Faculty of Languages and Translation

  On February 9th, College of Languages & Translation faculty members Mohammed Jabir and Erich Beer presented a creative writing workshop at Al-Janoub International School in Khamis Mushait. Attendees included many of the school’s students, teachers, and administrators.   Mr. Mohammed Jabir focused his presentation on the general philosophies and approaches to creative writing. He noted that humans are born storytellers. Creative writing is a natural extension of the societal need to inform, inspire and challenge others through stories. Mr. Jabir also reviewed various fictional writing styles, and explained how each type appeals to different audiences.   Mr. Erich Beer focused his time on practical issues in creative writing. He explained how most writers strive and suffer through the creative process. Mr. Beer has been teaching creative writing at the university for years. He offered many tips on ways to overcome common obstacles such as organization, writer’s block, editing and the like.   The workshop presenters thanked Al-Janoub International School for graciously hosting the event and subsequent refreshments. The presentations were well attended, and the participants showed great enthusiasm. Many expressed interest in having additional events in the future. Date: 2-12-2019 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  On February 9th, College of Languages & Translation faculty members Mohammed Jabir and Erich Beer presented a creative writing workshop at Al-Janoub International School in Khamis Mushait. Attendees included many of the school’s students, teachers, and administrators.   Mr. Mohammed Jabir focused his presentation on the general philosophies and approaches to creative writing. He noted that humans are born storytellers. Creative writing is a natural extension of the societal need to inform, inspire and challenge others through stories. Mr. Jabir also reviewed various fictional writing styles, and explained how each type appeals to different audiences.   Mr. Erich Beer focused his time on practical issues in creative writing. He explained how most writers strive and suffer through the creative process. Mr. Beer has been teaching creative writing at the university for years. He offered many tips on ways to overcome common obstacles such as organization, writer’s block, editing and the like.   The workshop presenters thanked Al-Janoub International School for graciously hosting the event and subsequent refreshments. The presentations were well attended, and the participants showed great enthusiasm. Many expressed interest in having additional events in the future. Date: 2-12-2019 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  Associate Professor Michael Hadzantonis conducted a workshop on Linguistic Anthropological facets of language selection, which was organized by the Language Research Center of King Khalid University, on January 16, 2019. Here, the language of study was Greek, following a study and data collection in Athens, Greece in 2012.    The central premise of the study followed on from work by Duranti, which exposed that, in Italian, the act of dropping or including a subject pronoun constituent in/from any spoken construction, will alter the pragmatics of the sentence. In the Italian case, including the unnecessary subject pronoun will effect positive conceptions by speakers toward the referent. However, in the case of the Greek context, Hadzantonis argues that the opposite was found to be true. This metapragmatic conditioning of syntax aligns with work by Michael Silverstein in the 1980s, who discusses the importance of 'reference' in syntactic constituents, so to effect either deliberate or nondeliberate positioning of the subject referent, by the speaker.        This work constitutes the first part in introducing discourse analytic techniques in Linguistic Anthropology, and sits within a continual line of talks in the area of Research methods in Linguistic Anthropology, by Hadzantonis. Date: 1/30/2019 Source: Mohammad Adil Siddique

  Associate Professor Michael Hadzantonis conducted a workshop on Linguistic Anthropological facets of language selection, which was organized by the Language Research Center of King Khalid University, on January 16, 2019. Here, the language of study was Greek, following a study and data collection in Athens, Greece in 2012.    The central premise of the study followed on from work by Duranti, which exposed that, in Italian, the act of dropping or including a subject pronoun constituent in/from any spoken construction, will alter the pragmatics of the sentence. In the Italian case, including the unnecessary subject pronoun will effect positive conceptions by speakers toward the referent. However, in the case of the Greek context, Hadzantonis argues that the opposite was found to be true. This metapragmatic conditioning of syntax aligns with work by Michael Silverstein in the 1980s, who discusses the importance of 'reference' in syntactic constituents, so to effect either deliberate or nondeliberate positioning of the subject referent, by the speaker.        This work constitutes the first part in introducing discourse analytic techniques in Linguistic Anthropology, and sits within a continual line of talks in the area of Research methods in Linguistic Anthropology, by Hadzantonis. Date: 1/30/2019 Source: Mohammad Adil Siddique

  On January 21, 2019, Dean of the Faculty of Languages & Translation, Dr. Abdullah Al Melhi, presented two faculty members with distinguished service awards.   Dean Al Melhi recognized Dr. Basim Kanaan for his four years of service as the department’s academic advisor. In his official capacity as student advisor, Dr. Kanaan worked tirelessly to guide and render help to many students on a wide variety of academic and personal issues.   Dean Al Melhi also recognized Mr.Abdullah Al-Rezgi for his six continuous years of service as the English Language Center (ELC) director. The ELC provides intensive English instruction to students majoring in sciences and medicine.   The Dean conducted a brief awards ceremony in the presence of senior faculty members during the regularly scheduled department council meeting. Dr. Kanaan and Mr. Rezgi both received achievement plaques in appreciation for all of their diligent efforts and years of loyal service. Date: 1/22/2019 Source: Dr. Charles Forman

  On January 21, 2019, Dean of the Faculty of Languages & Translation, Dr. Abdullah Al-Melhi, presented two faculty members with distinguished service awards.   Dean Al-Melhi recognized Dr. Basim Kanaan for his four years of service as the department’s academic advisor. In his official capacity as student advisor, Dr. Kanaan worked tirelessly to guide and render help to many students on a wide variety of academic and personal issues.   Dean Al-Melhi also recognized Mr.Abdullah Al-Rezgi for his six continuous years of service as the English Language Center (ELC) director. The ELC provides intensive English instruction to students majoring in sciences and medicine.   The Dean conducted a brief awards ceremony in the presence of senior faculty members during the regularly scheduled department council meeting. Dr. Kanaan and Mr. Rezgi both received achievement plaques in appreciation for all of their diligent efforts and years of loyal service. Date: 1/22/2019 Source: Dr. Charles Forman

  On January 16, 2019, there was a face-to-face 'E-Learning Practitioners Training' organized by the Deanship of E-Learning available to all faculty members on Blackboard, which is one of the premier learning management systems in higher education. E-Learning Supervisor at the Faculty of Languages and Translation, Mohsin Khan, led the online training program. In attendance were some new faculty members from various colleges and locales. Mr. Khan provided some basic instruction for those who were not familiar with King Khalid University’s learning management system, Blackboard. Mr. Khan then conducted a training session in which he focused on the flipped classroom method. 'Blackboard is a powerful tool. If utilized to its maximum capabilities, our students have better learning outcomes and benefit greatly', said Mr. Khan.   Of note, Mr. Khan introduced the standards of the internationally acclaimed and recognized Quality Matters (QM) Rubric. QM provides certification to online courses that demonstrate a commitment to creating an environment of excellence and quality. Mr. Khan discussed how these standards could be implemented in online courses.   E-Learning Training Manager, Mohammed Jarallah, thanked all of the participants for their time and attention. He noted that E-Learning is an increasingly important aspect of higher education. The university is committed to maintaining the highest standards and best practices for modern college-level curriculum. Date: 1/17/2019 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  On January 16, 2019, there was a face-to-face 'E-Learning Practitioners Training' organized by the Deanship of E-Learning available to all faculty members on Blackboard, which is one of the premier learning management systems in higher education. E-Learning Supervisor at the Faculty of Languages and Translation, Mohsin Khan, led the online training program. In attendance were some new faculty members from various colleges and locales. Mr. Khan provided some basic instruction for those who were not familiar with King Khalid University’s learning management system, Blackboard. Mr. Khan then conducted a training session in which he focused on the flipped classroom method. 'Blackboard is a powerful tool. If utilized to its maximum capabilities, our students have better learning outcomes and benefit greatly', said Mr. Khan.   Of note, Mr. Khan introduced the standards of the internationally acclaimed and recognized Quality Matters (QM) Rubric. QM provides certification to online courses that demonstrate a commitment to creating an environment of excellence and quality. Mr. Khan discussed how these standards could be implemented in online courses.   E-Learning Training Manager, Mohammed Jarallah, thanked all of the participants for their time and attention. He noted that E-Learning is an increasingly important aspect of higher education. The university is committed to maintaining the highest standards and best practices for modern college-level curriculum. Date: 1/17/2019 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  The Faculty of Languages and Translation hosted training sessions to prepare our teachers to use the new textbooks effectively. On January 13th and 14th the Unlock series publisher, Cambridge University Press, conducted intensive training sessions for both male and female instructors at different locations. Dean of Faculty of Languages & Translation, Dr. Abdullah Al-Melhi, presided over and coordinated the whole program. ESL author & educator Peter Lucantoni commenced the workshop with his lively presentation. Mr. Lucantoni explained how the authors of this series reached out to teachers and learners to make sure they truly understood what they needed from a course. He reiterated that the Unlock series would motivate learners with engaging materials and visually stunning graphics in inspirational storytelling which would eventually develop their critical thinking skills in addition to language learning. Of note, Discovery Education videos are incorporated into the learning content, which is considered to be a brand new approach that equips learners with the skills and language needed for academic success.   King Khalid University Rector, Prof. Falleh R. M. Al-Solamy, Vice Rector of Academic Affairs, Saad Muhammad Du'ajim, and Vice Rector of Academic Development and Quality, Dr. Merzin Al-Shahrani, presided over the training sessions on day 2. After a brief closing ceremony, His Excellency Rector Al-Solamy wished all of the students and faculty great success with the new textbook series and course enhancement initiative. Dean Al-Melhi thanked the representatives of Cambridge University Press for their efforts and His Excellency Rector Al-Solamy and Vice Rector Du'ajim for their continued support and encouragement. 'The adoption of these new textbooks and the associated teaching techniques represent a momentous achievement for the English Language Center. We hope that it will unlock the potential of our students', said Dean Al-Melhi. He further noted that this textbook initiative was a long and difficult process. 'This project would not have come to fruition but for the dedication and persistence of my team's tireless work, and executive leadership support and encouragement of the initiative', he said.   The English Language Center at the Faculty of Languages & Translation has adopted and launched a set of new textbooks for numerous courses. These new materials are tailored to language learning for students enrolled in ENG 011, 012 and 019 English skills courses. This is an exciting development for the ELC as these new textbooks utilize cutting-edge language learning methods developed over many years. The textbooks are part of the 'Unlock' series by Cambridge University Press.   The Unlock series of books provides instruction on five essential academic language skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking and grammar). The textbooks employ a comprehensive approach to language learning in which students study all five subjects contemporaneously. This provides a near immersive exposure to the language that is of great help in achieving fluency. Moreover, the Unlock series also utilizes a 'scaffold' approach in which the materials help students progress up through a hierarchy of learning in accord with Bloom's Taxonomy. Unlock provides learners with the tools for developing the analytical and critical thinking skills necessary for mastering languages. The textbooks also stress the development of skills that will enable the students to speak and write proficiently at each level of language learning.   Unlock texts employ many different types of learning methods. The materials include many videos. These are helpful for both auditory and visual exposure to language usage. Unlock also prescribes a wide variety of both individual and group exercises designed to enhance language development. Moreover, Unlock is an effective tool for motivating students to learn. Most ordinary textbooks are dry and boring. The Unlock series focuses on study material that is engaging and sparks students' inherent curiosity. For example, the texts use interesting stories about real people and places in its lessons. Unlock is, in short, a critical component of an improved teaching strategy which will be of great benefit to our students. Adopting these new textbooks is one element of the university's goals of continuous improvement in all aspects of education.   The entire university offers its gratitude to Cambridge University Press. Textbooks are inherently expensive, especially those texts including state of the art educational materials and techniques. The university and Cambridge University Press worked very hard to provide these new textbooks at an affordable price. Ultimately, the parties found a way to sell these books to our students for 80 SR each. This is the lowest price for this series anywhere in the world. The university is so pleased to provide our students with optimal educational tools at a modest cost.   The Faculty of Languages and Translation is committed to providing the best possible language education to our students. The textbook initiative represents yet another success on the endless path of continuous improvement that helps make King Khalid University a world-class educational institution. Date: 1/16/2019 Source: Md. Jahangir Alam Multimedia Source: Sayed Mohammed Abdul Karim

  The Faculty of Languages and Translation hosted training sessions to prepare our teachers to use the new textbooks effectively. On January 13th and 14th the Unlock series publisher, Cambridge University Press, conducted intensive training sessions for both male and female instructors at different locations. Dean of Faculty of Languages & Translation, Dr. Abdullah Al-Melhi, presided over and coordinated the whole program. ESL author & educator Peter Lucantoni commenced the workshop with his lively presentation. Mr. Lucantoni explained how the authors of this series reached out to teachers and learners to make sure they truly understood what they needed from a course. He reiterated that the Unlock series would motivate learners with engaging materials and visually stunning graphics in inspirational storytelling which would eventually develop their critical thinking skills in addition to language learning. Of note, Discovery Education videos are incorporated into the learning content, which is considered to be a brand new approach that equips learners with the skills and language needed for academic success.   King Khalid University Rector, Prof. Falleh R. M. Al-Solamy, Vice Rector of Academic Affairs, Saad Muhammad Du'ajim, and Vice Rector of Academic Development and Quality, Dr. Merzin Al-Shahrani, presided over the training sessions on day 2. After a brief closing ceremony, His Excellency Rector Al-Solamy wished all of the students and faculty great success with the new textbook series and course enhancement initiative. Dean Al-Melhi thanked the representatives of Cambridge University Press for their efforts and His Excellency Rector Al-Solamy and Vice Rector Du'ajim for their continued support and encouragement. 'The adoption of these new textbooks and the associated teaching techniques represent a momentous achievement for the English Language Center. We hope that it will unlock the potential of our students', said Dean Al-Melhi. He further noted that this textbook initiative was a long and difficult process. 'This project would not have come to fruition but for the dedication and persistence of my team's tireless work, and executive leadership support and encouragement of the initiative', he said.   The English Language Center at the Faculty of Languages & Translation has adopted and launched a set of new textbooks for numerous courses. These new materials are tailored to language learning for students enrolled in ENG 011, 012 and 019 English skills courses. This is an exciting development for the ELC as these new textbooks utilize cutting-edge language learning methods developed over many years. The textbooks are part of the 'Unlock' series by Cambridge University Press.   The Unlock series of books provides instruction on five essential academic language skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking and grammar). The textbooks employ a comprehensive approach to language learning in which students study all five subjects contemporaneously. This provides a near immersive exposure to the language that is of great help in achieving fluency. Moreover, the Unlock series also utilizes a 'scaffold' approach in which the materials help students progress up through a hierarchy of learning in accord with Bloom's Taxonomy. Unlock provides learners with the tools for developing the analytical and critical thinking skills necessary for mastering languages. The textbooks also stress the development of skills that will enable the students to speak and write proficiently at each level of language learning.   Unlock texts employ many different types of learning methods. The materials include many videos. These are helpful for both auditory and visual exposure to language usage. Unlock also prescribes a wide variety of both individual and group exercises designed to enhance language development. Moreover, Unlock is an effective tool for motivating students to learn. Most ordinary textbooks are dry and boring. The Unlock series focuses on study material that is engaging and sparks students' inherent curiosity. For example, the texts use interesting stories about real people and places in its lessons. Unlock is, in short, a critical component of an improved teaching strategy which will be of great benefit to our students. Adopting these new textbooks is one element of the university's goals of continuous improvement in all aspects of education.   The entire university offers its gratitude to Cambridge University Press. Textbooks are inherently expensive, especially those texts including state of the art educational materials and techniques. The university and Cambridge University Press worked very hard to provide these new textbooks at an affordable price. Ultimately, the parties found a way to sell these books to our students for 80 SR each. This is the lowest price for this series anywhere in the world. The university is so pleased to provide our students with optimal educational tools at a modest cost.   The Faculty of Languages and Translation is committed to providing the best possible language education to our students. The textbook initiative represents yet another success on the endless path of continuous improvement that helps make King Khalid University a world-class educational institution. Date: 1/16/2019 Source: Md. Jahangir Alam Multimedia Source: Sayed Mohammed Abdul Karim