The educational process includes the study system (distant learning, parallel education, communicative education, or open university), and study plans, and the academic programs provided at different higher education institutes among different stages such has, diploma and bachelor programs, and all related programs, and its theoretical, practical aspects, and technical skills required for the student’s preparation. In addition, it includes studying the graduation policies, academic credential (from a technical aspect), educational environment, and the capability of the academic staff to perform all given duties under the umbrella of the educational process.
Identifying the reality and trends of all aspects related to the educational process, as well as defining the areas of strength and weakness for the best use of the available material and the modern techniques, and developing the students and staff scientific abilities and skills, and the infra structure which affects the educational operation, and developing the rules, policies, and procedures that has a negative effect on enhancing the capability of the educational process.
This study in general, aims at evaluating the educational process in the higher education institutes, and its meeting towards the development demands, variants, modern issues which enhance the educational process. The additional objectives of the study are represented in the following:
An objective comprehensive evaluation relying on scientific basis for all the aspects of the educational process, and the controlling rules, policies, and procedures in the higher education institutes.
Comparing the educational operation methods with those applied at some selected educational institutes that had an international reputation in that domain.
Suggesting methods for developing the educational process procedures and methods such as, the curriculum, programs, study plans, and the co-op programs.
Suggesting a plan to enhance the internal capability of the educational process and its satisfaction towards the labor market needs.
The scope of this study and its aspects comprise -at least- the following:
Studying the ability of omitting subsidiary majors, and the transfer from the mono-informational courses to the multi-intellectual ones.
Enhancing multi-discipline courses, or those considered as a basis for modern majors, and considering the educational operation as a device that develops the general and basic skills such as, building information skills, relation discovery, problem solving, communication, self expression, finding errors, decision making, and information prediction and deduction.
Inserting the programs of the manners and attitudes of production and services in all majors, and concentrating on training the students on the skill of acquiring information, as well as teaching them different methods of thinking such as, problem solving and scientific thought.
Building and developing the curriculum in terms of adding values to the students not those routine values of the same curriculum. Therefore, the curriculum will be built in accordance with the goals and visions of that curriculum, or the academic faculties, other college. As a result, it should help the students in acquiring the basic skills required in their job practical performance such as, the communication skill, problem solving, and building the multi discipline curriculum.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned visions for developing the educational process, the scope of the study will deal with the following:
Evaluating the personal abilities, available resources, the way of using these resources, equipment, and different educational facilities such as the libraries, and its availability, satisfaction towards the educational process, and its continuous updating.
Evaluating the referents and foundations that the academic programs and plans rely on.
Identifying the suitability of the majors and curriculum with the students skills and abilities, and its satisfaction towards enabling them to acquire the required skills that meet the labor market demands and the developmental trends and the globalization demands.
Revising the testing systems, the methods of evaluating the students academic outreaches, and the methods of students, staff, and curriculum evaluation as well. All to be able to identify the areas of strength and weakness in it, suggest methods for its improvement, and enhancing its contributions in all aspects related to the educational process. All to improve the internal quality of the higher education institutes, and to enhance the external suitability of the educational process outputs.
Revising books and curriculum selection and adoption systems, study load, and the educational material according to related international criteria.
Rescheduling, distributing the load of the outreaches demands, and the outreaching and rehabilitation levels.
Studying various methods to benefit from the graduated students in the educational process, and the possibility of their contribution in the educational process improvement plan.
Evaluating the students’ relations with the academic and administrative staff.
Evaluating the academic and technical advice systems in terms of the modern trends, and the current and futuristic economical and social developmental needs.
Evaluating the technical manners and behaviors between the students and the academic staff in the educational institutes.
Evaluating the trends of educational programs and all related activities towards a peaceful community with high values, and required productive values.
Revising the rules, regulations, policies, and procedures of scholarships programs, and indicating all the challenges, obstacles, and impacts. In addition, evaluating its response and satisfaction towards the labor market demands and the futuristic developmental trends, and the quality of these policies, and the methods and criteria of defining the included policies and procedures, and evaluating the suitability of the scholarships programs, and its outputs.
Identifying both the quantative and qualitative developments, and the role of the higher education institutes, locally and internationally, and improving the measuring criteria, and comparing them via using the quantative indicators.
Evaluating the modern techniques and developments in the educational operation methods and alternatives, and the possibility of utilizing it in the educational operation.
Studying the various higher education methods, including diploma programs, university programs, distant learning, parallel education, continuous education, and communicative education.
Studying the gap between the available and required qualities, and the possibility of revision and updating.
Benefiting from the higher studies programs in order to contribute in the educational process development.
Studying the benefit of merge and separation, as well as the cooperative programs inside and among the educational institutes.
Indicating the obstacles, challenges, and serious issues related to the educational operation.
Estimating the level of internal quality of the educational process systems in terms of quantity, quality, and cost. In addition, the factors associated with educational losses and their impact on higher education should be estimated as well as the academic evaluation and accreditation.
Studying the methods of both the academic and technical evaluation and credential, and the mechanisms of creativity and excellence encouragement.
Defining the community’s goals, needs, and trends in order to enhance competition and creativity in various educational aspects.
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
Designing and evaluating methods for the academic and technical evaluation and credential for the students, staff, and all employees related to the educational process.
Defining the aspects in which the community is capable for creativity, and evaluating these abilities, as well as suggesting possible alternatives.
Suggesting methods for improving the curriculum, academic programs and plans, and the co-op programs as well.
Suggesting measuring criteria for evaluating the educational process internal quality.
Searching for the best usages of the modern developments in the information and educational technologies in order to develop and enhance the efficiency of the educational process.
Searching for methods to develop the role of the higher studies in order to enhance the educational process level, and the skills developing methods, to enhance the performance of the graduates’ rehabilitation operation.
Determining the results, giving policies and recommendations, and preparing reports.
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 evaluative study of the contents of the current and futuristic educational process, including the results of the current situation analysis study, comparative studies, prognostic studies, the needs of development plans, labor market, trends, higher education technological and methodical development, and the study plans and academic programs evaluation, and the evaluation of the educational operation internal capability, and its improvement methods, and the methods of academic and technical evaluation and credential.
Highlights of the outcomes of meetings with focus groups, general seminars, brainstorming seminars, workshops, etc.
A comprehensive analysis of the outcomes of this study in order to give recommendations concerning the best and most capable method for the educational operation in the higher education institutes.
Suggesting methods to enhance the internal capability of the educational operation in accordance with the international indicators.
Studying the different scenarios of the aspects of the educational process which includes the curriculum and its concept according to the geographic location, rehabilitation, outreaches, and the scholarships plan, etc.
The main issues concerning the educational operation should be indicated according to its significance, and analyzing the strategic options, their applicability, and estimated budgets, all help in achieving the real objectives of that long-term plan.
Suggesting the appropriate methods, plans, trends, criteria, and mechanisms to improve the educational operation.
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.
