السياسة والإجراءات

مرحبًا بكم في الإصدار الثالث من دليل السياسات والإجراءات لجامعة الأمير سلطان الذي يتضمن لمحة عن الجهود المتواصلة التي تبذلها جامعة الأمير سلطان لتنظيم وتحسين عملياتها سعيًا لتحقيق التميز والتفوق.

عملت جامعة الأمير سلطان- منذ تأسيسها في أوائل عام 2000- على وضع وتنفيذ سياسات تعبر عن فلسفات الجامعة ونهجها في التعامل مع الشؤون الأكاديمية والإدارية في إطار رحلة الجامعة المستمرة نحو تحقيق رسالتها السامية وتحقيق التميز المؤسسي.

تتسم عملية تطوير سياسات جامعة الأمير سلطان بالشفافية التامة واتباع نهج تدريجي وعملي قائم على تلبية الاحتياجات. عندما صدرت النسخة الرسمية الأولى من الدليل في عام 2010، كان عدد السياسات لا يتجاوز عشرين سياسة. أما الآن، وبعد 11 عامًا، بلغ عدد السياسات حوالي 87 سياسة، مما يعكس بوضوح النمو الصحي المطرد لجامعة الأمير سلطان على جميع المستويات.

تعد لجنة السياسات المؤسسية (IPC) الجهة المسؤولة عن إدارة سياسة جامعة الأمير سلطان، بما في ذلك وضع السياسات ومراجعتها وحفظها ومتابعتها وتعميمها.

تعتمد لجنة السياسات المؤسسية (IPC) عملية بسيطة وواضحة لتسهيل وضع السياسات ومراجعتها وحفظها. وقد تم توضيح عملية وضع السياسة ومراجعتها المبينة في بداية دليل (سياسة السياسات).

تعد عملية وضع السياسات عملية ديمقراطية، بمعنى أنه يمكن الشروع في مقترحات السياسة على أي مستوى في جامعة الأمير سلطان كما هو موضح في الجدول أدناه. قد تأتي مبادرات وضع السياسات من الإدارة العليا والكليات والإدارات والأقسام والوحدات الإدارية وحتى من الأفراد. ويتم تقديم مقترحات السياسة الجديدة إلى لجنة السياسات المؤسسية ((IPC باستخدام النماذج المناسبة. وتقوم لجنة السياسات المؤسسية (IPC) بتقييم الحاجة إلى الطلب وصلاحيته بالتشاور مع المبادرين والوحدات المناسبة. وبناءً على ذلك، يتم تنسيق عملية وضع السياسة المقترحة ومن ثم مراجعتها ورفعها للحصول على موافقة من مجلس الجامعة.

ولتسهيل إمكانية الوصول والمتابعة، تم تنظيم دليل السياسات ليتماشى قدر الإمكان مع معايير الجودة التي وضعتها هيئة الاعتماد الوطنية (EES-HES). يلخص الجدول أدناه عدد السياسات الموجودة ضمن كل فئة في وقت الطباعة.

ولتسهيل عملية وضع السياسات وتعميمها، تقدم لجنة السياسات المؤسسية (IPC) على صفحتها في موقع الجامعة الإلكتروني معلومات واضحة عن نظام إدارة سياسات جامعة الأمير سلطان، بما في ذلك طريقة وضع السياسات ومراجعتها وتنفيذها.

نتقدم بالشكر لجميع الذين شاركوا في إعداد وكتابة ومراجعة محتوى هذا الدليل. ندعوكم لمواصلة التعاون المثمر لتحقيق المزيد من التطوير والتحسين في جميع الأنظمة والعمليات في جامعة الأمير سلطان.

دكتورة/ آمنه الشيخاوي

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Purpose

This policy provides the guidelines for the creation, revision and publication of PSU policies. It ensures that all approved policies which are in alignment with the PSU mission are maintained centrally and accessible to all stakeholders.

Scope

This policy addresses the process for developing, issuing and maintaining all Prince Sultan University’s policies and applies to all university departments, faculty, staff and students. Internal Policies that apply to the operations of colleges, departments or offices should not conflict with PSU policies but can be more restrictive.

Definitions:

1. Policy: A statement of basic principles and associated guidelines, formulated and enforced by the governing body of an organization, to direct and limit its actions in pursuit of long-term goals.
2. Policy Owner: The Policy owner is the university official whose jurisdiction covers the subject matter of the policy.
3. Procedure: A statement that describes the actions to be taken to conform to and implement an established policy.
4. Quality Assurance Center (QAC) This center is custodian of the policies and is responsible for overseeing the creation, revision and management of university wide policies.
5. Institutional Policy Committee (IPC) A high level committee appointed by PSU Rector, responsible for reviewing and approving the policies before seeking the final approval from the university council. The IPC is headed by a senior administrator and consists of representatives for the major PSU units plus consultants in organizational and legal issues.
6. Conflict of Policies and Government Regulation: No policy shall be drafted that comes in conflict with a government regulation. In case of any conflict that comes to the Knowledge of IPC with regard to an approved policy and government regulation, the government regulations shall prevail. All efforts shall be made to undo, replace or repeal the components of policy that comes into conflict with the government regulations.

Policy for Creating a New or Revising Existing PSU Policies

• PSU administration creates and enforces a list of university wide policies that clearly express PSU philosophy and approach to deal with academic, administrative, and other matters arising in the context of processes and actions taken by PSU to achieve its mission and goals.
• PSU policies are required to undergo through a process of revision after every 3 years.
• Policies are created or revised using the PSU Policy Template (POT).
• The stakeholders have to complete a form for suggesting a new policy (New Policy Suggestions Form (NPSF) or revising an existing policy Revision Suggestion Form (PRSF) and follow the procedures as described in the following section.
• Policies are approved by the University Council or College Council depending on their scope.
• QAC maintains a web-based manual of university-wide policies and procedures. Only approved polices are included in the Policies and procedure Manual (PPM).

Procedure of Policy Enactment

1. Creating a New Policy:
   1. The need for a policy can be identified by the Higher Management including institutional committees, Colleges, department, administrative offices, individual or Quality Assurance Centre (QAC). The policy owner is also identified for every new policy. Individuals are required to raise proposals for new policies through their respective units or departments.
   2. The policy initiator shall submit a suggestion for a new policy to the QAC using the New Policy Suggestions Form (NPSF).
   3. After assessing the need for a policy, QAC shall contact the policy owner (any academic or administrative leader) asking for submission of the first draft of the policy.
   4. The policy owner is asked to prepare a preliminary draft of the new policy using the PSU Policy Template (POT) and raise it to the IPC for reviewing. QAC will be notified for any communication between the policy owner and IPC.
   5. The IPC revises and finalizes the policy draft and sends it to policy owner for its approval.
   6. QAC receives the approved draft by IPC from the Policy owner for completing the approval process.
   7. The QAC through Dean DQAD shall seek approval of the final draft of the policy from the University Council or College Council depending on its scope.
   8. The university council may approve, reject or ask for modifications. The modifications can be done by the policy owner which are reviewed by the IPC and QAC. The modified policy is again submitted to the university council for its approval.
   9. Once approved by the university council, the QAC is responsible for updating the University Policy and Procedure Manual

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Overview

Strategic planning is a structured approach to create a vision for the future of an organization and charting a roadmap for realizing that vision. According to Bryson (Bryson 2011):
“Strategic planning is a deliberative, disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an organization is, what it does, and why it does it”

Definition

The purpose of this policy is to ensure PSU develops a new strategic plan every five years using best practices. The plan is formulated through collaboration between the Strategic Planning and Development Center, the Institutional Strategic Planning Steering Committee, and the Institutional Strategic Planning Higher Committee

Policy and Process:

1. The strategic planning process has four major consecutive phases:
   • Strategy Formulation –conducting an environment scan to better understand the situation at PSU.
   • Validation and Delivery – preparing the document for presentation to the stakeholders.
   • Implementation and Monitoring – putting the plan into effect and overseeing the execution.
   • Evaluation and Feedback – providing the departments and units feedback on successful implementation and recommend corrective actions.
2. The top administration establishes an initial task force to prepare a plan for the strategic planning process (plan for the plan). The plan includes among other things nominations for the Strategic Planning Sponsor (Rector), the Strategic Planning Higher Committee, the Strategic Planning Steering Committee, the Strategic Planning and Development Center, and the Strategic Planning Teams (SPTs). A schedule for activities and events, a detailed budget and general requirements are also provided.
3. The top administration reviews and approves the plan. Based on the approval, terms of reference for all committees and involved teams are issued.
4. The ISPSC starts by identifying the mandates and obligations of PSU: what are the mandates dictated by the governing body and external authorities? What are the obligations dictated by the university charter and related documents? For what purpose has the university been created? …etc.
5. Prepare documentation with clear responsibilities.
6. Prepare and disseminate detailed guidelines for the process. This guideline should be used as a blueprint for the process with detailed descriptions for sub processes and activities including the forms, templates and tools used.
7. Identify PSU stakeholders and indicate how they can participate in the process: how to communicate with stakeholders? Who will represent them in the process? What are the sessions in which they will be participating? What is the scope of participation?
8. An institution-wide meeting is organized to launch the process. It is important that a wide range of stakeholders attend this meeting. If need be, different sessions for different categories of stakeholders may be organized. For example, a special session for the board of trustees, employers and community leaders may be organized.
9. The institution-wide meeting should immediately be followed by an awareness campaign and a series of workshops to describe the process and encourage wide participation.
10. Conduct a number of activities and sessions to identify stakeholders’ anticipations and needs. These may include discussion groups, surveys, focus groups …etc.
11. Based on stakeholders’ feedback, revise PSU mission and refine it in view of the mandates and the feedback received. The feedback from stakeholders may also be used to create the values and formulate an initial sketch for the vision.
12. Assess the external and internal environment and conduct some variations of SWOT analysis to identify weaknesses, strengths, opportunities, and threats. This activity requires some preparations and good planning. Participation of experts and external stakeholders in this activity is crucial to the success of the process.
13. Identify strategic issues and priorities: Based on the input from stakeholders, the mission statement, the SWOT analysis, and PSU mandates, identify the strategic priorities, issues and areas of improvement. These priorities and issues will be the basis for drafting the strategic plan.
14. Formulate the strategies to manage the priorities and issues: This is where the strategic plan will start to take shape and appear in its semi-final format. In this step, the strategies to handle the issues and priorities identified in the above step are formulated. The work starts by grouping the issues and priorities under broad strategic themes. Each theme will be assigned to a working group from within the Institutional Strategic Planning Steering Committee. Work for each theme will start by formulation of the goals. Each goal will then be translated into a number of measurable objectives with clear KPIs. For each objective, a detailed action plan is formulated with target achievement dates and responsible entities. It is important that a careful plan for this step is prepared, ensuring the participation of a wide range of stakeholders. It is expected that this step will be iterative and should be given the appropriate time to converge and mature.
15. The first version of the strategic plan drafted in the above step should be thoroughly revised by all stakeholders to ensure commitment and adoption.
16. A final version of PSU vision for the future is drafted based on the anticipated change after the successful implementation and execution of the strategic plan. The vision is taken as a guide for plan implementation rather than a guide to plan formulation. During the previous planning steps, the vision is implicit and greatly related to the ambitions of the plan (how ambitious the plan is).
17. Develop an Implementation Plan for the Drafted Strategic Plan: In this step, adopted strategies are implemented through the relevant systems. Wide involvement of stakeholders in formulating the strategic plan will ensure a good implementation plan for the strategies 18- Reassess the Strategies and the Strategic Planning Process: review the implementation to see what worked and what did not work

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Overview:

Aligning programs to the needs of industry and society has become one of the major criteria for success and a major attraction in Higher Education Institutions. One of the best means to achieve this is to establish a “College Advisory Board” at the level of Programs or Colleges. A College Advisory Board (CAB) is a selected group of experts representing industry and society constituencies charged with providing advice to faculty and administrative officials. The CAB serves as a platform for exchange between employers and the academic leaders of the college. Among its main objectives is to give advice on important topics in the field and help the departments within the college in preparing graduates that fit the market needs using the latest teaching and learning approaches.

Purpose:

This policy provides guidelines for establishing College Advisory Boards to help create and foster a strong partnership between PSU and relevant constituencies from industry, business, government, and society at large to address better the needs of the industry and improve the quality of the academic programs, and prepare graduates to fit the job market needs.

Scope:

A College Advisory Board for each college shall be composed of academics and community stakeholders (alumnae and employers) from various local or international institutions. Advisory boards are comprised of accomplished experts offering innovative advice and dynamic perspectives in their respective specializations. Members’ diverse range of knowledge, skills, and abilities shall help the college in ensuring their program offerings are current..

Policy

Each College Advisory Board shall meet at least once a year to provide support to the college for the improvement of the program and course offerings, strategic direction, guide quality improvement, and assess program effectiveness. The CAB shall consist of 5 to 10 members representing relevant industry, organizations, and constituencies including the following stipulations:

• The Chairman of the Advisory Board is the Dean of the College.
• The College Vice Dean or one of the Program Chairpersons will act as a secretary for the CAB.
• Community Stakeholders (alumnae, employers from the field)
• A faculty member from each department

Each College Advisory Board shall meet at least once a year to provide support to the college for the improvement of the program and course offerings, strategic direction, guide quality improvement, and assess program effectiveness. The CAB shall consist of 5 to 10 members representing relevant industry, organizations, and constituencies including the following stipulations:

The representatives from the industry should be recognized experts in the field or senior officials in their organizations. The CAB period of service is three years and renewable. It should be made clear that the CAB has no decision-making or enforcement powers and has been established to provide feedback.

All established CABs shall comply with the following:

• Establish good relations with constituencies served by the department
• Provide a communication channel for constituencies served by the department
• Ensure that the department programs are producing the right type of graduates
• Improve the quality of the department programs through constructive feedback.
• Provide guidance and directions regarding research and future developments in the field
• Provide opportunities and resources for faculty to engage in industry-related collaborative research and development projects
• Help in placing COOP students and provide opportunities for student training
• Help in placing program graduates and provider wider employment options

The process of establishing and approving a College Advisory Board is as follows:

• The Program Chairperson discusses the matter with the College Dean and gets his approval.
• The Program Chairperson and faculty members nominate the potential CAB members based on consultation with the College Administration and industry organizations. The CAB members should represent current and potential employers of program graduates, relevant industrial organizations, potential sponsors and supporters of students.
• The list of nominated members should be approved by the Department Council and College Council
• After approval by the College Council, the matter is raised to the Rector for final approval.
• The CAB starts its work immediately after receiving the approval from the Rector’s office.
• The College and Program academic leaders may issue further bylaws and regulations to improve the effectiveness of the CAB as needed.
• All the CAB meetings should be documented, and the minutes need to be approved by the University Rector within 30 days of the meeting.

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Overview

Risks of Prince Sultan University (PSU) can be defined as “the threat or opportunity that an action or event will affect PSU’s ability to achieve its strategic goals”. Risk management is important in key operational areas of PSU to ensure that threats and opportunities affecting the successful delivery of operating plans are appropriately addressed and effectively managed. ‘Threat’ in terms of risks can be termed as an uncertain event (a negative effect on the likelihood of achieving PSU’s strategic goals); and on the other hand, ‘opportunity’ is an uncertain event (a favorable effect on the likelihood of achieving PSU’s strategic goals).

PSU’s view of acceptable risk is the balance between risk aversion and opportunity. In doing so, PSU follows Corporate Governance Regulations (CG) Framework 2010 issued by the Capital Market Authority, Saudi Arabia (Resolution No. 8-16-2017); amended 20/5/2019). The CG framework in Saudi Arabia entails that forecasting risks and disclosure with transparency is important step for ensuring commitment towards effective risk management systems and internal control (Sarbanes-Oxley Act 2002 (SOX, Section 404 Guideline, page 3).

Three types of risks will be identified:

• Academic Risk
• Financial Risk
• Others Risk

Purpose

The aims of Risk Management Policy of PSU are threefold:

• To outline PSU’s underlying commitment to risk management in achieving strategic goals and objectives.
• To ensure all significant risks are identified, evaluated, and updated periodically.
• To assign accountability to all staff for risk management.

Policy

This policy sets out PSU’s approach to risk management and the mechanisms it employs to identify, analyze, and manage risk. All unit managers are required to be responsible and accountable for managing risk.

Scope

This policy applies to all academic and non-academic departments and staff Prince Sultan University.

Definition and Risk Management Framework

PSU’s risk management framework is a continuous process and is the responsibility of all unit managers. The process includes:

1. Identification and Analysis: Identify probable risks that could possibly occur and analyze the likelihood and impact (Please refer to Appendix for GV0004 in the guidelines).
2. Risk Response Action Plan: Monitoring and control of actions employed to deal with identified risks (Please refer to Appendix for GV0004 in the guidelines).
3. Reporting: All risks raised will be recorded on the PSU Risk Register and will be owned by Risk Management Committee (Please refer to Appendix for GV0004 in the guidelines). Reporting of risks will be carried out every two years.

The process is illustrated in the diagram below:

Annual Review and Reporting of Risks

The Risk Management Committee is responsible for reviewing the effectiveness of PSU’s risk management in every two years based on information provided by each unit. For each significant risk identified, the committee will review the prior actions and examine the institution’s track record on risk management. This will help the Rector’s Executive Committee and the Board of trustees to view the overall risk management of PSU.

Prince Sultan University Risk Register example is shown in Appendix for GV0004 in the guidelines.

• Each College-Department / Unit / Centre will be denoted by their respective Acronyms e.g. CBA-ACC means College of Business Administration, Department of Accounting. For Units / Centers: TLC for Teaching and Learning Center.
• Each Risk statement has a unique number (e.g. CBA-ACC-AR-001), which is called Risk ID Each Risk statement is categorized as Academic/Financial/Other risk: AR = Academic Risk statement; FR = Financial Risk; OR = Other Risk.
• A unit manager is responsible for identifying and managing each risk statement.
• Each Risk statement should have a cause and impact description.
• Each Risk statement should have a score: 1 - Low; or 2 - Medium; or 3 - High.
• Based on the overall risk score, unit manager should provide a risk response action plan.
• After the action plan, the unit manger also determines the risk control score (1[Low response]; or 2[Medium response]; or 3 [High response]).
• Residual risk score will provide the significance of the action plan. How overall risk can be reduced after necessary actions? and
• Finally, a unit manager provides the evaluation of each risk statement every two years.

In addition to Prince Sultan University (PSU) Risk Register, the risk management committee and unit managers may identify any risks, including ones specific to circumstances. For instance, due Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in March 2020, all programs were instructed to do online teaching and assessment.

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Appendices: Please find the guidelines for PSU’s Risk Management Policy (UP0004)

Appendix for GV0004

Guidelines for Prince Sultan University (PSU) Risk Management Policy

The guidelines include three sub-sections:

GV0004.1 Risk Management Committee, and its Roles & Responsibilities

GV0004.2 Risk Assessment Methodology and Matrix

GV0004.3 Prince Sultan University Risk Register (Example)

GV0004.1 Risk Management Committee, and its Roles & Responsibilities

The vision and mission of the Risk Management Committee are as follows:

Vision

The Effective management of risk which is an integral part of PSU Strategic Planning.

Mission

To evaluate the effectiveness of risk management of risks identified by the unit manager. Roles and Responsibilities

The responsibility of the risk management committee includes: determine PSU’s approach to risk management involving unit managers; discuss and approve issues that significantly affect PSU’s risk profile or exposure; continually monitor risks and ensure that actions are being implemented; and review risks every two years.

Memberships of the risk management committee for AY 2019-20 are as follows:

GV0004.2 Risk Assessment Methodology and Matrix

Each risk will be assessed based on two components: likelihood and impact of risk occurrence. Each component will be evaluated based on a 3-point scale.

Likelihood: How likely is the risk going to happen?

• Low – Likelihood of occurrence (<20% chance of occurrence)
• Medium – Likelihood of occurrence (20% - 60% chance of occurrence)
• High –Likelihood of occurrence (>60% chance of occurrence)

Impact: What would the impact be if the risk occurs?

1. Low – Unlikely to have a significant effect
2. Medium– Potential impact but may be managed through existing processes
3. High– Significant impact on performance

Risk Level Determination (Overall Risk Score)

3x3 matrix below can be used to calculate the overall risk score:

Overall Risk Score (in color) and Risk Level

Overall Risk Score (in color) and Risk Level

Risk Control Score is based upon appropriate action of individual risk for mitigating risks. Each control score ranged between 1 to 3:

• High: 3, significant control measures are fully in place
• Medium: 2, i.e. some controls in place but further actions to be planned
• Low: 1, i.e. no action is in place

Risk Control Score Calculation and Risk Level in Color

Risk Control Score (Residual Score) = An overall risk score/ Risk control score. This is the scale of the risk after taking necessary actions.

GV0004.3 Prince Sultan University Risk Register (Example)

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Overview

All PSU members are expected to conduct work and duties with high levels of ethical standards and integrity. It is important that all employees and faculty members be aware of situations that may negatively impact their integrity and ethical standing. This policy defines what could be a conflict of interest and states how conflict of interest situations can be handled. The main purpose is to protect university members from questionable circumstances and transactions that may negatively affect their careers and protect PSU reputation and interests.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that the name, reputation, and integrity of the University are not compromised. The fundamental principle guiding its implementation is that no employee should have, or appear to have, any personal interests, relationships, or affiliations that conflict with the best interests of the University.

Conflict of Interest: is a situation where the university member’s personal interests (financial, professional or other personal considerations) may affect directly or indirectly his/her judgment in conducting any university duty, executing transactions, representing the university, or has some influence on his/her roles and responsibilities.

Examples of Conflict of Interest include, but not limited to:

• Purchasing of goods ordered by the university from companies and organizations in which the member has some direct or indirect interest (shareholder or ownership).
• Receiving gifts or special favors from potential vendors or providers of services to PSU.
• Ownership or some direct or indirect interest by the member in property leased or purchased by PSU.
• Holding of direct or indirect investment by the member in an entity or organization providing services to PSU.
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• Receipt of cash, services or resources from an external organization providing services to PSU.
• Use of information received as a university member for personal purposes.
• In academic research, the term conflict of interest may also refer to situations in which financial or other personal interests may negatively impact the investigator’s professional judgment in conducting or reporting research. The bias can affect collection, analysis and interpretation of data, the use of appropriate statistical methods, or even faking the outcomes.

University Member: is used to cover all types of university employees, including senior administration, faculty members, staff and other types of employees.

Reporting a Conflict of Interest

• Conflict of interest usually arises when a member uses his position to influence university decisions to gain personal benefits from a deal or transaction related to PSU.
• Because the perception of conflict of interest may vary from one individual to another, the appropriate approach to clarify the case is to establish a disclosure system through which a member discloses potential conflict of interest and receives an evaluation from the university.
• Accordingly, all university members are required to disclose any potential conflict of interest.
• The university will respond to such requests with clear answers, either clearing the member, or otherwise handle the case in a manner that protects the member and university interests.
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Handling a Conflict of Interest Situation

On receiving a conflict of interest disclosure, the respective PSU entity appoints a committee to gather information, and investigate if there is a real conflict of interest, and what is the level of the risk?

Based on the investigation, there are three possible outcomes:

• No Conflict of Interest exists in this case, no further investigation is required, and the member is cleared to proceed.
• A Conflict of Interest exists, but the risk is manageable: the respective office, in cooperation with the member prepares a memorandum of understanding detailing how the conflict of interest will be managed. The memorandum should be signed by the member.
• A significant Conflict of Interest exists and the risk to the University cannot be managed: A memorandum of understanding is prepared in cooperation with the member detailing how the conflict of interest will be eliminated. The memorandum should be signed by the member.

Policy

Prince Sultan University requires all employees to avoid any conflict between their interests and those of the University, and to disclose promptly any actual or potential conflicts.

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Overview

In its continuous quest for excellence and achievement in all directions, PSU seeks to select the highest caliber of leaders and experts to take key positions in the university. Key positions are those critical for the success and growth of the university. As components of the organizational chart, key positions have well defined terms of reference, selection criteria and some preset rules and regulations. These include items such as the term in office, the renewal process, the approval process, and the reporting hierarchy. It is natural that key positions frequently become vacant when the term in office expires, or when the incumbent moves out of position through promotion, retirement, resignation or other reasons. This policy outlines how the succession plan is prepared and executed.

Purpose

To avoid disruption and discontinuity, PSU has a clear succession plan and process that covers both short-term and long term vacancies. The process starts by identifying the key positions based on the organizational chart and, preparing selection criteria for these key positions and a back-up strategy for all key positions. Priority should be given to internal loyal staff through professional development.

Scope

This policy applies to all employees at the university.

Policy

As part of the University’s strategic plan, a succession plan must be created for each academic and non-academic department/position. The succession plan must take into consideration the staffing processing regulations and human recourses allocation policies. The succession planning policy aims to identify critical high-stack positions and to project and train individuals who fulfil the needed competencies and skills to meet the future needs of the university. Professional development plans will be created to help guide individuals to advance to higher levels of responsibility.

Objectives

Identify key positions based on the University Organizational Chart.

1. Prepare clear selection criteria based on the type of position, regulatory requirements and the terms of reference.
2. Prepare a back-up plan for potential short-term vacancies in key positions.
3. Study and project future staffing needs and competency requirements based on PSU mission and growth trends.
4. Prepare promising internal candidates for future vacancies through well planned professional development programs.

Process

Succession planning is an annual activity, where the responsible committee or entity prepares or updates the succession plan. The main steps for preparing the plan may be outlined as follows

• Review or update the university organization chart in coordination with university leadership. Dynamic organizations learn through experience and update their books and processes as the need arises. The terms of reference for a particular position may be modified, a new key position may be introduced, and some positions may be merged or removed
• Based on the revised organizational chart, identify the key positions for the period
• Identify department and unit needs
• Identify or predict potential key position vacancies
• Prepare a short-term back-up plan for potential vacancies. This may be based on projections and predictions, or reports received from departments and units.
• Identify and assess potential internal leaders that take future key positions
• Prepare professional development programs to develop potential internal candidates for key position vacancies

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Purpose

Prince Sultan University provides a healthy equal-opportunity educational environment free from discrimination and all types of harassment. The main purpose is to foster a pleasant atmosphere where all can learn, innovate and achieve.

Definitions

Discrimination: is treating a person differently based on gender, race, disability, nationality, or religion

Harassment: Any behavior or attempts to offend, harm or offend a person. This includes verbal, physical, written or published using social media.

Policy Statement

• Prince Sultan University is an equal-opportunity institute that strongly prohibits all forms of discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, or disability.
• All university services, facilities and opportunities are equally accessible by all members and candidates based only on merit, eligibility and credentials.
• Services include, but not limited to, admission, registration, placement, scholarship, mentorship, recruitment, subscriptions, complaints, appeals, plus other similar categories.
• Facilities include classrooms, labs, meeting rooms, sporting facilities and other similar resources.
• Participation in all university activities is open for all members of the university based on eligibility and qualifications.
• Activities include, but not limited to, learning, teaching, mentoring, and research.
• Eligibility is based on the rules of university, and member specialization, department, scheduling and other regulatory measures.
• PSU applies the same pay scale for both female and male faculty and non-academic employees. Salaries and allowances are based on the description of the job and position irrespective of the gender
• To maintain a healthy campus, PSU strongly prohibits all forms of harassment, verbal, physical or using social media and similar channels.
• All violations related to harassment should be reported to the PSU disciplinary office.

Reporting Violations

• University members are required and encouraged to report violations of this policy to the “Engagement, Diversity and Accessibility Committee”.
• The Engagement, Diversity and Accessibility committee shall investigate cases, recommend the appropriate actions, and raise the matter to the university disciplinary committee or the responsible party.
• Harassment violations should be reported to the Disciplinary Council

Implementation

• The “Engagement, Diversity and Accessibility Committee” will be responsible for the implementation of this policy.
• It is recommended that this policy is referenced by all other service policies and guidelines.
• The committee is responsible for raising awareness and protection of members who report violations.

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Purpose

Prince Sultan University is an equal opportunity university that adopts strict nondiscrimination policies at all levels. The root policy in this respect is PSU “Accessibility, Nondiscrimination and Harassment” policy, which provides the broadlines for nondiscrimination, equal participation and accessibility irrespective of gender, race, religion, nationality and disability. The main purpose of this policy is to further elaborate on the nondiscrimination policy and emphasize equal participation and accessibility for female faculty and students

Policy

To ensure equal access and participation for female faculty and students, PSU adopts the following policies and measures:

• PSU applies the same pay scale for both female and male faculty and non-academic employees. Salaries and allowances are based on the description of the job and position irrespective of the gender
• PSU programs at all levels are open for both female and male students, with equal opportunities for both genders.
• The minimal percentage of female students is 50%, with no upper limit on the percentage of female students in all study programs. In many cases the percentage of students is higher than male students
• To respect the privacy of female students and encourage them to apply and participate, PSU establishes dedicated facilities and services, such as a special admission office, a special sport facility, a special library section, with full access to all resources, special mentoring programs, special COOP office.
• Female faculty participate equally in the administration of academic and non-academic departments. For every department in PSU, either the chair or the co-chair is a female faculty.
• Female faculty are equally represented in department and college councils
• Female students have the same opportunities to establish clubs, societies and conduct extracurricular activities.

Implementation

This policy compliments the “Accessibility, Nondiscrimination and Harassment” policy and is implemented in the same way.

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Contents

1. Introduction, definition and purpose
2. Scope and application
3. Responsibility of Universities
4. Approval of policy

1) Introduction, definition and purpose

The United Nations statement known as the Palermo Protocol defines human trafficking as: “Trafficking in persons” shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.

The International Labor Organization, an agency of the United Nations, defines forced labor as ‘all work or service which is exacted from any person under threat of a penalty and for which the person has not offered himself or herself voluntarily’.

The term ‘modern slavery’ is an umbrella term covering many ill-defined practices. Generally included are human trafficking for sex, labour or organs, forced labour, bonded labour, descent-based labour, domestic servitude, child labour, early (child) and forced marriage. This list is not exhaustive and other forms of modern slavery and human trafficking include the taking of babies and children for sale for adoption, the entrapment of people in religious ritual roles as well as those taken for religious rites that involve forms of human sacrifice. It is difficult to establish reliable data as much of modern slavery and human trafficking is hidden. However, the best estimates are that millions of people around the world are being exploited in this way. People who are victims of modern slavery and human trafficking are often among the most vulnerable in societies. They include all ages, genders, ethnicities and creeds. The most vulnerable groups include refugees and migrants, minority groups, women, children and people experiencing extreme poverty”.

The Definition of forced labor

According to the ILO Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) , forced or compulsory labor is: "all work or service which is exacted from any person under the threat of a penalty and for which the person has not offered himself or herself voluntarily."

2) Scope and application of human trafficking

slavery is the status or condition of a person over whom any or all of the powers attaching to the right of ownership are exercised”, in which ownership is understood as “constituting control over a person in such a way as to significantly deprive that person of his or her individual liberty, with the intent of exploitation through the use, management, profit, transfer or disposal of that person” (¹), this definition is derived from and based on the definitions in the ILO conventions, specifically the definition of “slavery” in Article 1(1) of the 1926 Slavery Convention, its reproductions in Article 7(a) of the 1956 Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery and in Article 7(2)(c) of the 1998 Statute of the International Criminal Court. Also taken into account in the development of this definition were the human rights law as applied to the 1948, Universal Declaration and 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as the 2000 United Nations Palermo Protocol on Trafficking in Persons and the 2005 Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (²).

• Human trafficking. The use of violence, threats or coercion to transport, recruit or harbor people in order to exploit them for purposes such as forced prostitution, labor, criminality, marriage or organ removal.
• There are three common types of human trafficking: the sex trade, forced labor, and domestic servitude. The economic sectors that profit most from human trafficking are agriculture, restaurants, manufacturing, domestic work, entertainment, hospitality, and the commercial sex industry (³).
• According to the ILO Forced Labor Convention, 1930 (No. 29), forced or compulsory labor is: "All work or service which is exacted from any person under the threat of a penalty and for which the person has not offered himself or herself voluntarily".
• The three key elements that must be present for a situation of trafficking in persons (adults) to exist are therefore: action (recruitment,); means (threat); and purpose (exploitation) (⁴).
• Behaviors relating to ownership that might indicate or provide evidence of slavery include:
  • Buying, Selling or Transferring a Person (i.e. human trafficking)
  • Using a Person
  • Managing the Use of a Person
  • Profiting from the Use of a Person
  • Transferring a Person to an Heir or Successor
  • Forced Labor and Bonded Labor

3) Responsibility of Universities

As institutions occupying a unique space at the intersection of public and private enterprise, universities face unique challenges in addressing the issues, as well as in their practices on campuses at home and abroad.

Following the UN Guiding Principles, as public sector bodies (or, in the Guiding Principles’ distinction, “State” institutions), PSU have an obligation to protect subjects from human rights violations as well as to respect human rights and remedy abuses or violations. However, universities also occupy a unique space as philanthropic leaders and innovators. Thus, not only do thorough efforts to identify and address their modern slavery risks and detailed reporting thereof fit their purpose, such activities enable universities to place themselves at the forefront of the global movement to end slavery, subsequently raising international profiles and setting a high standard for organizations that follow(⁵).

• Universities should use the opportunity afforded by the Modern Slavery Act 2015 Statement requirement to perform and report upon a thorough assessment of the modern slavery risks affecting the university at every level, including supply chains, recruitment practices, and overseas campuses and partnerships, as well as the methods employed to address and reduce risk. Crucially, universities’ MSA Statements should include a clear verbal commitment to protecting and respecting human rights, and an unequivocal statement of zero tolerance of modern slavery in supply chains or in global university operations.
• Universities should collaborate with other universities and organizations, sharing information about modern slavery risks and methods employed to address them with colleagues.
• Universities should consider joining organizations that collect, assess, collate, and distribute information on modern slavery risks.
• Universities should engage directly with first-tier suppliers (and go further down the chain, if possible); studies have found that end-to-end supply chain visibility has a more noticeable impact on reducing modern slavery risk than the audit model.
• Universities should establish and publish a clear policy, plan and strategy to combat all known modern slavery risks
• Universities should introduce and/or continue modern slavery training programs at every level.
• Universities should ensure that those in leadership roles are informed of the modern slavery risks that affect the university, and that they are aware of and engaged in policies and methods Implemented to address and reduce those risks (⁶).

Approval and Revision

The policy is endorsed and fully supported and approved by the Colleges councils and the University Council

For Related Policies Please see the following documents:

1. Policy on faculty Code of Conduct
2. Academic Integrity Policy

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(¹) Bales, Kevin et al, Modern Slavery: The Secret World of 27 Million People (Oxford: One world Publications, 2009), 47 –51. See also No author, “Globalization – Glossary of Statistical Terms” (The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), created 25 September 2001, last updated 10 June 2013): https://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=1121 .

(²) Allain, Jean, ed., “Appendices: 2012 Bellagio-Harvard Guidelines on the Legal Parameters of Slavery”, The Legal Understanding of Slavery: From the Historical to the Contemporary (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012), p. 375 380.

(³) UNITED NATIONS OFFICE :” Human Rights, and Human Trafficking”, Fact Sheet No. 36, UNITED NATIONS New York and Geneva, 2014

(⁴) UNITED NATIONS OFFICE ON DRUGS AND CRIME Vienna:” An Introduction to Human Trafficking: Vulnerability, Impact and Action”, UNITED NATIONS New York, 2008

(⁵) “Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights” (United Nations Human Rights – Office of the High Commissioner, New York and Geneva, 2011): http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/GuidingPrinciplesBusinessHR.

(⁶) Dr. Ouarda Belkacem Layachi: "Human Rights Among the Purposes of Islamic Law and International Covenants", Saudi Arabia, Dar EL-Khwarizmi for Publishing and Distribution, 2012.

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Purpose

Prince Sultan University is the first private-not-for-profit university established to provide distinguished academic and research programs in KSA. PSU academic and financing models are strongly based on international best practices which advocate diversification of financial revenue through innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialization of research. The main purpose of this policy is to outline the PSU framework for revenue diversification. The policy is based on international best practices and the recommendations of PSU boards, stakeholders and accreditation agencies.

Policy

To maintain sustainable financial resources that support growth and excellence without the risk of imposing high tuition fees, PSU recommends and encourages the diversification of financial revenues using, but not limited to, the following approaches:

• Entrepreneurship acceleration programs that help students and faculty members transform their bright innovative ideas into startups and companies based on a well-defined acceleration programs
• Registration and commercialization of patents using a comprehensive Intellectual Property (IP) Policy
• Establishing business companies to commercialize research products and protypes. This is a quite common practice in international universities.
• Establish joint companies with recognized local or international organizations to provide services or sell products.
• To establish a company or startup, the respective entity or group prepares a detailed proposal using the format provided by PSU
• The proposal should cover all needed items and satisfy the Ministry of Commerce requirements
• In case of joint companies, the proposal should be based on a signed MOU with the partners
• All proposals are reviewed by external and internal reviewers before moving to the next step
• After review, PSU raises the matter for approval and registration with the Ministry of Commerce
• Based on the university charter, Rector of the university represents the university in all operations

Implementation

• PSU already established an entrepreneur program with well-defined processes
• PSU already prepared a comprehensive IP policy and established an IP office
• PSU already prepared an MOU policy to guide the signing of agreements with external partners
• PSU prepares a detailed guideline for establishing startups and companies, including forms and requirements
• Company establishment and related activities will be taken care of by the PSU Commercialization unit based on provided guidelines
• The Rector of the University represent PSU as “the principal owner” of startups and companies

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Overview

The Student Council engages students in a real-world experience that helps them learn about leadership. Prince Sultan University launched its first student Council in 2007 with elections and voting for 5 positions which are president, vice president, secretary, media, and treasurer. The Student Council provides diverse activities and events for students and the university’s community. Students in the Council coordinate special cultural, educational, and thought-provoking events.

Definition

A student council is a representative structure through which students in a university can become involved in its management affairs, working in partnership with university management and administrative staff and parents for the benefit of the university and its students.

Scope

To what will the policy apply? The policy will apply to the establishment and operation of the student council at Prince Sultan University

To whom will the policy apply? The policy will apply to PSU students, faculty, department councils, college Councils, university councils and others involved with the students’ Council.

Objectives

The council objectives are:

1. To provide responsible and equitable student leadership and to mirror the opinions and concerns of all segments of PSU multinational student body;
2. To motivate students in campus life and form a close-knit interdisciplinary and multinational student community at PSU;
3. To establish and maintain a student governance system for the enactment and enforcement of the just laws and the promotion of adequate activities for the student body
4. To promote the general welfare of the students; to encourage personal responsibility, loyalty, and a high sense of honor; and to further the principles upon which the university was founded and continues to operate;
5. To actively promote and participate in student activities, service projects and other special events that arise;
6. To help in the comprehensive development of PSU students;
7. To represent the student body of Prince Sultan University by providing a forum for expression, discussion and action concerning student rights, privileges, and opinions;
8. To uphold the highest standards of personal integrity and honor throughout the university community by serving as the leadership of the student body;
9. To serve as a liaison between the student body and the administration; cultivating friendships and cooperation among the students, faculty and staff, thereby fostering unity in diversity and the rejection of intolerance;
10. To provide students with a voice in the governance of the university. The Student Council is recognized as the official representative voice of the student body at Prince Sultan University. Students can freely and openly express their views to the university Student Council officers who will ensure appropriate follow-up when necessary.

The Student Council shall uphold the following values

1. Representation: to respect and protect the educational and social interests of its members;
2. Participation: to develop a sense of community among its members, and to encourage students to fully participate in a a range of social, cultural, sporting, and recreational activities.
3. Communication: to promote good relations with other council members.
4. Developments: to provide opportunities for personal developments.;
5. Equality: to treat and provide opportunities all the students and the council members equally

Regulations and procedures of the Student council elections

First: Voters and candidates

• All university students have the right to vote. A voter shall not cast his vote more than once during a single election. Voting by proxy shall not be permitted.
• All university students who meet the conditions specified in article (5) in this statute have the right to run for the elections of the Student Council, provided that the candidate shall personally apply for nomination. Applying through a representative shall not be permitted.

Second: Student Council nomination procedures

Receiving requests for nomination shall be announced by the Deanship of Student Affairs.

• Requests shall be received each academic year in the 12th week of the first semester
• The Dean of Student Affairs shall formulate and head the Temporary Electoral Committee; the committee shall include the following members:
  1. Two members from the Deanship of Student Affairs.
  2. One faculty member.
  3. One member from the current Council.
  4. One member from the IT dept.
• Temporary Committee shall perform its functions in accordance with the provisions of this statute.
  1. Supervise the election campaigns of the candidates.
  2. Directly supervise the electronic program of the election.
  3. Design and prepare the electronic forms of nomination.
  4. Receive nomination requests and ensure the fulfillment of nomination conditions.
  5. Inform the candidates about the acceptance or rejection of their nomination requests within three days from the date of receiving their requests.
  6. Ensure that there are no impediments that hamper the electoral process.
  7. Provide the necessary logistic services to the candidates.
  8. Forward the results of the elections by the Chairman of the Temporary Committee in writing to the Rector for review and approval.
  9. Announce the election results.
     Receiving nomination requests for the Student Council shall be announced at least (10) days before the date of the election. Nomination period shall not be less than a week. It will start at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday and end at 10:00 p.m. on Saturday. Whatever the number of voters is, the election shall be deemed valid.

Third: Procedures of the Student Council voting process

1. The Temporary Committee shall determine the number of candidates.
2. The candidates complete the nomination forms prepared by the Deanship of Student Affairs.
3. The members of the Council shall be elected via secret ballot with their representatives using an online platform specified for this purpose.
4. Each candidate designs his electoral campaigning materials in a visual or audio form (video, or PowerPoint, etc.) The Deanship of Student Affairs determines the appropriate place and time for presenting these materials.
5. The electoral campaigning of each candidate shall include the following:
   • A summary of his CV.
   • His proposed program.
   • His vision and mission.
6. Before presenting the materials of the electoral campaigning to the public, the candidates shall submit them to the Dean of Student Affairs to approve their content.

The voting process shall be conducted as follows:

1. Phase one
   1. Announcing the time and date of receiving nomination requests.
   2. The candidates shall complete the nomination forms online.
   3. The Temporary Committee shall select the candidates in accordance with the provisions of this statute.
   4. The Temporary Committee shall inform the selected candidates, and then the Committee shall publish their names online at the election process website.
   5. Each candidate prepares his campaigning materials.
   6. After obtaining a written consent for the campaigning materials from the Temporary Committee, the candidates may upload the materials to the website specified for the election process at the university website.
   7. The Temporary Committee shall ask the university students to visit the election process website to know the campaigning programs of the candidates, and vote.
   8. The identity of the students shall be verified by an application prepared for that. The application shall allow the student to vote for one candidate only. It shall not allow him to re-vote or modify his vote afterwards. The system shall count the number of votes given for each candidate and screen the winning candidates based on the majority of votes they have obtained.
   9. The Temporary Committee shall announce the names of the elected members of the Student Council.
2. Phase two
   1. The Dean of Student Affairs shall accompany the members of the Student Council to meet the university Rector to listen to his directives and to sign “PSU Student Agreement”. The Dean of Student Affairs shall prepare and coordinate for two meetings to be held between the university Rector, Vice-Rectors and the members of the Student Council. One meeting shall take place in the first semester and the second in the second semester.
   2. The new Student Council shall assume its responsibilities after the first meeting with the university Rector.
   3. Under the supervision of the Dean of Student Affairs and within five days of the announcement of the election results, the new Student Council shall take over whatever in the position of the former Student Council, such as:
      • The office and stationery of the Student Council at the Deanship of Student Affairs.
      • The seals of the Student Council.
      • The archive of the Student Council.
      • Sums of money, financial ledgers, invoices, receipt vouchers, and issue vouchers.
      • The former Council shall bear the responsibility of any losses occurring in its possession.

Fourth: The candidates and their electoral campaigns

1. The candidates shall do the following:
   1. Complete the forms of nomination online.
   2. Ensure that all information and documents attached with the nomination form are valid and complete.
   3. Apply for nomination within seven days from the announcement of the elections.
   4. Conduct the electoral campaigning during the period specified by the Temporary Committee.
   5. Carry out and comply with the instructions of the Temporary Committee.
2. In conducting their electoral campaigning, the candidates must observe the following:
   1. The promotional material should not exceed five minutes.
   2. The promotional material must be approved before using it.
   3. Unless a written approval by the Dean of Student Affairs is obtained, posters shall not be permitted in campaigning.
   4. The materials of electoral campaigning shall be put at the university website. Unless a written approval by the Dean of Student Affairs is obtained, no advertisement or electoral campaigning material shall be put inside the university campus.
   5. Distribution of advertisement by hand is not permitted.
   6. Each electoral campaigning material shall belong to one candidate only. Group campaigning is not permitted in any way.
   7. No candidate shall begin his campaign prior to obtaining the consent of the Temporary Committee for his nomination.
   8. No candidate shall present any privilege for his nomination.
   9. A candidate shall not use any other means not specified in these regulations to promote his electoral campaign.
   10. The Temporary Committee is entitled to immediately stop any electoral campaign that includes incorrect or misleading information, or disagrees with the provisions of these regulations.

Fifth: The fund of the Student Council

1. The fund of the Student Council shall be as follows:
   1. The fund provided by the university depending on the action plans adopted by the Deanship of Student Affairs. The Dean shall coordinate with the Vice-Rector for Administrative and Financial Affairs concerning this issue.
   2. Donations and grants approved by the Dean of Student Affairs.
   3. The revenues of the Student Council’s activities approved by the Dean of Student Affairs.
   4. Any other revenues approved by the Dean of Student Affairs.
2. The Council shall have a Financial Controller approved by the Dean of Student Affairs, who shall audit its revenues and expenditures, and prepare the annual budget of the Student Council.
3. The revenues of the Student Council shall be deposited at the Deanship of Student Affairs. If any payment is needed, it shall be done under issuance vouchers where the counter-signing of the Chairman and the Treasurer of the Council shall be adopted.
4. A petty cash not exceeding (1000 SR) from the budget allocated for urgent expenses shall be given to the Chairman of the Student Council. The Treasurer shall hold this petty cash which will be paid under issuance vouchers and for specific purposes. The person who receives the money shall sign these vouchers. The petty cash shall be replaced whenever it is spent.

Sixth: Incentives offered to the Council members

1. At the end of the term of the Student Council, the Council members shall be awarded certificates of appreciation. These certificates shall include an evaluation of the member’s performance level during his service at the Council.
2. The members of the Student Council shall be given the privilege of attending the university events, and participating in its activities and programs.
3. Depending on available resources, the Council members shall be enrolled in a training course (on leadership, entrepreneurship, time management, etc.) held by the Deanship of Student Affairs.

Seventh: General Provisions

1. The Student Council shall exercise its powers in a manner that does not contradict the rules and regulations of the university, or the work and powers of its different departments.
2. If the members of the Council do not agree on how to distribute the functions and powers among themselves, the Dean of Student Affairs shall distribute them. His decisions shall be binding on all members.
3. In case of a rift, lack of cooperation or unfair competition takes place between the members of the Council, and they fail to contain it, the Chairman of the Council shall forward the issue to the Dean of Student Affairs to resolve it.
4. In the event of a vacancy in the Council among the members, the next candidate who has obtained more votes in the elections held to nominate the members of the Student Council shall join the Council. Should that not be possible, the Dean of Student Affairs shall appoint one of the distinguished students in the Council.
5. The Dean of Student Affairs shall appoint a representative to attend all the meetings of the Student Council as an observer.
6. Matters not covered by this Statute shall be subject to the decisions of the Dean of Student Affairs.

Eighth: Dissolution of the Student Council

1. The Student Council shall be dissolved by the resignation of the majority of its members.
2. The university management has the right to dissolve the Student Council.
3. When the Student Council is dissolved, the Dean of Student Affairs shall assign the election date for a new Student Council. The current Student Council shall remain in working order until the date of the elections.
4. The provisions of this policy shall be in effect as of the academic year 2020/2021.

Related documents:

1. Students’ Council Regulations
2. Student Handbook 2019
3. Student Council Campaign
4. Student Council Nomination Form

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Overview

Aligning programs, Colleges and Departments to the needs of industry and society has become one of the major criteria for success and a major attraction in Higher Education Institutions. One of the best practices to achieve this is to involve and to make stakeholders participate in teaching and learning process. To fulfil this goal the Institution, the Colleges and the Departments establish an “Advisory Board” (AB), which is a selected group of experts representing industry and society constituencies charged with providing advice to faculty and administrative officials. The AB serves as a platform for exchange between employers and the academic leaders of the college. Among its main objectives is to give advice on important topics in the field and help the departments within the college in preparing graduates that fit the market needs using the latest teaching and learning approaches.

Purpose

This policy provides guidelines for establishing Advisory Boards to help create and foster a strong partnership between PSU and relevant constituencies from industry, business, government, and society at large to address better the needs of the industry and improve the quality of the academic programs, and prepare graduates to fit the job market needs.

Scope

A College Advisory Board for each college shall be composed of academics and community stakeholders (alumnae and employers) from various local or international institutions. Advisory boards are comprised of accomplished experts offering innovative advice and dynamic perspectives in their respective specializations. Members’ diverse range of knowledge, skills, and abilities shall help the college in ensuring their program offerings are current.

Policy

Each Advisory Board shall meet at least once a year to provide support to the college for the improvement of the program and course offerings, strategic direction, guide quality improvement, and assess program effectiveness. The AB shall consist of 5 to 10 members representing relevant industry, organizations, and constituencies including the following stipulations:

• The Chairman of the Advisory Board is the Dean of the College or the chair of the Department
• The College Vice Dean or one of the Program Chairpersons will act as a secretary for the AB.
• Community Stakeholders (alumnae, employers from the field)
• A faculty member from each department
  The representatives from the industry should be recognized experts in the field or senior officials in their organizations. The AB period of service is three years and renewable. It should be made clear that the AB has no decision-making or enforcement powers and has been established to provide feedback.

• Establish good relations with constituencies served by the department
• Provide a communication channel for constituencies served by the Department Ensure that the department programs are producing the right type of graduates
• Improve the quality of the department programs through constructive feedback.
• Provide guidance and directions regarding research and future developments in the field
• Provide opportunities and resources for faculty to engage in industry-related collaborative research and development projects
• Help in placing COOP students and provide opportunities for student training
• Help in placing program graduates and provider wider employment options

The process of establishing and approving an Advisory Board is as follows:

• The Program Chairperson discusses the matter with the College Dean and gets his approval.
• The Program Chairperson and faculty members nominate the potential AB members based on consultation with the College Administration and industry organizations. The AB members should represent current and potential employers of program graduates, relevant industrial organizations, potential sponsors and supporters of students.
• The list of nominated members should be approved by the Department Council and College Council
• After approval by the College Council, the matter is raised to the Rector for final approval.
• The AB starts its work immediately after receiving the approval from the Rector’s office.
• The College and Program academic leaders may issue further bylaws and regulations to improve the effectiveness of the AB as needed.
• All the AB meetings should be documented, and the minutes need to be approved by the University Rector within 30 days of the meeting.

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Contents

1. Introduction
2. Definition
3. Purpose
4. Leadership Duties
5. Faculty Duties
6. Relationship Between Male and Female Students

Introduction & Purpose of the policy

Corruption is a multifaceted, multidimensional manifestation. It can be at the individual level as a single incident or at the collective level in a planned and structured form. It involves various types of felonies and breaches e.g. ranging from the minor receipt of ‘‘quick money’’ to the unlawful sale of land by government representatives managing a land reform.

Definition

While corruption in higher education is not a new spectacle, but its magnitude is growing, and Universities have a serious challenge of mitigating and averting corrupt acts in academic systems. Scholars and experts use definitions established by international organizations such e.g. the World Bank, United Nations (UN) or its subsidiary agencies, as well as Transparency International (TI) some definitions are as follows:

1. “Corruption is the abuse of public office for private gain” (World Bank)
2. “Corruption is the misuse of public power, office or authority for private benefit through bribery, extortion, influence peddling, nepotism, fraud, speed money or embezzlement” (UNDP)
3. “Corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain” (Transparency International)

Forms of academic corruption : misuse of documents of information, by government, industry and science, affects modern society and its progress.

1. The responsibilities of program administrators.
   1. Department chairs or others responsible should be clearly defined in their job descriptions.
   2. There should be sufficient flexibility at the level of the department or college offering the program to respond rapidly to needs for program evaluations and changes therein for learning outcome requirements
   3. Departments should have authority to change text or reference lists ,modify planned teaching strategies, assessment tasks or updating the course contents.
   4. Program administrators should anticipate issues and opportunities, exercise their initiatives in responding to them.
   5. Program administrators should ensure that when action is needed it is taken in an effective and timely manner. Program administrators should have ample authority to ensure compliance within program with prior approved policies and procedures.
   6. Program administrators shall provide leadership, encourage and reward initiatives taken by the academic faculty and the other staff.
   7. Program administrators should accept responsibility and take effective action within their area of responsibility regardless of whether action is taken personally by themselves of on their behalf by others. Regular feedback should be given on performance of teaching and admin staff by the HOD (Head of department).
   8. Delegated authority should be properly documented signed by the delegating person and the delegate. It should also clearly describe al the limits of the delegated authority and related responsibilities for reporting on decisions made. Regulations for the delegated authority should be amply established, approved by the Governing board of the institution. These regulations should indicate key functions that will not be delegated and also make it clear that delegation does not absolve the original position holder .delegations that affect any program shall be consistent with this policy.
   9. Implementation of short and medium term targets shall be monitored and outcomes evaluated . Regular reports shall be made on key performance indicators to senior management in the institution. Planning should provide for regular reports on key performance indicators to senior management in the institution.
2. Responsibility of faculty members
   1. There shall be complete compliance by the teaching and administrative staff of the codes of practice relating to ethical conduct of research teaching, evaluations activities and services
   2. Any pecuniary interest shall be declared and conflict of interests shall be avoided in all dealing by the teaching and admin staff.
   3. Advertising materials shall always be based on truthful representations and no exaggerated claims or negative comments about any other program on institutions shall be made
   4. Right of information
   5. Terms of references (TOR) standard operating procedures (SOP) related to programs shall be established for all major committees and admin positions. Policies regulations and related documents shall be available to all the staff and students alike, and kept in easily accessible locations to all for information, especially for new members in teaching and admin staff.
   6. Decisions by committees on all matters should be recorded into minutes and referred to as guide for future and for ensuring consistency.
   7. The policies, regulations TORs and Job descriptions relating to management or program delivery should be periodically reviewed and amended as required due to changing circumstances. The teaching and admin staff shall cooperate in evaluating and reporting for improvement of process in their sphere of activity.
   8. Mistakes and any weaknesses should be used for better future planning and improvement. Innovation and creativity should be encouraged with clear policy framework for accountability and transparency.
3. Relationship Between Sections for Male and Female Students
   1. Recourses ,facilities and staff need provisions should be comparable in both sections.
   2. Program administrators and teaching staff teaching same courses should communicate regularly and fully involved in planning and reporting processes for effective decision making. These decision should be in line with policy of the Laws of Ministry of Education.
   3. Representation from male and female campuses should be adequate in committees and councils.
   4. Planning and reporting processes for both sides should use methods that ensure satisfactory results of key performance indicators and program as a whole.

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1. Introduction, definition, and purpose
2. Scope and application
3. Responsibility of faculty members
4. Approval policy

Introduction, definition, and purpose

The academic freedom is the central right of any academician and an academic institution. Academic freedom is a termed as an open and multi-dimensional deliberation on a topic in an academic context. Prince Sultan University has ethical and legal duty to the develop student’s understanding and learning through academic freedom .

This right shall be protected by Prince Sultan University.

Academic freedom is specifically pertinent for freedom of faculty members, Research scholars and students in the institution and embraces freedom to speak, write and express thoughts without unreasonable restriction. The academic staff and the students shall be adjudged through an established criteria for their intellectual and professional inputs, not on personal beliefs, and political or religious views. PSU believes that the restriction of academic freedom affects intellectual and professional accomplishments. Hence it is the guarantee of the university to allow the faculty members and the students to learn in an atmosphere where they can freely share their ideas, do research in any topic of interest and speak publicly in their chosen areas . The purpose of the academic freedom policy of Prince Sultan university (PSU) is to develop teaching and learning by utilizing all means to support the optimal progress of the educational philosophy of instruction in the programs put by the respective PSU colleges.PSU Encourages a diversity of teaching and learning methods including plans aimed to help the students to work and learn in autonomous environment of conviction and freedom of thought.

Scope and Application

1. Scope This policy applies across The University, including the comprising University Councils, faculty committees and other decision making bodies included in academic governance .
2. Application Every manager, faculty member and student is required to take personal duty to understand the requirements of the policy of Academy Freedom and its day-to-day application

Principles and rights

1. To ensure that academic staff and students have freedom within the law to hold and express opinions and ideas ; develop and advance new concepts & proposals; and present variety of points of view, without placing themselves at risk of losing their privileges or jobs;
2. To enable academic teaching staff & faculty to fulfil their functions without discrimination or suppression of any kind.
3. To permit academics manage their activities resourcefully, to teach without intrusion, subjected to accepted professional principles with regard to standards and methods of teaching.
4. To maintain an effective, harmless, and supportive learning environment and promote an equitable & fair atmosphere in their relationships with students.
5. To support academic staff who hold a position on a matter of controversy
6. Academic freedom covers both the individual and institutional right to maintain academic standards and to give academic staff suitable latitude in deciding how to teach the courses for which they are responsible.

Responsibility of Faculty Members:

1. Teaching and Research: The faculty member is under obligation to fulfil his/her teaching and research responsibilities. The faculty has to develop and improve his/her scholarly capability, to adhere to voluntary self- discipline and judgement in transmitting knowledge. The faculty member shall be effective as a teacher and scholar. He/she is expected to ensure the delivery of the academic content of the course, and promote fundamental values of the rule of law, human liberty, mutual respect, and tolerance for those with different faiths, beliefs and opinions. He/she shall avoid promoting or giving a platform for furthering extremist ideologies or terrorism
2. Students: The students are entitled to a fair treatment in an environment of mutual respect within the teacher- student relationship. Faculty members are not allowed to refuse to teach any student on the ground of student’s religion, color, and belief. The faculty member is not allowed to use his/her authority as a teacher to mishandle, to harass or discriminate due to religion, race, color, handicap, or any other reason. The Faculty members shall make every reasonable exertion to promote honest academic conduct among their students and ensure that the assessments of students reflect their true performance. The students should be protected and be given the right to challenge or give alternate views and not reprimanded for holding the same.
3. Courses: The academic freedom is limited to values and practices agreed upon by the College council. the teaching staff cannot simply teach anything they want. Courses shall be vetted and approved by departmental councils. The faculty members are expected to ensure the delivery of the courses content as described in the syllabus. They have the freedom in the presentation of their subjects without obtrusive material, which is not included or approved in the assigned course by the curriculum committee. The review and amendment of any courses will be submitted to the College curriculum review committee and to the Institutional Curriculum review committee if it is a major change. 3.1 University Responsibility; The University shall protect and promote academic freedom by allowing faculty members and students engage in enquiry, research, teaching or public commentary. The University shall recognize viewpoints’ diversity and the right to express lawfully opinions on university campuses and in public mediums.
4. 4.0 Approval and Revision The policy is endorsed and fully approved by the Colleges councils and the University Council.

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1. Introduction, definition, and purpose
2. Scope and application
3. Responsibility of faculty members
4. Approval policy

Purpose

Since its establishment, Prince Sultan University has been committed to sustainability and sustainable development. PSU is adopting strict selection, screening, and vetting ethical food sourcing process. The main purpose of this policy is to formalize and mandate the practice.

Aims

• Adopt green, environment friendly practices or food sourcing and preparation
• Make sure that all providers in the supply chain stick to ethical standards established by the municipality and government agencies
• Prepare food using natural fresh ingredients that has been produced using natural healthy processes
• Avoid all types of chemicals, preservatives, and artificial ingredients
• Minimize the use of plastics in packaging or as containers when serving meals and drinks
• The use of transparent, clean healthy processes to prepare and deliver meals
• Encourage the consumption of vegetables and fruits
• Provide attractive organic vegetarian options
• Use natural vegetable oil for cooking
• Reduce the consumption of energy
• Minimize the emission of carbon
• Local source food as much as possible

Ethical Food Sourcing

In addition to the direct food sourcing criteria, PSU uses additional ethical criteria for vetting and selecting providers, which include:

• The transparency of the employment process and the levels of compliance with sustainability standards
• Labor and work practices of the company
• Compliance with health standards
• Compliance with local and international quality standards

Policy

The Catering Services Unit (CSU) is the entity responsible for managing and monitoring food services in the university

• All food services are outsourced in PSU
• The CSU oversees is the vetting and selection process of providers
• The selection process is based on food sourcing criteria, including the sustainability ethical standards set by PSU
• The CSU annually announces and reviews bids from providers and applies a transparent selection process to shortlist and award contracts

Implementation

• The CSU is formed by the and overseen by the office of the Vice Rector for Administration and Financial Affairs
• CSU is responsible for the management, monitoring and evaluation of catering services entities
• CSU reports to the Vice Rector office for Admin and Financial Affairs and the Quality Assurance Office
• The Quality Assurance Office makes sure that all operations, processes

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1. Introduction, definition, and purpose
2. Scope and application
3. Responsibility of faculty members
4. Approval policy

Purpose and Aims

Prince Sultan University is a sustainable green university that preaches and applies sustainable development approaches and practices at all levels. As part of its endeavors to build a safe, green campus, PSU adopts sustainable waste management and disposal practices that are implemented in coordination with municipal and government agencies.

Aims

PSU waste management and disposal policy aims to:

• Build and maintain a safe, healthy green campus
• Apply the appropriate approach and use the proper channels for disposing waste based on its category
• Minimize the use of plastics and reduce plastic waste
• Minimize the use of disposable items
• Adopt energy efficiency standards
• Avoid carbon-intensive industries and similar chemical processes that cause the emission of unhealthy gases
• Measure and monitor the amount of landfill and recycled waste

Categories of waste

1. Landfill solid waste
2. Electronic waste
3. Paper waste
4. Hazardous materials
5. Reusable old furniture and equipment
6. Plastic waste
7. Carbon and unhealthy gas emissions

Policy

• PSU maintenance unit is the entity responsible for waste management, prevention and disposing
• The maintenance unit establishes the appropriate infrastructure, instructions and guidance for waste management, prevention and disposing.
• The maintenance unit applies the appropriate approach and channel for waste disposal based on the waste handling table below
• Landfill waste is disposed using services provided by the Municipality waste disposal network
• A prevention approach is used to reduce carbon and gas emissions
• Other types of waste are disposed in coordination with specialized agencies and charity organizations
• The unit regularly measures the amounts of landfill and recycled waste respectively and raises regular reports on these to upper admin departments
• The department raises regular reports to the higher administration and the quality assurance office
• The quality assurance office is responsible for monitoring performance and KPI’s

Waste Handling and Disposal Channels

Implementation

• The maintenance unit establishes guidelines and processes for waste management and disposal.
• Disseminates guidelines and monitor the process.
• Outsource the recruitment of cleaners and workers to manpower agencies.
• Raise reports to superiors and the quality assurance committee.

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Purpose

Establish and maintain a secure electronic document management system to facilitate efficient collaboration and information sharing across the whole university.

Policy

1. PSU will establish a secure electronic Document Management and Archiving System (DMAS)
2. Among other functionalities, DMAS will be used to maintain, share and circulate documents
3. Document sharing and circulation will be based on an Access Control System to ensure that documents are only accessed by authorized persons
4. Access Control and document management will be based on a clear classification of documents based on the source, target audience, level, lifetime ….etc
5. DMAS should be supported by a scanning unit to accommodate images of hard copies and legacy documents
6. DMAS should incorporate a smart notification system to inform owners and stakeholders about updates and status of documents
7. All PSU legacy documents can be incorporated in DMAS through the scanning unit

Document Classification Process

1. A good document classification scheme is important and crucial for the success of the system
2. PSU document classification scheme should be developed and maintained by a joint team from the ITC and University Admin
3. The process may start by identifying document types and categories, then using other parameters to produce a classification that supports effective document management

Document Retention or Archiving:s

1. Decisions regarding document retention or archiving are strongly based on the “Level” and “Lifetime” parameters in the above mentioned classification
2. Every unit should confirm the “Level” and “Lifetime” fields when they insert or upload documents to DMAS
3. The system will automatically apply the right decision regarding archiving or removing the document with a notification to the owner and stakeholder

Responsibilities:

• The ITC and DQAD would take the responsibility of deploying the system and coordinate training sessions for all faculty and stakeholders
• Guidelines for using the system would be provided

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Overview

PSU was established with the vision of becoming the leading non-profit private university in the Kingdom and the Middle-East Region. Its aspiration is to provide quality higher education on par with that found in reputable higher educational institutions. The dress code policy in both campuses (female campus and male campus) is designed to help PSU to provide a consistent professional appearance to its stakeholders within and outside the university.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines on the dress code at PSU, demonstrating a professional and positive appearance its stakeholders.

Scope

This policy applies to all academic faculty members, administrative employees and students (undergraduate and graduate) at Prince Sultan University(PSU) regardless of their administrative rank, academic rank or major disciplines respectively.

Policy

As a reputable institution it is expected from all (Students, Faculty and administrative employees) to abide by Prince Sultan University Dress Code Policy. PSU employees and students must maintain an appropriate standard of dress and personal appearance and conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times both within the university or when representing PSU on any external platform.

Dress Code Policy for males:

• Shorts are not permitted
• Chest Revealing clothes are not permitted.

Dress Code Policy for females:

• Women are required to dress modestly, meaning cover your shoulders and knees. Sleeveless shirts or short dresses/skirts are not permitted.
• All shirts and tops should cover the chest.
• Females should wear head coverings and abaya while entering and exiting the male campus and during meetings with male faculty and students.

Disciplinary action:

Any violation of the dress code policy by any employee or student will be subject to disciplinary action case by case. However, minor breaches of the policy will be dealt with in an informal manner.

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Purpose

The aim of the PSU’s quality assurance policy is to describe its approach to quality and continuous improvement in the field of teaching and learning, its support services and infrastructure, focusing on their contribution to and in alignment with the PSU’s mission, vision and strategic goals.

Definitions

Assessment: One or more processes that identify, collect and prepare data to evaluate the attainment of program learning outcomes in accord with established standards.

Audit: to identify and ensure that appropriate internal quality assurance processes are in practice at PSU in alignment with NCAAA.

Program Review: Holistic evaluation of a program and resources used in its delivery with an intention of its continuous improvement,

Quality: PSU academic and administrative activities have quality if they conform to the purpose for which they were designed.

Quality Assurance: It is the process for checking that the standards and quality of higher education provision meet agreed expectations. The two dominant purposes of QA are:

• Improvement or enhancement (Internal)
• Accountability (external)

Quality Management: Ensures that the processes by which outputs and benefits are delivered, meet stakeholder requirements and are fit for purpose.

Stakeholders: Entities (government, private, individual, group) that have an impact on the system or are affected by the system such as the Higher education system.

Scope: This policy is applicable to all stakeholders of PSU, including, students, faculty, administrative staff. The QA policy applies to all academic and administrative activities which directly or indirectly support or impact the quality of education at PSU.

1. The definition have been taken from http://kcmuco.ac.tz/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/QA-POLICY.pdf

Principles

The quality assurance framework and processes are based on the following key principles:

Quality Responsibility: Quality is everyone’s responsibility. PSU actively ratifies and support for the implementation of the Quality Policy. The use of the Quality Policy is embedded or demonstrated in the work of all PSU employees and students.

Quality Commitment: Quality is recognized as the responsibility of all PSU’s primary stakeholders (employees and students). Effective leadership and executive support to Quality is of high importance. PSU’s University Council approves quality management frameworks for all Programs, departments, Colleges and administrative offices.

Quality Data and Information: Processes are established and ratified at PSU to ensure the consistent collection, benchmarking and evidence-based analysis of data and producing the authentic information.

Quality Staff and Resources: The teaching and non-teaching PSU employees are trained, supported and resources appropriately provide quality services consistent with aligned with the institution’s and national strategic goals and objectives.

Quality Practices: PSU approved and effective practices are identified at various levels of administration and regularly communicated to all relevant stakeholders through policies, procedures, guidelines and PSU Forms.

Quality/Continuous Improvement: PSU Periodic plans for an internal and external review at the institutional and program level promotes the continuous improvement of quality practices and processes to ensure their continuing appropriateness and suitability.

Quality Framework

Objectives: PSU has established the quality objectives encompassing academic and administrative services to assure delivering a quality tertiary education experience. The Quality Objectives are mapped to the best practices within 7 NCAAA institutional as well as its Strategic Plan, which are in turn measures by 17 EETC-NCAAA and 20 PSU Strategic Key Performance Indicators.

The quality Framework at PSU has two objectives:

• Internal Quality Assurance (IQA): This is a continuous mechanism which focuses on achieving the desired level of quality in its academic and administrative activities based on the the PSU Quality Management System (PSU-QMS).
• External Quality Assurance (EQA): This is a periodic mechanism which ensures the PSU maintains compliance with the Saudi Arabian Qualification Framework (SAQF) and ETEC-NCAAA requirements to ensure continuing certification of institutional and/or program accreditation.

Elements

The Quality Framework established at PSU consists of the following elements:

• Quality Objective: Establishing and monitoring of Quality objectives by the PSU higher management and Institutional Committees.
• PSU Policy Manual: Presence of PSU policies, procedures, guidelines, handbooks/manuals, and forms governing and guiding the activities of academic and administrative employees.
• Quality Control Processes, ensuring services are of suitable educational standard before they are applied in real.
• Quality Assurance Processes ensuring PSU’s activities are initiated, implemented and completed in a proper and consistent manner.
• Quality/Continuous Improvement Processes ensuring PSU activities are constantly being reviewed and refined on a periodic basis(audits) and to identity the areas of improvement. PSU has adopted the Continuous Improvement Cycle of Plan, Implement, Monitor, Review an Update (PIMRU)
• Quality Handbook/Manual: PSU ensure that the effective documentation of the quality processes, activities related to teaching and learning and its support services is available to all of its stakeholders.

Responsibility

1. PSU Governance and Institutional Committees: University Council, Rector’s Office, Deanship of Quality Assurance and Development (DQAD) and the Institutional Quality Committees (IEC, IPC, IQC) are responsible for reviewing, supporting, endorsing and ensuring accountability within the Quality Framework.
2. DQAD is responsible for managing and administering the Quality Framework.
3. All Head of the academic and administrative units have the responsibility to check and ensure the requirements of the Quality Framework are satisfied within their area of responsibility.
4. All institutional, college and department level committees have the responsibility to verify and ensure the Quality Framework requirements are satisfied within their area of accountability.
5. All employees have the responsibility to ensure that their assigned tasks follow the Quality principles.
6. Undergraduate and Graduate students as well as other stakeholders have the responsibility to provide useful and timely feedback to PSU regarding the satisfaction of the program delivery, its processes as well as its practices.

Main Quality Practices at PSU

The QA Policy will ensure the following points are practiced by PSU at various levels of academic and administrative work activities.

1. Up to date mission, realistic vision and strategic plan for PSU.
2. A clear organizational structure including terms of references for each job positions.
3. Presence of a quality culture among the faculty, student, administrative staff to adhere the quality assurance processes at all levels.
4. Policy is implemented.
5. Effective and realistic planning followed by monitoring of various activities related to teaching and learning and its support services.
6. Effective documentation of the activities related to teaching and learning and its support services.
7. Identification of Key Performance Indicators to measure the effectiveness of performance at various academic and administrative levels.
8. Methodical collection of evidence about satisfaction of services among various stakeholders.
9. Internal and external benchmarking of quality assurance processed and key performance indicators
10. Involvement of stakeholders through various platforms (committees, councils, professional associations, administrative positions etc.) to achieve PSU’s mission and vision.
11. Provide opportunities for enhancing professional experiences and research contribution.
12. Regular create a sense of social responsibility among students. Faculty and administrative staff.
13. Increase PSU’s visibility at international platforms through partnerships.
14. Self-evaluation of academic and administrative core activities.
15. External assessment of institution and academic programs through local and international accreditation review process.
16. Regular internal audits will be conducted to ensure that the Quality Assurance

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Introduction:

Achieving excellence in Teaching and Learning to provide quality education is one of the major themes in the PSU Mission. To realize this, a coherent framework for quality assurance named as Teaching & Learning Quality Framework (TLQF) has been established and is being maintained periodically which helps in continuous improvement in Teaching and Learning process.

PSU Teaching & Learning Quality Framework (TLQF) is a guide to know how to implement the Teaching & Learning Strategy as well as a frame for how to put into practice the policies that support it as mandated by PSU’s Teaching and Learning Strategy.

Below you will find a collection of the policies, processes and guidelines that have been developed to oversee and ensure the quality of Teaching and Learning in all programs offered. The policies cover the major areas of T&L Quality assurance such as Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes, Curriculum Development, Student Assessment, Academic Advising, Program Evaluation & Assessment, or Faculty Professional Development. In addition, the TLQF defines a reporting process with clear responsibilities and KPI’s to facilitate effective monitoring of the T&L quality strategy and timely actions for corrections and improvement.

As may be expected, the TLQF assumes an Outcome-Based approach where all activities from Program Design to Student Assessment are strongly based on clearly defined Program and Course Learning Outcomes.

Objectives:

The main objectives of the TLQF are:

1. Is to provide a framework encapsulating the policies, processes and procedures for faculty and students for imparting quality education at PSU.
2. Adopt the best teaching and learning practices by the faculty which are aligned with the outcome based approach of education.
3. Establish assessment measures that help to ensure that the students’ knowledge and skills are assessed using right type of assessment method.
4. Offer Quality Professional Development workshops for the faculty, staff which are in line with PSU mission statement
5. Establish assessment measures that help to ensure that the teaching and learning practices and professional development for the faculty, students, and administrators are of the utmost quality in all programs and are in-line with the mission statement of the university.
6. Include the stakeholders (employer, faculty, students, external factors) in the quality assurance and improvement process for teaching and learning.
7. Establish an effective reporting channel through which quality measures may be regularly monitored and issues if any, may be addressed by different levels of PSU management.
8. Use standard documentation practice for planning and reporting meeting the national and international standards.
9. Establish a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for teaching and learning process at the institutional and program level as well as their internal and external Benchmarks against which quality may be compared and tuned for providing quality education.

System Overview: The Teaching and Learning Quality Improvement Cycle:

PSU provides sound and current programs designed using a proven curriculum development process that takes into consideration current developments and society’s needs. All programs in PSU are required to do the following:

1. To establish, monitor and improve the quality measures of Teaching and Learning practices in the academic units, a well defined Quality Assurance structure has been established at PSU. Department Quality Committees (DQC) report regularly to the College Quality Committee (CQC) who in turn reports to the Quality Assurance Centre (QAC). The IQAC (Institutional Quality Assurance Committee) is a supporting committee at the institutional level which supports the Quality Assurance Centre in overseeing the overall T&L quality assessment and assurance processes, approves and implements recommended improvements. The whole process is supervised and guided by the Institutional Executive Quality Committee (IEQC). The final decision making body is the university council for any major changes that improve the quality of education. Various kinds of documentation for planning and reporting at different levels of administration is imperative.
2. Program specification are prepared by every academic program which should be updated on regular basis to reflect the changes in the curriculum, institutional policies, program administration, program goals or learning outcomes.
3. Course specification are prepared for every course in an academic year which are in line with the relevant program specification stating the learning outcomes, the course contents used to achieve the Learning Outcome(LO), types of assessments, their schedule, contribution of CLO to PLO.
4. The course reports are prepared by every course instructor reflecting the findings of the courses they have taught in the form of grade statistics, CLO results, course evaluation and improvement plan for the following semesters,
5. Annual Report are prepared by every academic program based on the templates prescribed by EEC-HES, stating the actual statistics of cohort, alumni, survey/KPI results. This report is also based on all the course reports submitted by the course instructors.
6. Annual Progress Reports of 5-year strategic plans are prepared by every academic units to evaluate the accomplishment of the action plan for the current academic year.
7. Based on the annual program reports, action plans are prepared for the coming academic year.
8. The faculty members are also evaluated at the end of an academic year by using predefined performance criteria to ensure the teaching and learning practices are of quality standards.

In addition, the Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) conducts regular T&L skills development programs helping the academic programs in ensuring all faculty members and instructors are equipped with the necessary T&L skills needed for the courses they teach in their programs. Generally, the T&L Quality Assurance Framework is based on the wellknown PIMRU Model (Plan→ Implement →Monitor →Review →Update).

Figure 1: The PIMRU Model

Academic Programs or General Education departments are required to prepare 4 or 5 year Assessment Plans and execute it based on the elements of PIMRU cycle.

The main Components of the System:

The TLQF is an umbrella system that involves many policies, procedures and organizational structures in the field of Teaching and Learning. The main components of the system include:

1. 1. New Faculty Orientation Policy: It is mandatory for all new faculty members to participate in this orientation. The orientation should take place during the non-teaching week prior to the start of the academic semester. (Please note that if for some reason the date has to be modified then the faculty member along with the department chairperson/director need to find someone to cover their courses.)
2. Course Design Policy: A policy that provides general guidelines for designing courses and modules in the context of an OBE (Outcome Based Education) system.
3. Professional Development Policy: This policy describes PSU strategy regarding the professional development of T&L skills. PSU mission emphasizes on “continuous improvement” which requires that faculty members should stay current and well abreast with their fields and the required T&L skills helping in active engagement of the students in their learning process. The quality assessment improvement cycle will not be complete without continuous support for the professional development for faculty members in all skill areas relating to Teaching and Learning.
4. Classroom Observation Policy: The purpose for this policy is to provide guidelines on the process and procedures of classroom observations.
5. Recruitment Policy: The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines on the policies and procedures for recruitment in the academic departments of the Colleges.
6. Program Assessment Policy(PAP): This policy outlines the assessment processes of the learning outcomes at the program level and the institutional level for continuous improvement in teaching and learning practices. The underlying philosophy of PAP is based on the Outcome Based Education(OBE) and employs a number of direct and indirect assessment tools to assess T&L Quality and recommend improvements for offering quality education. The review process is cyclic, and the results are raised every year to the Quality Assurance Centre (QAC) through Institutional Quality Assurance Committee (IQAC).
7. Curriculum Development and Review Policy: A policy that describes in details the principles and procedures that should be followed to develop new curricula or review existing programs. The policy ensures that all PSU programs remain current, sound and relevant.
8. COOP Policy: The goal of the CO-OP Program is to associate academic studies with the job market or business sector. The Program exposes the students to the practical environment of selected training organizations for 28 weeks related to their field of study, where the students apply their knowledge skills in the real life situations. In other words, the coop program enables the students to gain hands-on experience in a realistic environment. This program also helps the students to acquire high order thinking skills, getting them used to innovative thinking and permitting them to practice problem solving and decision making.
9. Student Assessment Policy & Final Examination Policy: A policy that outlines the major principles, goals, guidelines and processes for Student formative and summative assessments. This policy is strongly based on the principles of Outcome Based Education (OBE Centric).
10. Learning Management System (LMS) Policy: The purpose of this policy is to enhance the quality and effectiveness of the University’s LMS with the aim of providing students with access to fundamental course materials, resources and any needful information.
11. Information Technology Support Teaching and Learning Policy: The ITTL Policy is to provide IT support for faculty members to become more effective and more efficient in their teaching. It is to encourage collaboration with students and faculty members to promote high quality educational experiences at Prince Sultan University via the use technology in the T&L cycle in line with the Learning Outcomes. The Instructional Technology Unit (ITU) is developed to support, promote and encourage faculty and staff to apply technology in their day-to-day academic and administrative (tasks/responsibilities).
12. Academic advising Policy: The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines on academic advising for PSU Students. All faculty members within a degree granting program will be assigned students to advice. Academic advising is considered as an important and prerequisite step for all students to be able to register for their courses. All faculty members attend regular workshops sessions organized by the Teaching and Learning Center and the Deanship of Admission and Registration where they are made familiar about the procedures required for advising.
13. Student Special Needs Policy: A policy that attempts to identify problems and other difficulties with those students who are perceived as being somewhat challenged and in need of more remediation than the norm in that group or class.
14. Academic Integrity Policy: A policy that emphasizes academic honesty and the avoidance of plagiarism and all practices that contradict well established academic integrity standards.
15. Faculty Code of Conduct Policy: This policy provides guiding principles on the code of ethics of faculty members in order to help them maintain a high standard of professional conduct and personal integrity. It informs the faculty members about the acceptable work ethics that is consistent with the university mission, the core values of the society, and the universally-accepted principles or norms of academic professionalism.

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Overview

The Program Assessment Policy is a crucial component of the PSU’s continuous improvement process in relation to the Teaching and Learning Quality Framework(TLQF) that complements the Institutional Quality Framework. All programs in PSU are required to implement a variation of the Program Assessment Process described in this policy that is in compliance with the Saudi Arabian Qualifications Framework.

This policy has Spady’s (1994), an educational researcher, outcomes-based education as its premise. He claimed that demonstrating learning is the essential point of assessing learning. It is not just a matter of knowledge of the content but being able to apply it.

Purpose of Assessing the Program

The main purpose of program assessment is to help programs recognize ways in which they can improve the quality of programs with respect to teaching and learning, thereby closing the program assessment cycle loop. It is also to track the continuous improvement of the implementation of teaching and learning within the program, assess the achievement of program learning outcomes, and assess the achievement of the course learning outcomes.

Scope

This policy applies to all programs and departments on campus that have courses that contribute to a degree-granting program at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Definitions

1. Program Assessment: It is the systematic and ongoing method of collecting, analyzing, and using information from measured outcomes (both direct and indirect) to improve the quality practices of student learning. It is different from an individual course, student, or faculty evaluation assessment. It utilizes the data gathered to make informed decisions about the quality improvement of the program.
2. Continuous Improvement: It is the monitoring, tracking, evaluating, analyzing of data gathered about the quality enhancements needed to maintain the level of quality education expected at PSU.
3. ILO (Institutional Learning Outcome): These learning outcomes focus on the broad conceptual knowledge and adaptive soft skills required by the institution upon graduation.
4. PLO (Program Learning Outcome) or SO (Student Outcome), depending on the program. These learning outcomes focusing on the overall skills students will be able to do upon completion of the program.
5. CLO (Course Learning Outcome): These learning outcomes are what students will be able to do upon completion of course. It should only include one action verb per outcome and refer to learning that is transferable.

(Kindly refer to the Student Assessment Policy for further definitions.).

Policy

It is mandatory that all programs take part in the implementation of the program assessment requirements. This involves attending any necessary training or workshops related to program assessment conducted by the concerned center(s) from DQAD. It also involves submitting documents like the assessment plan for the program and a record of its implementation to the DQAD concerned center(s) for monitoring. It is also mandatory to use rubrics for assessing student achievement of learning outcomes.

Prerequisite to the Assessment Process:

• The program objectives should be clearly defined to all the stakeholders of the Program.
• The Program Learning Outcomes (PLO)1 should be clearly defined to all the stakeholders of the Program.
• Complying with International Accrediting Bodies standards or criteria based upon their specific disciplines. For example, for ABET, a program will have established Program Objectives (PO) to comply with international accrediting standards for a specific discipline that are aligned with its Program Learning Outcomes (PLO) or the terminology appropriate with the accrediting body from their specific disciplines.

III. In some programs, Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) are called Student Outcomes (SOs) in compliance with the international accrediting body’s standards and criterion.

JJJ. The program curriculum is mapped with its Program Learning Outcomes, which demonstrates how learning activities in specific courses map to these learning outcomes. (Key: I- Introduced, R- Reinforced, A-Advanced)

KKK. The Program Learning Outcomes (PLO) are aligned with the Course Learning Outcomes (CLO) of every Foundation, Core and Elective courses

LLL. The Course Learning Outcomes for a particular course are aligned with various assessment methods.

MMM. The Course Learning Outcomes for a particular course are aligned with various teaching strategies (methods).

his entire mapping of the Program Learning Outcomes with its course learning outcomes, teaching strategies, and the assessment methods has been represented by a diagram, as shown below:

The Assessment Process:

The T&L Quality Assurance and Improvement process are based on a continuing annual cycle based on the principles of PIMRU (Plan→ Implement →Monitor →Review → Update, Figure 1 below).

FIGURE 1: THE PIMRU MODEL

Planning:

Every department is required to prepare an Academic Program Assessment Plan (AP), which shows a roadmap of assessing the programs at two levels.

• Course Level Assessment
• Program Level Assessment

Assessment Plans should be based on OBE principles and Learning Outcomes. Assessment Plans should include course level and program level assessments in accordance with PSU’s rules and regulations. Refer to the program assessment handbook for further details.

Course Level Assessment

The course instructor will select relevant assessment tools for course-level assessment with the help of which each CLO in the course will be measured using both direct and indirect assessment methods (e.g., course exit surveys) via a learning outcome’s rubric. The Academic units will have the discretion of deciding the process of course-level assessment.

• The selected assessment method(s) should cover all CLOs in a course in every academic semester.
• The selected tools account for at least 50% of overall course assessment, such as a final exam or major exam(s) and a course project.
• The course instructor should conduct a Course Exit Survey every academic semester or year, depending on the department policy.
• The Course Assessment Plan should incorporate a Review-Update cycle to illustrate the continuous improvement of the programs.
• The course assessment plan should be approved by the course group supervisor or PAC.

Program Level Assessment

• The Assessment Plan should be prepared in which all the PLOs will be assessed using direct or indirect methods over a period of 3 or 5 years. Every year a subset of the full list of Program Learning Outcomes is required to be assessed.
• The PAC identifies the courses to be used in assessing the selected program learning outcomes for the current year. The courses which are highly contributing to the selected PLO should be used for direct and indirect assessments. It is advisable to use mainly program core courses for assessing the program learning outcomes.
• The Program Learning Outcomes should be aligned with the Saudi Arabian Qualification Framework (SAQF) categorized under three domains of learning (Knowledge, Skills, and Competencies).
• The program assessment plan should be submitted by the PAC to the department chairperson and then subsequently to the department and College Council for approval.
• Once approved by the College Council, the academic unit level Academic Assessment Plans are raised to the Program Assessment Committee (the committee is comprised of the members from the TLC or Quality committees in the program and college) for review and coordination.
• Every semester the courses that have been selected for PLO assessment will prepare a detailed course assessment plan mentioning what CLOs and assessment methods are being used to measure the selected PLOs. The CLOs which are highly contributing to the PLOs should be assessed.

Implementing

• The approved course assessment plan is implemented using direct (such as Rubrics) or indirect methods (using Course Exit surveys).
• Academic departments are free to make use of the appropriate tools and approaches to measure the learning outcomes based on an acceptable standard scale.
• At the end of every academic semester, the course instructors are required to submit the CLOs and the PLO assessment results for the courses selected for the assessment.
• The course instructor will also report all CLO results using direct and indirect methods in the semester in accordance with the course report per NCAAA regulations.

Monitoring

• The PAC members are required to monitor the assessment process throughout the semester.
• At the end of every semester, the PAC and the Course Group or Course Coordinators collect the CLO and PLO assessment results (direct and indirect) for the respective courses and analyze the Program assessment data using appropriate calculations and tools. These data are then submitted to the department chairperson to be included in the decision making process and continuous enhancement of the program.

Reviewing (Auditing) and Updating (Closing the Loop)

Assessment Plans should incorporate a Review-Update cycle to illustrate the continuous improvement of the programs.

• Based on the analysis done in the above step, PAC will prepare detailed recommendations for improvement or promotion of good practices in coordination with program course groups or leaders and the department chairpersons.
• The program assessment results are recorded in the annual program report and reported to DQAD for monitoring and feedback at the institutional level.
• The recommendations for improvement and the collected assessment data mentioned in the annual program report will be reviewed and approved by the PAC and subsequently by the department chairperson.
• DQAD will follow an annual audit session where it will study the recommendations, summarize the issues, observations, and recommendations, and raises a report for major actions to the concerned parties.
• The whole process is documented for accountability and review purposes.

Instruments or Tools used for Learning Outcome Assessment

Rubrics: Course instructors will be asked to design rubrics for a particular learning outcome to assess it in any of the selected course assessments.

Course Exit Surveys: at the end of each semester, students will be asked to rate the achievement of learning outcomes for the respective course through a survey. Faculty members will upload a survey about the learning outcomes achievement onto Moodle to be completed by the students in their courses.

Course Portfolios: A course portfolio will be maintained for each of the taught courses. The collected material may also be used by the course teacher as another means to assess the achievement of course learning outcomes.

using stakeholder satisfaction surveys

1. The following surveys have been adopted at the university level as a measure of Indirect assessment for monitoring the quality of the programs.

Program Exit Survey(PES),
Midway Survey (SES)
Course Evaluation Survey(CES)
Faculty Satisfaction Survey(FSS)

Alumni Satisfaction Survey: Alumni are asked to rate the program outcomes and give their feedback regarding their experience through a survey that will be distributed annually.

COOP Employer Satisfaction Survey

Employer Satisfaction Survey(ESS): Employers will be asked to rate the achievement of program outcomes through a survey that will be distributed periodically.

• These surveys are conducted periodically by the Center of Statistical Unit(CSI).
• The Program/Department Chairs are required to establish the internal and external benchmarks for the survey results.

The Center of Statistics and Information (CSI) is responsible for compiling the PSU survey results annually and submitting the report to the respective departments/Colleges.

The department will analyze further the survey results based on the internal and external benchmarks, program delivery, and recommend appropriate action(s) based on the survey results for continuous improvement of the quality of the program.

The survey results, their analysis, and recommended actions are reported in the annual program report required by PSU in accordance with NCAAA’s regulations.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

1. PSU has adopted NCAAA’s KPIs to assess and exhibit the quality of the academic programs at the Program level, College, and Institutional levels. In addition to that, every department can establish its own KPIs to assess the quality of its programs.

• The CSI is responsible for compiling the KPI results annually.
• The academic departments will establish the internal and external benchmarks for every KPI for their program and analyze the KPI results annually using the internal and external benchmark and recommend appropriate action(s) based on the KPI results to improve the quality of the program.
• The KPI results, their analysis, and recommended actions are reported in the annual program report.

Reporting the Assessment

All programs need to provide their assessment reports along with the annual program report to DQAD, which will become a part of the program’s self-study evaluation process and documentation. The assessment reports need to be evidence-based discussions of student achievement of learning or concrete data. The reports should utilize the template provided by the TLC and reflect their assessment process, results, and actions for continuous improvement

References

NCAAA Handbooks and Standards.
Spady, W. (1994). Outcome-Based Education: Critical Issues and Answers. US: American Association of School Administrators. Retrieved from Eric
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED380910.pdf

List of relevant documents

1. Prince Sultan University's Program Assessment Handbook

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OVERVIEW

Prince Sultan University (PSU) strives in providing quality education to its students, which is at par with other reputable universities around the world. To validate this, PSU compares its academic and administrative processes to analogous universities, both local and international; to track to what extent PSU is on course to achieve its vision. Prince Sultan University (PSU) believes that KPI (Key Performance Indicators) and benchmarking should be embedded in practice within all key areas of the University for continuous improvement. Adherence to benchmarking policy ensures efficient and effective evidence-based decision practices which are inevitable for this outcome.

PURPOSE

The purpose of the benchmarking policy is to provide clear guidance on all activities, warranting that the benchmarking process at PSU is advanced in a synchronized, cautious, and systematic manner.

SCOPE

This Policy applies to university key provisions and processes including management structures, academic programs, primary and support services, and all KPIs (program, college, and institutions) which are either a part of or affiliated with PSU. The scope also entails collection of benchmarking data from all relevant academic and non-academic departments internally or with other institutions that PSU has an agreement of DATA sharing.

DEFINITIONS

Benchmark: A benchmark is a point of known elevation marked for the purpose of surveying. In academic and industry organizations, a benchmark is a target level of performance for a given KPI or a metric.

Key Performance Indicators: A Key Performance Indicator is a metric used to measure and evaluate the success of the organization in some or all areas of engagement. A KPI must be measurable or written in a way designed for assessment. When benchmarking and analysis are used in tandem, they provide evidence for assessment to guide judgments and decision-making.

KPI Analysis: Refers to a comparison and contrast of benchmarks to determine strengths and recommendations for improvement.

Benchmarking: Refers to the process of studying, comparing, and reviewing data or best practices against similar data or best practices in use by other Colleges, Universities, or similar HEIs. In concert with the NCAAA terminology and nomenclature practices, benchmarks are boxed into the following set of typologies: Actual Benchmark: Refers to the current level of achievement or performance indicated by the value of the KPI for a particular benchmark in the organization.

External Benchmark: Refers to a benchmark from another similar institution or program with which performance is being compared.

Internal Benchmark: Refers to benchmark from another entity in the same organization or institution. Comparable performance of previous year KPI may also be used as Internal Benchmark.

Target Benchmark: Refers to the anticipated performance level or desired outcome (goal or aim)1 for a KPI as exampled above.

New Target Benchmark: Refers to the establishment of a new or desired performance level or goal for the KPI that is based on the outcome of the KPI analysis.

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU): An MOU is a document that records the common intent of two or more parties where the parties do not wish to assume legally binding obligations. An MOU is usually less complex and less detailed than a contract, but provides a framework and set of principles to guide the parties in undertaking a project or working arrangement

Higher Education institutions (HEIs) are independent, self-governing bodies active in teaching, research, and scholarship. Higher education institutions include traditional universities and profession-oriented institutions.

POLICY

In order to maintain quality standards and continuous improvement initiatives across its academic entities, Prince Sultan University encourages benchmarking or external referencing with comparable institutions to monitor planning and continuous improvement. PSU ensures a periodic review of the University’s data against the comparators to allow cross-university comparisons which are crucial in developing and implementing action plans as required to sustain the University comparability to other distinguished organizations.

For External Benchmarks, each program and institution (PSU) should identify and use two external benchmarks:

Competitive - Local/National/Regional: This allows for a form of benchmarking in terms of university’s mission; size, type of institution, research productivity, staffing levels, enrolments, and any other factors.

Aspirational – International: This allows for a form of benchmarking in terms of the university’s mission strategically to be envisioned by Saudi Vision 2030.

The University's benchmarking process has three phases:

Phase 1: Pre Benchmarking – Each program and institution identifies the local and international HEIs that have similar data and best practices. The local benchmarking partners should have a good number of analogous degree programs and roughly similar numbers of graduate and undergraduate students. Moreover, the HEI should have higher rankings than PSU in reputable ranking for academic institutions.

Phase 2: Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) -PSU negotiates and signs a Benchmarking Agreement (MOU) with the identified institutions that should address all points of cooperation. The areas of benchmarking may include:

Teaching & Learning Practices and KPIs
Progression and Graduation rates
Research Practices and KPIs
Quality Assurance Practices and KPIs
Learning resources and facilities
Curriculum Development and Review Processes
Teaching pedagogies and Assessment procedures and practices
Based on the agreement, a detailed plan and budget are prepared. In case of International Institutions, the International Affairs Office (IAO) may play a role in negotiating agreements.

Phase 3: Executing the Benchmarking Plan: Based on the signed agreement, the Center for Statistics and Information (CSI) at PSU and the second party execute the benchmarking plan through direct or online meetings. A detailed report should be prepared and submitted to PSU administration.

IMPLEMENTATION - PSU Units' Tasks

Center for Statistics and Information (CSI): prepares all necessary data (Institutional and some Program Level) for KPIs to be benchmarked with other HEIs. The time period of exchanging the data is the beginning of the academic year. CSI also collaborates with academic leaders across all levels of PSU (i.e., institutional, college, program) to prepare Benchmarking Reports and submit it to higher management.

Colleges/Departments/Programs: prepare their own data not covered by CSI to be benchmarked with.

Information Technology Center (ITC): ensures that the technology is available for online communication with identified partners.

Office of Vice Rector for Administrative & Financial Affairs (OVRAFA): allocates budgeted funding for visiting other LHEIs in case of face-to-face benchmarking meetings.

After exchanging the institutional benchmarking data, SPDC, and the QAC within DQAD will coordinate with the CSI in analyzing the data and provide proper recommendations for continuous improvement.

However, the academic leaders of all the programs analyze the data and coordinate with SPDC, QAC and CSI within DQAD in case any institutional support is required.

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Overview

Prince Sultan University (PSU) believes that KPI (Key performance Indicators) and benchmarking should be embedded in practice within all key areas of the University for continuous improvement and demonstrated within the formation of its standards of practice and comparators for performance. This policy mandates how the University will review and assure the achievement of performance through the comparison of external and internal benchmarking. Adherence to this policy contributes to efficient and effective evidence-based decision practices.

Purpose

The overarching aim of the benchmarking and KPI policy is to contribute to continuous improvement of PSU performance.

Policy

• KPI Policy is based on KPI Guideline and Framework (Version 2, March 2020) approved by the KRC (KPI & Risk Management Committee (KRC) (see Appendix QA0005.1).
• The KPI Policy applies to program and institutional level.
• For Program Level, the National Center for Academic Accreditation and Evaluation (NCAAA) has identified 17 (17+3 = 20) key performance indicators (KPIs). 19 of 20 are mandatory. The code of the program level KPIs will be KPI-P-01….. KPI-P-17.
• For Institutional level, the NCAAA has identified 23 (23+2 = 25) KPIs. All of which are in line with the evolving institutional accreditation standards. The code of the institutional KPIs will be KPI-I-01….. KPI-I-23.
• PSU may use additional performance indicators (strategic plan KPIs) and if it believes they are necessary to ensure the quality of the institution. The code of the additional institutional Strategic Plan KPIs will be SKPI-PSU-01…... The code of the additional college level Strategic Plan KPIs will be SKPI-CBA-01….... (for instance, College of Business Administration -CBA). The code of the additional program Strategic Plan KPIs will be SKPI-ACC-01…... (for instance, Accounting Program).
• All Research KPIs will be based on calendar year.
• All Research KPIs will be based on PhD Faculty members only as per PSU Policy.
• Each of additional KPIs and Target Benchmark should be approved by the KPI & Risk Management Committee (KRC)
• For identifying external benchmark and data should be consulted with the KPI & Risk Management Committee (KRC).
• Internal Benchmarks refers to comparable performance of previous year KPI.
• For External Benchmarks, each program and institution should identify and use two external benchmarks:

Competitive - Local/National/Regional: This allows for a form of benchmarking in terms of university’s mission; size, type of institution, research productivity, staffing levels, enrolments and any other factors.

Aspirational – International: This allows for a form of benchmarking in terms of university’s mission strategically to be envisioned by Saudi Vision 2030.

• The number of KPIs from external benchmarks are minimum 50% of the total KPIs required by the program/institution.
• The KPIs shall be reported annually and actions will follow accordingly. A sample of KPI analysis template is shown in Appendix QA0005.2. A schedule of institutional and program level is provided in Appendix QA0005.3 and Appendix QA0005.4.
• All KPIs and data source should be Center for Statistics & Information (CSI). Timeline for Data Collection and Analysis is shown in QA0005.5.

Scope

The policy applies to all KPIS (program, college and institutional) at PSU.

Definitions

Benchmark/KPI refers to the key performance indicators of the program/institution approved by the KRC. This includes both NCAAA and additional KPIs.

Targeted Performance (Benchmark) refers to the anticipated or desired for each KPI which will be set by the KPI owners (e.g. Program Chair/Unit Directors) with the discussion and approved by the KRC Committee.

Actual Performance (Benchmark) refers to the current outcome/performance of each KPI.

Internal Benchmark refer to comparable performance of previous year KPI.

External Benchmarks refer to comparable benchmark from outside programs/institution (national, regional or international).

KPI Analysis refers to a comparison and contrast of the benchmarks to determine strengths and recommendations for improvement.

New Target performance (Benchmark) refers to a new desired outcome for each KPI which is based on the KPI analysis.

1. Monitoring and Implementation

Given the significance of KPIs, PSU should conduct KPI analysis regularly for its quality assurance enhancement and continuous improvement endeavors.

The KPI monitoring process is a continuous process.

It provided as below in which data availability, validity and analysis are shown including specified timeline: (Refer to PSU KPI Framework, see Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. PSU KPI Monitoring and Governance Process

Appendices: Please find the guidelines for PSU’s Benchmarking and KPI Policy (QA0005)

Appendix for QA0005 - Sultan University (PSU) Benchmarking and KPI Policy

QA0005.1 KPI and Risk Management Committee, and its Roles & Responsibilities

QA0005.2 A sample of KPI analysis template

QA0005.3 A schedule of institutional level KPIs

QA0005.4 A schedule of program level KPIs

QA0005.5 Timeline for Data Collection and Analysis

QA0005.1 The KPI and Risk Committee (KRC) Committee, and its Roles & Responsibilities

Report to:

Vice Rector for Administrative and Financial Affairs (VR-AFA) and as a Chair of the Institutional Financial and Risk Management Committee (IFRMC) and Deputy-Vice Rector, Academic Affairs

Role and Responsibilities:

The KRC is a sub-committee of the IFRMC. The KRC Chair and the following committee members are appointed by the Chair of IFRMC:

• The committee shall ensure that the National Center for Academic Accreditation and evaluation (NCAAA) based required Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are being utilized and monitored by all the colleges, departments, centers and the Institution at large.
• The committee shall also ensure that the PSU’s based KPIs are continuously monitored by all the concerned colleges, departments, centers and the Institution at large.
• The committee shall assist all the colleges, departments, centers and the Institution at large in benchmarking with other comparable and reputable institutions.
• The committee shall coordinate with the Institutional Technology and Quality Committee (ITQC) in ensuring all risks are identified in the quality improvement and information technology plan.
• The committee shall coordinate with Institutional Strategic Plan Steering Committee (ISPSC) in ensuring all risks are identified in the strategic plans and action plans.
• The committee shall also coordinate with Institutional Financial Risks and Management Committee (IFRMC) in ensuring all risks are identified in planning and quality assurance.
• The committee shall study any related tasks, issues and problems and provide recommendations of the best solutions or alternative course of actions to the concerned colleges, deanships, departments, centers, units and/or offices to be submitted to the Chair of IFRMC.

QA0005.2 The KPI and Risk Committee (KRC) Committee, and its Roles & Responsibilities

List the results of the program key performance indicators (including the key performance indicators required by the National Center for Academic Accreditation and evaluation)

If the Recent reporting year of Annual Program Report or KPI Analysis is AY 2019-2020

QA0005.3 A schedule of institutional level KPIs

QA0005.4 A schedule of program level KPIs

QA0005.4 A schedule of program level KPIs

QA0005.5 Timeline for Data Collection and Analysis

Contents:

5. Introduction, definition and purpose
6. Scope and application
7. Responsibility of Universities
8. Approval of policy

2) Introduction, definition and purpose

The United Nations statement known as the Palermo Protocol defines human trafficking as: “Trafficking in persons” shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.

The International Labor Organization, an agency of the United Nations, defines forced labor as ‘all work or service which is exacted from any person under threat of a penalty and for which the person has not offered himself or herself voluntarily’.

The term ‘modern slavery’ is an umbrella term covering many ill-defined practices. Generally included are human trafficking for sex, labour or organs, forced labour, bonded labour, descent-based labour, domestic servitude, child labour, early (child) and forced marriage. This list is not exhaustive and other forms of modern slavery and human trafficking include the taking of babies and children for sale for adoption, the entrapment of people in religious ritual roles as well as those taken for religious rites that involve forms of human sacrifice. It is difficult to establish reliable data as much of modern slavery and human trafficking is hidden. However, the best estimates are that millions of people around the world are being exploited in this way. People who are victims of modern slavery and human trafficking are often among the most vulnerable in societies. They include all ages, genders, ethnicities and creeds. The most vulnerable groups include refugees and migrants, minority groups, women, children and people experiencing extreme poverty”.

The Definition of forced labor

According to the ILO Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) , forced or compulsory labor is:
"all work or service which is exacted from any person under the threat of a penalty and for which the person has not offered himself or herself voluntarily."

2)Scope and application of human trafficking

slavery is the status or condition of a person over whom any or all of the powers attaching to the right of ownership are exercised”, in which ownership is understood as “constituting control over a person in such a way as to significantly deprive that person of his or her individual liberty, with the intent of exploitation through the use, management, profit, transfer or disposal of that person” (⁷), this definition is derived from and based on the definitions in the ILO conventions, specifically the definition of “slavery” in Article 1(1) of the 1926 Slavery Convention, its reproductions in Article 7(a) of the 1956 Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery and in Article 7(2)(c) of the 1998 Statute of the International Criminal Court. Also taken into account in the development of this definition were the human rights law as applied to the 1948, Universal Declaration and 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as the 2000 United Nations Palermo Protocol on Trafficking in Persons and the 2005 Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (⁸).

• Human trafficking. The use of violence, threats or coercion to transport, recruit or harbor people in order to exploit them for purposes such as forced prostitution, labor, criminality, marriage or organ removal.
• There are three common types of human trafficking: the sex trade, forced labor, and domestic servitude. The economic sectors that profit most from human trafficking are agriculture, restaurants, manufacturing, domestic work, entertainment, hospitality, and the commercial sex industry (⁹).
• According to the ILO Forced Labor Convention, 1930 (No. 29), forced or compulsory labor is: "All work or service which is exacted from any person under the threat of a penalty and for which the person has not offered himself or herself voluntarily".
• The three key elements that must be present for a situation of trafficking in persons (adults) to exist are therefore: action (recruitment,); means (threat); and purpose (exploitation) (¹⁰).
• Behaviors relating to ownership that might indicate or provide evidence of slavery include:
  • Buying, Selling or Transferring a Person (i.e. human trafficking).
  • Using a Person.
  • Managing the Use of a Person.
  • Profiting from the Use of a Person.
  • Transferring a Person to an Heir or Successor.
  • Forced Labor and Bonded Labor.

3) Responsibility of Universities

As institutions occupying a unique space at the intersection of public and private enterprise, universities face unique challenges in addressing the issues, as well as in their practices on campuses at home and abroad.

Following the UN Guiding Principles, as public sector bodies (or, in the Guiding Principles’ distinction, “State” institutions), PSU have an obligation to protect subjects from human rights violations as well as to respect human rights and remedy abuses or violations. However, universities also occupy a unique space as philanthropic leaders and innovators. Thus, not only do thorough efforts to identify and address their modern slavery risks and detailed reporting thereof fit their purpose, such activities enable universities to place themselves at the forefront of the global movement to end slavery, subsequently raising international profiles and setting a high standard for organizations that follow(¹¹).

• Universities should use the opportunity afforded by the Modern Slavery Act 2015 Statement requirement to perform and report upon a thorough assessment of the modern slavery risks affecting the university at every level, including supply chains, recruitment practices, and overseas campuses and partnerships, as well as the methods employed to address and reduce risk. Crucially, universities’ MSA Statements should include a clear verbal commitment to protecting and respecting human rights, and an unequivocal statement of zero tolerance of modern slavery in supply chains or in global university operations.
• Universities should collaborate with other universities and organizations, sharing information about modern slavery risks and methods employed to address them with colleagues.
• Universities should consider joining organizations that collect, assess, collate, and distribute information on modern slavery risks.
• Universities should engage directly with first-tier suppliers (and go further down the chain, if possible); studies have found that end-to-end supply chain visibility has a more noticeable impact on reducing modern slavery risk than the audit model.
• Universities should establish and publish a clear policy, plan and strategy to combat all known modern slavery risks
• Universities should introduce and/or continue modern slavery training programs at every level.
• Universities should ensure that those in leadership roles are informed of the modern slavery risks that affect the university, and that they are aware of and engaged in policies and methods Implemented to address and reduce those risks (¹²).

Approval and Revision

The policy is endorsed and fully supported and approved by the Colleges councils and the University Council

For Related Policies Please see the following documents:

1. Policy on faculty Code of Conduct
2. Academic Integrity Policy

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(⁷) Bales, Kevin et al, Modern Slavery: The Secret World of 27 Million People (Oxford: One world Publications, 2009), 47 –51. See also No author, “Globalization – Glossary of Statistical Terms” (The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), created 25 September 2001, last updated 10 June 2013): https://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=1121.
(⁸) Allain, Jean, ed., “Appendices: 2012 Bellagio-Harvard Guidelines on the Legal Parameters of Slavery”, The Legal Understanding of Slavery: From the Historical to the Contemporary (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012), p. 375 380.
(⁹) UNITED NATIONS OFFICE :” Human Rights, and Human Trafficking”, Fact Sheet No. 36, UNITED NATIONS New York and Geneva, 2014
(¹⁰) UNITED NATIONS OFFICE ON DRUGS AND CRIME Vienna:” An Introduction to Human Trafficking: Vulnerability, Impact and Action”, UNITED NATIONS New York, 2008
(¹¹) “Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights” (United Nations Human Rights – Office of the High Commissioner, New York and Geneva, 2011): http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/GuidingPrinciplesBusinessHR.
(¹²) Dr. Ouarda Belkacem Layachi: "Human Rights Among the Purposes of Islamic Law and International Covenants", Saudi Arabia, Dar EL-Khwarizmi for Publishing and Distribution, 2012.

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Overview

PSU relies heavily on data to measure and monitor progress towards the achievement of its mission and goals. As such, the integrity, accuracy and validity of institutional and departmental data are of vital importance. Accordingly, PSU shall adopt a proactive, systematic data collection and management process to make sure that required data is available in a timely manner and with the expected levels of accuracy and integrity.

Data Dictionary & Data Definitions:

One of the major duties of the Deanship of Quality Assurance & Development (DQAD) is to ensure the uniformity and integrity of data across the campus. As such, the Center for Statistics and Information (CSI) shall develop a unified data dictionary for all data in the campus. The dictionary shall clearly provide definitions for variables and generated KPIs. The dictionary shall be updated and maintained on a regular basis.

Scope

PSU Data Warehouse Admin, Control and Access: DQAD has built a data warehouse accessible to only the authorized data custodians and consumers. The main stakeholder (or Data custodian) for the system is the DQAD-CSI.

Definitions

1. Access Control: whereby only authorized entities and individuals can access the data base on their levels of authorization
2. Consistency Checks: to ensure that data definitions are unified and have the same meaning across the campus
3. Redundancy Checks: to avoid duplications and additional overhead costs
4. Tracking: based on time frames and schedules
5. Security Measures: to protect the system against hacking and tampering
6. Center for Statistics and Information (CSI): is a control and coordination center that oversees the process of data creation, storage, access and dissemination.
7. Authorized CSI Director: The person in charge of the data warehouse with responsibilities and terms of reference clearly specified by the DQAD.
8. Data Owners: Academic leaders or administrators who are responsible for creating, storing, managing one or more types of data.
9. Data Stewards: Administrators with direct operational responsibility for one or more type of institutional data.
10. Data Custodian: The CSI is considered as data custodian under DQAD.

Data Collection Policy & Process:

• PSU establishes and maintains a central data warehouse, easily accessible by authorized entities and individuals
• The CSI is responsible for the integrity, consistency, security and accuracy of data
• The CSI is the sole entity responsible for the coordination of data collection and management process
• The CSI adopts a proactive data collection process (as explained below) whereby all required data and reports are available on the data warehouse in a timely manner.
• The CSI implements a notification system that regularly notifies data custodian and beneficiaries regarding deadlines and the availability of data or reports.

Institutional Data Collection

At the beginning of each academic year, DQAD, through its different centers, identifies the required institutional data and reports and raises a request to the CSI.
The request should specify the following:

1. The types of required data and reports
2. The format of the data and reports, with clear specifications for the data items and variables
3. Time frame for the availability of the data and report
4. Data owners or custodians (responsible for preparing the data).

For regular requests:

1. The CSI makes sure that the requests are properly sent to DQAD. /li>
2. The CSI updates the schedules and notifies the respective parties.

For new requests, the CSI implements the requests in cooperation with the eservices unit and applies all the above steps

On Demand (Ad hoc) Data Collection:

• In addition to the regular data requests, the University administration, units or individuals may issue data requests based on arising circumstances and demand.
• All types of ad-hoc data requests can be channeled through the DQAD.
• The CSI evaluates Ad hoc data requests as they arise and coordinates preparation and availability.
• The CSI reviews the data requests for consistency and lack of redundancy (no duplications)

Department and Unit Level Data Collection Management:

• All departments and units shall participate in the preparation and management of the institutional Data.
• In addition, units and departments shall share the collected data related to their activities and quality control processes with CSI in order to integrate all data with data the warehouse.
• To ensure consistency and avoid redundancy, units and departments shall coordinate their data collection activities with the CSI
• Each unit/department appoints a data custodian and a data steward to oversee data collection and management

Data Usage and Availability:

• Data beneficiaries and stewards shall not communicate directly with data custodians, since all data will be available on the data warehouse
• CSI implements an effective notification system that notifies all registered data consumers regarding availability and updates of data
• CSI implements a reporting mechanism, such as PowerBi, whereby authorized entities and individuals can generate short reports and summaries when required.

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Overview

Prince Sultan University’s data must be protected throughout its life cycle consistently in a manner appropriate to its importance, wherever it is stored or what purpose it serves.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish clear guidelines for all staff members to follow in reference to data access and to maintain the privacy of the information of all the stakeholders involved.

Scope

The policy applies to all academic and non-academic departments at PSU.

Policy

Due to the increasing demand to access data from different departments, units and centers for various reasons, and to maintain privacy of information and control of confidential data, the following are important rules:

• All PSU academic, financial, and administrative data stored in any format including student, faculty, staff, policies, and, regulations is the sole property of PSU. None of the PSU data should be shared with any parties outside PSU except with the written approval of the Rector.
• Access to, the use of, and the sharing of any of the PSU data inside PSU should be restricted only to the authorized administrative or faculty members, and should be used for the intended purpose only. This includes the following:
• An individual faculty member has full access and authority to review and obtain only his/her Course Evaluation Survey results for all courses taught in all semesters.
• Academic departments’ leaders (Chairperson, Associate Chairs, Deans, Vice deans) have full access and authority to review and obtain faculty members’ Course Evaluation Survey results only for faculty at their respective colleges.
• Academic departments’ leaders (Chairperson, Associate Chairs Deans, Vice-deans, coordinators) have full access and authority to review and obtain students’ transcripts, academic status, transactions, and attendance, only for students studying at one of the programs in their respective colleges.
• Academic advisers have full access and authority to review and obtain students’ transcripts, academic status, transactions, and attendance only for students on their advising list.
• Teachers do not have the right to request any confidential information about their students—including transcripts, academic status, transactions, and attendance. Deanship of Student Affairs and the Scholarship Center have full access and authority to review and obtain students’ transcripts, academic status, transactions, and attendance of all active students at PSU.
• All academic departments have full access and authority to review statistical reports about admission, registration, scheduling, classrooms assignments, and graduates of their academic programs.
• The Deanship of Student Affairs has full access and authority to review and obtain data about current PSU students and PSU alumni.
• The Evaluation and Academic Accreditation Center and the Center of Statistical Information have full access and authority to review and obtain statistical reports about admission, registration, scheduling, classrooms assignments, and graduates. This
• includes aggregated data and all anonymous statistical reports. However, any confidential data about individual faculty or staff members or student members or individual students could be requested only upon the written approval from higher management. Even in this case, the confidential data about individual faculty or staff members or students including their performance evaluation results should not be disclosed.
• All administrative units/centers have the right to request, in writing, aggregate statistical reports about admission, registration, scheduling, classrooms assignments, and graduates. These requests must not include any confidential data about individual faculty or staff members or individual students. However, confidential data can be requested with the written approval of the Rector.

The above rules and regulations as set out in the policy aim to support PSU’s privacy policy and ensure that confidential data are used only for their designed purposes.

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Overview

This policy is related to Management of Quality Assurance and Improvement in which internal and external verification processes of student achievement will be implemented by the departments or Colleges.

Purpose

In order to assess the quality in teaching and learning, the Quality Assurance Center at PSU shall implement the process of independent verification of standards of student achievement within the institution or through external reviewers periodically for at least 50% of the courses offered by them.

Scope

This policy applies to all academic programs and departments at PSU.

Definitions (Optional)

• Internal Verification of Student Achievement - Proportion of programs in which there was independent verification within the institution of standards of student achievement during the year ( NCAAA)
• External Verification of Student Achievement - Proportion of departments verifying achievement standards through external processes during the past three years.

Policy

Internal Verification of Student Achievement

This verification process will be implemented once a year.

0. The department will select in the beginning of the academic year 50% of the courses offered by the department for the internal verification. (Note: Initially the verification can be started with the core courses only and then later on, will be extended to college level and elective courses).
1. The department will nominate the faculty members as the reviewers for the courses selected in step 1.
2. The reviewers will be either the instructors from the relevant course group or instructors teaching the same course within or across the campuses depending on the programs offered at PSU.
3. The course instructors for the selected courses can photocopy a few samples of the student answers of major, final exam, assignments or projects before marking them and hand them over to the reviewer along with the answer key.
4. The internal reviewer will do the blind second marking of the selected sample and submits the grades and a report to the department.
5. The QA Committee at the department level will compare the grading of the instructor and the internal reviewer and prepare a report with recommendations (if any) on the verification of the student achievement within the college or institution.
6. The QA Committee at the College level will compute the data for the EECHES KPI: Proportion of programs in which there was independent verification within the institution of standards of student achievement during the year.
7. The KPI data will be submitted to Centre of Statistical Unit for compiling, analysis and recording purposes.
8. The QAC at the institutional level will compile the reports from all the colleges and prepare an executive summary report to the higher management.

External Verification of Student Achievement

This verification process can be implemented every three academic years.

1. The Colleges are required to select the list of the potential local universities for external verification of Student Achievement. The universities involved in the process of external benchmarking would be preferable.
2. QAC will initiate the process with the selected universities to have an agreement for reviewing periodically the samples of student assessment, assignments or project work after every three years.
3. The International Affairs Office will finalize the agreement with the university (ies).
4. The universities are required to send the names of the reviewers to PSU to see any conflict of interest.
5. QAC will prepare an annual calendar for external verification of the student achievement.
6. The department can select 50% of the courses offered by the department for the external verification. (Note: Initially the verification can be started with the core courses only and then later on, can extended to college level and elective courses)
7. The course instructors for the selected courses can photocopy a few samples of the student answers of either major, final exam, assignments or projects before marking them and handing them over to the reviewer along with the answer key.
8. The external reviewers will do the blind second marking of the selected samples and submit the grades and a report to the Colleges.
9. The QA Committee at the department level will compare the grading of the instructor and the external reviewer and prepare a report with recommendations (if any) on the verification of the student achievement within the college or institution.
10. The QA Committee at the College level will compute the data for the EECHES KPI: Proportion of departments verifying achievement standards through external processes during the past three years.
11. The QA Committee at the College level will submit a report to the College Dean with recommendations (if any) on the verification of the student achievement by the external reviewer.
12. The KPI data will be submitted to Centre of Statistical Unit for compiling, analysis and recording purposes.
13. The QAC at the institutional level will compile the reports from all the colleges and prepare an executive summary report to the higher management which include the extent to which program achieved the following accreditation based key performance indicators for the Management of Quality Assurance.

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Purpose

This policy is related to Management of Quality Assurance and Improvement in which internal and external verification processes of student achievement will be implemented by the departments or Colleges.

Step 1: Planning

1. In each academic semester, the course instructors are required to use the same course specification, which indicates the CLOs, course topics, grade distribution (100%), teaching strategies, and assessment methods. These components should be the same.
2. The course syllabus should be the prepared based on the course specification.
3. The course instructors are not allowed to make any change in the course specification with respect to CLOs, course content, teaching strategies, or assessment methods unless the change is approved by the department curriculum committee. A change request form (See Appendix A) should be used by the course instructor/course coordinator to request any relevant change(s) with proper rationale.
4. The course coordinator responsible for any service course, which is a program/core requirement in any program, is required to constantly communicate with the concerned program leaders for mapping the course learning outcomes with the program learning outcomes and offer the course according to the requirements of the program.
5. The major and final exams should be peer-reviewed by the faculty assigned by the department. This will help the course instructor in meeting the examination standards specified by a department and avoiding grade inflation/deflation.
6. It is a good practice to unify the major and final exams across the campuses, provided they are administered on the same day and have the same timings. However, in practical circumstances it is not possible for all the courses. The most important criteria are required to be followed for ensuring the quality of the major and final examinations in the department:
   1. Same CLOs are assessed in major and final exams
   2. The difficulty level of the exam questions should be the same, no matter if the questions are different.
   3. The course instructors should also agree on the types of questions included in exams.
   4. The selection of types of questions should reflect assessment for different domains of learning outcomes.
   5. The assessment should have a variety of question types (e.g. short answer, essay, MCQs, problem/solution, T/F etc...) and be aligned with the course’s CLOs.
      Note: There might be some courses decided by the department where point e is not applicable
   6. The questions should show variation with respect to difficulty levels.
   7. The duration of the final exam for a course is based on its credit hours e.g. for a course with 3 credit hours, the final exam should be of 3 hours’ duration. Note: There is an exception for the PYP courses with respect to the final exam duration. The final exams are only for 3 hours for the courses with 4 credit hours.
   8. The length of the major/final exam should correspond to the amount of time allotted to complete it (e.g. 3 hours, 2 hours, 1 hour etc...) and should be written so as to prevent the students from completing the exam prior to 50% of the allotted time so that the full time is utilized properly.
   9. There should be no grammatical or calculation mistakes.
   10. The final exams should be comprehensive, assessing the majority of the CLOs in a course. A minimum of 70% of all course learning outcomes (CLOs) are to be covered on the final exam.
   11. The final exam marks are required to be a minimum of 40% of the total course grade according to the regulations of the university.

Step 2: Implementation

The following steps should be followed for checking the quality of the exam paper.

1. The department should nominate faculty members for peer reviewing the exam papers. The selection criteria should be based on the faculty members’ teaching experience in that course.
2. A peer review form should be prepared by the department. (See Template B)
3. The instructor should submit a hard copy of the exam paper along with its answer key and the peer review form duly signed to the peer reviewer
4. The peer reviewer should review the questions based on the criteria mentioned in the planning step and sign the form if it is approved. The records of the peer review form will show how the quality of the final exam papers are being reviewed /evaluated in a department.

Step 3: Verification

The academic programs are required to implement the process of independent verification of standards of student achievement within the institution for at least 50% of the courses offered by them.

Internal Verification of Student Achievement: This verification process should be implemented once a year.

1. The department can select in the beginning of the academic year 50% of the courses offered by the department for the internal verification process. (Tips: Initially the verification can be started with the core courses only and then later on, it can be extended to university, college level and elective courses).
2. The department or course coordinators can nominate the faculty members as the reviewers/cross-graders for the courses selected in step 1.
3. The reviewers/cross-graders can be either the instructors from the relevant course group or instructors teaching the same course within or across the campuses depending on the programs offered at PSU.
4. The reviewers/ cross graders will randomly select students answer sheets based on the following criteria
   • For sections with small student numbers (less than 10), all student answers to final exam are to be moderated.
   • For sections with 10 or more students, the following should be applied:
     1. 50% of the student answers should be moderated
     2. Sample of student answers should include at least
        1. At least 3 copies of highest pool
        2. At least 3 copies of the lowest pool
        3. At least 3 copies of the average pool.
5. The course instructor will photocopy the student answers from a major/final exam before marking them and hand them over to the reviewer along with the answer key and the RUBRIC.
6. The internal reviewer/ cross -grader will do the blind second marking of the selected samples by reviewing the work selected and consider whether the assessment criteria have been applied appropriately and consistently.
7. The academic departments can use paired t-test (optional) or any other suitable method to compare the two population means and calculate the confidence interval for the grades’ mean difference. This test helps in determining the degree of confidence that all sections within a campus or across the campuses are grading the exams fairly and according to the predefined grade distribution. If there is a major discrepancy in the marks, then other papers will also be reviewed. In some cases, the instructor (first marker) may also be asked to review or change the grades.
   • When the internal reviewer/ cross –grader confirms the marks of the instructor (first marker), then a report is prepared by him/her (See Template – C) to the Course Group leader. The approved report with recommendations (if any) is sent to the Department Chairperson and the QA Committee at the department level (DQC)
   • The QA Committee at the department level (DQC) will analyze the grading of the instructor and the internal reviewer/ cross-grader and prepare a compiled report with general or specific recommendations (if any) on the verification of student achievement within the college or institution.
   • The QA Committee at the College level (CQC) in coordination with the College/Department Final Examination Committee will ensure that the department conforms to the process of student verification. The CQC will approach the QAC in case of any quality matters raised.
   • The QA Committee at the Department level (DQC) will also compute the data for the KPI: Proportion of programs in which there was independent verification within the institution of standards of student achievement during the year. This KPI data is required to be verified by the CQC.

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Purpose

The purpose of the grade inflation/deflation policy is to ensure the appropriateness and the fairness of grading of students’ assessments (e.g. coursework, final exams, etc.).

Scope

Grade inflation Policy is applicable to all courses in undergraduate programs offered at Prince Sultan University in all campuses.

Responsibilities

• The head of the departments will monitor the grade inflation in every course offered in an academic semester and take necessary actions if irregularities are found.
• The College Dean / Vice-Dean will monitor the grade inflation at a program level in a college and take necessary actions if irregularities are found.
• The Vice Rector for Academic Affairs will monitor the grade inflation at an institutional level and take necessary actions if irregularities are found.

Criteria for Grade Inflation:

The criteria for grade inflation are as follows:

1. For a course having more than 10 students, grade inflation is considered only if the number of students obtaining A+ and A is more than 40% and A+, A and B+ is more than 50%.
2. For a course with 10 students or fewer, grade inflation is considered only if the number of students obtaining A+ is more than 50%.
3. The department should identify courses in a program where the above grade inflation does not apply due to the nature of the courses. In such courses, grade inflation is considered only if the number of students obtaining A+ and A is more than 50%.
4. Courses such the COOP program and senior projects should not be reviewed for grade inflation as 50% of their grading is not under the control of the university.

Criteria for Grade Deflation:

5. The course has grade deflation if the number of students obtaining D+, D and F is more than 50%.

Procedure for reflecting on grade inflation

1. If a course taught by the same instructors, has grade inflation consecutively for at least three academic semesters, then the department should consider the difficulty level of assessment and the grading criteria. Also, the grades for the courses taught by the same instructor should also be compared.
2. If a course taught by the different instructors, has grade inflation consecutively for at least three academic semesters, then the department should consider the difficulty level of assessment and the grading criteria. In addition to that the department council should change the grading policy of the course as mentioned in point 3 of the above section. Points 1 and 2 will ensure whether the grade inflation/deflation is because of the nature of a course or the instructor has a trend of having grade inflation/deflation in other courses.
3. Cross grading should be made necessary for assignments and research projects based on rubrics, which can be done by the other course instructors teaching the same course or the course leaders. See Independent Verification of Student Achievement Policy for its detailed procedures.
4. In case of grade inflation or deflation the course instructor should write a report (form number …) containing a concrete justification for having a grade inflation / deflation.
5. In cases of courses with more than one section and taught by same instructor, the inflation/deflation should be characterized based on all students of all sections not each section separately.
6. Grade inflation report should be added in section C of the course report individually for the section and the course overall.
7. The department chair is responsible to monitor and justify the grade inflation/deflation in all courses offered in a program and prepare the following report for the College Dean / Vice-Dean. This justification is also mentioned in the Annual Program report.
8. The College Quality Committee is responsible to prepare an aggregate report on grade inflation for the college and submit it to the Quality Assurance Centre (QAC).
9. An executive summary of the grade inflation report program and college and institution wise will be prepared by the Quality Assurance Centre (QAC) at the end of every academic semester. This report will be submitted by the Deanship of Quality Assurance & Development (DQAD) to the Vice Rector of Academic Affairs.

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Overview

This policy provides an overview of the curriculum development process and suggests a series of steps to follow in Curriculum Review. This policy provides guidance on the process for changes and additions with respect to credit bearing courses or academic programs and outlines the roles of administrators and committees at the college and university levels within this process.

This policy also identifies the university committees associated with curriculum and their responsibilities. The Institutional Curriculum Committee (ICC) is the university committee that oversees undergraduate and graduate curriculum and reports to the Vice Rector of Academic Affairs and Research office.

Purpose

PSU strives to provide high quality educational programs that satisfy the highest ideals of the students’ education and well-rounded development, while simultaneously meeting “market needs” and fulfilling the objectives of its declared mission. This requires that all academic programs should be continuously monitored, reviewed and updated every 5 years. Five year reviews are intended to ensure that curricula of programs continue to meet the educational needs of students and the objectives of the university. These functions encouraging ongoing discussions about curricula and pedagogy, maintaining an ongoing educational assessment plan, and assuring the quality and integrity of the university’s academic programs.

Scope

This policy applies to all academic programs and departments at PSU.

Policy:

Each program and department within the university is responsible for conducting a review of its academic curriculum every 4-5 years to meet the demands of the current market needs based on feedback from stakeholders (e.g. alumni, students, employers, faculty members, etc…), the College Advisory Board, and an Independent Reviewer.

1. All courses and requirements shall be reviewed and approved first by the College Curriculum Review Committee, the College Council, Institutional Curriculum Committee then the University Council.
2. An academic minor must consist of a minimum of five, but no more than six, courses within the minor area.

Each department or program should design and conduct a review in the manner it regards as most appropriate. Any existing materials on the current curriculum may be used as resources. Upon completion of the review, the Department Chair forwards a report to the Vice Dean/Dean of the College to be added to the College Council for approval. This report will include:

1. An Executive Summary of the process used to conduct the review and its main conclusions. The summary will include the minutes of meeting from the College Curriculum Review Committee.
2. The completed form(s) (e.g. new course, course revision, new program, course deletion, etc.) found in the PSU Policy website.
3. A copy of the updated syllabi along with the updated course specification based on the curriculum review.

Types of Program Reviews and Development

1. Continuous Monitoring of the Curriculum for Minor Updates:
   The main purpose of these reviews is to ensure that course materials are properly updated and delivered using appropriate pedagogical approaches. These reviews do not affect the program structure or introduce any major changes. Accordingly, they are informal and do not need to cross department borders. However, the results of these reviews should be reported to the Vice Dean/Dean of the College and the College Council.
2. Major Reviews conducted every Five Years:
   A major change is one that significantly affects the program learning outcomes, structure, organization or delivery of a program or the basis for its accreditation. These are reviews that may lead to changes in the courses offered at different levels and categories, and the general program structure. Accordingly, major reviews need to be performed using a formal process (see the Major Review Process below) and requires the approval of Department Council, College Council and University Council. The results of these reviews should be conveyed to the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs & Research.
3. Introducing New Programs:
   Departments may need to introduce new programs or majors based on market needs or internal and external requests. In such cases, departments should follow a formal Curriculum Design Process (See New Program Design Process below).

II- Review Processes and Procedures:

1. Major Program Review ProcessThe following process is followed in major program reviews:
   1. Collect and monitor information and feedback regarding the current program from stakeholders and related organizations. The Curriculum Review Committee in each department may use different approaches to collect information and feedback from stakeholders. Stakeholders include: faculty, students, employers, industry organizations, parents etc. Related organizations include Accreditation Organizations, Standards Organizations, and Curriculum Development Organizations, local and international universities.
   2. Assess the current program in view of the information compiled in step 1 above.
   3. If there is a need for change or update, submit a “Curriculum Update” request to the Department Council.
   4. If the Council approves, perform the indicated modifications, update and submit a full document to the Department Council.
   5. On approval by the Department Council, the document is raised to the College Curriculum Review Committee.
   6. On approval by the College Curriculum Review Committee, the document is raised to the College Council.
   7. On approval from the College Council, the updated curriculum document is raised to the Institutional Curriculum Review Committee
   8. The Institutional Curriculum Review Committee ensures that the raised report is complete and has gone through the full process.
   9. If the raised report is complete, the Institutional Curriculum Review Committee raises the report to the University Council for action.
   10. 10. Based on the size and level of recommended changes, the University Council seeks the views of at least two external reviewers.
   11. 11. Based on the recommendations of the external reviewers, the University Council takes the necessary action and informs the respective Department.
   12. 12. The final decisions are conveyed to the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs.
2. New Program Design Process:The following process is followed in the introduction of a new program:
   1. Prepare a feasibility document showing the need for the program and its importance.
   2. Submit a request for introducing the program to the Department and College Councils.
   3. If approved, start the design process as follows:
      1. Survey existing and related programs at local (national and regional) and international levels; identifying best practices regarding program structure, courses offered, pedagogy and evaluation approaches.
      2. Prepare a report showing the results collected in step (a) above
      3. Derive the new program structure. Build up detailed program and course specifications
      4. Prepare a full proposal describing the new program.
      5. The final program document should be prepared according to the structure given in appendix A.
      6. Seek approval for the new program in the College Curriculum Review Committee in addition to the Department and College Councils.
   4. Raise the new program documents to the Institutional Curriculum Review Committee.
   5. The Institutional Curriculum Review Committee verifies that the raised program proposal satisfies the basic requirements, and if so prepares a report and raises it for approval by the University Council.
   6. The University Council seeks the views of at least two external reviewers before taking the final decision.
   7. Based on the reports of the external reviewers, the University Council takes the appropriate decisions.
   8. The final decisions are reported to the Vice Rector for Academic affairs.
3. Validation of Graduate Attributes and Program learning Outcomes:Some of the academic programs are required to revise the Program Learning Outcomes based on the feedback on the program constituencies. The following process is followed in such revisions.
   1. The Student Affairs Committee at the College level in coordination with the Department Quality Committee is responsible for administering surveys to obtain feedback from the Program stakeholders about assessing and validating the Program Learning Outcomes.
   2. The Department Quality and Curriculum Committee under the supervision the Department Chairpersons may revise the Program Learning Outcomes, if need arise based on the feedback of the program stakeholders.
   3. The Department seek approval on the revised Program Learning Outcomes from the College Curriculum Review Committee and the College Council.
   4. The Department seek approval on the revised Program Learning Outcomes from the College/Program Advisory Board.
   5. The Department revise the Program Learning Outcomes based on the feedback (if any) of the Advisory Board.
   6. The Department implement the approved Program Learning Outcomes.

Appendix A:

New Programs Report structure:

• Introduction.
• Program Needs Analysis.
• Program Objectives.
• Program Learning Outcomes.
• List of Courses.
• Degree Plan.
• Course Descriptions and Specifications.
• Program requirements.
• Preliminary Implementation Plan.

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Overview

Instructors are encouraged and advised to apply Outcome-Based Education (OBE) principles at all levels of curriculum development. The process starts at the top by articulating the Program Learning Outcomes (PLO’s) and propagates down to the course level, where instructors derive and articulate Course Learning Outcomes (CLO’s). The most important OBE principle at the course level is the principle of constructive alignment, according to which instructional strategies and assessment tasks should be aligned with the course learning outcomes.

Purpose

This policy is to ensure the quality and relevance of all University programs and courses by providing a single University-wide policy for their design.

Scope

This policy applies to all academic courses offered at PSU.

Policy:

Each faculty member that joins PSU is responsible for the design and implementation of the individual courses and/or multi-section courses as assigned to them in compliance with the University, College, and Department Regulations. All new faculty members are required to attend the course design series offered by the Teaching and Learning Center.

All faculty members will follow the guidelines provided in this policy. Faculty members are required to provide feedback regarding the guidelines and recommendations for amendments or updates.

Constructive Alignment

1. Articulate the learning outcomes to describe the knowledge and skills students should acquire at the end of the course.
2. Adopt instructional strategies that help students meet the intended learning outcomes.
3. Design assessment tasks to measure the degree to which the students are meeting the learning outcomes

The Course Design Process:

The Course Design Process should address the following items.

1. Prepare the course learning outcomes.
2. Research the latest developments and current trends at the local and international levels.
3. Identify the course resources and textbooks.
4. Based on the course learning outcomes, outline the course structure (course content and sequencing).
5. Identify the appropriate instructional strategies. Remember that instructional strategies should be aligned with the course learning outcomes.
6. Identify assessment tasks and activities.
7. Prepare the course schedule.
8. Prepare the course syllabus
9. Grading policy: This would include informing the students about how their assignments and exams will be assessed (e.g., providing them with a copy of the i. Instructor’s chosen rubric to be used for a writing assignment).
10. Course policies: This would include the policies for the course that the faculty member establishes from the beginning of the semester.

The Learning Outcomes (Learning Outcomes are the specific intentions of a program or course, written in specific terms. They describe what a student should know, understand, and/or be able to do at the end of that program or course.):

1. Learning outcomes must be clearly specified, consistent with the National Qualifications Framework and requirements for employment or professional practice.
2. Learning outcomes are to be expressed in a student-centric manner and address achievements, knowledge, and skills of students at the end of the course, e.g.: “At the end of the course, students should be able to XXXX; or, at the end of the course, students will be able to identify the challenges and opportunities XXXX.”
3. Learning outcomes break down the learning tasks into smaller achievable cognitive skills.
4. Learning outcomes are measurable.
5. Use action verbs to specify student behavior.
6. Keep statements short and focused on a single outcome.
7. Explain expectations for student behavior, performance & understanding.
8. Use specific terminology that has a clear interpretation to ensure that all students understand the same interpretation.

Course Structure and Organization

1. Sequence topics in a manner consistent with the course learning outcomes.
2. Concentrate on essential content that facilitates deeper learning through active engagement.
3. Remember that deeper learning and intended learning outcomes are more important than “broad coverage.”
4. Use the course learning outcomes as a guide for selecting the topics and related activities
5. Sequence topics such that they build on one another, or from simple to complex.
6. Remember to frame all learning goals around the desired outcome or end result, not around the process or means: this is known as “reverse design.” Articulate the result, then plan the means to get to it.

Suggestions for Choosing Teaching Strategies:

1. A teaching or instructional strategy involves the use of a number of activities to help students accomplish the learning goals of the class.
2. A general guideline for choosing a teaching strategy is to think of what your students will be able to do after they finish the course. (See Point #6 above)
3. Try to answer these questions:
   1. What are the types of activities that will help the students acquire the intended skills and knowledge?
   2. How can these activities be organized and sequenced to maximize the gain?

Preparing the Schedule:

1. Take into consideration the time constraints and the expected breaks in the semester.
2. Spread assignments so that students will be able to handle the load and submit on time.
3. Make sure that students will be able to receive the feedback on a given assignment before engaging with the next assignment.
4. Leave some unscheduled slots in your schedule to handle risks and emerging topics.
5. Prepare your schedule according to the Institutional Syllabus Template (see the PSU Policy website).
6. Scheduling is an iterative planning process. Start with a tentative schedule and keep tuning it until you feel satisfied.

Suggestions for Preparing Assessments to be used:

1. One of the major goals of assessment is to measure the degree to which students have achieved the intended learning outcomes.
2. The intended learning outcome should guide and drive the choice and design of assessment activities.
3. Students’ work must be aligned with the assessment activity and course learning outcomes in order to measure their competence with respect to the targeted learning outcome.
4. Assessment results must guide and improve student practices from the constructive feedback that has been provided to them.
5. Assessment outcomes should be used as a guide and help in choosing the best teaching strategies to be used by the instructor.

The Syllabus:

A Syllabus is expected to include the following components as found in the Institutional Course Syllabus Template (please refer to the PSU Policy website):

• Title page
• Course code and title
• Instructor contact details
• Program mission
• Course description
• Course objectives
• Course learning outcomes
• Grading and evaluation policy
• Assessment tools
• Course organization and weekly schedule
• Required texts
• Readings
• Material
• Prerequisites and co-requisites
• Course requirements
• Course Policies

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Overview

A learning management system (LMS) aids teaching and learning process at PSU by enhancing its quality and effectiveness. Major goal of using LMS or any blended learning system is to expedite student learning experience by providing interactive access to course materials, learning resources, mode of assessment and any needful information.

Purpose

This policy addresses the usage of Learning Management System (LMS) that provides an online access of (a) course contents in form of presentation, videos or handouts (b) course related activities such as discussion forums, chat boards, blogs, (c) course assessments such as online quizzes, Turnitin assignments and other form of assessments (d) announcement systems such as class announcements, calendar, notifications and bulk or multi email system (e) effective teaching and learning experience by supporting collaborative learning. The policy is intended for authorized usage of LMS in terms of who can do what as well as what are the governing policies for running and maintaining such a system .

Scope

The policy is applicable for any courses that are offered by PSU and is applicable for all of its users the faculty, administrators, students and anyone related to LMS.

Usage of Policy:

The Rector of PSU has made it mandatory that all faculty members utilize the LMS in their teaching and learning and to communicate with their students. The LMS is centrally supported through ITC and administered by the E-Learning Center. The latter helps to manage the LMS and make certain the faculty and students have easy access to the LMS, and make effective use of its various features.

Process:

All faculty members are required to provide evidence of LMS usage inside the course portfolios. It is required that the Course Report will contain a description of how LMS has been incorporated into the course along with proper documentation on LMS usage.

Minimum Required Use for All Credit Courses

All courses with LMS sites need to adhere to the following minimum requirements:

1. A welcome message with an overview about the expectation of the use of the site
2. The current course syllabus.
3. Course materials: at least lecture slides, handouts, or notes
4. At least two different assessments such as a quiz and assignment
5. Assessments calendar
6. Gradebook contained within the LMS with the recorded grades of 60% of distributed term grades

Minimum usage does not correspond to only usage and it is highly recommended to use any other tools that can be integrated with LMS such as different publisher plugins for LMS. Moreover, usage of discussion forums, announcements, turnitin assignment, videos, glossary, pages and links are highly recommended.

Assessments

• Assessments are advised to be conducted during PSU official office hours.
• The E-learning Center (ELC) will not be responsible for any issues related to assessments conducted during official holidays, weekends or outside working hours.
• Information about any online assessment must be sent four (4) days before in order for ELC to test the LMS.

User Management and Access

• All users of LMS should use their IT account issued by ITCS at the time of registration.
• Faculty and students enrolled in a course as listed in the E-register will have access to the course site in the LMS.
• Faculty and students must access LMS for any course related activity.
• Sharing of illegal or pirated contents is strictly prohibited.
• In case of new enrollment or missing section, email should be routed through chairpersons for addition of faculty to the course.
• For student enrollment, faculty are authorized to add them to their course but should not conflict with E-register that will be considered as reference.
• LMS cannot be used for any purpose other than PSU related activities strongly linked with academics.
• Softwares cannot be shared through LMS.
• PSU will not be responsible for any content shared based on its accuracy, integrity, legality and it is the sole responsibility of the instructor to manage it.
• Access to the LMS shall be disabled for users who display inappropriate behavior, per PSU’s policy and other policies that define appropriate conduct for College employees and students.

PSU holds a freedom to share, use it for printing or publicity for any content present on LMS while hiding the identity of user.

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Overview

The goal of the Co-Op Program is to associate modern academic studies with the business sector. The Program emphasizes theoretical studies and, at the same time, exposes the students to the practical environment of selected institutes and corporations during the training period.

This method enables the students to gain hands-on experience in a realistic environment. The goal of this practical stage is to enhance the students' skills and relate principles and perceptions to the practical field by allowing them to acquire new skills, getting them used to creative thinking and permitting them to practice problem solving and decision making.

This is achieved through first-rate preparation and effective means of communication, which aims at establishing profound skills in information science, proper ethics, discipline, self-confidence and cooperation with others. It also teaches students the importance of respect toward superiors and consideration of subordinates.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to fulfill the University’s goal in allowing our students a chance to gain practical experience, thus preparing them for a successful future. It also brings institutions and corporations involved in the program in contact with highly educated and motivated science technicians, which improves performance and productivity.

Scope

This policy applies to all students and academic programs at the undergraduate level.

Policy:

The Co-Op is a requirement for all undergraduate students at PSU upon completion of their coursework in their program. It is required that they have a GPA of 2.0 to enter the Co-Op and graduate.

Enrollment Criteria:

Students are to approach the Department Co-Op Coordinator with applications for enrollment if they meet the following criteria:

1. For students to have completed all Courses, aside from the Co-Op Program. An exception can be made for a student to register the Co-Op Program, and to then register up to (20) credit hours, maximally, in the following semester. This only applies if the student’s both Academic Supervisor, and the Deanship of Admissions and Registration provide their approval.
2. The minimum required cumulative GPA for the student must not be less than 2 out of 4, in the semester prior to commencing the Co-Op Program, and after the credit results of that semester. In case the student’s cumulative GPA falls below the minimum required, the student may revise, and recalculate their cumulative GPA at the Deanship of Admissions and Registration, thereby reviewing the possibility of the cumulative GPA meeting the minimum requirement.
3. The student must be completely devoted to the Co-Op Program and make themselves available without having any other commitments. It is not permissible to combine the Co-Op Program with any other course, no matter the number of credit hours for that course. An exception can be made for only one course to be taken with the Co-Op Program, if the following conditions transpire:
   • For the student to have received an (F) in the subject the student wishes to retake, which was in the semester prior to the Co-Op Program
   • For the student to have not received a (DN) in the subject which the student wishes to retake, in the semester prior to the Co-Op Program.
   • For the GPA to be 2 out of 4, minimally, for the semester prior to the Co-Op Program.
   • The Organization, which the student will join for the Co-Op Program must approve the inclusion of an additional course, to be studied simultaneously with the Program.
4. The Student will be denied the Co-Op Program, for one semester, in the following cases:
   • The Student changing the already approved Organization for the Co-Op Program, to another Organization, without a report from the student’s College Supervisor, indicating the reasons for approving the change in Organizations, specifically regarding the lack of benefit the student received from the aforementioned Organization, whilst informing the Organization, which the student will change from, beforehand.
   • In case of any proven misconduct, whether professionally, or ethically.
5. 5. The overall grading percentages will be 50% from the Organization, which the student trained in, and the remaining 50% will be in the hands of the college, which the student falls under. (For more information, see the Co-Op Handbook)

Duration of the Co-Op Program:

The Cooperative Education Program is a 28-week program, which is equivalent to 10 accredited academic hours (With the exception of the Accounting department, which has 300 working hours, and is equivalent to 3 accredited academic hours). It is scheduled to be held in the summer and first semester, and in the second semester and summer.

The Cooperative Education Administration is responsible for directing students for cooperative education. The training will take place at the location of the selected organization inside or outside Saudi Arabia. Students shall have the option of suggesting the place of training, subject to the Department’s approval.

For detailed information, and description, see the PSU Co-Op Handbook

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Overview

Assessment practices in higher education are important in the teaching and learning process. They are linked to the learning outcomes and the teaching strategies that are used in the classroom and the quality of the learning process inside the classroom. The course instructors should become familiar with the Rules and Regulations of Undergraduate Study and Examinations issued by the Deanship of Admission and Registration for the grading system of student achievement (grades) and the Program Assessment Policy for assessment of learning outcomes. Furthermore, it is to be noted that for the purpose of this policy assessment has two roles:

• grades, which are a numeric score that is linked to student performance in that course, and they “represent the extent to which a student has successfully met the faculty member’s requirements and expectations for a course” (Rogers, 2003, p.1).
• Outcomes assessment, the focus is on providing evidence that students can demonstrate their knowledge or skills that are directly linked to specific outcomes both at the course and program levels (Rogers, 2003).

Purpose

The main purpose of the PSU assessment policy is to implement and simplify effective student learning and assessment processes in order to assure stakeholders and constituencies that PSU degrees are based on valid and reliable assessment practices in line with national and international standards. All formative and summative assessments should mainly focus on assessing the domains of learning in the standards of the National Center for Academic for Assessment and Accreditation (NCAAA), which are aligned with the learning outcomes from the course, program, and institutional levels.

Scope

This policy is applicable to all courses within each academic department at PSU, including both undergraduate and graduate courses.

Definitions

* Assessment: It is an all-encompassing term that entails the routine classroom assessment as well as external testing. Assessment is also the opportunity to improve the teaching and learning processes (Cheng & Fox, 2017). Assessment is also a term that involves the method by which data is collected to measure what students know (knowledge) and are able to do (skills) in connection to the learning outcomes at specific points during their learning activities, course, or program of study (Retrieved from https://www.onlineassessmenttool.com/knowledge-center/assessment-knowledge-center/assessment-vs-testing/item10641).

1. Assessment for Learning: It is continuous & sustained assessment throughout the learning process. The teacher monitors the progress made by students in relation to their learning needs and indicates to the students their growth & progress. It is seen to be as interactive (Cheng & Fox, 2017).
2. Assessment as Learning: It focuses on fostering and supporting students’ development as they learn to monitor, reflect on their own learning, and take charge of it (Dann, R. 2014). This is important because the students’ role is key: ”as active, engaged and critical assessors, can make sense of the information, relate it to prior knowledge, and master the skills involved” (Earl, 2003: 23-26).
3. Assessment of Learning: It is cumulative in nature and used to confirm what students already know and what they can do in relation to learning outcomes. It is more teacher-centered than assessment for learning and takes place at specific times after learning has occurred to determine if learning has happened like achievement tests. It is judgmental, and the results are expressed as grades (Cheng & Fox, 2017).
4. Evaluation: It is the process of making judgments based on criteria and evidence.
5. Feedback: It is “a process through which students learn how well they are achieving and what they need to do to improve their performance. Successful feedback should be two-way, with learners acting upon the feedback they are given” (Isaacs et al., 2013, p. 61).
6. Testing: It is one type of assessment and examines the students’ knowledge of something to determine what he/she know or has learned. It assesses the level of skill or knowledge that has been reached at a specific point in time in the students’ learning (The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, 1999).
7. Validity: It is the extent to which any assessment task measures what it has been designed to do (Isaacs et al., 2013). It is the extent to which the assessment fulfills its planned outcomes, (i.e., being fair in assessment and making certain they are linked to the outcomes), and the extent to which the tasks guide and motivate student learning.
8. Reliability: It is the extent to which scores from a test or assessment task show consistency and dependability. Reliability includes the ones taking the assessment, those who are grading the assessment, and the design of the assessment itself (Isaacs et al., 2013).
9. Manageability: It is the extent to which the assessment practices are both practical and controllable for both faculty members and students in terms of workload and available resources.
10. Formative assessment: It is the continuous feedback given to students about their learning, which in turn helps to guide the teaching strategies to use in class. It is meant to guide them through their journey of learning through all of the learning activities during class or online via MOODLE at PSU.
11. Summative assessment: It is a form of assessment used to measure student learning and usually counts in determining the student’s grade, like on exams and quizzes. Achievement tests are instruments used for summative assessment.
12. Standards-based or criterion-referenced assessment: It is a type of measurement that uses a set of descriptive criteria to describe knowledge, skill, or performance. The results are provided to measure a student’s achievement in relation to a set of standards irrespective of the performance of other students (Cheng & Fox, 2017).
13. Norm-referenced assessment: It is a form of assessment that organizes individuals across a range of skills. The scores of individuals are compared against those of a larger group that is of the norming group or larger group (Isaacs et al., 2013).
14. Learning outcome: It is a statement that clearly identifies the knowledge, skills, and/or competencies that a student will be able to exhibit as a result of successfully finishing a course or program of study. Learning outcomes reflect what a student should be able to do upon successful completion of a course or program.
15. Rubric: A rubric has four components: criteria, standards, feedback, and outcomes. “It is a guideline for raters or teachers that define scores (e.g., scores, points) or describe levels, which are awarded for test-taker/student performances, behaviors, or work” (Cheng & Fox, 2017, p.228).

Policy

The PSU Student Assessment Policy is informed by research and best practice models found in higher education. It is expected that each program and its specialized tracks will formulate different models of assessment for their specific fields to assess student achievement effectively using both formative and summative assessment methods.

Principles of Assessment (adapted from Principles of Assessment from the University of Sheffield)

Principle 1 - The assigned assessments should be valid.

Principle 2 – The assigned assessments should be reliable and consistent.

Principle 3 – The assigned assessments should be clear, transparent, and feedback is given to students.

Principle 4 – The assigned assessments should not compromise the academic standards expected across the different disciplines and are fair for all students.

Principle 5 – The assigned assessments are to be aligned with the course and program learning outcomes and provide feedback for continuous improvement of the program. The assessments should also be correlated with the respective academic discipline or subject as well as 21st Century Skills.

Principle 6 – The assigned assessments across the program need to be manageable by both faculty members and students alike. They should serve as a source of valid and reliable achievement of learning without overloading them.

Principle 7 – The assessments should include a combination of both formative and summative assessments across all disciplines. Diagnostic assessments can be used depending on the academic discipline.

Principle 8 – Providing feedback in a timely manner, promotes learning, and supports continuous improvement is required. All students are entitled to receive feedback for both formative and summative assessment tasks. All information related to the scheduled assessments should be included in the Institutional Course Syllabus and announced at the start of the semester.

Principle 9 – Professional development should be included in the action planning for all of this involved in the assessment of students to help guarantee the quality of assessment inside the different academic programs offered.

Guidelines

The guidelines are mandated to be adhered by the course instructor in different phases of assessment:

Planning of Assessment:

1. Faculty and students must be fully aware of all university policies, college practices, and procedures in relation to student assessment. Refer to the Faculty and Student Code of Conduct Policies.
2. Assessment must reflect the values of effective learning and teaching that have been identified in PSU’s Strategic Plan, TLQF, and comply with the current by-laws, and university policy and procedures on privacy.
3. All courses are divided into two parts: coursework 60% and a final exam 40%. Any modifications to this model have to have written approval from the Vice-Rector of the Academic Affairs office.
4. All assessments need to be communicated to students at the beginning of the semester.
5. Course instructors are required to inform the students in the first week of every academic semester about the types and schedules of assessments and their grade distribution through the Institutional Course Syllabus as well as on the LMS(Moodle), which is in compliance with PSU’s Course Syllabus Acknowledgement Form. It is recommended that all rubrics for assessment also be shared at this time.
6. Students must be provided with clear guidelines in the course syllabus and through workshops about academic dishonesty, plagiarism, and the consequences that can be faced by a student in case an event of academic dishonesty is suspected. It is the responsibility of faculty members and PSU academic authorities to ensure that the consequences and implications of academic dishonesty are communicated to students.
7. Courses that involve symposia, research, lab work, tutorials, practicums, or involve fieldwork (COOP) may be excluded from the rules mentioned in parts b and c based on a decision made by the College Council and the recommendation of the department council teaching the course. The College Council may specify alternate ways to evaluate student achievement in such courses.

Implementation of Assessment

1. Academic integrity is an integral part of the assessment process, which should be adhered to by the faculty and the students. The course instructors should conduct all assessments ethically, honestly, and with integrity.
2. Assessments should focus on the evaluation of domains of learning in the standards of the National Center for Academic for Assessment and Accreditation (NCAAA)
3. All forms of assessment have been aligned with the course learning outcomes for the course.
4. Assessments should be aligned with the learning outcomes at the course level.
5. Assessment should follow Blooms’ taxonomy (or a combination of low and high order thinking questions).
6. Assessments are based on an answer scheme or rubric. The grading scale should be consistent within a program and adhered to by all of the examiners within the program.
7. Formative and summative assessments should be used to facilitate and reward student learning and maximize the validity and reliability of the PSU grading system and awards.
8. Assessments need to be based on a reasonable workload that can be covered and revised before the assessment task.
9. The number of assessment tasks counting towards a final course grade must not exceed college guidelines. Assessment tasks must be related to the size and duration of the course and linked to the learning outcomes of the course and program.
10. The weightings given to different assessment tasks must be decided by the course instructors and the course leaders to best describe students’ capabilities and performance at the end of the course and should be related to the amount of work involved in each task and the relative importance of each learning outcome. Any modifications need to go through the approval process.
11. Based on the recommendations of the respective department council and college council, the Vice-Rector of Academic Affairs is entitled to permit the inclusion of practical or oral tests in the final examination of any course and to specify the proportion of the final score for the course that is assigned to these tests.
12. The student must complete the course requirements by the end of the following regular semester.
13. The classwork score out of 60 can be divided into different assessments, for example:
• At least one written examination, plus part or all of the following: oral and practical examinations, research papers, projects, or other class activities.
• At least two written examinations.
  - The grades earned by students in each course are calculated as follows:
  

  Percentage	Grade Significance	Grade code	GPA (out of 4.0)
  95 – 100	Exceptional	A+	4.00
  90 – 94	Excellent	A	3.75
  85 – 89	Superior	B+	3.50
  80 – 84	Very Good	B	3.00
  75 – 79	Above Average	C+	2.50
  70 – 74	Good	C	2.00
  65 – 69	High Pass	D+	1.50
  60 – 64	Pass	D	1.00

  A Students’ scores are classified according to the above nine levels, and the final grades are calculated on the basis of this classification. The Admission and Registration Deanship will be informed of students’ final grades, according to the forms prepared for this purpose.
  - The time for submitting home assignments and practical work should be reasonable, and preferably other student commitments should be taken into consideration.

Reflection on Assessment results

1. Student feedback should be constructive and done in a timely manner (e.g., 1-2 weeks maximum for all course work; final exams follow the university policy that states that the grades have to be submitted within 48 hours or 72 hours depending on the nature of the course and the students do not see their feedback on the final).
2. Providing informative feedback and the appropriate use of rubrics should be implemented across all colleges.
3. Final course grades must indicate demonstrated achievement of the students at the end of the course through an accumulation of appropriate pieces of evidence from coursework, various assessments during the semester, and the final examination.
4. Every assessment should evaluate students’ achievement based on his/her own merits (standards-based) rather than judged normatively (i.e., by ranking students’ achievement).
5. The grading scale should be consistent within a program and adhered to by all the examiners within that program.
6. Assessed course work must be shown to students, normally within two weeks of the date of the test or assignment, or within two weeks of the date on which it was submitted. The work will be accompanied by sufficient oral or written feedback (this could be in the form of student-specific comments, a rubric, a model answer, and/or a general commentary on common errors demonstrated by the class) to allow the students to form an accurate appraisal of their performance. If possible, all assessed work should be returned to students before the final examination or test so that feedback may be utilized in revision for the final exam or test.
7. Final exams and grades are not shown to students according to the University’s by-laws.
8. Student Assessment of the COOP, which runs for 7 months, results in the student receiving a grade of IP after 4.5 months, and then a grade alteration is completed once the 7 months have been completed and all assignments have been submitted.
9. Any student caught cheating during exams will be penalized based on the student code of conduct policy.
10. There has to be a clear process for verifying and reviewing student assessments (major exams and final exams). The process of verification of final examinations by all colleges and academic deanships should be consistently conducted within PSU.
11. Records of assessment practices and samples of students’ answers must be maintained for accountability purposes. These documents are to be included in the Course Portfolio that is maintained electronically using PSU’s storage system within each program on campus.

References:

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Overview

The Final Examination Policy has been established in compliance with the Rules and Regulations of Undergraduate Study and Examinations which was modified in accordance with Resolution No. 13/27/1423 of the Higher Education Council, passed in its twenty seventh session held on 2/11/1423 H.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to ensure a smooth process during the final examination period.

Scope

This policy applies to all students and faculty members involved in taking and administering final examinations both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Policy

1. The College Council may form a committee to coordinate with the departments in organizing the procedures of final examinations. The responsibilities of this committee include reviewing the marking sheets and submitting them to the committee concerned within three days of the examination date of the respective course.
2. All final grades must be submitted to the Admission and Registration Deanship by the deadline specified in the academic calendar.
3. The College Council may apply the principle of strict confidentiality in the final examinations procedures.
4. A course instructor must prepare examinations in an accurate and strictly confidential manner. The instructor has the sole responsibility for photocopying the examination papers at the examination center and for collecting them him/herself.
5. The course instructor writes the examination questions. The College Council, when necessary, may appoint another instructor to write the questions, based on the recommendation of the department chairperson.
6. In the case of a general examination for all sections of a course, the grading of the examination papers may be assigned to certain course instructors, regardless of which sections they teach.
7. The course instructor corrects the final examination papers. When necessary, the department chairperson may appoint one or more specialist instructors to participate in the grading process. The College Council also may assign the grading to another instructor, when required.
8. The instructor who corrects the final examination records the marks earned by the students on a grade sheet specifically prepared for that purpose. He/She then signs his/her name on the sheet and also has it signed by the department chairperson.
9. No student is to be given more than two examinations on one day. The University Council may make exceptions for this rule, as it sees fit.
10. A course instructor may give alternative tests or homework assignments to students, instead of the final examination, if the course does not require a final examination, as per its description.
11. No student is allowed to enter the examination venue more than 30 minutes after the examination begins or leave before the first 30 minutes of the examination have elapsed.
12. Cheating in examination or attempting to cheat, or violating instructions, and examination regulations shall render the student to punishment in accordance with the Student Disciplinary By-Laws as issued by the University Council.
13. The College Council that offers the course may approve the re-grading of examination papers within a period not to exceed the beginning of the next semester’s examinations.
14. Based on the recommendation of the relevant department council, the College Council determines the duration of the final written examinations, which should not be less than one hour and not more than three hours.

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Overview

Academic advising is meant to be a supporting beam throughout a student’s life cycle and to help the students develop both personally and intellectually during their journey at Prince Sultan University (PSU). Academic advising aims to facilitate students’ intellectual and personal growth, enhance their academic performance, and ultimately ensure their progress towards graduation.

Purpose

Academic advising takes place in "situations in which an institutional representative gives insight or direction to a college student about an academic, social, or personal matter. The nature of this direction might be to inform, suggest, counsel, discipline, coach, mentor, or even teach" (Kuhn, 2008, p. 3). Successful academic advising is a crucial factor in the life cycle of all graduates from across the different disciplines offered.

Scope

The Academic Advising Program (AAP) is applicable to undergraduate students only, including the Preparatory Year Program (PYP) students.

Policy

All faculty members within a degree-granting program will be assigned students for academic advising. Academic advising is mandatory for all students to be able to register for their courses. All faculty members are required to learn about the procedures required for advising by attending their assigned workshop sessions. The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines on academic advising for all students at PSU.

Vision

The vision of PSU’s Academic Advising Program is to provide students with the best possible guidance in planning their studies and their future careers.

Mission

The Academic Advising Program at PSU aims to facilitate students’ successful transition throughout their academic journey by empowering them to make well-informed decisions to achieve educational and career goals. This can be achieved by working in partnership between students and teachers to promote student success. The program emphasizes the importance of life-long learning as an extension of both work and study.

Academic Advising Learning Outcomes

LO1. Recognize students’ personal interests, values, strengths, and skills in relation to specific academic programs.

LO2. Articulate curricula requirements, progression standards, and course sequencing related to chosen or intended academic programs.

LO3. Demonstrate students’ responsibility for their learning opportunities by making informed decisions regarding how their studies fit within their overall educational and career goals.

LO4. Identify opportunities to enhance classroom experiences through academic support services, and co-curricular and extracurricular involvement.

Academic Advising Policies and Procedures

General Policies:

• An advisory committee is assigned at the college level, with clear duties and responsibilities. In addition, an advisory unit is assigned at the PYP level under the Deanship of Educational Services.
• Every student is assigned an academic advisor when they enroll in the preparatory year program and the undergraduate program.
• An academic advisor is the only person authorized to open online registration for a student.
• All academic advisors and advisees are informed of ethical issues such as intellectual property rights and confidentiality of information.
• There are clear communication channels between an academic advisor and his/her advisees.
• Each student will be provided with an electronic portfolio. The student e-portfolio should act as a master file, which is accessible by all parties. The portfolio contains all information: contact details, academic records, behavioral issues, health conditions, disabilities, a record of participation in clubs or competitions, voluntary contribution, record on disciplinary actions/warning letters/DN, deferred semester, academic probation, cheating, etc... The e-portfolio is linked to other support services, such as the college, library, counseling unit, COOP office, and E-register.
• The university maintains an academic advising portal which is accessible by the faculties and students. The portal contains general information related to academic advising policy, university rules and guidelines, current development, and news updates. Students and faculties need to log-in to gain access to their individual e-portfolios.
• The advisor’s name and contact information are available to all instructors teaching a student. The teacher may update a student’s progress to her respective advisor via the online system.
• The advisor should be aware of any academic transaction such as changing majors, postponing a semester, etc., by signing on the transaction form.
• There are points allocated to the advisory meeting. These points are reflected in the NIQATI system for every student seeking advising.
• It is expected of the advisor to encourage student engagement in university activities, which might induce a sense of welcomed and belonging, thus increase student engagement. It is hoped that such involvement would motivate students to work harder, be creative, able to contribute ideas and eventually leads to establishing a positive attitude. A certificate of participation will be given to students.

Attachments for policy:

1. Rights for Advisors and Advisees
2. Roles and Responsibilities for Academic Advising
3. Advising Timeline of Activities and Strategies
4. Support Services provided by the Deanship of Student Affairs with respect to Academic Advising

Attachments (can be found below)

Rights for Advisors and Advisees

Rights for Advisors

• To receive the appropriate training in academic advising through continuous workshops.
• To receive a university handbook that contains all PSU rules and regulations.
• To have access to their academic program’s required and elective courses.
• To have access to advisee’s e-portfolio.
• To be able to use all available resources on the academic advising portal to guide them with academic advising at PSU.

Rights for advisees

• To be assigned with an academic advisor upon enrolment at PSU.
• To have access to an education plan at the beginning of each semester.
• To request an advisor replacement from the department if needed.
• To attend an online orientation program.
• To have access to the Academic Advising Handbook that contains all the information related to academic advising, including academic and non-academic support services.
• To make an appointment to meet the assigned academic advisor by contacting the advisor via the e-portfolio, email, or other available methods.

Roles and Responsibilities for Academic Advising PYP Academic Advising Role

Academic Advising at PYP level aims to help the students with the following:

• Help students transition to the college level.
• Help students to think about and plan for their choice of concentration (College specialization).
• Help students to explore and avail opportunities or resources available at PSU, e.g. encourage them to participate in the tutoring classes and explore the university clubs’ activities as well as all of the other activities
• Inform students about co and extra-curricular activities offered at the campus.
• Set aside any preconceived ideas and form student’s own judgments.
• Illustrate the importance of the academic choices that students will make during the coming years and how it will influence them intellectually, personally, and socially.
• Encourage students to take full advantage of the transformative opportunities that the university presents.

College Level Academic Advising Role

Academic Advising at college level aims to help the students with the following:

• To be aware of the university’s policies, regulations, and services.
• To allocate consultation hours for advising matters. The academic advisor should be available for advisees during the advising hours.
• To conduct at least two meetings per semester for standard students and three meetings for students with low academic performance - GPA 2.0 and below.
• To assist students in registration and guide them in choosing suitable courses according to their academic level and future plans.
• To guide advisees in developing and clarifying their academic goals.
• To provide advisees with information on university policies, basic course information, available study resources, student-related events, and career opportunities.
• To listen to all of the advisees’ queries and suggest possible solutions.
• To highlight and discuss with advisees on the strengths and weaknesses with regard to overall academic performance.
• To be able to suggest solutions to advisees if required to stay on track.
• To discuss challenging behavior, including attendance.
• To respect advisees’ privacy and maintain confidentiality at all times.
• To report student progress on the e-portfolio.
• To keep an updated record of advisee’s e-portfolio in case of a change of advisor.
• To administer ONE survey for ALL of his/her advisees by the end of each semester. The survey will address the progress of students, any unexpected challenges, and/ or highlight any related issues.

Advisee’s Role

• To make efforts to meet with the advisor based on the availabilities of the advisor during office hours/ advising hours.
• To agree to meet with the advisor as required and attend all scheduled advising meetings.
• To inform the advisor in advance if she/he will not attend scheduled meetings.
• To discuss with the advisor on the suggested training, career events, resources, seminars or courses to be able to help in getting the best results for his/her academic and career goals.
• To be accountable to himself/herself, demonstrate evidence of an effort being made, and accept responsibilities of actions.
• To keep the advisor informed about all incidents, issues, academic challenges, transactions, or sickness.
• To constantly check announcements, email, and messages from the advisor.

Advising Timeline of Activities and Strategies

Post-Admission Period: Students must

• Ask for brochures or any information about the majors offered at PSU.
• Gather information about career options through the Career Office.
• Know about any special requirements for getting admission into the majors offered at PSU.
• Know about the PYP requirements.
• Know about promotion exams.
• Know about IELTS score criteria for skipping the English courses.
• Know about scholarship requirements.

Preparatory Year (PYP): Students must

• Attend the academic advising orientation.
• Contact the Academic Advising Center.
• Contact their academic advisor.
• Know the requirement for the college they enroll in.
• Get information about PSU’s communication and resource tools.
• Register to the right clubs after discussing it with the advisor.
• Participate in PSU’s extracurricular activities (e.g., clubs, competitions, or events)
• Use the NIQATI Point System for updating their participation in student activities.
• Able to use all available resources on the academic advising portal to guide them with academic advising at PSU.

1st Year (Freshman): Students must

• Meet his/her advisor to
  • Get more information about the requirements for their major.
  • Get more information about PSU’s communication and resource tools.
• Update their advisor about his/her major and other performance at the mid of the semester.
• Register in the clubs that support both their academic and future career plans after discussing with their advisor.
• Arrange one meeting in the library and another in a computer lab to ask relevant questions that will support their academic journey at PSU.
• Complete an academic and personal review at the end of the 1st year.

2nd Year (Sophomore): Students must

• Meet his/her advisor to discuss the course plan prior to early registration.
• Meet his/her advisor about registering for their planned courses.
• Discuss the specialization in his/her field of study.
• Attend seminars and training recommended by his/her advisor and update him/her about them.
• Complete an academic and personal review at the end of the 2nd year.

3rd Year (Junior): Students must

• Meet his/her advisor to discuss the course plan prior to early registration.
• Keep attending seminars and training recommended by his/her advisor and update him/her.
• Volunteer in becoming a student advisor by helping his/her advisor with junior students.
• Complete an academic and personal review at the end of the 3rd year.

4th Year (Junior): Students must

• Meet his/her advisor to discuss the course plan prior to early registration.
• Keep attending seminars and training recommended by his/her advisor and update him/her.
• Volunteer in becoming a student advisor by helping his/her advisor with junior students.
• Complete an academic and personal review at the end of the 4th year.
• Select the potential career titles and companies for the COOP.
• Get recommendation letters and prepare a CV before finishing the COOP with the Career Unit.

Support Services provided by the Deanship of Student Affairs with respect to Academic Advising

The collaboration between the Academic Advising Center (AAC) and the Deanship of the Student Affairs (DSA) represents and illustrates the ideas that student learning does not occur exclusively within the classroom and that university affects students profoundly in many different dimensions. The DSA will play an important role with academic advising center which will emphasize the holistic view of education focuses on the growth of the intellectual and emotional capacities of students, as well as their development of a stable sense of identity, interpersonal skills, moral and spiritual values, ethics, career goals and vocational skills, and physical/mental wellness.

The following will highlight the areas where cooperation between the DSA and AAC occur:

Tutoring Center: PSU offers tutoring sessions for all of the students who need extra academic support. Academically challenged students can easily seek help and find the support they need to strengthen their academic weaknesses and solve their courses’ difficulties with the help and support of a specialist who is able to deliver the needed knowledge.

How to utilize the services of the Student Tutoring Center?

The academic advisor will report his/her low achieved struggling students to the department academic advising coordinator who will be raising this issue to the academic advising center. The AAC will contact the DSA regarding arranging the tutoring sessions need for the reported student.

Counseling Unit: Students in need are supported by a counselor who provides nonacademic counseling services, such as personal, psychological and social counseling. These services are offered to students who, either on their own initiative or upon referral by their academic advisor, seek assistance, help, or advice from the unit. The counseling unit also provides hotline service that maintains confidentiality, which allows students to speak anonymously to a university counselor over the phone. Students may then elect to meet the counselor in person.

How to utilize the services of the Student Counselling Center?

The academic advisor will report his/her counseling needed students to the department academic advising coordinator who will be raising this issue to the academic advising center. The AAC will contact the DSA regarding arranging the counseling service. Student’s confidentiality will be highly emphasized and assured.

Peer Advising: Peer advising can be performed by any or all three student entities, namely: senior undergraduate students, student council and volunteered alumni.
The university may assign experienced and highly trained undergraduate senior students, preferably with high GPA as peer advisors who can support the academic advising Center w.r.t addressing a variety of students’ academic issues, especially during orientation, early or regular registration week. The assignment of a peer advisor is particularly emphasized on advising low GPAs, helping all students to use institutional/program resources, or making them familiar with PSU academic policies for students. Score points in the NIQATI System and a certificate of participation will be given to the peer advisor to appreciate his/her role and contribution to the university.

Alumni also may volunteer by giving sessions to the students reflecting on their experiences at PSU and discussing how it influences their career life. Alumni also could provide students with advice that may help them with their studying strategies and future prospective jobs.

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Selecting and assigning peer advisors students will be based on the Academic Advising Coordinator’s recommendations for every program with the coordination of the DSA. This group of peer advisors will be trained and managed by the Academic Advising center assisted by the Student Council. The peer advisor shall have no authority over students.

The student Council also plays an important role in peer advising, such as

1. Meeting with students during their weekly interactive sessions to hear student issues.
2. Creating a platform encouraging students to participate in extra-curricular activities such as student clubs or community services.
3. Sharing used-learning resources among the students.

Career center: PSU offers services for career counseling and support in regard to the students’ employment skills and planning. The career center will provide consultation to the senior students in regard to their carrier/study specialization path as well as professional personality analysis, which will help students define their interests and chose the right career. The career center will also help students improve and develop the needed skills for their future professions, such as CV writing, job interview preparation, and others.

COOP center: The COOP Unit provides various support services for students seeking advice regarding practical training for future employment. The department academic advisor coordinator will submit the list of the prospective coop students to the department coop-coordinator who will be in charge of preparing and connecting the students with the coop center.

Student Clubs: The academic advising coordinator can approach the Deanship of Student Affairs through the AAC, asking for providing information about various student clubs so that the students are able to decide to participate in a club suitable to his/her needs and major.

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Overview

Prince Sultan University takes the recruitment of qualified faculty members as one of its strategic goals. The recruitment of new faculty members is among the most important enterprises in which a university can engage. Effective recruitment process can revitalize the intellectual dynamism of a department or program, bolster its teaching capacity and breadth, and elevate the long-term research profile and prestige of an institution.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to offer recommendations on the procedures for recruitment to the academic departments of the Colleges.

Scope

This policy applies to all administrative staff involved in recruitment, recruitment committees from each college, and higher management involved in the recruitment of faculty members.

Policy

Each college is responsible for assigning at least one Recruitment Coordinator to liaise between the HR office and the department recruitment committees and their respective Dean/Vice Dean. The committee must aim to hire and maintain highly qualified teaching staff based on the needs of the department and in align with standards specified by local and international accreditation agencies to uphold the TLQF. Prince Sultan University indorses a systematic process to recruitment and selection of staff in order to hire the most qualified and best candidate for the position. The process of recruitment, selection and employment must be done under complete supervision by the Human Resource Office (HR). The HR Office shall provide guidance on this policy and its implementation.
The Recruitment Policy shall be followed at each stage of recruitment and selection process according to the following stages listed below:

Recruitment Applications and Short listing Process

1. HR receives applicants’ resumes by hand or by email.
2. HR recruitment employee replies to PhD and Masters Applicants to fill in attached PSU Employment Application and sends it back to the HR email/office.
3. PhD and master’s Applicants receive a confirmation letter. Bachelor applicants receive a regret letter.
4. HR recruitment employee collects all applicants’ resumes and PSU Employment Applications and sorts them according to specialization.
5. HR recruitment employee will:
   Forward softcopies or hardcopies of the newly received resumes\file to the Colleges recruitment coordinators copying the Deans/Vice Deans of their respective Colleges for their records and follow-up and assign a deadline for submitting evaluation results (Using Forms #1 and # 2).
   1. The Recruitment Coordinator manages the database of resumes received and sends emails to the departmental committees.
   2. The Department Committee will:
      • Evaluate the received Resumes by the assigned deadline o Indicate reason(s) in case of rejection
      • Forward resumes file back to the Dean/Vice-Dean of their respective college
      • The Dean/Vice-Dean of the respective college will forward the resumes back to the HR recruitment employee (Using Form #3).

Selection Applicants, who pass the initial screening from the recruitment office, shall be screened by the respective department/college. The applicant’s credentials shall be submitted to the respective college Dean/Vice Dean and/or academic chair or director for further review of the applicant’s credentials.

The HR recruitment employee will:

1. Request the approval of the Rector/Vice Rector to send regret letters to rejected applicants
2. Request accepted applicants to submit their completed documents
3. Send a Future Regret Letter to future consideration applicants
4. Update recruitment report, regret database, and future consideration database
5. The HR Recruitment employee will collect submitted documents of each accepted applicant in a separate file and forward it to the concerned College Recruitment Coordinator who schedules interviews and demo lessons (Using Form #4) according to the Department Committees’ timetable.
6. The Department Committee will conduct the interviews and evaluate the demo lessons using the appropriate forms from HR.
7. The Department Recruitment Committee will forward their final results to the Dean/Vice-Dean of their respective College with a cover memo to request a Direct Hire, Send Regret Letter, or Keep for Future Consideration (Using Forms # 5, 6, and 7) for final recommendations from the College.
8. The Dean/Vice-Dean of the respective college will forward the final results to the HR Office to process.

Appointment

B. The HR recruitment employee will: - Prepare a data sheet Forward the file to the Rector (male campus)/Vice Rector (female campus) for review and recommendations.
The HR recruitment employee will forward approved files by the Vice Rector female campus to the Rector for his review and final approval to issue a job offer.
The HR Office receives the file back from the Rector’s office, and forwards the job offer to the applicant.
The applicant confirms receiving the job offer and replies in no longer than two weeks of sending date.
If the job offer is accepted, the HR office requests the Rector’s Office to prepare a contract. If the job offer is declined, the HR Office negotiates offer with applicant or looks for a replacement.
The HR recruitment employee forwards employment contract to applicant o The applicant confirms receiving the employment contract and replies in no longer than one month of the contract date.
Once the contract is signed, the HR recruitment employee will:

• Prepare a Visa request letter (three months maximum before beginning of following semester)
• Fax letter to Saudi Cultural Mission at applicant’s home country
• Provide applicant with a copy of the letter to start processing the Visa from his/her end.
• Once the Visa is stamped, the applicant forwards a copy to the HR recruitment employee where a flight and place of residence are booked and arrangements for airport transportation are made.
• Once the applicant arrives, the HR recruitment employee arranges for the medical examination to process the Iqama Card.

The applicant is officially ready to join PSU and becomes a new faculty member!

Advertising Vacancies

• All vacancies for positions for more than one year shall be advertised. All external job advertisements are to be published as a minimum on the HigherEd Jobs web site.
• The position description, including statement of duties and selection criteria should be indicated in the advertisement.
• The University reserves the right to invite candidates to apply for a position without advertising.

Key points to remember

1. At a minimum, the Selection Committee shall conduct a telephone interview with the applicant. Interview session shall also include other relevant factors such as publications, seminars, research, and community service before reaching a final decision. Other forms of assessment should be sought where time permits to ensure that the applicant is fully qualified and competent for the position.
2. Telephone reference checks may also be conducted on a confidential basis.
3. All applicants are required to complete the PSU on-line application form and should submit the said through the website or the given email. No application shall be processed unless the said form is properly completed.
4. The Recruitment office shall acknowledge receipt of job applications for all applicants and advise unsuccessful applicants as soon as possible once a shortlist of candidates has been decided.
5. Applicants who obtained their academic degrees through on-line or distance education shall be automatically disqualified from the list.
6. All possible applicants shall be required to submit their supporting documents – transcript of records, research, diplomas, and other relevant documents.

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Overview

Each academic semester, an orientation program for new faculty members is held. The program is for all new faculty members (all ranks of professors, lecturers, language instructors, and TAs) who have joined the university for the current semester.

Purpose

The main purpose of PSU’s New Faculty Orientation Policy is to provide an introduction to PSU and its beliefs about the teaching and learning environment provided for all new faculty members that join PSU at the beginning of each academic semester or academic year.

Scope

This policy applies to all new faculty members joining PSU. TLC and all other offices are involved in representing their office during the orientation.

Policy

All new faculty members must participate in this orientation. The orientation should preferably take place during the non-teaching week before the start of the academic semester. (Please note that if for some reason the date has to be modified than the faculty member along with the department chairperson/director need to find someone to cover their courses.)

Orientation Involves:

• Attending the orientation session(s)
• Attending the course design series at the beginning of the semester
• Submission of all assignments given during this training to the teaching and learning center

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Overview

Classroom observation of the teaching and learning process is done at PSU to improve the teaching of the individuals being observed, to improve teaching at the university in general, to articulate and underscore the University's commitment to quality teaching, and to enhance the student-centeredness of classroom instruction.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines on the process and procedures of classroom observations.

Scope

This policy covers all occupants of the classroom: undergraduate and graduate-level students and faculty members from all programs and academic departments.

Policy

It is mandated that each faculty member will be observed at least once a year to monitor the quality of the teaching and learning process in each program. This mandated observation will consist of a pre-observation meeting, the observation, and a post-observation meeting.

Each academic leader or assigned person to observe will be required to attend the classroom observation workshops offered by the TLC.

Procedures:

1. The academic departments are committed to ensuring that classroom observation is developmental and supportive.
2. The department chairperson and/or who represents him/ her are responsible for conducting the class observation. The observer(s) is to carry out their role with professionalism, integrity, and courtesy. They are also responsible for evaluating faculty members objectively and fairly.
3. The classroom observation is to be conducted at least once per academic year, of a maximum of 60 minutes in length, except in exceptional circumstances. Those exceptional circumstances are where the faculty member chooses to request a further observation or where concerns have been raised about a faculty member’s performance, which may require further observation to take place.
4. The classroom observation process has to be recorded and reported accurately, and the confidentiality of the information gained has to be maintained.
5. The department chairperson or whoever represents him/her has to reach an agreement in advance on classroom observation to be carried out. The process has to be recorded using the Pre-observation form.
6. The classroom observation is to be recorded using the Observation form. The written record of feedback will include the date on which the observation took place, the lesson observed, and the length of the observation.
7. The faculty member will have access to the observation feedback after the observation.
8. A brief post-observation meeting is to be conducted with the faculty member to discuss the observation and the feedback on it. The faculty member will be able to respond to the feedback given at the post-observation meeting. The process is to be recorded using the Post Observation form.
9. The classroom observation data is to be used in the annual faculty evaluation.

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Overview

Faculty professional development is a crucial factor for the success of PSU Academic Programs and an important prerequisite for raising the quality of teaching and learning. Faculty members are required to keep abreast of the developments in their fields and effectively apply, when relevant, the latest technologies and approaches to deliver the knowledge they attain. They need to be well-rounded in maintaining competence in the following areas within their specific areas of specialization: teaching, research, professional practice, and quality assurance measures. Most international universities and higher education institutions recognize the vital importance of faculty professional development in view of the rapid developments in all fields and the rising competition in all areas of education; not only that but faculty professional development plans are now an important prerequisite for accrediting academic programs. In recognition of these facts, PSU seeks to provide a framework and a conducive environment through which faculty members can develop and promote their capabilities and keep abreast of developments in their fields of specialization.

Purpose

The main purpose of this document is to describe PSU’s Professional Development Policy in the context of the current regulations and guidelines and to ensure that the faculty members:

• Remain current and keep abreast of developments in their fields of specialization.
• Identify and develop their potential.
• Improve their performance in all areas of competencies related to their jobs.
• Increase job satisfaction.
• Improve the performance of students.
• Improve their self-confidence, motivation, and initiative.
• Respond positively to change and uncertainty.

Scope

This policy applies to all faculty members at PSU regardless of academic rank.

Policy

The TLQF emphasizes “continuous improvement,” which requires that faculty members remain current and up to date regarding their fields and the required T&L skills. The quality assessment improvement cycle will not be complete without continuous support for the professional development for faculty members in all skill areas relating to Teaching and Learning. PSU requires its faculty members to be active in their professional development in their specific fields.

Guidelines:

1. Professional development is a shared responsibility between the faculty member, college, and university.
2. The faculty member is responsible for identifying his/her development needs and preparing an annual professional development plan.
3. The college/department is responsible for assessing the performance of the faculty member and providing guidance and directions regarding his professional development plan.
4. The faculty development plan should be revised and approved by the respective committees, department, and college.
5. The university is responsible, depending on the conditions prevailing at the respective time, for making appropriate efforts to provide the time and financial support necessary to implement faculty professional development plans.
6. Professional development starts at entry to the university. Each department is required to prepare an orientation program for new faculty in coordination with the college administration and institutional level offices and departments.
7. Professional development is an ongoing activity. Faculty members at all levels are expected to engage in continuing professional development.
8. Faculty professional development can take place on-job or off-job.
9. On-site training includes training sessions provided by the university, experience gained by doing the job, interaction with peers, and colleagues regarding such experience, plus constructive reviews and feedback provided by supervisors.
10. Off-site training includes attending conferences, participating in courses, exchange visits, study leaves, etc...

In-house Professional Development programs

1. Whenever possible, the TLC should invite experts to organize on-campus professional development programs in areas of common interest to faculty members.
2. Colleges can arrange for the same regarding faculty specialization areas in collaboration with the TLC.
3. Each department should nominate attendees for these programs based on needs and priorities.
4. The Higher Education in Teaching and Learning Certificate Program.
5. New Faculty Orientation
6. The Course Design Institute
7. The Assessment Series
8. New Faculty series of workshops
9. New Academic Leader Orientation
10. PSU’s Faculty sharing their expertise

Time and Financial Support:

1. Time spent on professional development should be counted as on-job time.
2. Based on approved faculty development plans, the university should provide support for professional development leaves, which include sabbatical leaves, partial leaves, and reduced load leaves.
3. Sabbatical leaves are one-year leaves supported by a detailed professional development plan (see below).
4. Partial leaves are one-semester or less and are treated the same way as sabbatical leaves (see professional development programs below).
5. Exchange visits are subject to the agreements signed with the partner institution.

Professional Development Allowance:

1. Eligible faculty members should be allocated an annual professional development allowance.
2. This allowance must be spent on activities related to the faculty PD endeavors, and may consist of:
   1. Membership fees for professional associations.
   2. Subscriptions to professional and/or learned journals and other similar professional publications that will support their growth as an educator and researcher that are not available in the current library database.
   3. Computer software and supplies used or consumed in the performance of the faculty member's duties as a scholar and teacher.
   4. Travel allowance, including transportation, food, accommodation, and registration fees for the member to attend reputable conferences, research visits, or workshops.
3. To qualify for the professional development allowance, a faculty member should prepare and submit a professional development plan at least 3 months prior to the event, preferably at the beginning of the academic year. The professional development plan should be approved by the respective Councils, Chairs, and Deans.
4. All items purchased in support of this plan will become the property of the university and will be available for the use of the individual faculty member for professional development activities as long as he is associated with the university.
5. Eligible expenses must be supported by original receipts or invoices in accordance with the University's rules and regulations.
6. It is the individual faculty member's responsibility to ensure that the expenses charged against his/her Professional Development Allowance account are legitimate costs incurred for his/her professional development.

Sabbatical Leaves:

1. A sabbatical leave is approved release time for a faculty member so that he/she can engage in research, writing, or any other activity that may contribute to his professional development at PSU.
2. The duration of a sabbatical leave can be up to 12 months.
3. Anybody holding the rank of a faculty member is considered eligible to request a sabbatical leave after completing at least five full-time years of service at PSU.
4. The awarding of a sabbatical leave is not automatic and depends on the merits of the case and the conditions prevailing at the university and the respective academic unit at the time.
5. Sabbatical leave applications should be supported by a detailed work plan showing planned activities and expected outcomes.
6. Applications for Sabbatical Leaves and work plans should be approved by the department and college council before raising them to the University Administration.
7. A faculty member on a Sabbatical leave receives full salary compensation for the whole period.
8. At the end of the sabbatical leave, the faculty should submit a detailed report showing the activities and achievements during the sabbatical leave.
9. The submitted report should be reviewed and accepted by the respective academic unit.

Professional Development Program (Proposed):

1. The Professional Development Program (PDP) is a more flexible alternative to sabbatical leaves
2. The eligibility and duration of a PDP leave are given in the table below:

   PDP Leave Duration	Eligibility Condition
   Up to 4 months of full pay leave	4 years of service at PSU
   Up to 6 months of full Pay	6 years of service at PSU

3. Participation in the PDP is not automatic and depends on the merits of the request, the needs of the department, and the conditions prevailing in the university and respective academic units.
4. PDP applications and work should be supported by a detailed plan showing activities and expected outcomes.
5. PDP applications should be approved by the department and college councils before being raised to the university administration.
6. Faculty members participating in the PDP should devote their full energy to the purpose of the program, as indicated by their submitted plans.
7. Faculty members participating in the PDP must return to PSU for a period at least twice that of the PDP leave in case of full payment, or at least spend equal time to the PDP leave in case of half-pay.

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Overview

The mentoring programs at PSU will support the University to accomplish its objectives for faculty members with high-quality teaching standards, variety, broad excellence, and a respectful and positive work environment in which all members of the university can succeed. In PSU, we mainly support the Guidance Model (appropriate for new faculty members) and the Companions Model (appropriate for existing faculty members) for faculty members.

Purpose

The purpose of mentoring is to guide and help the new faculty members of different colleges, departments, and programs to understand the structure, resources, and culture at PSU. Chairpersons from each department have the primary responsibility for mentoring their respective faculty members, especially for their annual performance evaluations. However, each department assigns a senior faculty member for new faculty members to act as a mentor in reference to learning about PSU’s educational culture within their respective departments.

Policy

This policy applies to all faculty members at PSU.

Definition(s)

Mentorship: Mentoring may be defined as the method of guiding, teaching, directing, and serving as a particular model for another person. It includes the process by which a senior person guides the development of another person who may be new to the field or workplace.

Policy

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1. Each college is required to design and implement a faculty mentoring program
2. Mentoring can be performed at two levels: College level and Department level
3. The college-level mentoring component addresses general information about the university, college, service units, processes, and all non-academic affairs.
4. Department level mentoring addresses all academic matters, including teaching, research, career advice, support for new faculty to settle down and prepare well for their courses, academic and teaching policies, how to apply for a research grant, requirements for promotion. Integration and collaboration with existing faculty members.
5. The mentor programs should be designed by a team of mentors supervised by chairpersons.
6. Each mentoring program should include mission, goals and objectives, general information, activities and events, a calendar for meetings, workshop supplies, …etc.
7. Booklets, pamphlets, and websites should support mentoring programs.
8. Deans and Chairpersons are responsible for approving the mentoring programs, preparing the mentors, and overseeing the implementations of the programs
9. Some sort of assessment may be appropriate at the end of the academic year
10. Feedback from mentees and mentors is, in this respect

Academic Level Mentoring Activities may include, but not restricted to:

1. Assisting mentees in developing short-term and long-term career goals and professional interests and helping them to plan for achieving these goals.
2. Attend the programs and workshops offered by the Teaching and Learning, Research Center, ITC, and other campus units.
3. Perform peer teaching observations of the mentee.
4. Provide information on academic and student support services on campus.
5. Provide guidance regarding teaching strategies and philosophies, course design, and curriculum development.
6. Discuss research funding and professional development opportunities. Getting to know PSU: provide information regarding academic policies and guidelines and the university governance structure. Provide information and guidance regarding student advising, motivating, and academic integrity, plus all matters related to students.

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Overview

The Prince Sultan University Faculty Governing Policies and Regulations stipulates in Article 26 that: at the end of each academic year, the faculty member shall provide a report about his/her academic activities, research papers, field activities and community services in which he/she was engaged or participated, and such reports shall be submitted to the concerned Department Chairperson who in turn shall appraise the same to the College Dean.(p.15)
The annual faculty evaluation is conducted at the end of each academic year and is based on the previous academic year's job performance (second and first semesters). Faculty members are responsible for timely submission and accuracy of the information included in the evaluation. A copy of the evaluation form is available from the department chairperson.

Purpose

Prince Sultan University faculty members will undergo an annual performance evaluation to ensure their academic performance is commensurate with their rank and status, and that they remain accountable for their academic performance within their College. The result of the Annual Performance Evaluation is linked to their annual increment and decision on retention/renewal of contract.

Policy

All faculty members at PSU will be evaluated by students, direct supervisors, and their peers (coordinators or course group supervisors). The primary responsibility for monitoring the quality of teaching will rest with the individual departments and will be communicated with the Vice Rector of Academic Affairs and Research office who has assigned a committee to review the forms and procedures on a periodic basis. The committee is chaired by the VRAAR.

Student Evaluation of Faculty Members

Formal student evaluations of faculty occur in each course in the areas of teaching and delivery, feedback, professionalism, and interpersonal communication at the end of each semester via the e-register system using EEC-HES’ Course Evaluation Survey the data used for the evaluation is the second semester from the previous academic year and the first semester from the current academic year. This data is shared with both the faculty member and the department chairperson and Dean/Vice Dean of the College or Deanship.

Department Chairperson/Director Evaluation of Faculty Members

Department chairs will conduct reviews of their full time faculty on an annual basis. These reviews will include direct observation in the classroom and data from student evaluations in the areas of teaching and delivery, student feedback, professionalism, and interpersonal communication. Feedback will be provided by the chair to the faculty member as a part of their annual review. Part time faculty will be evaluated on a rotational basis and provided feedback by their department chair within a timely manner after the session is evaluated.

Peer Evaluations of Faculty

As an optional exercise, faculty have the opportunity to participate in a process of peer observation of teaching whereby assigned and selected peers or mentors will be asked to observe their peer’s teaching in the areas of teaching and delivery, student feedback, professionalism, and interpersonal communication. This feedback will be shared with the faculty member observed by their respective peer observer or mentor for developmental purposes to assist with professional growth.

The Annual Performance Evaluation consists of different parts and breakdowns based upon the faculty member’s academic rank. The distribution is listed below: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Full Professor:

• Teaching & Instructional Performance (40%)
• Research & Community Service (30%)
• Professional Development & Professional Conduct (30%) Lecturers:
• Teaching & Instructional Performance (40%)
• Research & Community Service (20%)
• Professional Development & Professional Conduct (40%) Language Instructors:
• Teaching & Instructional Performance (50%)
• Community Service & Extra-Curricular Activities (10%) • Professional Development & Professional Conduct (40%) Teaching Assistants:
• Performance in Lab/Class (30%)
• Seeking Acceptance for Postgraduate Programs (30%)
• Community Service and Extra-curricular Activities (20%)
• Professional Development and Professional Conduct (20%)
  The completed forms are shared with all faculty members for feedback where both the chairperson and the faculty member sign the form. The faculty evaluation form is then submitted to both the Dean's office and the VRAAR's office for approval.

PSU Policy website: See PSU Policy website

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Overview

At PSU we expect our faculty members, students, and administrative staff to:

1. Be aware of the importance of academic integrity and honesty
2. Adhere to intellectual honesty; to avoid the wrongful appropriation of someone else’s work, research, findings, thoughts, or ideas, and to conduct one’s own work in accordance with the highest ethical principles.
3. Maintain the highest level of academic integrity in all aspects of life at the university.
4. Be vigilant of and report any incidents of academic dishonesty, or perceived violations of any component of this Policy.

Purpose

The goal of the Academic Integrity Policy is to ensure that the highest ethical and professional standards of performance and conduct are adhered to, at all times, in PSU, so that the University maintains its high reputation for the fairness and equity of all of its students, and the quality assurance of its graduates.

Scope

This policy applies to the whole PSU Community (faculty, students, administrative staff).

Definitions

Academic integrity means conducting oneself with honesty and responsibility in study, scholarship, and all aspects of one’s education at university. Academic assignments and activities exist to help students learn; grades exist to show how fully this goal is attained; course credit is granted so that the student is prepared for further study in the program. Therefore, all work and all grades must result from the student's own understanding and effort, and the only operative consideration should be merit.

Policy

All faculty members, students, and administrative staff members are required to abide by the guidelines listed below in reference to the academic integrity practices expected at PSU.

Academic Integrity Violations

1. Assignment Misconduct

   This includes, but is not limited to, the submission of work that is to be marked, and for credit, that is :

   1. Taken from unauthorized sources (Wikipedia, Cliff Notes, Coles Summaries, etc.)
   2. Copied or paraphrased point-by-point from another student
   3. Previously or simultaneously submitted, in another course, for credit

2. Exam Misconduct

   This includes, but is not limited to, the act of :

   1. Copying, or even intentionally looking at, the work of another student
   2. Obtaining and using –or attempting to do so—unauthorized aids or information of any kind
   3. Speaking to another student, once the exam has officially begun

3. Falsification/Fabrication

   This includes, but is not limited to, the act of:

   1. Taking a test, major, or exam in place of another student
   2. Arranging for another student to take a test, major, or exam for the offending student.
   3. Presenting false or forged identification at a test, major, or exam

4. Plagiarism

   This occurs when one takes phrases, sentences, paragraphs, ideas, rhetorical organization, or identifiable ideas and insights from a published or unpublished source –book, article, website, etc., and uses these in one’s own work without providing specific credit to the source, as to where these components were taken from.
   In other words, one needs to distinguish between the writing and ideas that are one’s own, and the writing and work taken from somewhere else and used. There is nothing wrong with using the work of other writers, as long as credit is given to the sources –the places it was found. There is a need to do these 3 things:

   1. Acknowledge that it is not yours.
   2. Specify who actually wrote it, and where and how it appeared, and where you found it.
   3. Provide annotation/information that enables the teacher (or any other reader of your work) to look it up and see it in its original form –the form you used.

PSU Faculty Members are expected to implement the following:

1. Use educational and classroom strategies that encourage students to behave honestly; 2. Clarify to all students what academic integrity is, and what is considered a violation thereof, and to prepare and distribute a declaration to be signed by students, ensuring they have been apprised about academic integrity;
2. Give clear guidelines about appropriate academic behavior.
3. Use different types of assignments, testing, and educational mechanisms that reduce the incidence of academic dishonesty.
4. Set an example for their students by adhering to the highest principles of academic integrity.

The TLC:

1. Plan, organize, and conduct workshops and campaigns for faculty and students on academic integrity.
2. Provide advice to faculty members on ways to combat academic dishonesty.
3. Raise awareness of the consequences and penalties and sanctions for academic dishonesty.
4. Organize and conduct –in collaboration with the Research and Translation Center and the E-Learning Center—an annual antiplagiarism and anti-academic offense campaign, in order to raise students’ awareness of the seriousness of academic integrity.
5. Plan –in collaboration with the E-Learning Center—an online course on academic integrity, and on ways to avoid all aspects of academic dishonesty.

Students:

1. Follow the expectations set by their instructors, and the TLC, for academic integrity.
2. Continually ask their instructors for guidance and clarification of all matters related to academic offenses.
3. Protect their own work by not allowing it to be used or accessed by others.
4. Report all perceived instances of academic dishonesty to the relevant constituency.
5. Always adhere to principles of academic integrity.

Procedures for addressing violations of Academic Integrity:

PHASE 1

When the instructor, or student, or any member of the PSU community, believes that an act of academic dishonesty occurred, that person must do the following: Refer the incident to the department chair or unit leader. The department chair or unit leader will conduct a preliminary assessment of the allegation, and if warranted, schedule a departmental hearing. The hearing will include the department chair or unit leader, the plaintiff, and the accused.
Submit the proof of the alleged academic integrity violation to the department chair or unit leader. Proof can be (but is not limited to):

1. Turnitin originality report
2. Same work submitted under a different name
3. Other types of proof that would constitute any of the above-listed violations. Present the accused with the charge and evidence.

PHASE 2

When the Department is notified, there shall be a hearing scheduled no later than 2 weeks from the date of the reporting of the allegation.
If the Department Chair concludes that a proven violation of academic integrity has occurred, he or she shall:

1. Give an official written warning, to be placed in the student’s file
2. Recommend that the respective instructor assign a designation of “0” (zero) for that particular assignment
3. Require that the student completes an online course on academic integrity, and submit proof of its completion

FOR A SECOND OFFENSE

1. An automatic “F” in the course
2. Loss of scholarship benefits

FOR A THIRD OFFENSE

1. Suspension of the student for one semester, or,
2. Expulsion from the University

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Overview

Prince Sultan University values all stakeholders on campus and recognizes that each person contributes to the overall success of the institution. The University further recognizes that it is through the efforts of its faculty, administrators, and staff that it achieves national and international prominence and delivers a world-class education to its students. The culture of the University is one of respect, civility, trust, cooperation, and collaboration among all its members. We believe all members of the University are entitled to an environment that ensures collegiality and mutual respect.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines on the code of ethics of PSU’s faculty members. It is intended to help maintain a high standard of professional conduct and personal integrity. It provides the grounds for informing faculty members of the acceptable behavior that is consistent with the university mission, the system of values of the society, and the universally-accepted principles or norms of academic professionalism.

Scope

This policy applies to all academic faculty members at PSU regardless of academic rank.

Policy

This code of conduct states the levels of conduct and behavior expected from a faculty member. It is divided into five categories, each of which relates to a given area of interaction or behavior. Faculty responsibilities, ethical principles, and types of unacceptable behavior are organized around the individual faculty member’s relation to students and teaching, to scholarship, to the university, to colleagues, and to the community. The list of statements given under each category is not assumed to be exhaustive. The recognizing of what is acceptable conduct and what is not lies in the faculty member’s wisdom of understanding his/her role as a professional in a given environment. All faculty members are expected to observe a high standard of professional conduct. All faculty members are encouraged to treat students, colleagues, administration officials, and other members of the community with respect, honesty, and the utmost consideration. Faculty members should also observe legal and social restrictions. Failure to meet the ethical, legal, and social responsibilities can endanger the whole mission of the university.

General:

• Faculty members shall dedicate their time to perform their assigned duties in compliance with Article 20 of the Faculty Governing Policies and Regulations 2019-2020.
• Faculty members shall commit to teaching the assigned teaching load in accordance with article 21 of the Faculty Governing Policies and Regulations 2019-2020.
• Faculty members shall include 5 hours in their schedule for office hours in compliance with Article 23 of the Faculty Governing Policies and Regulations 2019-2020.
• Faculty members will seek approval from the University’s Rector for conducting business or providing consultation with any other entity in KSA refer to Articles 25 & 26 of the Faculty Governing Policies and Regulations 2019-2020.
• Faculty members shall be aware of Article 72’s Termination stipulations of the Faculty Governing Policies and Regulations 2019-2020 and agree not to commit any of the stated infarctions.

Students:

Students have joined the university to be well-educated and well-received by all parties in the university. It is our primary responsibility as faculty members to prepare these students for a successful future and to avoid using the power we have by making wrong judgments about the relationship between faculty members and students. Thus:

• Faculty members are expected to provide students with a class environment free from bias and cultural prejudice, and interact with them professionally.
• Faculty members are expected to assess students in a non-capricious manner and provide them with prompt feedback on their achievements. They should make every reasonable effort to foster honest academic conduct and to assure that their evaluations of students reflect each student’s true merit.
• Faculty members are expected to serve as role models of professional conduct. They should demonstrate respect for students as individuals and adhere to their proper roles as intellectual guides and counselors.
• Faculty members are expected to respect the confidential nature of the relationship between professor and student and keep the students’ personal records in any course confidential as well.
• Faculty members must refrain from seeking or accepting any personal or financial advantage, such as gifts, loans, etc., that might reasonably be interpreted as an attempt to influence the faculty member in the conduct of his/her duties.
• Faculty members are expected to improve their teaching performance, to find more efficient ways of accomplishing their work, and to use opportunities to increase their skills.
• Faculty members are expected to enter their attendance in Edugate in a timely manner.

Colleagues:

Faculty Members are part of a professional community of scholars that has its own set of values and ethical responsibilities and obligations. They should acknowledge the fact that colleagues, including administrative support staff, are essential to the development and mission of the university. Thus:

• Faculty members must encourage each other to create a professional environment in which all engage in positive and respectful behavior toward one another.
• Faculty members must treat fellow employees with courtesy, respect, and dignity. In the exchange of constructive criticism and ideas, professors show due respect for the opinions of others.
• Faculty members must refrain from malicious gossip about colleagues, strive to be objective in their professional judgment of other colleagues, and acknowledge their academic contributions and intellectual work.
• Faculty members must avoid discrimination against any individual for reasons of race, color, religion, age, national origin, or disability.

University:

The university’s mission and objectives cannot be achieved without the full involvement of all parties, including administration, faculty, staff, and students. Regulations, policies, and procedures are established to achieve the mission and objectives of the university with respect to teaching, research, and community service. As a member of an academic institution, faculty members should seek to be as effective as possible in contributing to the development of this institution. Thus:

• Faculty members will give due regard to the university’s guidelines, policies, and regulations.
• Faculty members will avoid intentional disruption of functions or activities sponsored or authorized by the university.
• Faculty members will avoid situations with the potential for conflict of interest or conflict of commitment.
• Faculty members will refrain from engaging in activities outside the University that conflict with his/her required hours of work, job performance, obligations, and responsibilities to the university.
• Faculty members will exercise care in the use of property and funds entrusted to them. They should refrain from using university time, facilities, or property other than for officially approved activities.
• Faculty members who hold managerial positions are expected to provide effective leadership for those they supervise, to set an example by their own proper conduct, attitude, and work habits, and to have concern for the rights, privileges, and general welfare of their employees.
• PSU stationery and mail services are to be used only for official University business.
• Unauthorized solicitations of any kind on PSU time and property are not permitted. Requests to conduct solicitations, other than PSU sponsored activities, must be submitted in writing to the University Rector.

Public:

The university is an institution that has been established to serve its community. The work and conduct of its employees will be directed toward this end. The society has a system of values, regulations, and policies which the university should comply with and provide support for. Thus:

• Faculty members should treat the general public with courtesy, respect, and dignity.
• Faculty members should provide the community with programs that are relevant, accessible, and of high quality.
• Faculty members should avoid intentional misrepresentation of personal views as a statement of the position of the university.
• Faculty members should promote good citizenship by participating in activities that lead to the progress of the community, including volunteer work.
• Faculty members should avoid public discussions of political or religious issues. Preaching and group worshipping other than Islam are prohibited.
• The use and/or importation of drugs or alcohol are criminal offenses, with very serious penalties in the courts. Smoking is also prohibited in all buildings on campus.
• Female faculty members are expected to dress conservatively (i.e., Abayas and scarves) in public places.

Scholarship:

The fact that faculty members are expected to be active and preferably at the forefront of their professional areas in science, technology, research, and scholarship, means that they have a major responsibility of contributing to the advancement of knowledge in their areas of concern. Their primary responsibility to their subject is to seek and to state the truth as they see it. Thus:

• Faculty members should devote their energies to developing and improving their scholarly competence.
• Faculty members should accept the obligation to exercise critical self-discipline and judgment in using, extending, and transmitting knowledge.
• Faculty members should apply all measures of honesty, reliability, and objectivity in carrying out their scholarly work. Recognition of the scholarly work of others is at the heart of doing research.

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Overview

We emphasize the importance of student academics on the study abroad program and expect all students to perform at their best academically while abroad.

Purpose

The PSA provides the University with a means to enrich a discrete number of PSU's best students' educational experiences via studying overseas at one of PSU's partner universities. Study abroad opens minds to new experiences, tempers character with new challenges and leads to new friendships. How well the PSU students perform abroad also enables the University to get a sense of its coordinates en route to providing the Middle East with quality education up to the highest international standards (i.e., benchmark). The PSA also helps develop PSU relationships with its partner institutions and prompts a reciprocal interest in broadening and deepening with PSU. Furthermore, the PSA benefits both students and the institution.

Scope

This policy applies to all students who meet the eligibility requirements to enter the study abroad program.

Policy

PSA Options:
In the first month of a term, the list of the PSA options for the next term (e.g. in September the list of partner universities, along with their respective undergraduate degree programs that are analogous to PSU academic majors, are announced and the English Proficiency requirements given. Below is the current PSA list of options for the Summer | Fall PSAs.

( Click the image to view full size )

PSA Application Requirements & Conditions

• University level students who will have 40-90 credits at the end of the Spring 2016 term
• Meet the English Proficiency Requirements listed for the selected PSA Option - must submit official document of the score
• Write a 500 word essay explaining why the option was chosen, what courses will likely be taken and how studying at the selected school fits into one’s future plans o Go through the PSA candidate screening and assessment process:
  • reading and critical thinking exam
  • 45 minute, 300 word in-house essay exercise at PSU
  • 15 minute interview at PSU if needed
  • Enclose in the application packet:
  • most recent official copy of PSU transcripts
  • two letters of recommendation from PSU Faculty
  • letter of parental consent to student’s participation in the PSA program Student can only apply for one of the listed options per term

One or two students who meet the qualification requirements and top the list of qualifying candidates applying for the specific PSA option are selected

PSA student/family agrees to cover the cost of 30% of the projected costs of the chosen PSA option and PSU 70%

PSA student signs contract with PSU identifying the responsibilities of PSU and the student

PSA Awards

Awards are merit based and governed by the conditions listed directly above. Merit is determined by the weighted assessment of a student’s English pro-ficiency, GPA, essays, and performance on the reading and critical thinking examination. Meeting the English proficiency requirement or having a high GPA does not guarantee an award. If the tallies are close for an options, there will be a weighted inter-view element added to the assessment formula.

The Awards are announced a week after the screening process. The awardees have three days to come to the IAO offices, review the terms of the contract, commit to the PSA program and turn in a signed contract four days after the announcement. If these conditions are not met, the award will be offered to the next student on the list who merits the award. Additionally should a student qualify but not be in the top two slots for an option, if his/her degree program match up for studying at another option school that occur if the student meets that school's requirement (e.g. MST requires that Engineering Management students have received C or better grades in their Physics and Math courses at PSU).

Faculty Advisors:

As needed, Departments assign a faculty member to work with a PSA awardee in determining what courses he/she should take at the host university. Additionally the host campus often provide advice in regards to the available courses on offer on that term and help PSU departments determine the nature of courses equivalencies and advice on electives.

The major factors involved in course selection are the curriculum design for the student major which lists the courses that he/she needs to take at PSU, the classes offered at the host school during the term, and those terms when electives that will enrich student's educational experience are available.

The faculty advisor keeps in touch with the student who is studying abroad and writes monthly follow up reports on the PSA student and forwards the reports to the relevant Department head and the IAO Director on the appropriate campus.

PSA Student Transcripts

Two weeks prior to the end of the term at the host campus, the IAO Director on the appropriate campus contacts the point person on the host campus and requests that the school send an official copy to the following PSU address:

Dean of Admissions and Registration Office
Prince Sultan University
PO Box 66833
Rafha Street
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 11586
Phone: +966 11 494 8555

The IAO Director checks to see if the transcripts have been sent and received by the DAR Office and informs the PSA student of the same. The DAR sends copies of the student's transcript to the relevant Department head and to the IAO Directors on both campuses for their records.

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Overview

Students need support during their academic life in the university. Providing a good, well defined student support system is one of the cornerstones for Prince Sultan University. The main purpose of this policy is to formalize an "early intervention" mechanism and maximize its benefits.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines on identifying and supporting students who are in need of support at an early stage in their academic life.

Goals Supporting students to achieve their level best in a timely manner during their academic career. Helping student’s academic advisers to develop a system to monitor students by identifying potential problems early and helping to avoid them

Main Features:

• Faculty members are required to monitor student’s attendance and their academic performance.
• If the teacher notices any deviation from the norm, he/she should contact the student and investigate the reasons behind that.
• The student’s academic advisor should be consulted to solve the issue.
• If the need arises, the teacher should contact the chairperson for intervention.
• The chairperson should check the student’s performance in other classes to verify whether the issue is confined to certain courses.
• Proactive action should be taken to solve the issue such as cooperation between instructors and the academic advisers to find suitable ways to solve the point of weakness.

Mechanisms for support after a weakness is identified may include:

• Talking to the concerned student may indicate:

• The problem is a temporary one and is due to some minor issue
• Extra tutoring and office hours for the student will overcome the issue

• If the weakness continues, the instructor may:

1. Contact the advisor.
2. Contact the chairperson.
3. Contact the dean.
4. Contact the student counseling office.

• The instructor files a copy of all documents related to each case.

• The instructor provides a report to the department chair.

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Overview

Prince Sultan University recognizes that some students are in need of special treatment due to certain circumstances beyond a student’s control as a result of a disorder, disability or any other impairment the student may have. It is the policy of Prince Sultan University to actively facilitate students with special needs in admission, enrolments processes and during the course of their studies.

Purpose

This policy is to provide support for any student who may need support in his/her learning experience at PSU due to any special needs.

Identification of students with special needs

When identifying students with disabilities:

1. Deanship of Admissions and Registration seeks to get the student’s medical documents showing the special need during the admission process and thereafter.
2. Deanship of Admissions and Registration contacts the dean of student affairs to relay the information.
3. The dean of student affairs contact the chairperson or dean of the student intended department and college to contacts the student’s academic adviser and all relevant instructors each semester to inform them of the status of this student.

Supporting Students with Special Needs

The Deanship of Student Affairs and the student’s academic adviser provide support for students in order to maximize the learning opportunities throughout his/her period of study. The support consists of processes which students without special needs would not usually require, such as:

1. Helping in enrolment processes
2. Helping students in need to access their results
3. Following up with their academic progress
4. Provide reasonable support on instruction and assessments to appropriate teaching staff
5. Provide reasonable help in tutoring and assist with understanding assigned tasks such as planning and reviewing assignments
6. Ensure appropriate physical access and facilities
7. Formulate special learning programs for students with special needs
8. Develop alternative tasks to assess students with special needs
9. Report positive and negative outcomes to the chairperson for early intervention.

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Overview

To students pursuing a bachelor’s degree, the Deanship of Admissions & Registration awards transfer credit according to the guidelines discussed here. DAR reserves the right to accept or reject credits earned at other institutions of higher education.

Purpose

This policy provides guidelines for dealing with credit equivalency for students who transfer from another university to PSU, students who transfer from one program to another within PSU, students who would like to study for a temporary period of time at PSU as visiting students, or those PSU students who would like to study at other universities as visiting students.

Scope

This policy applies to all incoming transfer students.

Transferring from Another University:

When identifying students with disabilities:

• All transfer applications, along with an original transcript of academic record, are submitted to the Deanship of Admissions and Registration, which considers the application and ensures that the applicant has fulfilled the credit transfer conditions.
• The transfer of a student from another University to PSU maybe accepted under the following conditions:
  1. No more than 34 credit hours (beyond the PYP) can be transferred for the student;
  2. The course to be transferred should had been taught using the same language on which the equivalent course is being taught at PSU.
  3. For a course to be considered for transfer, the student must have obtained a minimum of (C ) grade in that course;
  4. The course must be equivalent in content and in the number of credit hours to a course that is being taught at PSU;
  5. The student should have been enrolled at a college or university that is recognized by the Ministry of Education;
  6. The transferred courses must have been studied within the last five semesters before the transfer. The University Council however has the right to make any exceptions.
• For any course to be considered for transfer, it must have been studied in a College or a University. Work experience and professional training programs cannot be considered as a basis for credit transfer.
• Courses studied at associate degree programs are not
• Courses studied through Distant Education are not transferable.
• No. of Credits Courses studied in a Quarter-based System will be evaluated as 3/5 semester credit hours.
• The Concerned College evaluates the courses that were taken by the student outside the University, based on the recommendations of the departments that offer equivalent courses. The courses evaluated as equivalent are recorded in the student’s academic transcript but are not included in the calculation of his/her cumulative GPA.
• If it becomes evident, after a student’s transfer, that the student was dismissed for disciplinary reasons, his/her enrollment is considered cancelled from the date of acceptance of his/her transfer to the University. No refund of course fees will be given, and the student will be dismissed from the University.

Transferring between Colleges within the University:

A student may transfer from one college to another within the University in accordance with the following rules:

1. A student may transfer from one college to another within the University prior to his/her completion of the sixth academic level.
2. The student should continue to study all the courses for which he/she is registered at the level preceding the transfer and should comply with the rules of adding and dropping of courses.
3. The process of transfer from one college to another is recorded in the student’s academic record, starting from the semester following his/her transfer.
4. A student is allowed a maximum of two transfers from one college to another.
5. Provide reasonable help in tutoring and assist with understanding assigned tasks such as planning and reviewing assignments
6. All courses that have been studied by a student transferred from one college to another are recorded in his/her academic record, including the grades and the semester and cumulative GPAs obtained throughout his/her study at the respective University.

Transferring between Majors within the University:

A student may transfer from one major to another within a college, in accordance with the following rules:

1. A student may transfer from one major to another within his/her college at any time prior to his/her completion of the sixth academic level. The College Council, however, may consider exceptional cases where students already have completed the sixth level.
2. The transfer process is recorded in the student’s academic record at the beginning of the semester following the transfer.
3. A student is allowed a maximum of two transfers from one major to another within the same college. The College Council, however, may consider exceptional cases.
4. All courses that have been studied by a student who has transferred from one major to another are recorded in his/her academic record, including the grades and the semester and cumulative GPAs obtained throughout his/her study at the University.

Transferring Preparatory Year Credits from Other Universities:

1. Preparatory Year Courses can be transferred from other Universities based on the following additional criteria
2. If the student is transferring from a University that has a PYP similar to that of PSU in terms of the Number of Courses, Credit hours and Course Content, then all passed courses are transferred.
3. If the student is transferring from a university with English as the medium of instruction in a native English-speaking country and the student has completed at least one semester of a University-level program, then the PYP program is waived.
4. All other cases will be judged on a case-by-case basis by the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and Research, The Dean of Admissions and Registration, and the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs in the College for Women, after consultation with the concerned PYP program director.

Visiting Students:

1. A “visiting student” is a student who studies courses at another university without transferring. These courses are considered equivalent to those offered at the University, according to the following rules:
2. The student must obtain a written approval of his/her college before he/she begins his/her studies.
3. His/her studies should be at a recognized college or university.
4. The course the student takes outside his/her college should be equivalent, in terms of content, to a course required for graduation.
5. The maximum no. of credit hours to be allocated to a visiting student from outside the University is 34.
6. The course grades credited to the visiting student will be recorded in his/her academic record, but not included in the calculation of his/her cumulative GPA.
7. Any other conditions required by the University Council should be satisfied. For students enrolled at another university and would like to study for a temporary period of time at Prince Sultan University, the following rules apply:
   • The student must be enrolled at a college or university that is recognized by MOE.
   • The student must obtain a written approval from his current college/university stating the
   • PSU course(s) that he is allowed to study at PSU.
   • All Financial rules are applied.

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Overview

Prince Sultan University recognizes the achievements of students who study advanced courses prior to joining PSU.

Purpose

This policy provides guidelines for dealing with Advanced Placement (AP) equivalencies.

Scpoe

This policy applies to all incoming students.

Policy

Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) equivalencies are evaluated on case by case basis. The student, who passes IB subjects and would like them to be considered for equivalency, must submit an official copy of the transcript. The request shall be evaluated by the chairman of the concerned department and dean of college. Recommendations shall be submitted to the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs for approval.

English Placement Exam:

For English Preparatory Courses, the English Department’s placement process is designed to optimize the student experience and maximize our students’ performance by placing them in the most suitable level for their language ability. Students are placed directly into the first level of the English Preparatory Year Program (PYP) through the EPT (English Placement Test [Qiyas]) or the PSU In-house Placement Exam.* There are two exceptions to this:

1. Students who are identified as having low-level English language proficiency – Common European Framework of Reference A1 (CEFR) are entered into the Intensive English Program (IEP) as outlined on page four.
2. Students who demonstrate a high degree of language ability are afforded the opportunity to be exempt from one or more PYP courses as outlined in the tables on pages five and six.

Any exemption from a PYP course is determined through the PSU English Promotion Test or international tests such as IELTS or the Internet Based TOEFL (IBT).

This policy became effective from the beginning of academic year 2017- 2018. (Details of the process and scores needed can be found in The Regulations for Placement and Promotion Exams)

There is a single promotion test paper which is used to decide on exemption from both ENG010-ENG020 and ENG030-ENG040. This will be common on both the male and female campuses and will be updated periodically. The duration of the test is 90 minutes.

Students who achieve 80% or more on the NCA Placement Exam (EPT) or the In-house Placement Exam will be eligible to sit for the promotion test (NEW STUDENTS ONLY). A score of 80% or more will automatically prompt students to write an essay during the same session at the NCA. Students who sit the In-house Placement Exam will be permitted to take the promotion test on the PSU campus, subject to eligibility.

The ‘PSU English Promotion Test’ requires test-takers to write one five-paragraph essay from a selection of academic topics.

Students who score 75% in the PSU Preparatory Entrance Math Exam are also eligible to the PSU Preparatory Math Promotion Exam.

Students with IELTS/TOEFL-IBT are automatically given a Placement Computing-Skills Exam during the first week of class of the semester. Based on the score, Preparatory Computing Skills Course(s) may be waived.

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Overview

This policy provides guidelines on how to design and approve the PSU Academic Calendar.

Purpose

This policy was developed to support student academic success and to provide consistent quality delivery of academic programs and services in a timely manner.

Scope

This policy is for all members of the University to read.

Policy

• The Annual PSU Academic Calendar is prepared by the Deanship of Admissions and Registration and must be approved by the University Council.
• The Calendar must be consistent with the Academic Calendar of Education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as approved by the Council of Ministers.
• Each of the Fall and Spring Semesters consists of a period of exactly 15 weeks of instruction not including the registration and final exam periods.
• The Summer Semester consists of a period of exactly 7.5 weeks of instruction not including the registration and final exam periods. Class duration is double in summer semester.
• Students are allowed to add courses during the first week of classes for the Fall and Spring Semesters (the first three days of the Summer Semester).
• Students are allowed to drop courses during the first two weeks of classes for the Fall and Spring Semesters (the first week of the Summer Semester) without affecting their permanent record.
• Students are allowed to drop one or more courses with a grade of "W" after the Second week and before the ninth week of classes for the Fall and Spring Semesters (after the first week and before the fifth week of the Summer Semester).
• Students are allowed to drop ALL courses with a grade of "W" after the eighth week and before the fifteenth week of class of the Fall and Spring Semesters (after the fifth week and before the end of the Seventh week of the Summer Semester).
• The Calendar shall show the dates of Early Registration (the eleventh week of the Semester).
• The Calendar shall show the dates of beginning the COOP period (the first week of the Semester).

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Overview

This policy and its related procedures specifies requirements and standards for the creation, security and retention of student and applicant records, including examined work, in all formats, together with lines of accountability.

Purpose

Maintaining and protecting student records is one of the major issues in educational institutions. It is of vital importance that the university maintains accurate and up to date records related to all students. This policy describes how PSU handles this issue

Scope

This policy applies to records and associated personal information about all applicants, current and former students.

Policy:

The Deanship of Admissions and Registration at Prince Sultan University has developed policies and guidelines governing the care and preservation of student’s records.

1. Student Record Folder

There are two classifications of student record folder, mainly the newly admitted student and the transfer student. The following information shall be kept in the folder:

1.1. New admitted student

1. The PSU application form. The following information is provided on the form.
2. Student’s full name in both Arabic and English.
3. National/Iqama ID.
4. High school (Name of school, place, year graduated, discipline, and the high school average or mark).
5. Date, and place of birth (Hijri and Gregorian calendars).
6. Gender, birth of place, religion, and nationality.
7. National Aptitude Test score.
8. Student contact information (mobile/phone number, home address, e-mail address) - Guardian’s information (name, mobile/phone number, email address, work address).
9. In case of emergency (name of person, home/phone number, mobile number, place of work, office phone number, and the relationship with the student)
10. Student working information (if yes, an attached letter from employer)
11. A certificate of Good Conduct from high school
12. An Original high certificate with stamp from the Ministry of Education, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
13. Original scores of TOEFL/IELTS if the student took the exam.
14. A medical certificate.
15. A copy of national/Iqama ID.
16. The Student's PSU ID Number

1.2. Transfer Student

1. Transfer application form. The following information is provided on the form:
   • Student’s full name in both Arabic and English
   • Date, and place of birth,
   • Nationality, Religion, National/Iqama ID
   • High School (name of school, place, year graduated, and the high school average)
   • Name of college/university last attended (previous academic major, GPA, Dates attended, and the major wants to join at PSU)
2. Guardian information (contact name, mobile/office phone, address, and the relationship with the student)
3. Student signature, mobile/home phone number, and e-mail address
4. An official transcript of academic records from previous college/university last attended or certificate of grades earned.
5. Course descriptions or course syllabus.
6. Evaluation of transfer equivalency course(s) from the concerned department director/chairman.
7. A medical certificate.
8. A copy of national/iqama ID.
9. Student Record in E-register system The following information will be provided.
   • Student’s full name in both Arabic and English.
   • Date, and place of birth,
   • National ID No.
   • Contact Information.
   • Information of last school attended (name of school, place, year graduated, and the high school average).
   • A student ID number assigned, where applicable.
   • All other academic information must be stored in the e-register system; including, program of study, degree plan, courses registered, course grades, GPAs, Attendance record, transferred courses (if any), advisor's name.
   • Financial record history must be stored in the e-register system.

C) Retention of Student’s File

The following information will be retained as follows:

1. Student’s information in an electronic format will be kept permanently.
2. Original paper documents such as transcript of academic record, high school certificate, TOEFL/IELTS, a copy of PSU certificate, etc. will be kept permanently.
3. Other documents may be destroyed in shredded paper machine twenty (20) years after the student graduates or leaves the university.

Change of Name

• 4.1 Minor change of name

A student’s name may be changed if the student provides legal photo-ID proof like national/Iqama ID card, Driving license card or passport

• 4.2. Major change of full name
1. A student’s full name may be changed if the student will provide legal documents from the Ministry of Interior certifying the name before and after correction.
2. A copy of the document or certificate from Ministry of Interior and the written request of change of name will be kept in the student’s file so that the record will appear as if originally established in the new name.

ACCESS to STUDENT RECORDS:

No Information about any student may be released except with written consent of the student with the following exceptions:

1. Information needed by PSU units provided that the requested information is relevant to that particular unit, based on the judgment of the Registrar.
2. Information requested by government agencies (the information must be released through the Rector's Office)
3. Information requested by the Father/Mother/Guardian of the student (after verification by the Admissions office)

STUDENT ACCESS TO INFORMATION IN HIS/HER RECORDS:

• The student has the right to access any information in his/her record, except:
  1. Letters of recommendation received from other schools
  2. Any Internal PSU Memos
• The student is responsible for the security of his username and password

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Overview

Generally, textbooks are selected by the individual faculty members or a committee composed of faculty members who are teaching the course and they submit a proposal to a departmental committee for approval of the textbook selected.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide a set of guidelines for selecting and adopting textbooks. It specifies when a textbook for a given course can be changed, what criteria are to be used for selecting a textbook, how to go about recommending a textbook, and who makes the final approval.

Scope

This policy applies to all academic programs and departments.

Policy:

A new textbook is proposed when one or more of the following conditions apply:

• The course has just been introduced into the curriculum.
• The content has been modified and the current textbook no longer suits a given course.
• The textbook being used in a given course is not well received by students in terms of readability, support material, and presentation.
• There is a newly published textbook that seems to fit more with objectives and learning outcomes of the course

The following criteria should be applied in proposing a textbook:

1. The current textbook has been used for at least two semesters, preferably by the same instructor(s).
2. The current textbook has been evaluated by students (Using Textbook Evaluation Form), in addition to the instructor(s) using it.
3. The proposed textbook should cover most of the course content as specified by the detailed outline or specification.
4. The proposed textbook should be consistent with the course objectives and learning outcomes.
5. The proposed textbook should present the material in a way that helps students understand the course content.
6. The proposed textbook should be up-to-date in covering the knowledge area of the given course for which it is recommended.
7. The proposed textbook should have been used by other well-known schools offering the same course.

In proposing a new textbook, the following parties should be involved:

• The instructor(s) of the course on both male and female sides.
• The curriculum committee in the respective department.
• The chairman of the department to which the given course belongs.
• The dean and college council.

Procedure

1. A written proposal (using Textbook Proposal Form) should come from one of the faculty members assigned to teach the given course.
2. The faculty members from the male and female sides should meet and discuss the proposal and make a clear recommendation based on the information given and any information necessary for making the appropriate decision.
3. The recommendation should be submitted to the chairman of the college curriculum committee who reviews the proposal with the other colleagues in the committee and makes a recommendation to the college council.
4. The College Council considers the recommendation made by instructors and the curriculum committee and takes the final decision.
5. If the textbook is approved by the college council, the chairman of the respective department signs the request for purchasing the textbook by the Bookstore.

Related Forms and Artifacts: (see the Policy website)

• Textbook evaluation form.
• Textbook proposal form.

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Overview

Students are eligible to graduate upon satisfactorily completing all the academic requirements of their degree program as specified by their major department.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines on how to verify that students have successfully completed all graduation requirements.

Scope

This policy applies to all awards granted at the University.

Policy:

• A student graduates after successfully completing all graduation requirements according to the degree plan, provided that his/her cumulative GPA is not less than a pass. If the student has passed the required courses but his/her cumulative GPA is low, the College Council, on the basis of the recommendations of the council of the department concerned, is entitled to specify the appropriate courses that the student must complete in order to improve his/her GPA.
• The student must follow the degree plan for his/her major and complete all the requirements before graduation.
• The Admission and Registration Deanship provides the department concerned with copies of the academic records of all candidates for graduation. The department reviews all the academic records to ensure that students have completed all graduation requirements. The department then gives a list of the students who are qualified for graduation to the Admission and Registration Deanship.
• To be eligible for graduation, the student must have earned a cumulative and major GPA of 2.00 or higher.
• If a student’s cumulative GPA is lower than that required for graduation, the student may request his/her cumulative GPA be recalculated, provided he/she has successfully completed all the courses required for obtaining the degree. This is based on the recommendation of the departmental council, in coordination with the Admission and Registration Deanship and the approval of the College Council, provided that the new GPA does not exceed 2.00 (out of 4.00) after recalculation.

The rules governing the recalculation of the cumulative GPA are as follows:

• To exclude a grade earned previously in any completed course, the student must have repeated the course successfully and earned a grade of D or higher.
• The grades F, DN, WF, D and D+ may be excluded by subtracting the number of a course credits from the total number of credits used to calculate the student’s cumulative GPA, and then subtracting the quality points assigned to these credits from the total quality points used to calculate the student’s cumulative GPA.
• The total number of course credits to be excluded when calculating the cumulative GPA must not exceed 24 credits.
• The academic record must include all grades earned by the student in the studied courses and the grade earned on each occasion. The courses that have been excluded from the calculation of the GPA are to be identified by a special mark in the academic record. The cumulative GPA, after excluding the grades of the repeated courses, must be clearly indicated.
• No changes to academic records are allowed under any circumstances after the graduation documents have been issued.
• The rules for the cumulative GPA recalculation apply to courses that a student has repeated at Prince Sultan University.
• The cumulative GPA should not exceed 2.00 (out of 4.00) after exclusion of certain grades and recalculation.
• To be awarded an academic degree from PSU, the student must have studied a minimum of 36 credit hours, including at least 18 credit hours in his/her major.
• The Admission and Registration Deanship has to thoroughly review all students’ records to ensure that all graduation requirements are satisfied.
• The Admission and Registration Deanship submits a report to the University Council by the end of each semester that includes the names of all students expected to graduate.
• The Admission and Registration Deanship submits a report to the University Council that includes the names of all students who have completed all graduation requirements and actually graduated.
• A graduating student must obtain a clearance form from the Student Affairs Deanship and have it signed by the following departments: Central Library, Security, Medical Center, Academic Major Department, Student Affairs, Admission and Registration Deanship, Accounting, and any other departments specified by the University administration.
• The Admission and Registration Deanship prepares and issues official documents and certificates for graduates and keep copies of them.
• The financial rules and regulations must be observed.
• Students who joined PSU in the academic years 1999, 2000, or 2001 are eligible to graduate when they earn a cumulative GPA of at least 1.5, in addition to all other requirements. The GPA recalculation rule is not applicable to these students.
• The general grade assigned to the cumulative GPA at the time of the student’s graduation is based on his/her cumulative GPA and calculated as follows:
1. Excellent—if the cumulative GPA is no less than 4.50 out of 5.00, or 3.50 out of 4.0.
2. Very good—if the cumulative GPA is 3.75 or higher but less than 4.50 (out of 5.00), or 2.75 or higher but less than 3.50 (out of 4.00)
3. Good—if the cumulative GPA is 2.75 or higher but less than 3.75 (out of 5.00), or 1.75 or higher but less than 2.75 (out of 4.00).
4. Pass—if the cumulative GPA is 2.00 or higher but less than 2.75 (out of 5.00), or 1.00 or higher but less than 1.75 (out of 4.00).
• First honors are granted to the student who has earned a cumulative GPA between 4.75 and 5.00 (out of 5.00) or between 3.75 and 4.00 (out of 4.00) at the time of his/her graduation. Second honors are granted to the student who has earned a cumulative GPA of 4.25 or higher but less than 4.75 (out of 5.00), or 3.25 or higher but less than 3.75 (out of 4.00) at the time of his/her graduation.
• The student who is eligible for first or second honors must also meet the following criteria:
1. He/She must not have failed any course completed at the University or any other university.
2. He/She must have completed all graduation requirements within a specified period, the maximum of which is the average of the maximum and minimum limits for completing his/her degree program.
3. He/She must have completed 60 percent or more of the graduation requirements at the university from which he/she is graduating.
• Third honors are granted at the time of graduation to the student who has earned a cumulative GPA of more than 3.00 (out of 4.00), and to whom the conditions for being awarded first or second honors do not apply. The student, however, must fulfill the terms of paragraphs (b) and (c) stated above.
• At the end of each semester, the Admission and Registration Deanship includes the names of distinguished students on the University distinction list on the basis of students’ semester GPAs and the quality points earned in that semester, as follows:
• First Distinction rank—semester GPA of 3.75–4.00; quality points of 60 or above.
• Second Distinction rank—semester GPA of 3.50–3.74; quality points of 56 or above.
• Third Distinction rank—semester GPA of 3.00–3.49; quality points of 48 or above.
• A student earns the rank of “Excellent” for an academic year if he/she is granted one of the distinction ranks in both the first and second semesters of the same year.

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Overview

PSU identifies research as a key result area (KRA) of its overall institutional performance as declared in its mission statement. It is considered to be an integral part of the educational process, a pathway to address the needs of the local community, and a potential contributor to the development of the local knowledge-based economy. Research is also regarded as a potential source of income for the institution.

Purpose

This policy provides a broad course of action for the development and implementation of research activity and management in the university.

Scope

Institution-wide

Definitions:

Unless otherwise stated, the following definitions shall apply for purposes of this policy:

1. Research:

   the conduct of systematic inquiry, experimentation, and knowledge sharing in which faculty members and students engage.

2. Funding:

   The provision by the university of financial and material provisions necessary to conduct a research project.

3. Research Grants Bylaws:

   A set of rules and procedures codified by the university to guide and regulate the processes of in-house funding of research projects and stipulate their expected deliverables.

4. Book-Authoring and Book-Translation Grants Bylaws:

   A set of rules and procedures codified by the university to guide and regulate the processes of in- house funding of book-authoring and book-translation projects.

5. College Research Committee (CRC):

   Chaired by the college dean and co-chaired by the College Research Director (CRD) and members representatives from all colleges totake charge of processing all college research activities.

6. College Research Director (CRD):

   Person in charge to follow up on all research related activities at the college level in direct collaboration with the college dean.

7. Research Labs Bylaws:

   A set of rules and procedures codified by the university to guide and regulate the processes of establishing and funding research labs and stipulate their expected deliverables.

8. Research Lab:

   is a group of researchers from diverse and integrated academic disciplines, which has sufficient research capabilities and experience to ensure the marketing and quality of research production and knowledge transfer

9. Research Group:

   A group of researchers formally recognized as one work team which conducts research projects in a certain field of inquiry.

10. Distinguished Research Incentives:

    Monetary rewards for faculty members who publish research papers in high-impact journals.

11. Research Excellence award:

    A monetary award of SR 25,000 along with formal honors conferred upon the PSU researcher with the most significant research output in a given calendar year. This award is divided into two sub awards; one for the Science and Engineering and the other for Humanities and Social Sciences.

12. Principal Investigator:

    A university faculty member who heads a team conducting a research project and manages the budget.

13. Co-Investigator:

    A faculty member, or an expert, who works with others on a research project under the leadership of a principal investigator.

14. Research Assistant:

    A person who helps in some functions of a research project without making any intellectual contribution.

15. Consultant:

    An expert who provides technical advice on some aspects of a research project.

16. Reviewer:

    An expert assigned to provide critical appraisal of a proposed or completed research project.

17. Institutional Review Board:

    PSU’s in-house research ethics committee which ensures that any PSU-affiliated research involving human or animal subjects is compliant with local and international codes and protocols on research ethics.

Policy
Funding:

Research Projects:
One of the major goals of Prince Sultan University is to promote academic research in the applied, technical, and theoretical domains of knowledge. The College invites proposals from its faculty members and passes them through a process by CRC. Proposals deemed feasible and of satisfactory scientific merit are awarded the necessary funds and subjected to a follow-up process. The process is guided by the Research Grants Bylaws. Faculty members are also encouraged to apply for research funding from external sources.

Research Groups:
To achieve strength in specific research fields, the university supports the establishment of focused research groups. Proposal for the creation of a research group is submitted by a group of faculty members to the concerned CRC and later the college council. The council recommendation is submitted to the RICC for approval. Once approved, the research group receives seed funding and appropriate physical space. The group’s output and feasibility will be periodically assessed. Groups showing sustainability and growth potential will be considered for upgrading into research centers, centers of excellence, or spinoff commercial entities.
The process is guided by the Research groups Bylaws.

Research Labs:
To achieve strength in specific research fields, the university supports the establishment of focused research groups. Proposal for the creation of a research lab is submitted by a group of faculty members to the concerned CRC and later the college council. The council recommendation is submitted to the RICC for approval. Once approved, the research lab receives seed funding and appropriate physical space. The lab’s output and feasibility will be periodically assessed. Labs showing sustainability and growth potential will be considered for upgrading into research centers, centers of excellence, or spin off commercial entities.
The process is guided by the Research labs Bylaws.

Expectations:
All faculty members who hold a doctorate degree are expected to engage in research activities and publish research papers. A major part of the annual evaluation of the performance of doctorate holders is allotted to research. Other faculty members (who do not hold a doctorate degree) are encouraged to participate in research activities and publishing.
Publishing in high-impact journals greatly enhance faculty members’ chances of retention at the university, in addition to making them eligible for the Distinguished Publications Incentives.

Ethics:
PSU requires its researchers to observe local and international research ethics standards and protocols when carrying out research projects that involve humans and animals. To this end, proposals for such projects must be submitted to PSU’s Institutional Review Board (registered at the National Committee of Medical and Bioethics) for review and approval.

Research Activities:
PSU is keen on promoting an active research-conducive environment and developing the skills of students and junior researchers. PSU holds a number of annual research forums. These scholarly gatherings can be discipline-specific or multi-disciplinary. These forums and international symposiums are designed by the Colleges specifically for undergraduate students to write research papers or prepare posters and present them to peers.

Research Commercialization:
It is in the context of advancement of research and community service that PSU supports and encourages efforts toward commercializing university research and bringing them to the public for the general benefit to the community and to the Kingdom. PSU encourages such commercial developments and applications while safeguarding the university and individual rights. Research program includes work done by faculty members during their association with PSU or work done with full or partial use of PSU resources. The inventor should receive forty percent (40 %) of the net royalty income. Joint inventors share in the 40% equally. Such shares will continue to be paid to the inventor even if his/her association with the university has ended. In case of death of the inventor, the royalty shares will be paid to the lawful heirs according to Saudi laws.

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Overview

Prince Sultan University’s strategic plan commits to working to ensure that the University’s faculty and staff are enabled to achieve their full potential and are appropriately rewarded for their contribution.

Purpose

The main purpose of the policy is to provide guidelines for Faculty Promotion.

Scope

This policy is for all faculty members with the appropriate academic rank who seek to be promoted to higher academic rank who seek to be promoted to a higher academic rank.

Definitions:

• Faculty: means a full-time teaching staff members.
• Assistant Professor: means a faculty member who has a Ph.D. from a recognized university.
• Associate Professor: means a faculty member who has a Ph.D. from a recognized university and was promoted to an Associate Professor rank by a recognized institution of higher education.
• Professor means a faculty member who has a Ph.D. from a recognized institution of higher education.

Policy

1. General Requirements: The requirements for promotion of faculty members are in accordance with the regulations set forth by the Ministry of Education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in its published booklet articles 21 through 37 inclusive. A Faculty member is evaluated for promotion based on the following three criteria:
   Academic Production.
   Teaching.
   Service to the university and society.
2. Assistant Professor: means a faculty member who has a Ph.D. from a recognized university.
3. Promotion to Associate Professor: : Candidates applying for promotion to the rank of Associate Professor should fulfill the following requirements:
   • At the time of promotion, the applicant should have no less than four years’ experience as an Assistant Professor at a recognized institution of higher education. At least one of those years of experience should be at Prince Sultan University.
   • The minimum academic production required shall be four research units (as described in section D below) published or accepted for publishing. Two of the research units at least should be from work in which the applicant is a single author constraint.
   • All academic production used for the sake of the promotion should have been published or accepted for publishing while the applicant was an Assistant Professor.
4. Promotion to Professor: Candidates applying for promotion to the rank of Full Professor should fulfill the following requirements:
• At the time of promotion, the applicant should have no less than four years’ experience as an Associate Professor at a recognized institution of higher education. At least one of those years of experience should be at Prince Sultan University.
• The minimum academic production required shall be six research units (as described in section D below) published or accepted for publishing. Three of the research units at least should be from work in which the applicant is a single author. Upon a recommendation from the academic board, the university board may decide not to be apply the single author condition.
• All academic productions used for the sake of the promotion should have been published or accepted for publishing while of the applicant was an Associate Professor.
5. Definition of Research Units: A research unit is a unit of measurement that is used to give weight to academic productions being considered for the purpose of promotion.
• One unit is earned for any academic production in which the applicant is a single author.
• Half a unit is earned for any academic production in which the applicant is one of two coauthors.
• Half a units is earned for any academic production co-authored by more than two persons provided the applicant is the first author.
• A quarter unit is earned for all other cases. The academic production submitted in support of an application for promotion shall not be extracted from a master’s or doctorate’s dissertation/ thesis. Nor should the academic production be extracted from academic productions used for pervious promotions. In case the applicant includes such academic productions in the application, the academic board shall ban the applicant from applying for promotion for one full academic year starting at the date of this decision.

6. Academic Productions:

   the types of acceptable academic productions for promoting a faculty member are according to Ministry of Education regulations:
• Published research or research accepted for publishing in recognized academic journals.
• Published research or research accepted at recognized academic conferences and symposia. Only one unit of this production shall be considered for the sake of promotion.
• Published research or research accepted for publishing by recognized university research centers or other academic organizations.
• Published or accepted for publishing textbooks and academic references. Only one unit of this production shall be considered for the sake of promotion.
• Refereed verification of rare books. Only one case of this activity shall be considered for the sake of promotion.
• Refereed translations of specialized academic books. Only one case of this activity shall be considered for the sake of promotion.
• Patents issued by recognized organizations.
• Any other production that is recognized as an innovative production. Only one unit of this production shall be considered for the sake of promotion.

List of recognized academic journals, academic conferences and symposia, university research centers, academic organizations, patent organizations are available from the University Research Center the University Council shall be the final judge on whether the refereeing mentioned in the above types is acceptable and whether an academic production can be considered as an innovative production.

7. The Application: The applicant should fill the form available on the University Website and submit it electronically to his Department Chair along with electronic copies of the following documents:
• Research statement describing the research done by the applicant so far as well as its importance. The applicant should also include his/her philosophy for research and their plan to implement this philosophy in the future.
• Teaching statement describing the teaching philosophy of the applicant. The applicant should discuss how he/she tried to fulfill that philosophy in their past teaching experience and how they are planning to fulfill it in the future.
• Community service statement describing services the applicant rendered to the university, society, and kingdom in general. The applicant should discuss his/her community service history and detail plans he/she has for future activities and directions.
• A description of the academic productions used for the sake of the promotion along with electronic copies (scanned originals accepted) of those academic productions.
• Referees that will review the application for promotion should be full Professors. In case of promotion to the rank of Associate Professor, it is accepted that a maximum of one referee be an Associate Professor.
8. The evaluation of the applicant's work Referees evaluating the application should give a grade for each component of the application as follows:
• A maximum of 60 (sixty) points should be awarded for evaluating academic production submitted as part of the application. A minimum of 35 is needed for promotion to Associate professor. A minimum of 40 is needed for promotion to Full professor.
• A maximum of 25 (twenty-five) points should be awarded for evaluating the teaching statement and teaching services and plans mentioned in the teaching statement as part of the application.
• A maximum of 15 (fifteen) points should be awarded for the community service and plans mentioned in the community service statement as part of the application. To be promoted, a faculty member must accumulate a minimum of 60 (sixty) points. Promotion to the rank of Associate Professor shall be decided by the majority of the three referees, while promotion to the rank of Professor shall be decided unanimously by the three referees. If two referees approve the application for promotion and the third referee disapproves it, the academic production shall be referred to a forth referee whose opinion shall be final.

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Overview

Prince Sultan University faculty members may participate in scientific conferences in accordance with the following policy.

Purpose

This policy provides guidelines for attending scientific conferences by faculty members.

Definitions:

• Scientific Conference: A place where researchers and scientists from various countries are gathered to discuss and exchange ideas about the results of their scientific findings.
• Faculty Member: All faculty members of Prince Sultan University with Master’s and PhD degrees.

Policy
General Requirements

• All faculty members, current and newly hired, are entitled to participate in a scientific conference related to their area of specialization.
• Requests for participating in scientific conferences held during the following periods: the first two weeks (registrations period), the last two weeks of the academic semester, or the final examination period shall not be accepted.
• A faculty member may only participate in two scientific conferences outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia each academic year.
• A faculty member may participate in refereed scientific conferences inside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia upon the recommendation of the department chair and college research committee and the approval of the College Dean without receiving monetary funding. The faculty member may, however, request funding in case he/she has not received funding for other conferences during the same academic year.
• The subject of the scientific conference should be pertinent to the specific specialization of the faculty member.
• Faculty member wishing to participate in the scientific conference must have a scientific paper / abstract accepted for presentation at the conference.
• There must be at least a three-month period between one scientific conference and the other.
• The faculty member must state his/her affiliation as a faculty member with Prince Sultan University in his/her paper or abstract. When the paper is published, an acknowledgment of Prince Sultan University’s monetary funding must be included.
• The faculty member must request participation at a reasonable time prior to the scientific conference.
• All requests to participate in refereed scientific conferences must be submitted by the faculty member to his/her department chair to be forwarded to the College Research Director, discussed at the College Research committee and forwarded to the College Dean for a final decision.
• A request to participate in a scientific conference must include the following documents:
  • A filled out “Request for Participating in Scientific Conferences” form accompanied by all required documents as specified in the form.
  • A form explaining the arrangements made concerning the faculty member’s classes during his absence and participation in the conference signed by the chairman of the department.
  • A copy of the final draft of the paper /abstract that will be presented at the scientific conference.
  • A letter from the conference’s supervising committee stating the acceptance of the paper and the name of the publisher if applicable.
  • An acceptance letter from the paper’s co-authors, if any, in which they agree for the author to present at the conference.
• As a condition for allowing him/her to attend any scientific conference later, the faculty member participating in a conference must submit a report to the head of his/her department no later than 30 days after his participation in the conference in the special form prepared for that purpose. A copy of this report must be submitted to the CRC.
• Once published, an original copy of the conference proceedings, if applicable, where the faculty member’s paper has been published must be submitted to the CRC.
• A teaching assistant can also participate in a conference, based on the mentioned guide, with the condition that he/she would be accompanied by the principle investigator for the research project.
• In case of applying for funding for conferences based on sole abstract review:
  • priority for funding will be given to faculty members with quality publications in the previous three years.
  • Special focus will be placed on the quality of research output from previously funded conferences, if applicable.
  • a copy of the funded conference’s full paper including acknowledgement of PSU-funding to be submitted to CRC after publication.
• When a faculty member is invited to a conference as a guest speaker:
  • If the invitation includes all relevant cost, then the dean can issue the leave request.
  • If the invitation covers the cost partially, then the dean, if funds are available, can issue the leave request and the college can contribute to some of the cost under “other related research activities” in the research regulations.

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Overview

Prince Sultan University faculty members may be getting funded for participating in scientific conferences in accordance with the following regulation.

Purpose

This policy provides guidelines for funding the attending scientific conferences by faculty members.

Policy

PROCESS

The conference attendance request must be processed by the CRC committee of the respective college. The CRC is the only committee responsible for the evaluation of the conference attendance requests. The conference attendance requests should be process in less than 10 working days to avoid delays to proceed with VISA requests and other travel arrangements. The roles of faculty member, CRD and RIC is presented in the RIC Website
http://ric.psu.edu.sa/apply-for-a-conference.php

QUALITY ASSESSMENT:

1. The conference quality must be verified and approved by the CRC.
2. The quality assessment process will be as follows:
   First, the conference rank should be checked using any of these two conference ranking websites.
http://portal.core.edu.au/conf-ranks/
http://www.conferenceranks.com/

• The highest rank of the conference will be considered.
• If the conference is ranked in any of these two websites (rank A, B), it is considered of eligible for full funding ( Category A (see below in categories)).
• If not, or if it belongs to any other discipline not covered by these two ranking websites, the relevance and the credibility of the conferences is evaluated by the CRC using the following evaluation grid

The total number of points is 30. The conference categories are defined as in the following Table.

CONFERENCE CATEGORIES

• Category A: Full funding (air tickets + accommodation + registration fees)
• Category B: air tickets and registration fees
• Category C: air tickets or registration fees
• Category D: No Funding
• Local Conferences: A faculty member may participate in refereed scientific conferences inside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia upon the recommendation of the department chair and college research committee and the approval of the College Dean without receiving monetary funding. The faculty member, may, however, request funding in case he/she has not received funding for other conferences, or if the conference is of high quality

ACCOMODATION and TRAVEL ALLOWANCE

500 SAR per day for the exact number of conference days plus one day before and one day after , as applied in the University policies. Example: if the conference

• spans over 3 days, the total accommodation granted is 2500 SAR.
• For the keynote speaker, the university provides at most air tickets (if partially sponsored by the organizer) and a maximum travel allowance of 500 SAR. For keynote speakers, the organizer has to provide at least the accommodation for the PSU faculty.

POSTERS, DEMOS, WORKSHOPS, ABSTRACT

• Posters/Demos/Workshops for scientific categories (not applied to humanities and social sciences) papers are also supported but at most with Category B. Exception of full sponsorship for posters and demos can be made for top quality conference (ranked as A class).
• Abstract proposals are supported only for humanities, social sciences, and DES deanship faculty members.

ADDITIONAL CRITERIA:

the conference must be within the research interest of the faculty, and the conference theme does not contradict with the social and Islamic values of the Kingdom.

INDEXING:

It is highly recommended that conferences are indexed in Scopus to help improving the ranking of the University. This is not a mandatory requirement, but highly recommended.

PLAGIRISM CHECK:

It is important to guarantee the authenticity and originality of every paper published by PSU, in particular in terms of plagiarism. The plagiarism level of every conference paper must be evaluated by the author and has to submit a plagiarism report. Any plagiarism level above 30% is considered very high and the paper cannot be considered for sponsorship by Prince Sultan University. As such, the CRC and College Dean need to check the plagiarism level of every paper accepted in a conference not to exceed 25% for self-similarity (reusing own text) and 15% of plagiarism (using other researchers ‘text). In any case, every text reused from other papers should be clearly quoted and referenced in the paper to its original owner. The authors should submit a plagiarism clearance to show that their research paper satisfies the requirement. Small sentences up to 10 word can be removed from the plagiarism check.

ATTENDANCE:

The PSU faculty author is given one day before and one day after the conference as a maximum, in addition to the conference days, for travel and attendance. It is imperative that the PSU faculty author coordinates with the concerned department chair to find an arrangement for his classes to be covered before he leaves, and name the faculty who will replace him during his absence.
- Every faculty has the right to attend one conference and one invited speech (if fully supported by the organizer) per semester, according to University rules

INIVITED KEYNOTE SPEAKERS RULES

• If a faculty is invited for a talk in a conference, then s/he is granted the right to participate if (1) the full fees are sponsored by the inviting organizers, not by PSU, (2) the conference is within the research interest of the faculty, (3) the conference theme does not contradict with the social and Islamic values of the Kingdom. The invited PSU faculty author is given one day before and one day after the conference, in addition to the conference days, for the travel and attendance.
• If the invited talk is partially sponsored by PSU and partially by organizers, the CRC decides based on the quality of the conference on the level of support to be provided to the invited faculty. In general, the faculty should be encouraged to participate if (1) the conference is within the research interest of the faculty, (2) the conference theme does not contradict with the social and Islamic values of the Kingdom.
• If the invited talk is fully sponsored by PSU, then it must go through the same process as accepted papers mentioned above.

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Overview

Buying any equipment to be used in research project is only justified when this equipment is deemed important for the project progress, it is not available in the campus and there is no other equipment available that can provide its intended mission. All special purpose equipment used in research projects must be shared by investigators according to the terms upon which the equipment was purchased and/or acquired.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is ensure that equipment purchased with funds obtained from a research grant are in accordance with PSU’s rules and regulations.

Scope

This policy is applicable for all faculty and administrative staff who have received funding through grants.

Definitions:

Research Equipment: Research equipment is an instrument used mainly for research purpose. This equipment may be purchased, borrowed or manufactured from component parts using Prince Sultan University laboratory facilities. Personal computers, printers and Software are not considered as research equipment unless solid evidence is provided to justify its need as a direct part of the research.

Policy

Individual Responsibilities

The duty of individuals in charge with managing the research equipment includes but is not limited to:

1. The Principal Investigator of the research is responsible for the proper use and proper maintenance of the research equipment. It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator to decide the needs of the research equipment and he starts the process of purchasing this apparatus if it is not available at Prince Sultan University.
2. It is the responsibility of the CRD at which the Principal Investigator belongs, to verify that research equipment in is accounted for and is optimally used as intended in the research.
3. The CRC will maintain inventory control of research equipment and assist in shared use of research equipment by keeping records of available items.

Shared Use Priorities

Equipment can be used by other projects in the college if such usage will not interfere with the purpose and the work on projects which the item was originally acquired for.

Purchasing Research Equipment

Once the need for research equipment is established, the Principal Investigator, PI must complete a “Research Equipment Procurement form” (obtained from the CRD).
The PI should submit up to three price quotes from three different sources. These documents are processed through CRC and forwarded to the RIC director for action.

Title to Research Equipment

Prince Sultan University retains the title to research equipment purchased with grant funds, funds independently generated by the University. The RIC is the entity responsible for processing the title to the equipment used in research.

Management of Research Equipment

Principal investigators are responsible for maintaining the research equipment and keeping custody of such equipment. It is the responsibility of the CRD at which the Principal Investigator belongs, to report any significant changes in the equipment use or physical location of the research equipment.

Shared Maintenance/Operating Costs

The cost of Maintenance and operating costs of shared equipment is shared by the parties using the equipment in proportion to the usage of the equipment.

Disposition of Research Equipment

Research equipment that becomes unserviceable, no longer needed by the principal investigator, or upon the termination of the research should be inventoried as belonging to the academic department/center/lab concerned.

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Overview

It is natural and expected that PSU members will create original copyrightable material during their course of work in the university. Copyrightable material comes in a variety of forms, including but not limited to: books, literally work, audiovisual works, graphic design, plays, software systems, hardware designs, pictorial work, …etc.
The original works created by PSU members may include patentable or commercializeable materials that require some support from the university. An important prerequisite for patenting and commercialization of works is deciding who owns the copyright for the created works.
Ownership of copyright to material gives the owner the exclusive rights to reproduce the material, derive other works based on it, distribute copies to the public, commercialize the work and perform or display the material publicly.

Purpose

The main purpose of this policy is to regulate and assign copyright to created works based on international best practices.

Scope:

This policy applies to:

1. All PSU members and visitors who have an official appointment at PSU
2. PSU members who are on a paid leave and create copyrightable material during such leaves

Policy:

Under the copyright policy, copyrightable works created by PSU members in the course of employment in PSU will be owned by the University.
In some circumstances, the university may opt to exempt some types of works and transfer copyright ownership to the creators of the work.
The following sections provide details for the categories and situations where PSU will claim or transfer copyright.

1. Authorship Rights:
• PSU differentiates between traditional scholarly works created in the context of normal academic activities, and those created with substantial support from the university (either financial or extensive use of resources)
• Where the university retains ownership for the copyright, it will acknowledge all creators with substantial contributions to the work.
• The university will do its best to license and commercialize all works under its copyright.
• The resulting revenue will be distributed between the creators and the university according to the commercialization scheme given in PSU Commercialization policy.
1. PSU Transfers Authorship Rights for Traditional Scholarly Works to Creators: Based on traditional practices in international universities, PSU transfers (declines to assert ownership) the copyright for scholarly work created by PSU members in the course of traditional academic activities.

Examples of Scholarly Works Created in the course of academic activities include:

• syllabi and other original materials created for use in a University course,
• books (including textbooks),
• other forms of textual material (whether in printed form or electronic media),
• software,
• architectural works,
• pictorial and graphic works,
• motion pictures, and sound recordings, which in each case are created as part of the regular academic and scholarly activities of a person covered by this Policy.

2. PSU Retains Copyright for Supported Authorship Works:

The University retains copyright ownership for authorship works that are supported by the university at levels beyond the normal use of resources. These include:

• Authorship works created with substantial use of University resources, including direct financial or the involvement of university staff and personnel beyond the level of common resources provided to faculty.
• Authorship works especially created or commissioned for use by the University;
• Authorship works created in the context of a funded project (based on the signed contract).
• Documents created by university administrators and officers as part of their duties and assignments.
• Ordinary use of resources such as the library, Office equipment, personal computers, University IT facilities, secretarial staff and supplies, is not considered to be substantial use of such resources

2. Materials Created in Conjunction with Inventions:
   All copyrightable material created in conjunction with inventions will be handled by PSU Patent Policy as part of the respective invention
3. Other Categories of Works:
   PSU will assert copyright ownership for the following categories of works
• Institutional publications, documents, manuals, reports, media productions College and Department productions prepared through collaborative efforts Courseware and course content created by colleges and departments in the context of degree or non-degree programs. "Courseware" is the set of tools and technologies used to present course content, and are independent of the content itself.
• Video and Media Recordings, but not the intellectual property of the content itself
• Software; if patentable or represents an invention, otherwise the university will not claim copyright.
• Consultation works: the university will not assert copyright for works resulting from outside consultation, if the member does not make substantial use of university resources. However, all PSU members should comply with the university consultation policy, the university conflict of interest policy and other related policies.
• Works produced by nonemployees: The category of nonemployees includes consultants, subcontractors, and similar interim visitors. The university asserts copyrights to the works prepared by nonemployees. In such cases, the ownership of copyright for the resulting works should be documented through a signed contact with respective parties
4. Disclosure of Copyrightable Works:
• Creators are required to disclose on time any copyrightable works in which the university may claim rights.
• The disclosure should include the context in which the works has been created, description of the university resources used, financial relationships with third parties that may have some effects on the university rights.

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Overview

The Research and Initiatives Center (RIC) submits this proposal to develop a system to involve university students (both postgraduate and undergraduate) in the work and research production in order to achieve the following objectives:

1. Contribute to achieve the goals of Prince Sultan University in research excellence, where scientific research is one of the most important pillars of excellence in university education.
2. Achieve the requirements of academic accreditation in developing effective strategies to support the research work of students and increase their involvement in the research production of the university.
3. Keeping up with the university’s tendency to increase the research output of its employees - including students - in quality and quantity.

The proposal includes three mechanisms:

First: Payment of publishing fees in refereed scientific journals:

1. Full payment of the publication fee if the student is the first author of the published research.
2. Payment of a percentage of the publishing fee if the student’s research is shared with other researchers outside the university. The percentage is determined by dividing the amount of fees by the number of authors and paying the percentage of the employees of Prince Sultan University.
3. To pay the publishing fee, the student must have listed the name of Prince Sultan University as his affiliation.
4. The payment of publication fees is required to be a scientific journal from a recognized scientific journal.

Second the reward of outstanding scientific publishing for students: Student can apply for the outstanding scientific publishing awards and will be awarded as the process for PSU faculty members, which provides payments of financial rewards for publication in journals classified in the Web of Science (ISI) or Scopus databases.

Third: Involvement of students in research work as research assistants:

1. Through this mechanism, students are allowed to engage in research work directly according to the following procedures:
2. The College Research Committee receives applications from students who wish to work as research assistants.
3. The Committee will coordinates between the students and those interested in recruiting research assistants to implement their research projects.
4. The student has the right to choose to work voluntarily or financially, so that the financial compensation is determined according to the payment mechanisms for students at the university or according to the offers provided by the beneficiaries

Forth: Conference Participation Students are allowed to participate in conferences in their related areas to present their accepted research papers, and they can submit their request to their department chair to take the same process as for faculty members’ requests for attending a conference, but the associated required funds for the conference for students requests will be processed by the RIC through the Rector office based on the availability of the funds and the recommendation of the concerned College Council

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Preamble

In order to promote quality research publications by faculty members at internationally acknowledged venues and enhance the University’s distinguished scientific status, the Research & Initiatives Center (RIC) hereby presents a proposal to pay financial incentives to the faculty members who publish research papers in scientific journals listed in high-ranking databases or produce high-quality patents.

Article I: Value of the incentives and benefits

1. SR 75,000 for publishing a research paper in Nature of Science Journal
2. SR 7,000 for publishing a research paper in a journal classified as Q1 in ISI web of science journal with impact factor, this directly excludes ESCI.
3. SR 6,000 for publishing a research paper in a journal classified as Q2 in ISI web of science journal with impact factor, this directly excludes ESCI.
4. SR 3,000 for publishing a research paper in a journal classified as Q3 in ISI web of science journal with impact factor, this directly excludes ESCI.
5. SR 2,000 for publishing a research paper in a journal classified as Q4 in ISI web of science journal with impact factor, this directly excludes ESCI.
6. SR 6,000 for publishing a research paper in a journal classified as Q1 in Scopus.
7. SR 4,000 for publishing a research paper in a journal classified as Q2 in Scopus.
8. SR 2,000 for publishing a research paper in a journal classified as Q3 in Scopus.
9. SR 1,000 for publishing a research paper in a journal classified as Q4 in Scopus.
10. SR 8,000 for USA, Japanese or European Patents Registration.
11. The researcher shall obtain a certificate of appreciation from the Rector of the university; the publication of his research will be announced in the university’s newspaper, website, and electronic screens.
12. The total financial incentives that the researcher will receive in return for his research output shall not exceed SR 50,000 per one calendar year.

Article II: Terms of applying for incentives

1. The applicant must be a faculty member at Prince Sultan University at the time of applying for incentives.
2. The researcher must publish one research paper or more in Nature, Science, or in a journal classified in (ISI) Web of Science, or Scopus.
3. The researcher must refer in the published paper or patent to Prince Sultan University as the researcher’s affiliation.
4. If the research is funded by a research grant from the university or is an out- come of one of the research groups at the university, the published research must refer to this, using the wording stipulated in the Research Grants By- laws, Research Group Bylaws and Research Lab Bylaws.
5. The published paper or patent must be registered in the Research and Initiatives Center database.
6. Incentives shall be granted for original and authentic research papers. No incentives shall be granted to any other publication such as case study, technical report, conference paper, or letter to the Editor.
7. Incentives shall be granted for patents with American registration. No incentives shall be granted to any other types of patents

Article III: Mechanism of applying for incentives

1. A faculty member provides a copy of the published research paper as it appears in the journal, and a record of the patent if applicable
2. The faculty member submits his/her application during the period of the call for Incentives as issued by the Research and Initiatives Center.

Article IV: Mechanism of paying incentives

1. The total incentives shall be granted to the individual researcher who publishes a research paper in one of the said journals or produce an American patent subject to the ceiling identified above.
2. If more than one researcher participates in the published paper or patent, the incentive amount shall be divided by the number of PSU researchers and only the researchers who belong to PSU shall get their share of the incentives after division.
3. Each research will not be granted more than one incentive even if it is listed in more than one journal or database.

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Overview

In accomplishing the vision and mission of the university, Community Service Center, which is part of Community Service and Continuing Education (CSCE) unit, was established in PSU to offer various programs to all segments of the society. Prince Sultan University (PSU) highly believes in providing quality education to its students equal to other reputable universities in the world.

Purpose

The purpose of the Community Service Policy is to promote personal, social and civic development of PSU students, faculty and staff. It also aims to provide PSU students with practical experience working with community-based organizations and individuals. Moreover, this policy could foster real-time experiential learning to leverage individual skills and expertise in a service capacity.

Scope

Community Services to 'Voluntary and non-profit activities or/and services conducted by the university in serving the external community, generating social, cultural and educational benefits to the society'. Voluntary and non-profit activities/services refer to any performing an action, without compensation, that benefits the needs of a community or helps address a societal problem. University can include PSU students, faculty and staff who are willing to take part in the relevant activities or services arranged by the Community Services Unit.

Social, cultural and educational benefits refers to activities or services or experiences that match the needs of our neighbors, as well as the skills and interests of student/faculty/staff volunteers. The benefits can be achieved through sustainable and reciprocal partnerships with local social service, governmental, educational and cultural agencies. External Community here refers to any group of people outside the internal stakeholders. It may be the immediate community around university, the province, or anywhere in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Policy

1. The activities or services designed or planned by any department of PSU colleges should be linked or related to the in the departmental or college strategic plan or action plan in achieving their vision and mission.
2. In planning the community services activities or services, policies and procedures at all levels within the university has to be taken into account. The department identifies the community services activities based on the enumerated criteria as stipulated by the college and CSCE. Upon the approval, the department proceeds with details planning and scheduling the activity.
3. Once the approval is received, the Department should allocates the resources required and faculty members or students or staff who will be participating in the activities. Priority should be given to the Community Services Committee of the department though others are also invited. Provision of activity will be by rotation to ensure the involvement of all faculty members. The impact of the output is evaluated and the activities will be reviewed regularly.
4. The Department will prepare the Community Services Report in each academic year. The report must be used to improve the processes by incorporating the best practices learned in the community engagement.
5. The student or faculty or staff can receive no monetary compensation or academic credit for the service.

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Overview

Prince Sultan University provides information technology resources to a large and varied group, including faculty, staff, students, and guests. All members of this community are responsible for using these resources in an effective, efficient, and ethical manner that does not interfere with the reasonable use by other community members. The ELC and ITCS work together to help facilitate and support the use of information technology at PSU.

Purpose

The ITTL Policy is to provide IT support for faculty members to become more effective and more efficient in their teaching. It is to encourage collaboration with students and faculty members to promote high quality educational experiences at Prince Sultan University via the use technology in the T&L cycle in line with the Learning Outcomes. The E-Learning Center (ELC) was developed to support, promote and encourage faculty and staff to apply technology in their day-to-day academic and administrative (tasks/responsibilities).

Scope

This policy applies to all courses offered by Prince Sultan University and to all faculty members, students, and others who use information technology on campus.

Policy

The faculty members are encouraged to effectively use learning technology tools to help enhance the teaching and learning experience. Innovation and creativity are strongly encouraged. Learning technology can include LMS, software programs, tech equipment, or digital videos.

e-Learning Environment Platform is to:
a. To support and enhance the use of the University’s electronic learning platforms.
b. To assist faculty in their use of the E-learning environment platforms to enhance the teaching and learning experience.
c. to enhance faculty and student experience using the e-learning platform.

The E-Learning Center and Teaching will support the advancement of technology usage in the classroom by supporting faculty with the following sessions:

• Providing the technological assistance to faculty in improving the course delivery and management (from smart boards up to LMS).
• Assessing the faculty needs in their teaching related to technology and provide up to date systems for improving learning outcome.
• Providing support and technological resources to enhance classroom experience.
• Training faculty and students on all relevant technologies.
• Providing technological support for collaboration and group learning.
• Providing and promote e-Learning systems.
• Providing resources to build multimedia course content and train faculty on the use of these resources.
• Providing resources and training to build online web-based course content.

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Purpose

This policy describes PSU policy about Unauthorized Use of the Information Technology services.

Scope

This policy covers all Unauthorized Use of PSU Information Technology services.

Policy

All Unauthorized Users are banned from utilizing PSU Information Technology services for any goal. Furthermore, authorized users are only allowed to use PSU Information Technology services without exceeding the individual authorized limits.

Enforcement

Unauthorized users can be perused legally to cover damages and/or legal and/or justifiable remedies. Unauthorized PSU users can receive disciplinary actions which may lead to employment termination.

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Purpose

For students, companies, vendors, auditing, and other purposes many external users need organization network access. For supporting them, the PSU ITC gives them the right to use its resources with compliance with the ITC Policies. These kind of users are authorized to a limited extent.

Scope

The scope of this policy is only PSU guests.

Policy

A Guest User is authorized to use PSU IT services with compliance with the ITC Policies and under a certain limit of authorization. The Guest User might be granted access to use computers in selected areas.

Enforcement

Any violation of this policy will make the subject susceptible disciplinary actions with the Enforcement section of the ITC Unauthorized Use Policy.

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Purpose

The policy addresses any confidential information that has been be developed or obtained by PSU faculty and staff.

Scope

Any authorized user who have access to any confidential information must maintain its confidentiality.

Policy

Confidential information should not be released, removed by any mean from the PSU premises. They should not be also copied or transmitted by anyone in the university. Any information that is stored on PSU IT resources is confidential. Authorized users cannot borrow or remove any computing or printing equipment, or related technology unless authorized to do so.

Enforcement

Any violation of this policy will result in considering the user to be an Unauthorized User, who is susceptible to disciplinary actions according to the Enforcement section of the ITC Unauthorized Use Policy.

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Purpose

This policy defines the proper use of IT resources. Unauthorized utilization of these resources might exposes PSU to numerous risks that include legal liability, virus and worms attacks, and the compromise of networked services and systems.

Scope

This policy applies to anyone who owns any computing device that is connected to the ITC network.

Policy

General Use and Ownership.

1. Any created data on ITC services is considered as the property of PSU. No guarantee whatsoever that the stored data on ITC services will be confidential.
2. Users are held responsible for their personal use of ITC services.
3. Any sensitive or vulnerable data should be encrypted. For any queries regarding encrypting documents or Emails, consult ITC Helpdesk.
4. Monitoring PSU network traffic is allowed to ITC staff with compliance with Information Security Procedure.
5. ITC reserves the right to maintain and audit systems and networks on a regular basis to comply with ITC Policies.

Security and Proprietary Information.

1. Users should clearly label their data as “confidential” or “not confidential,” as defined by ITC Organization Confidentiality Policy.
2. Users are accountable for maintaining the security of their accounts and passwords.
3. Users are responsible for signing out or locking out all systems and accounts when they are not being used; they must not be left unattended.
4. Users should be aware of possible attacks when opening e-mail attachments received from unknown senders that might comprise viruses, or Trojan horse codes

Enforcement

Any violation of this policy will result in considering the user to be an Unauthorized User, who is susceptible to disciplinary actions according to the Enforcement section of the ITC Unauthorized

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Purpose

This policy is intended to institute standards for granting, monitoring, and terminating physical access to ITC services and to protect ITC equipment from environmental factors.

Scope

This policy relates to all ITC facilities including but not limited to meeting rooms, presentation rooms, network closets, and the ITC Data and Operation Centers.

Policy

Environmental Safeguards

1. Air conditioning should be operational in ITC Data Center.
2. All ITC facilities should have adequate fire extinguishing devices. These devices should be inspected regularly.
3. Critical ITC resources must be connected to an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) to maintain steady power source to prevent spikes and brownouts, which might damage data and Hardware.
4. Electrical outlets should not be burdened with too many devices to insure practical usage of extension cords.

Physical Access

1. Physical access privileges to all ITC facilities must be issued, managed, and documented by ITC.
2. All ITC facilities should be physically protected.
3. Only authorized PSU staff and faculty members are allowed to access ITC facilities.
4. Granting fingerprint access to ITC facilities should be approved by CITO.
5. All ITC facilitates must be kept locked when not used to reduce the occurrence of unauthorized entry and access.

Enforcement

Any violation of this policy will make the subject susceptible disciplinary actions with the Enforcement section of the ITC Unauthorized Use Policy.

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Scope

This policy is intended for all ITC workstations either owned or operated by ITC or any department/center within PSU.

Policy

Ownership and Responsibilities

All ITC workstations at PSU are the responsibility of the department/center/faculty/staff that operate them. The standard configuration should be maintained, based on business needs. Any need for change in the configuration should be approved by ITC.

1. Workstations should be cataloged in the ITC inventory System. The following information is required to identify the point of contact:
   1. Phone Number and Email of the contact person
   2. Operating System and Hardware numbers
   3. The main purpose of the workstation
2. ITC inventory system information should be maintained and updated regularly.
3. Any changes to the configuration should be within the Change Management Policy documentation.

General Configuration Standards

1. Operating System configuration should not violate the Information Security Standards.
2. Only needed applicable services and applications should be activated and used.
3. Protected access to services is required through authorized access-control methods.
4. Regular security patches should be installed on the workstation.
5. When needed, a secure channel connection is used.

Monitoring

Any incident or potential violation of security should be reported immediately to ITC personnel, who will analyze the logs to determine the issue. Corrective actions will be taken to remedy the situation.

Compliance

1. Regular audits are implemented by ITC staff.
2. These regular audits are compliant with the Audit Policy documentation.
3. ITC will try its best to prevent these audits from causing any outage of its services operation.

Enforcement

Any violation of this policy will make the subject susceptible disciplinary actions with the Enforcement section of the ITC Unauthorized Use Policy.

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purpose

To describe the minimum required security configuration for all routers and switches connected to, or used by, the Organization Information Technology Network.

Scope

This policy relates to all network infrastructure devices connected to the Organization Information Technology Network.

Policy

The required configuration standards of every router are as follows:

1. No local user accounts should be configured to the router. The User Authentication Protocol for the router be via the Terminal Access Controller Access Control System (TACACS+).
2. The “enable” and “secret” passwords on the Router must be kept in a secure encrypted form. The Router must have the “enable” and “secret” passwords set to the current production Router passwords provided by the Information Technology Services department.
3. The following are prohibited:
   • IP directed broadcasts
   • Incoming packets at the Router sourced with invalid addresses (e.g. RFC1918 addresses)
   • TCP small Services
   • UDP small Services
   • All source Routing
   • All web Services running on Router
4. Organization standardized Simple Network Messaging Protocol (SNMP) community strings must be used.
5. Additional policy guidelines related to the Access Control List may be introduced by the Information Technology Services if needed.
6. The Router must be included in the Organization Security Management System with a designated point of contact.
7. Each Router must have the following statement posted in clear view: "UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO THIS NETWORK DEVICE IS PROHIBITED”. Users must have explicit permission from Organization’s Information Security to access or configure this device. All activities performed on this device may be logged, and violations of this policy may result in disciplinary action, including expulsion from the PSU or termination of employment , and may be reported to law enforcement. Authorized Users who utilize this device have no right to privacy.

Enforcement

Violation of this policy by an Authorized User will lead to their designation as Unauthorized User, and may be subject to disciplinary action based upon the Enforcement section of the Unauthorized Use Policy.

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purpose

To describe a systematic process for the documentation and management of any changes to the Organization Information Technology (OIT) Network to aid in effective planning by the OIT Services to efficiently serve the OIT user-base.

Scope

This policy applies to all Authorized Users that install, maintain, or operate OIT resources, including, but not limited to: computer Hardware, Software, and Networking devices.

Policy

• This policy applies to any changes to IT resources within the OIT Network. Such changes must be performed in line with the Organization’s Change Management Procedure.
• Modifications to the OIT Network computer-based environmental facilities (including, but not limited to, air-conditioning, water, heat, plumbing, electricity, and alarms), must be reported to or coordinated with the Information Technology Services department. A formal written request describing the any and all modifications must be submitted to the Information Technology Services department.
• All requests for scheduled or unscheduled changes must be submitted to the Change Management Committee (CMC) with supportive documentation.
• The CMC will review the requests and determine whether or not to permit or delay the request.
• A request for scheduled or unscheduled changes may be denied by the CMC for reasons which include, but are not limited to, the following: inadequate planning, inadequate reversion plans, negative impact of change timing on a key business process, or inadequate resource availability.
• Per the Change Management Procedure requirements, the following documentation must be performed for any scheduled or unscheduled changes:
  1. User notification must be completed
  2. A Change Review must be completed for each change to the OIT Network, regardless of whether the change is successful or not.

All changes must be documented within a Change Management Log which must contain (but is not limited to):

• Date of submission
• Requestor of change
• Date of change
• Implementer of change
• Nature of the change
• Results of the change

Enforcement

Violation of this policy by an Authorized User will lead to their designation as Unauthorized User, and may be subject to disciplinary action based upon the Enforcement section of the Unauthorized Use Policy.

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purpose

This policy is intended to protect ITC resources by requiring all PSU users to only run or install safe applications.

Approved Applications

PSU users are allowed to install and operate safe approved applications. If any PSU user wants to use an application, he/she should submit a request to ITC for approval before using it in any ITC computing devices. In case of any security problem, the user is held responsible and will be susceptible to disciplinary action.

Exceptions

There are some exceptions with regard to specific PSU staff who require specific applications that part of their jobs.

Enforcement

Any violation of this policy might lead to disciplinary action and up to dismissal.

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PSU’s ITC controls a firewall to improve security between the internet and the PSU network. It is key component of PSU IT security infrastructure.

purpose

A firewall is an essential component of securing an organizational network and its infrastructure.

It protects the infrastructure from external threats and for illegitimate usage of organizational resources.

This policy is designed to protect the PSU IT infrastructure from external threats.

Scope

The policy applies to all PSU ITC network users: employees, partners, systems, applications and networks.

Responsibilities

PSU ITC is responsible for implementing and maintaining the organization network perimeter firewall. However, all employees in an organization are responsible for information security on daily basis.

1. Operational Procedures
   • Only firewall administrators are allowed to logon to the firewall and make changes to the firewall access rules, software, hardware or configuration.
2. Configuration
   By default firewall will be configured to deny any service unless it is expressly permitted.
3. Audit and Compliance
   Regular tests of the firewall will be carried out. There must be an active auditing/logging mechanism.
4. Periodic Review of Firewall Security Policies
   Firewall security policies are to be reviewed continuously in order to be protect the infrastructure from any recent threats.
5. Policy and Procedures
   The Firewall permits the following for outbound and inbound Internet traffic:
   • Outbound- Allow ALL Internet traffic to hosts and services outside of PSU network with the exception of known security vulnerabilities. This allows anyone connected to the PSU Network to utilize all services on the Internet with the exception of known vulnerabilities.
   • Inbound- Only specific services which support PSU business mission will be allowed to be accessed from the Internet. The chart identifies the most common services used for Internet communications within the PSU network environment.

The following is a limited explanation for each column:

Server Functions and Services - This a listing of the most common Internet services used on the organization file servers to support the mission and business of the organization.

Organization Network to Internet - All traffic originating from organization computers to an external host has no firewall policies applied except for known security vulnerabilities which are described in the chart.

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Scope

This policy is applicable to user who has a PSU email address.

General Policy

PSU email should only be used for legitimate internal and external communications. Any personal use of the email should not involve solicitation, or private business trading or personal gain. Copyright regulations should be considered while using the email. Any communication using the PSU email is subject to the same policies governing other written communications.

Privacy and Access

• PSU email messages are not treated as personal/private correspondences. PSU users email can be accessed while complying with security policy for several reasons which may include:
  • a legitimate business purpose
  • to diagnose and resolve technical problems
  • to investigate possible misuse of e-mail
• e-mail messages might be accessed based upon legal actions.

Security

• E-mail security to avoid access by unauthorized individuals must be maintained by technical staff and email users
• Users must safeguard their passwords, and change their passwords regularly

Roles and Responsibilities

• PSU management will make sure that this policy is enforced by deans, chairs, and directors
• ITC is responsible for e-mail security, backup, and disaster recovery.
• PSU users are held responsible for adherence to this policy.

Proper Usage

All PSU e-mail users should:

• protect their email passwords
• respond to e-mails in a reasonable time
• delete any email messages that has offensive materials
• not use e-mail for personal reasons or business activities
• observe copyright restrictions
• not use e-mail for illicit reasons
• follow accepted email etiquette and be courteous in all correspondence
• not use the e-mail system to solicit for causes unrelated to PSU
• not knowingly send or receive e-mails which contain a virus

Policy Violations

Violation of this policy may be subject to disciplinary action, which may include termination of employment.

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The Computer Replacement Program (CRP) is a centralized management system of the computer resources within PSU established for the purpose of inventory control maintaining schedules and to ensure compatibility and standardization of the desktop computing services and environment.

Objectives/Goals of the CRP:

• Ensure that all PSU faculty and staff have access to a computer which provides the basic computing needs* required to perform their work responsibilities.
• I deleted this one because I think it is covered by the previous point
• Streamline the specification, acquisition, and deployment of new equipment and re-deployment or disposal of old equipment.
• Maintain a backup program to protect university data present on desktop computers.

In line with the CRP, the goals of the technology committee are as follows:

• Implement a budget which supports the provision of basic computing resources for PSU faculty and staff, which is separate from area budgets and year-end surplus and current fund contingency for the CRP.
• Ensure the minimum standards for computing resources are implemented and maintained in PSU in order to increase the supportability and compatibility with PSU’s installed base infrastructural equipment.
• Evaluate the CRP annually
• Review the technology plan with the (write complete words for ERTC) ERTC staff
• Make recommendations based upon institutional priorities and the information collected through audits, feedback from program participants, and external vendor and industry sources

* “Basic Computing Needs” include word processing, electronic messaging, Library access, Internet (web) access, spreadsheet, simple database, and basic institutional data access. Other specialized needs, such as secondary computers, advanced hardware, and other specialized needs must be funded from other funds.

Program Guidelines

CRP Process

In line with the goals of the CRP, it is expected that equipment will be replaced and / or upgraded once every two to four years. Minor adjustments to this timeline may be implemented subject to changes within the computer industry and system prices.

CRP Replacement Criteria

1. Advances in technology
2. Age of existing system and its ability to run current software/applications effciently.
3. The cut-off point for replacement of computers is determined by the hardware audit (an automatic service that runs when logging onto the network that records all hardware and software installed on the computer).
4. Cost of hardware upgrades (hardware upgrades may cost less than replacing the complete system and may be a determining factor in some situations).

In preparation for replacement of devices, the user should perform the following:

• Backup up files. It is crucial that all important or critical data files are backed up to a network drive or other reliable media (e.g. external memory drive, CD or DVD before the ERTC staff arrive to replace the computer. Files which are to remain within the computer should be saved in the My Documents folder.
• Know where their files are saved. Specialized files or custom configuration files should be located and saved to a backup location (e.g., the Internet Explorer bookmark file (bookmark.htm), an image used for Windows wallpaper, etc. )
• Gather up any non-standard software used. The user must supply the ERTC with the original media, along with a proof of purchase. For Shareware softwares, documentation must be supplied to prove shareware status (universities may be held liable for inability to provide evidence for legal satus of software).

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Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide the guidelines to ensure the equality of access of users to information resources in both PSU campuses.

Policy

Definitions

Policy Statement

Procedures

• Users search the OPAC; check the availability of required resource at their respective library. If the material is available at other campus library, a request is placed to obtain the material from other campus library.
• Circulation librarians at both the libraries process request, keep record, and receive and return material accordingly.
• The requested material is received by requesting library.
• Material is issued to the faculty or students who have originally placed the request.
• Users are provided help to access their required material hosted at the database subscribed by other library.

Applicability

This policy is applicable to Central Library staff, students, faculty and administrative staff.

Sanctions

Policy violations may cause the reason of appropriate actions of concerned library directors.

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Purpose

Standardized cataloguing and classification activities at Central Library provide a foundation to easy access and retrieval of library holdings. The purpose of this policy is to provide a framework to maintain a uniform standard of cataloging and classification at Central Library.

Policy

Definitions

Cataloging: In the libraries, cataloging is patron to enter the data correctly for easy and quick retrieval of the required material.

Original Cataloging: Original cataloging represents the preparation of bibliographic records from the scratch, without aid, help or pre-existing catalog record from OCLC. It is somewhat time overwhelming and requires working knowledge of library standards and tools like AACR 2nd rev. ed., MARC, RDA, DDC and LCSH.

Copy Cataloging: Adaptation of per-existing bibliographic record with modification or correction according to the requirements of the libraries. Copy cataloging is in practice at Central Library. Libraries are subscribing to OCLC in this regard.

Classification: In libraries, classification is a system of coding and to organize the library materials according to their class, subjects, topics and allocating a unique call number for the easy and quick access.

Policy Statement

Procedure

• Search first the PSU Library ILS, Symphony (via the Cataloging module). Is this item a duplicate? If yes, keep a note and set it aside for item maintenance (Add Item).
• If no, search OCLC or LC for the record that matches the item at hand. Check the author, title and physical description (300 fields for print or online edition). The most complete record is preferred and imported into the database.
• Check 020 (ISBN) for print or online edition of the item at hand before downloading the record.
• Check Ctry (country code) and Lang (language code) in the fixed fields. Make corrections if needed.
• Use the DDC system and OCLC cutter program for call numbers.
• Activation of RFID and attaching barcode to the item
• Perform the database maintenance for accurate bibliographic and authority records based on the current cataloging standards and procedures
• Shelve and sort books on stacks according to the DDC scheme,
  Summaries
  First Summary
  The Ten Main Classes
  • 000 Computer science, information & general works
  • 100 Philosophy & psychology
  • 200 Religion
  • 300 Social sciences 400 Language
  • 500 Science
  • 600 Technology
  • 700 Arts & recreation
  • 800 Literature
  • 900 History & geography

Applicability

This Policy is applicable to Central Library catalogers.

Sanctions

Cataloging and classification is considered very important task at libraries. It requires consistent adherence to cataloging rules. In case of violation of rules and policy, data should be correct as soon as indicated with the consent of Library directors.

Abbreviations

• AACR2: Anglo American cataloging rules revised 2nd edition.
• DDC: Dewey decimal classification.
• ER: Electronic resource.
• ID: Identification.
• ISBN: International Standard Book Number.
• ISSN: International Standard Serial Number.
• LCSHL: Library of congress subject headings list.
• LOC: Library of Congress.
• MARC: Machine-Readable Cataloging.
• OCLC: Online Computer Library Center.
• OPAC: Online Public Access Catalog.
• RFID: Radio Frequency Identification.

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Purpose

The purpose of circulation policy is to provide a list of guidelines to maintain standardized and an efficient circulation service.

Policy

Definitions

Policy Statement

Central Library provides circulation services to students, faculty, administrative staff and external visitors. Users can borrow the items of their interest from Central Library. Following are borrowing privileges of users to borrow the general books:

Note:

Borrowing rules of reference sources, print journals, textbooks, CDs/DVDs, coop-reports, thesis, and iPads are different. Please contact circulation section of the central library for more details.

Procedure

• Borrowing and returning books at Central Library are performed personally through self-check machines using the library provided card/barcode.
• Already issued books can be reserved using OPAC or visiting the libraries.
• PSU students, faculty and staff are ex-officio members of their respective libraries. They just need to visit their library to get their library barcode.
• Users are not allowed to share the library barcode with other users. They will be held responsible for any material borrowed on his/her card by other users.
• Before leaving the university, users are required to return borrowed books. The libraries will sign the clearance form only when all the borrowed items are returned to libraries.
• Teachers recommended textbooks are kept in reserve section and are available for borrowing for limited time.
• Long overdue items with high demand from users can be recalled.
• Before leaving the library building, users must ensure that the items are checked out properly. Users are responsible for any mistake in transactions on self-check machines.
• Central Library uses RFID technology for circulation and security of its holdings. Illegally taken items from libraries are identified at security gates.
• Following steps are needed for circulation of library material to external visitors:
  • Checking ID/residency card of visitor
  • Filling out the library visitor borrowing form
  • Depositing refundable amount of 1000 Saudi Riyals. The amount is taken as insurance and be deposited in accounts department
  • Creating user account in symphony ILS with ID number and name
  • Circulating the material
  • Circulation of library items using the self-check machine involve the following process:

    Check-out

    • Place the library barcode under the scan line.
    • Press ENTER
    • Place the book on gray square at self-check machine
    • Remove the book
    • Print receipt
    • Repeat the action for each book in case of multiple books Check-in
    • Place the book on gray square at self-check machine
    • Press CHECK-IN button
    • Remove the book
    • Print receipt
    • Put the book in the trolley beside the self-check machine

Applicability

Library staff, faculty, students, administrative staff and external visitors.

Sanctions:

Users are liable to return the borrowed items in due time. Borrowers will be held responsible for any damage or loss of books issued in their accounts.

Appendices

Appendix B: Library Visitor Borrowing Form

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Purpose

The main purpose of this policy is to provide PSU Central Library staff, and PSU community with a policy document, that describes the process and procedures of collection development and acquisition at Foreign Information Resources Management & Development Department at Central Library.

Policy

Definitions

• Collection development: Process of systematically building library collections to meet study, teaching, research, accreditation, and information needs of users.
• Information resources: Print information resources in library that provide information to library users.
• Faculty Liaison Committee Members: A faculty member from each academic department to help the library in materials selection process.
• Library budget: A financial statement of the estimated expenditures for a definite period of time.
• Library acquisition: Acquisition is a library department responsible for order, claims, receives, and request for payments of selected and approved library materials.

Policy Statement

The Central Library provides a balanced library collection in languages other than Arabic to its users satisfying their present and anticipated research and teaching needs. Library also acquires resources for non-credit courses where the materials may be used for leisure readings.

Procedures

Foreign Information Resources Management Librarian collaborates with faculty and staff regarding the selection and development of information resources aligned with areas of teaching, learning, research related with the curricular foci and university fields of concerns, through library faculty liaison committee, whose faculty members represent the varied academic spectrum of the programs offered at Prince Sultan University.

Various selection tools are available in print and online from publishers, booksellers and distributors, in addition to Central Library Information Resources Management and Development Department. Book recommendation form is available on library website; faculty members are advised to be in continuous contact with the information resources, available at the library, and with latest publications in their various fields of specialty and interest; this will lead to their recommendation to acquire updated editions of textbooks, and other significant information resources deemed to be significant and enriching to library resources in PSU academic specialties.

The Library Liaison Committee has an advisory role in collection development; however final decisions lie with the Director of Central Library. Members of Library Liaison Committee overlooking selections of information resources ensure that they match with the teaching and research needs of their respective programs/departments. The deans, chair persons and directors are authorized to recommend purchases.

Director of the Central Library authorizes the faculty recommendations before ordering.

Explanation

Collection management at PSU Central Library is viewed as a user service function, and is a joint effort of the Library and teaching faculty with the Central Library managing the process. Faculty members are encouraged to recommend and to request the acquisition of specific titles through faculty and departmental liaison arrangements. The University Library recognizes that liaison arrangement is the primary ingredient necessary for the successful development of its collections. While this policy statement enumerates library intentions and actions, cooperation between the Central Library and teaching faculty is seen as a precondition for accomplishing library collection development objectives. Every teaching faculty member is considered to be an integral part of the collection development team.

Building the library collection is a joint responsibility of the Foreign Information Resources Management Librarian and the members of Library Liaison Committee. Members of said committee give broad interpretation to their subject responsibilities as they build the collection, and work closely with each other to ensure that the research and teaching interests At PSU are supported adequately.

Faculty liaisons are an integral part of the Central Library collection development program. The tasks of the faculty liaisons committee member are two-fold: first to represent the interests of the department to the Library by informing the Foreign Information Resources Management Librarian of teaching and research developments at his department that affect the Central Library; and second, to represent the interests of the Central Library to the department by informing his colleagues of relevant developments in the Library,

PSU Central Library places an emphasis upon the development of “core” collections that support the undergraduate and postgraduate experience. Only by understanding fully both the nature of the curriculum supported and the research interests of a wide number of faculty and students, Foreign Information Resources Management Librarian can shape the collections in an effective configuration. Foreign Information Resources Management Librarian supports the instructional programs and scholarly research interests of the University by assessing areas of present strength and weakness in the collection, by consulting teaching faculty members for suggestions and advice, and by building the collections accordingly within existing collection development policy. Data related to demand (e.g. circulation reports), anticipated demand, and short-term speculation are utilized by the Foreign Information Resources Management Librarians when developing the collection. The aforementioned librarian is expected to maintain close communications with the teaching faculty and academic departments within their disciplines to ensure appropriateness of selected material and to prepare for departmental needs.

Individual Items (Criteria for Selection)

Criteria for selecting individual items may include:

• Relevance to academic, teaching, research and training needs of PSU
• Demand from PSU Central Library users
• Up-to-datedness
• Within scope of the Collection Development and Acquisition Policy (Foreign Print Collections)
• Contents are of special significance to PSU itself
• Physical condition or suitability (this may apply, for example, to audio-visual material)
• More than one copy (in special circumstances)
• Language
• Price

Material Types

Print Books

Monographs are acquired in support to the PSU approved curriculum as per the recommendations of Library Liaison Committee members.

Textbooks

List of recommended textbooks is provided to the book shop approved by the University Management. Students can purchase the textbooks directly from that book shop.
Three copies of recommended textbooks are made available at Central Library. Number of required copies may be acquired from approved book shop.

Audio/Visual Material

As per the recommendations of Faculty Liaison Committee members.

PSU Publications

The Library endeavors to collect PSU Publications in print and place those in the Central Library. Where publications are not supplied to the Central Library, the publication is not added to the collection.

PSU Affiliated Authors

Publications authored by PSU Faculty/Staff are added to the collection once have been identified and got approved.

PSU Approved Theses

Three print copies along with CD-ROMs of every PSU approved thesis are deposited in the Central Library. Received copies are kept/sent to:

1. One copy Central Library-Men Campus
2. One copy Central Library-Women Campus
3. One copy for King Fahad National Library

Access to the electronic version of a thesis is available through Central Library’s electronic repository of theses.

Gift/Donation Guidelines

The Central Library welcomes the donation of gifts to enrich its collections. The library decides the acceptance of gifts under the following guidelines;

1. Appropriateness of the gift to Central Library’s holdings
2. Physical condition of the material

The library may accept the gift as a whole or in a part.

Applicability

The services documented in this policy are aimed to fulfil the information, teaching and research needs of PSU faculty, staff and students. These service encompasse both the needs of the campus academic community and those of the wider scholarly and local communities. The collection development objectives, however, are focused primarily on the needs of the campus academic community.

Library staff, faculty, students and staff of PSU, Library vendors and suppliers have main concern with this policy.

Sanctions

Failure to abide by the Collection Development and Acquisition Policy may invite the intervention of the Library Director. The Director reviews the nature and extent of violation of the policy and determines the corrective measures.

Appendices

Appendix A: Book Recommendation Form

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Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines to use the computers and other associated equipment at Central Library.

Policy

Definitions

Policy Statement

Computers at Central Library can be used for searching online database, OPAC and other educational purposes. Computers at Libraries are shared resources and needs of other waiting users are taken into consideration. Necessary softwares are installed on library computers so that students may use these for preparation of their assignments and projects.

Below are general guidelines for acceptable use of computers.

• Use of internet and computers at Central Library is meant for academic purposes. Use of these computers for illegal and commercial purposes is forbidden.
• An activity that breaches the network security is not allowed.
• Users are expected to refrain from acts that obstruct the functioning of computers.
• Computers can be reserved for class assignments by respective teacher. A formal application to the Directors of Libraries is sent in this regard.
• Eatables are not allowed while using the computers at library.
• By respecting other users’ needs, students are expected to leave the computers as and when finish his/her work.
• Users are not allowed to install softwares on Library computers. Only authorized staff from ITC can do it.
• Users should avoid copyrights violations while using internet on library computers.

Procedure

To use the library computers, users are required to do the following:

• Entering PSU provided username and password. These credentials are the same that are used to check the PSU email.
• Use the computers for required purpose. Users may print out papers using networked printers at libraries.
• Users must log off before leaving the computers.

Applicability

Library staff, ITC staff, faculty, student and administrative staff at PSU.

Sanctions

Violation of policy guidelines may leads to verbal or written warning.

Disciplinary action may be taken in a serious violation.

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Purpose

The purpose of Document Delivery and Interlibrary Loan Policy is to provide guidelines to obtain materials not owned by Central Library to fulfill research, teaching and information needs of PSU community.

Policy

Definitions

Policy Statement

Central Library at both the campuses provides Document Delivery and Interlibrary Loan service to students, faculty and staff of PSU. The service is known as DD&ILL. The service is provided free of cost. Through DD&ILL, the libraries, delivers copies of books, journals, reports, research articles, conference papers, book chapters and other material not available at any of libraries.

Required material may include the material/sources available in Central Library holdings but is/are issued to other users, lost or missing.

Users are required to follow the local and international copyright laws and agreements. They are responsible for any kind of violations. Borrowers are responsible for returning books by due date.

Following are DD&ILL privileges.

Procedures

• Users are required to send their requests for DD&ILL to their respective libraries i.e. CL-MC or CL-CW.
• Requesters must search Central Library online catalog (OPAC) for print resources and subscribed databases for e-books and research papers prior to sending the DD&ILL request.
• Document Delivery and Interlibrary Loan requests for the material that is available at any of the Central Library are canceled.
• Users are notified on the receipt of material.
• Electronic material is delivered electronically through email.
• Print material is arranged to collect at circulation units of libraries.

Procedure

To use the library computers, users are required to do the following:

• Entering PSU provided username and password. These credentials are the same that are used to check the PSU email.
• Use the computers for required purpose. Users may print out papers using networked printers at libraries.
• Users must log off before leaving the computers.

Applicability

The Policy is applicable to staff of Central Library. DD&ILL policy is prepared to provide service to users, so faculty, students, alumni and administrative staff are also the indirect target audience of this policy.

Sanctions

Failure to abide by the policy may cause the reason of cancelation or review of the DD&ILL contract/agreements with cooperating libraries.

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Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to set guidelines to maintain the cleanliness in library to provide an attractive and conducive environment for study.

Policy

Definitions

Policy Statement

Central Library’s Food & Drinks Policy is intended to protect library’s materials, computer equipment, and furnishings, and to maintain a pleasant, clean, comfortable and inviting environment for users.

Procedure

• NO FOOD OR DRINK is allowed except WATER with the cap firmly intact on the bottle. We strongly encourage using sturdy and spill-proof containers for water.
• Water in open containers, mugs, glasses, or cups without lids is not permitted.
• Use utmost care when consuming water while using computers and other library materials.
• We encourage library users to consume food and drinks in the cafeterias, restaurants and vending areas.
• Immediately dispose of any trash into trash bin before you leave your place.
• Deliveries of food from restaurants and cafes to libraries are not permitted.
• Unattended food and drinks openly displayed on tables, study carrels and research rooms may be removed and discarded.
• Clean up any spills right away or report to the cleaner.

Applicability

Library staff, students, faculty, and administrative staff.

Sanctions

Users violating library regulations may be asked to leave the Library.

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Purpose

The main purpose of this policy is to provide with a policy document that outlines the general guidelines to provide reference services at Central Library. Another purpose of the policy is to devise a uniform standard of reference service at Central Library.

Policy

Definitions

Policy Statement

Reference service at the Central Library is an important element to support libraries’ defined objectives, vision and mission. Central Library provides high quality reference services to all PSU users. Library staff answers user queries, whether received through telephone, email, or in-person visit to reference counter.

Professional librarians having at least master degree in library science or related field during the opening hours of library provide the service. Users with disabilities are treated amiably, with dignity and respect.

Central Library orientation services are planned to develop user skills, to search, discover, evaluate, access, and use relevant print and electronic resources. Reference librarians at Central Library contribute to orientation activities by organizing orientation programs and preparing information literacy tools and guides.

Procedure

• Bibliographic Requests – Checking the availability of required material by searching OPAC and online subscribed databases, and physical library holdings on shelves.
• Ready Reference – Answering short questions using already available print and online reference sources.
• Standard Reference – Providing answers to queries that are time consuming and complex in nature.
• Bibliographic Instruction – Instructing library users to self-sufficiently use library resources, services and facilities, which include library OPAC, specialized reference sources, and online subscribed databases.
• Readers’ Advisory – Suggesting particular information sources to readers, based upon the knowledge of accessible print, AV and online resources.
• Referrals – Referring library user to other library unit, department/college, or to an appropriate professional. Reference Librarian may find it necessary or suitable to refer users to other sections, and units of the library whose staff possesses in-depth expertise or knowledge needed to fulfil user needs satisfactorily.
• Technology Instruction – Instructing users to use IT, equipment, online resources such as OPAC, subscribed databases, and MS Office etc. Users with complex questions that require in-depth and professional IT skills, and/or seeking help in using library’s IT infrastructure and equipment like scanners, self-check system, printers or photocopiers are referred to Systems Librarian.
• Help in Class Assignments: Reference librarian helps students and other users locating information and sources for their class assignments and projects. He is not supposed to do assignments and projects on student’s behalf.
• Non-PSU Users: Non-PSU users are welcomed at Central Library. Queries of PSU users are preferred over the users that are not affiliated with PSU in case the Reference Librarian receive queries from the both simultaneously.
• Legal Questions: Reference librarian can help users in finding the relevant legal materials. He is not required to explain the material, being not expert in the field.
• Medical Information or Advice:Librarian at reference desk is not authorized to provide medical information or advice to users, instead he can provide users with published information resources related to wellness, safety and physical fitness for reference.
• Learning Management System: Reference Librarian may provide basic help to the students accessing the LMS. Users may be referred to the respective teacher or ITC for technical and complex problems.
• Prioritizing the Queries: Services at reference desk are provided on first come first served bases when multiple users seeking for help. If the query of first user is time consuming, then users with briefer questions are served first.
• Low Use Periods: At low use periods, Reference Librarian may work on other tasks, do shelving and shelf reading, read professional and subject related literature for professional development and conduct subject related research.

Applicability

This policy is applicable to the staff of Central Library. As policy is prepared to provide service to users, so faculty, students, alumni and staff of PSU and non PSU users are also the indirect target audience of this policy.

Sanctions

Violation of this policy may be considered as deviation from library standards and procedures.