This track deals with studying all rules, regulations, policies, and procedures related to the admission of students and the capacity of the higher education institutes, for admission and capacity are considered to be of the most essential issues of higher education.
Admission and capacity issues are considered to be of the most essential issues that concern the higher education system in the Kingdom, and they create obstacles that hinder the development of performance levels of higher education. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the capacity of higher education institutes,; review the procedures of admission; identify the affecting issues and trends; and suggest best practices to upgrade both the capacity and the established admission mechanisms.
This study in general, aims at evaluating all aspects related to the admission and capacity issues in the higher education institutes in the Kingdom. Those aspects include policies, procedures, rules, regulations, instructions, and all related issues to the capacity of these institutes and their geographical distribution in order to realize their efficient response towards the developmental needs. In addition, this study should achieve a number of additional objectives, represented in the following:
Identifying the high school graduates abilities and skills since those are considered to be the input of the higher education system.
Predicting the long-term demand of the different institutes of higher education through the statistics of general education and the output of its different stages.
Evaluating the components of the admission process including the policies, procedures, rules, standards, and instructions related to the admission and capacity matters.
Evaluating the current capacity of the higher education institutes and its response towards the increased future demand on higher education in the long-term.
Developing an appropriate mechanism for admission and capacity in different majors at the higher education institutes in order to achieve a harmony between the outputs of the higher education programs and the current and futuristic development requirements.
The scope of this study and its aspects comprise of at least the following:
Identifying the number of high school graduates and the students flow in the various geographical areas of the kingdom.
Identifying levels of competency of high school graduates, and defining their abilities considering them as the input to the higher education system.
Identifying the models, experiences, and the international trends and comparing them with the local experience (regarding the capacity and admission procedures). Then, suggesting best practices to improve the capacity and the mechanisms that could be applied in the higher education in the Kingdom.
Evaluating the current higher education institutes prospects, and their capacity, their areas of strength and weakness, their challenges, and the available opportunities.
Predicting current and futuristic admission trends and its fitness to the labor market needs, development needs, and the geographical distribution.
Studying the geographical distribution of the higher education institutes, and possibilities of coordination between them regarding the number of job opportunities to meet the labor market demands and the developmental needs.
The information used for the study should be complete and authorized. In addition, the study needs the contribution of both stakeholders and the audience via convening seminars, workshops, and intensive brainstorming meetings.
A qualified and skillful team should be formed, and the team shall consult international experts -when needed- in order to complete the study as requested. Moreover, the established scientific procedures should be used in satisfying the needs of the study.
The study’s perspective for the future should comprise the duration of the plan for the coming 25 years (i.e. until the year 2032).
The basic components of this study should be indicated accurately, and studied in terms of the various changes, indicators, and both local and international criteria, in addition to the Kingdom’s development including the economical, social, demographic, technical, and scientific aspects, as well as the requirements of consecutive national development plans.
Literature, theoretical concepts, international experience, and best practices should be reviewed for not fewer than five higher education information technology experiences from different countries of varying development records. The characteristics of those experiences, the reasons for their positive and negative outcomes in the study, as well as the possibility and the way of applying their positive outcomes, and dealing with the findings in the Kingdom effectively, all should be previewed.
The current situation should be studied by reviewing the different aspects of this study, such as challenges and problems, different phenomena, supply and demand, and the effects of different operations in higher education institutes that are related to the study.
The conditions of higher education institutes in the Kingdom should be compared and contrasted within the framework of this study locally, and then compared with international experiences and against educational standards.
Various aspects of the current situations should be analyzed, and the efficiency of related policies and methods should be estimated. In addition, the vital methods required for developing the higher education system should be identified in order to achieve synchronization with the developmental needs and various issues according to their importance and changes both for now and in the future.
A comprehensive strategic analysis for the subject of this study should be performed and should indicate the related issues, aims and future objectives. The analysis should reflect on the challenges and opportunities, obstacles, and the areas of strength and weakness (through comparative and gap studies), then the needs of the stakeholders should be addressed. Indicating the basis of success, drawing the expected scenarios, analyzing the strategic options and their applicability, all help in achieving the real objectives of that long-term plan.
All the changes mentioned in this study should be linked so as to enable deriving comprehensive conclusions. Achieving this might -as needed- demand designing mathematical models to represent interactions between various reciprocating relationships such as components and variables related to the scope of this study. That will provide the tool required to forecast the future behavior of these variables and to conduct reliability analyses for the coming 25 years, .i.e. until the year 2032.
The most effective factors in this study should be the subject of prognostic studies that should be compiled and supported whenever applicable by graphical representation.
The methods and best practices should be presented, and the requirements for achieving the objectives of the study should be proposed.
The study should introduce total quality methods and mechanisms that shall achieve close and harmonic coordination among the parameters of the study and the recommended practices so that their application fits labor market demands, international changes, and the current and future local needs.
Determining the results and giving recommendation
Specific Requirements
Practical procedures for the criteria of admission in different majors, and the availability of adequate and appropriate vacancies in the higher education programs should be suggested.
A plan for the geographical distribution of higher education institutes should be suggested.
Procedures for enhancing the quality of high school graduates as considered to be the input of higher education should be discussed and suggested.
A seminar, workshops, and meetings with focus groups should be held in order to conceive and take note of different opinions that help in giving recommendations.
All the activities done in these brainstorming meetings, the seminar and the workshops should be documented and presented to the Supervising Committee of Aafaq.
This study should present a comprehensive report that includes the following:
An executive summary of the study.
A documentation of all reference information included in the study.
An analysis of the scientific and the objective outcomes of the current admission and capacity issue including the results of the current situation analysis study, comparative studies, prognostic studies, and the needs of development plans.
Highlights of the outcomes of meetings with focus groups, general seminars, brainstorming seminars, workshops, etc.
The studying the different scenarios, and the interactions between the variables that influence the admission's policies, procedures, rules, and the capacity.
The methods of admission and registration in different majors should be identified, as well as the strategic options necessary to achieve the objectives of developmental plans, along with feasibility and applicability analyses.
A presentation of the indicators, criteria, and trends in the admission and capacity aspects, in addition to the best practices, and the possibility and manner of their application.
Suggesting appropriate methods (mathematical models or systems) that offer adequate and appropriate chances for joining the higher education programs.
A strategy for establishing higher education institutes according to demographic densities for short and long terms.
Recommendations should be given regarding methods of improving admission, the possibility of increasing capacity, and the strategic analysis of the operation, to enhance the efficiency of the admissions policies according to the developmental plans needs and market demands.
Determining the needed methods of execution, budgets, temporal plan, execution responsibilities, training requirements, changing demands, and other technical parameters that affect the performance of the admission and capacity operation.
Defining a monitoring and control system, benchmarks, measuring criteria, and standardized indicators.
