King Khalid University

  On November 6, 2019, the Faculty of Languages and Translation, along with the English Club, sponsored a faculty member soccer tournament. The purpose of the event was to encourage camaraderie among the faculty members through friendly competition. Nine faculty members participated.   The faculty were separated into two teams with a King Khalid University student rounding out the field of players. The teams played continuously until Maghreb prayer. Everybody prayed together on the field. Subsequently, the marathon match resumed for another 60 minutes.   Each team included an outstanding player. Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, Dr. Yahya Asiri, was the star of his squad. His specialty is using quick and decisive footwork to evade would-be defenders. He scored numerous goals much to the chagrin of the competent defense. Dr. Asiri was ably assisted by Ahl Allah Saddiqi, Dr. Dimitrios Michael, and Dr. Omer Sultan. They provided excellent defensive cover and were effective on offense as well. Dr. Sultan provided brief intermissions by adeptly kicking the ball out of the stadium. Several soccer balls remain missing at this time.   Dr. Basim Kanaan was the opposing star player on his team. His skills included accurate scissor kicks and adept ball handling. Teammate and English Club Director, Faisal Alfadhil, provided the speed that kept Dr. Asiri's team in constant motion. Azaad Hayat provided additional intermissions by drilling balls into opposing players, which resulted in game stoppages and some minor injuries.   Dr. Karem Abdelatif Ahmed and Hassan Costello served as goalies in the match. Dr. Ahmed, despite his best efforts, allowed many goals due to the continuous onslaught of the skilled offense by Dr. Asiri's team. Hassan Costello apparently was unaware he was playing goal. However, the opposing team was only marginally successful because Hassan is approximately the same size as the goal.   The soccer matches will be a standing event to be held every Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. at the Lasan Campus.   The Faculty of Languages and Translation is committed to employee development and well-being. Date: 11/7/2019 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  On November 6, 2019, the Faculty of Languages and Translation, along with the English Club, sponsored a faculty member soccer tournament. The purpose of the event was to encourage camaraderie among the faculty members through friendly competition. Nine faculty members participated.   The faculty were separated into two teams with a King Khalid University student rounding out the field of players. The teams played continuously until Maghreb prayer. Everybody prayed together on the field. Subsequently, the marathon match resumed for another 60 minutes.   Each team included an outstanding player. Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, Dr. Yahya Asiri, was the star of his squad. His specialty is using quick and decisive footwork to evade would-be defenders. He scored numerous goals much to the chagrin of the competent defense. Dr. Asiri was ably assisted by Ahl Allah Saddiqi, Dr. Dimitrios Michael, and Dr. Omer Sultan. They provided excellent defensive cover and were effective on offense as well. Dr. Sultan provided brief intermissions by adeptly kicking the ball out of the stadium. Several soccer balls remain missing at this time.   Dr. Basim Kanaan was the opposing star player on his team. His skills included accurate scissor kicks and adept ball handling. Teammate and English Club Director, Faisal Alfadhil, provided the speed that kept Dr. Asiri's team in constant motion. Azaad Hayat provided additional intermissions by drilling balls into opposing players, which resulted in game stoppages and some minor injuries.   Dr. Karem Abdelatif Ahmed and Hassan Costello served as goalies in the match. Dr. Ahmed, despite his best efforts, allowed many goals due to the continuous onslaught of the skilled offense by Dr. Asiri's team. Hassan Costello apparently was unaware he was playing goal. However, the opposing team was only marginally successful because Hassan is approximately the same size as the goal.   The soccer matches will be a standing event to be held every Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. at the Lasan Campus.   The Faculty of Languages and Translation is committed to employee development and well-being. Date: 11/7/2019 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  During the week of October 20, 2019, the English Club organized a trip to the 'Excellent Educational Schools' located in Abha. Dean Abdullah Al-Melhi, English Club Director Faisal Alfadhil, and club member Ali Al-Jasser represented the Faculty of Languages and Translation (FLT).   After a warm welcome by the packed audience of primary school students and Principal, Abdullah Al-Mualwi, Dean Al-Melhi thanked the school for inviting the FLT and the English Club. Dean Al-Melhi began with his speech stressing the importance of education and the many ways in which learning the English language can benefit them. He noted that learning is a lifelong process and that they should take their studies very seriously if they want to be successful in life. Following the dean, Director Alfadhil delivered a speech in which he spoke about the importance of hard work. He said, “Like many of you, when I was young, playing with my friends was more important than studying. However, as I got older, I understood the importance of school and learning English.” Principal Al-Mualwi then commented that the FLT representatives are role models and an inspiration to these young students to embrace education as the biggest opportunity in their young lives. He then awarded all of the FLT representatives, as mentioned above, a plaque recognizing their effort and commitment to education.   The FLT is committed to serving the community and encouraging advanced education among all segments of the population. Date: 10/26/2019 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  During the week of October 20, 2019, the English Club organized a trip to the 'Excellent Educational Schools' located in Abha. Dean Abdullah Al-Melhi, English Club Director Faisal Alfadhil, and club member Ali Al-Jasser represented the Faculty of Languages and Translation (FLT).   After a warm welcome by the packed audience of primary school students and Principal, Abdullah Al-Mualwi, Dean Al-Melhi thanked the school for inviting the FLT and the English Club. Dean Al-Melhi began with his speech stressing the importance of education and the many ways in which learning the English language can benefit them. He noted that learning is a lifelong process and that they should take their studies very seriously if they want to be successful in life. Following the dean, Director Alfadhil delivered a speech in which he spoke about the importance of hard work. He said, “Like many of you, when I was young, playing with my friends was more important than studying. However, as I got older, I understood the importance of school and learning English.” Principal Al-Mualwi then commented that the FLT representatives are role models and an inspiration to these young students to embrace education as the biggest opportunity in their young lives. He then awarded all of the FLT representatives, as mentioned above, a plaque recognizing their effort and commitment to education.   The FLT is committed to serving the community and encouraging advanced education among all segments of the population. Date: 10/26/2019 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  The students of the Faculty of Languages and Translation (female section) along with Intellectual Awareness Unit Coordinator, Dr. Amal Metwally, attended a workshop on Thursday, October 17, 2019, at the Faculty of Humanities. The workshop, which was held by Ms. Nora Al-Shamrani, focused on the significance of the feeling of appreciation and belongingness to one's home country. "Your home country is the place where you live, and to which you belong," said Ms. Al-Shamrani.   Ms. Al-Shamrani started with reviewing the history of the Kingdom and the significance of its flag. The flag of the kingdom, with the Islamic creed 'There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of God', is the flag used since 15 March 1973. She affirms that students should know the history of the Kingdom and appreciate it. Then an important discussion was raised on the power of the Kingdom and the 2030 Vision.   During the workshop, Ms. Al-Shamrani raised the question of how our students could be recognizable citizens, and students contributed with their answers saying that, in the first place, they should follow the Islamic creed; the Ever-Glorious Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him).   The workshop was followed by a warm discussion about what each citizen should do for his or her home country.   The event was attended by the Vice Supervisor of the Intellectual Awareness Unit, Dr. Dawlah Mohammad Mane', and the unit's coordinators from various faculties of the university. Date: 10/18/2019 Source: Intellectual Awareness Unit

  The students of the Faculty of Languages and Translation (female section) along with Intellectual Awareness Unit Coordinator, Dr. Amal Metwally, attended a workshop on Thursday, October 17, 2019, at the Faculty of Humanities. The workshop, which was held by Ms. Nora Al-Shamrani, focused on the significance of the feeling of appreciation and belongingness to one's home country. "Your home country is the place where you live, and to which you belong," said Ms. Al-Shamrani.   Ms. Al-Shamrani started with reviewing the history of the Kingdom and the significance of its flag. The flag of the kingdom, with the Islamic creed 'There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of God', is the flag used since 15 March 1973. She affirms that students should know the history of the Kingdom and appreciate it. Then an important discussion was raised on the power of the Kingdom and the 2030 Vision.   During the workshop, Ms. Al-Shamrani raised the question of how our students could be recognizable citizens, and students contributed with their answers saying that, in the first place, they should follow the Islamic creed; the Ever-Glorious Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him).   The workshop was followed by a warm discussion about what each citizen should do for his or her home country.   The event was attended by the Vice Supervisor of the Intellectual Awareness Unit, Dr. Dawlah Mohammad Mane', and the unit's coordinators from various faculties of the university. Date: 10/18/2019 Source: Intellectual Awareness Unit

  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

  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

  On October 7, 2019, Hassan Costello delivered a workshop titled 'Introduction to Building Quality Online Courses'. The workshop, organized by the E-Learning Unit at Faculty of Languages & Translation in collaboration with the Deanship of E-Learning, was initially tailored toward the English teachers at the Faculty of Languages and Translation (FLT). However, under the supervision of Vice Dean of Academic Development and Quality, Dr. Abdulrahman Almosa, and guidance from E-Learning Unit Supervisor, Mohsin Khan, the FLT decided to open the program to all faculty members in the university system. The college expanded the program university-wide because the material is applicable to online course design across a broad spectrum of professions and disciplines. Members of the FLT and faculty from the College of Medicine attended the workshop.   As the overall quality of online courses is paramount, Mr. Costello framed the workshop in accordance with the eight general standards of Quality Matters (QM). Teaching online requires the skillful interplay of two distinct but closely related activities- course design and student interaction.   Course design requires clarity of purpose. That is, everything in the course must support the desired learning outcomes for the students. Also, online courses must be logically formatted and clearly presented with easy navigation. As students will generally not have unfettered access to the course instructor nor their classmates, the course designer should make individual student autonomy a high priority. Tracking the QM Rubric in the design process helps assure that the ultimate course objectives can be met.   Student/teacher interaction with online courses is very different than traditional classes. Students often work during irregular hours and/or at their own pace. The teacher might not be available to students at mutually convenient times. Also, a teacher may not have the time to respond to every student inquiry in a timely fashion based solely on the number of students enrolled in the class. The limitations on the level of expected student/teacher interaction must be carefully considered in the course design.   In his presentation, Mr. Costello introduced the attendees to each of the QM Rubric standards and provided a summary of 'best practices' for complying with same. The current QM Rubric (6th edition, revised in 2018) has 42 specific standards that are used to evaluate the design of online and blended courses. "Applying the QM Rubric to your course is all about 'alignment'. That is, each lecture, assignment, and activity furthers an objective supporting one or more desired learning outcomes. Aligning tasks and activities with objectives translates into a fully integrated course. The end result is a successful and positive learning experience. Think of the eight general standards of the QM Rubric as a road map that we use to design a course so that both the students and teacher reach the objective in an efficient and pleasant manner," he said.   Mr. Costello provided an introduction to and the best practices of the following general standards:   The Course Overview and Introduction; Learning Objectives (Competencies); Assessment and Measurement ; Instruction Materials; Course Activities and Learner Interaction; Course Technology; Learner Support; Accessibility and Usability.   Mr. Costello also paid particular attention to the issue of accessibility. Unsurprisingly, accessibility in course design is a top priority for many schools and institutions around the world. In point of fact, accessibility is so important that the QM Rubric includes an 'Accessibility and Usability' component. King Khalid University fully embraces the goal of expanding access to course work. King Khalid University was the first university in the Kingdom to subscribe to the tenets of QM.   Mr. Costello's presentation was chock-full of information. He acknowledged that it was hard to take it all in at once. But he encouraged the attendees in saying, "I want you to think of this workshop as a primer to the 'Applying the Quality Rubric (APPQMR) Workshop'. That workshop is provided free of charge and is sponsored by the Deanship of E-Learning to all interested faculty members. The APPQMR workshop is QM's flagship presentation on the QM rubric. There you will review many of the concepts and requirements we have seen today. Being exposed to the material and having access to the resources will be valuable in the future."   Faculty members in attendance from the College of Medicine showed great interest in applying the strategies Mr. Costello explained in his presentation. The medical college currently has an online course taught by 20 faculty members, and this workshop provided the tools to make substantial improvements to that course.   The FLT hopes to repeat this workshop to benefit more of the faculty in the near future. The Faculty of Languages and Translation is dedicated to providing world-class language education to an ever-expanding segment of the population. Date: 10/9/2019 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  On October 7, 2019, Hassan Costello delivered a workshop titled 'Introduction to Building Quality Online Courses'. The workshop, organized by the E-Learning Unit at Faculty of Languages & Translation in collaboration with the Deanship of E-Learning, was initially tailored toward the English teachers at the Faculty of Languages and Translation (FLT). However, under the supervision of Vice Dean of Academic Development and Quality, Dr. Abdulrahman Almosa, and guidance from E-Learning Unit Supervisor, Mohsin Khan, the FLT decided to open the program to all faculty members in the university system. The college expanded the program university-wide because the material is applicable to online course design across a broad spectrum of professions and disciplines. Members of the FLT and faculty from the College of Medicine attended the workshop.   As the overall quality of online courses is paramount, Mr. Costello framed the workshop in accordance with the eight general standards of Quality Matters (QM). Teaching online requires the skillful interplay of two distinct but closely related activities- course design and student interaction.   Course design requires clarity of purpose. That is, everything in the course must support the desired learning outcomes for the students. Also, online courses must be logically formatted and clearly presented with easy navigation. As students will generally not have unfettered access to the course instructor nor their classmates, the course designer should make individual student autonomy a high priority. Tracking the QM Rubric in the design process helps assure that the ultimate course objectives can be met.   Student/teacher interaction with online courses is very different than traditional classes. Students often work during irregular hours and/or at their own pace. The teacher might not be available to students at mutually convenient times. Also, a teacher may not have the time to respond to every student inquiry in a timely fashion based solely on the number of students enrolled in the class. The limitations on the level of expected student/teacher interaction must be carefully considered in the course design.   In his presentation, Mr. Costello introduced the attendees to each of the QM Rubric standards and provided a summary of 'best practices' for complying with same. The current QM Rubric (6th edition, revised in 2018) has 42 specific standards that are used to evaluate the design of online and blended courses. "Applying the QM Rubric to your course is all about 'alignment'. That is, each lecture, assignment, and activity furthers an objective supporting one or more desired learning outcomes. Aligning tasks and activities with objectives translates into a fully integrated course. The end result is a successful and positive learning experience. Think of the eight general standards of the QM Rubric as a road map that we use to design a course so that both the students and teacher reach the objective in an efficient and pleasant manner," he said.   Mr. Costello provided an introduction to and the best practices of the following general standards:   The Course Overview and Introduction; Learning Objectives (Competencies); Assessment and Measurement ; Instruction Materials; Course Activities and Learner Interaction; Course Technology; Learner Support; Accessibility and Usability.   Mr. Costello also paid particular attention to the issue of accessibility. Unsurprisingly, accessibility in course design is a top priority for many schools and institutions around the world. In point of fact, accessibility is so important that the QM Rubric includes an 'Accessibility and Usability' component. King Khalid University fully embraces the goal of expanding access to course work. King Khalid University was the first university in the Kingdom to subscribe to the tenets of QM.   Mr. Costello's presentation was chock-full of information. He acknowledged that it was hard to take it all in at once. But he encouraged the attendees in saying, "I want you to think of this workshop as a primer to the 'Applying the Quality Rubric (APPQMR) Workshop'. That workshop is provided free of charge and is sponsored by the Deanship of E-Learning to all interested faculty members. The APPQMR workshop is QM's flagship presentation on the QM rubric. There you will review many of the concepts and requirements we have seen today. Being exposed to the material and having access to the resources will be valuable in the future."   Faculty members in attendance from the College of Medicine showed great interest in applying the strategies Mr. Costello explained in his presentation. The medical college currently has an online course taught by 20 faculty members, and this workshop provided the tools to make substantial improvements to that course.   The FLT hopes to repeat this workshop to benefit more of the faculty in the near future. The Faculty of Languages and Translation is dedicated to providing world-class language education to an ever-expanding segment of the population. Date: 10/9/2019 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation