Workshop

  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

  Mohammad Adil conducted a workshop entitled 'Practising Professionalism in EFL Teaching', which was organized by the Language Research Center on October 2, 2019. The workshop was centered on effective classroom and test administration practices. The workshop comprised some input sessions and brainstorming tasks.   The workshop began with a warm-up task that covered good classroom practices. This task fully engaged the participants by activating their existing knowledge of classroom practices.   Mohammad Adil started his input session by discussing classroom practices that emphasized 'Principled Eclecticism' and the learner-centered approach to teaching. He explained that the teaching method might vary according to learners' needs and the content of teaching. A well-designed lesson plan could make the entire lesson well-organized, he said, while talking about lesson plan stages and shapes.   Adil also discussed effective whiteboard use in class that could make a lesson engaging, effective, and interesting. "Successful whiteboard use can change the entire classroom environment," stated Adil while demonstrating various ways to use a whiteboard.   Mohammad Adil finished his session with significant issues related to testing. He highlighted what to do before designing a test while designing a test and after the test is finalized. The key concepts covered were the importance of exam training for students, the clarity of instructions in tests, and meeting the testing criteria.   During the input sessions, there were a few brainstorming tasks that engaged the participants and made the whole session interactive.   The workshop was a great success and raised awareness of successful and professional English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom practices among the participants.   Please click here to browse the booklet used in the workshop. Date: 10-2-2019 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation Photography: Dr. Justin Sfariac and Jahangir Alam

  On October 1, 2019, the English Club and Engineering Club hosted Dr. Eyhab Bader Eddin, MITI, MCIL, CL, for a workshop entitled 'Translation: A Broad Overview Weaving Its Threads Together'. More than 140 students attended the event at 11 am in Auditorium 4, and another 100 watched it on Twitter as it was broadcast live. The purpose of the event was to discuss the history, uses, importance, the distinction between translation and interpreting, sub-divisions of interpreting, characteristics of them, and the development of translation as an interdisciplinary science. The workshop introduced students to real examples of simultaneous and consecutive interpreting, highlighting their difficulties. He also explained how 'ear-voice span', technically known as decalage is one of the most spectacular and mysterious aspects of the profession of simultaneous interpreting. He touched upon House's 2009 terms of 'forwards' and 'backwards' orientation of translation. The Deanship of Student Affairs sponsored the event in conjunction with the aforementioned student clubs.   Dr. Bader Eddin began with a brief history of translation. His overview described how translation has become increasingly important due to the development of modern transportation and communication systems, noting that a communicative event takes place once, but with translation it takes place twice as the communicative event is reduplicated. "Over the millennia, the world has become much smaller and this trend has only accelerated in present times,” he said. Today's businesses and commercial agreements would not be made without translation. He pointed out that the Translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek at the request of Ptolemy II is seen as the earliest extant traces of Translation. The fruit of that work yielded 'The Septuagint', a work of 70 translators who, according to the legend, were commissioned to translate the Hebrew Bible, each in solitary confinement in a cell, to come up with an identical translation. On the other hand, Dr. Bader Eddin showed that the need for specialized translation skills has greatly increased with technological advancements, showing a list of recommended dictionaries to be possessed by students. Specialized translators are in high demand in many fields, especially in engineering.   Increased globalization, coupled with technological advancements, has greatly affected the field of translation. As the speed of communications and commerce have increased, the need for highly skilled translators has increased as well. "Modern translators must be able to weave both technical jargon and language that is not directly translatable into ideas that the receiving party understands completely. Moreover, this must be done quickly, often in real-time if interpreted," he concluded. A few examples were translated with the attendees as practice, giving some techniques on how to translate headlines of newspapers.   The Faculty of Languages and Translation is dedicated to graduating elite translators and interpreters who can skillfully satisfy the increasing demands of multi-lingual economies. We congratulate both the English and Engineering Clubs for their initiative under the supervision of the Deanship of Student Affairs.   Please click here to browse the powerpoint used in the workshop. Date: 10/1/2019 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

  This past Sunday Dr. Mahmoud Radwan conducted a workshop titled 'Approaches to Literary Studies' for students of the Faculty of Languages and Translation. The English Club sponsored the event, and more than 200 students and faculty members attended.   The workshop covered a variety of topics. First, Dr. Radwan defined literature and distinguished literary works from other forms of writing. Next, he discussed the importance of creativity and imagination in developing literary writers. Dr. Radwan then reviewed the three major forms of literature (poetry, drama and prose), and the elements of literary works. Later he recounted the major historical developments in English literature.   Finally, Dr. Radwan discussed in detail the benefits of both reading and writing literature. Literature offers readers alternative perspectives and encourages critical thinking. Literary works from varying places and past times enhance readers' understanding of other people and cultures. Much of literature provides valuable insight into the human condition. It is worth noting that exposure to literature can greatly enhance a person's writing skills.   The workshop participants benefited greatly from Dr. Radwan's presentation. Many students were inspired to utilize their innate talents and capabilities to write literature of their own. While literature classes encourage student creativity, these special workshops reinforce classroom learning and enhance students' personal development. Students also received words of encouragement and examples of inspiration when Dr. Radwan referred to the most prominent figures in Arab literature. Examples of such writers include Nguib Mahfouz (Egyptian), Radwa Ashour (Egyptian), Ghazi Al Gosaibi (Saudi), Abdou Khal (Saudi), Abdelfattah Kilito (Moroccan), Ibrahim Al-Kuni (Libya), and Amir Tag Elsir (Sudan). The English Club is proud to sponsor this and other events for the student body. Each attendee at Dr. Radwan’s presentation will receive a certificate.   The FLT fully supports the creative literary arts. In a world increasingly focused on technology and technical prowess, people often overlook the inherent value in literature. The department is committed to preserving society's appreciation for great writing and contributing to the ever-expanding body of literary works. Date: 3/12/2019 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 Frame Theory and Footing in Linguistic Anthropological Analysis, which was organized by the Language Research Center of King Khalid University, on November 14, 2018. He provided an in-depth explanation of ‘Footing and Framing Theory,’ a theory based on the ways in which discourse is contextually deconstructed and anthropologized. AP Hadzantonis, while highlighting the history of this theory, discussed Erving Goffman, who pioneered micro-sociology, who evidenced social constructions of the self, and who subsequently developed concepts of framing and frame analysis. While including mention of Volosinov (1929; 1973), Hadzantonis substantiated the shortcomings of the study of language structures, and hence one that rigidly overlooks context and is therefore isolated from social life. To remedy for this, he added, is to emphasize reported speech, as its structures expose active relations between messages. AP Hadzantonis emphasized the pragmatic applications of Footing and Framing. An effective application of this, he suggested, exposes multi-party sequences of talk of different participants and evidence actions of hearers and multi-party interactive organization of utterances. It also models analyses of types of speakers coexisting within speech. He finally demonstrated a diagrammatic model of a participation framework. The Part 1 session was informative, interactive, and thought-provoking, and leads into the forthcoming Part 2. Date: 11/14/2018 Source: Mohammad Adil Siddique Multimedia Source: Mohammed Jabir

The E-Learning Unit of the faculty organized a Blackboard workshop for students of ENG 015 (Fully Online Course)  on  Monday, October 8, 2018, and Wednesday, October 10, 2018.   Delivered by Mr. Mohammad Taisir, ENG 015 Instructor, and assisted by FLT E-Learning Unit Supervisor, Mohsin Khan, the training session was a success drawing in a large number of students. Mr. Taisir exposed students to the course contents of the ENG 015 and pointed out the requirements of the course. He explained how students could explore the course materials and submit online assessments.   A wide range of topics were addressed in an effort to ensure students are prepared for the unique challenges of online learning. Date: 10/10/2018 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation

The Scientific Research Committee of the Faculty of Languages and Translation organized a two-hour workshop on Monday, April 9, 2018. The workshop was held to introduce staff members and MA students to Rbrul software. It was given by Dr. Khairia Abudadi where she delivered a presentation about Rbrul software. Dr. Khairia practically explained the material and the handouts distributed to the attendees. "Rbrul is a variable rule program that enables its users to plot, crosstab and run a regression analysis of the data,” Dr. Khairia said. She added, “the good thing about Rbrul is that once it’s up and running, it will ask you questions with multiple choice answers so that you don’t have to know the right things to type into R. Users don’t need to remember a large number of codes." Dr. Khairia talked about Rbrul installation, how to start using Rbrul, modeling and excel sheets. The attendees asked many questions, and they asked Dr. Khairia to organize another practical session to begin using the software. Among the attendees were Dr. Salma Al-Qahtani, the vice dean, and Dr. Mona Alsheri, the head of the department. They enriched the discussion with their comments and their background experience in the field. The scientific research committee thanked all participants for attending this workshop and will announce the next session in the near future. Date: 10/4/2018 Source: Amal Metwally – Scientific Research Committee Coordinator

Under the supervision of the Dean, Dr. Abdullah Al-Melhi, and the Vice Dean, Dr. Yahya Asiri, Dr. Mohammad Asif Ishfaq organized a workshop titled "Speaking Skills" for students at the Language Enhancement Program (LEP). It was held on 2 April 2018 in A/3/1 from 11 am to 12:00 pm. Supported by Mr. Mohammad Kamaluddin, the event was very interactive for nearly 35 students. Dr. Mohammad Asif encouraged students to embrace the 7 Cs of effective communication as follows: (1) completeness, (2) conciseness, (3) consideration, (4) concreteness, (5) clarity, (6) courtesy, and (7) correctness. He showed how these principles could be used effectively to ensure the importance of the message is delivered. At the end of the event, participants were assembled into groups and delivered mini-presentations that included peer feedback. Date: 4/2/2018 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation Multimedia Source: Javed Ahmad

Under the supervision of the Dean, Dr. Abdullah Al-Melhi, and the Vice Dean, Dr. Yahya Asiri, Mohsin Khan, e-learning supervisor, organized a workshop titled E-Reading Strategies for students at the Language Enhancement Program (LEP). It was held on 21 March 2018 in A/3/1 from 9 am to 10:30 am. Supported by Mr. Javed Ahmed, Dr. Mohammed Asif Ishfaq, and Syed Asif Abbas, the event was very beneficial for the full-capacity crowd. Mohsin showed how, as opposed to the traditional way of reading, students could develop their critical reading skills by reading faster and more efficiently. He focused on getting more out of the material by understanding it in the broad context. Participants in the workshop completed a series of interactive worksheets which targeted knowledge of reading strategies; this enabled them to enhance their understanding and retention of the topics learned during the presentation. Date: 3/22/2018 Source: Faculty of Languages and Translation