellence in all aspects of its educational offerings.   Date: 2/8/2020 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  Vice Dean of Academic Development and Quality, Dr. Abdulrahman Almosa, sponsored a Self-Evaluation Scales (SES) and Self-Study Report (SSR) training workshop on Saturday, October 12, 2019. The event was co-sponsored by the Deanship of Academic Development and Quality. In attendance were the various members of the accreditation committee and the pertinent sub-committees. It is worth noting that both male and female team members attended the event at the main campus.   Head of the Academic Development and Quality Unit, Dr. Hasan Jaashan, began the event by presenting on the purposes and requirements of the SES report. "Today, I hope to clarify certain questions and to help the teams avoid the common pitfalls associated with an initial submission for accreditation," he said. Dr. Jaashan took questions from the audience and focused the group on hypothetical problems that could surface in the preparation of the SES. Program Coordinator, Dr. Fadi Al-Khasawneh, served as an additional resource during the question and answer session to help assure that everyone had a common understanding of the outstanding accreditation work.   Quality Consultant at the Deanship of Academic Development and Quality, Dr. Ahmad Farid, expounded upon the SES report basics covered by Dr. Jaashan. Using an overhead projector and handouts, he walked the participants through the detailed minutia of the SSR requirements. He stressed the strict evidentiary requirements set forth in the accreditation approval criteria. He noted that successful National Commission for Academic Accreditation & Assessment (NCAAA) accreditation applicants produce a detailed and lengthy trail of documents and related records. This evidence is both cumulative over a period of years and provides incontrovertible support for the statements and or conclusions proffered. He emphasized that while links to our website are very useful, these alone are insufficient proof of claims as per NCAAA regulations. The body of evidence must be both broad and deep. The support package should include material from a variety of both academic and administrative sources. Note once again that it is important to have an unbroken chain of compelling, cumulative evidence as well. Such is required for a credible application package. Although the question and answer session was generally quite favorable, there are some open questions concerning evidentiary requirements.   The FLT is grateful to the Deanship of Academic Development and Quality for its co-sponsorship of the event and Dr. Ahmed Farid's well-received workshop. "Thank you all for giving up part of your weekend to attend this most important event. We are confident that with all of your hard work, we will be granted accreditation in the near future. The entire college is anticipating the celebration that will mark the accreditation confirmation," said Dr. Almosa.   The Faculty of Languages and Translation is dedicated to providing excellence in all aspects of its educational offerings. The FLT, its students, and alumni deserve national recognition for the quality of the program. The department is determined to secure such recognition by way of NCAAA accreditation in the near future. Date: 10/13/2019 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

The Women’s Scientific Research Committee at the Faculty of Languages and Translation held a seminar on October 29th titled "What Does It Mean to Have Programmatic Accreditation." The seminar was led by Dr. Eman Alzaanin, supervisor of the Academic Development and Quality Unit. The program began with a discussion on the university’s relative strengths and weaknesses with respect to the accreditation process in the Faculty of Languages and Translation. The accrediting body for most universities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the NCAAA. "The organization examines and evaluates various educational programs to ensure that institutions are meeting the standards set by internationally recognized experts in their field," said Dr. Alzaanin. The seminar was attended by Assistant Dean, Dr. Suaad Al-Qahtani, and Vice Dean, Dr. Salma Al-Qahtani, along with a number of assistant professors and lecturers of the Department of English. Following the opening remarks, there was a review of the reasons that the faculty should seek accreditation and a brief summary of the accreditation process. Dr. Alzaanin explained many of the standards the university is required to meet in order to receive accreditation. They include but are not limited: Mission and Objectives; Program Administration and Quality Assurance; Learning Resources, Facilities, and Equipment. Towards the end of the seminar, there was a question and answer session regarding the faculty’s readiness to demonstrate that the program substantially meets the quality standards and other requirements for accreditation. Date: 11/3/2018 Source: Amal Metwally - Scientific Research Committee Coordinator