Task Force On Improving Arts & Humanities At KFUPM

2 AGENDA  Task Force Members  Task Force Charges  GER Components  GER Report Findings  Academic Committee Recommendations  Current GS and IAS Electives  Accomplishments  Task Force Recommendations

3 Task Force Team  Dr. Ibrahim Al-Jabri, Leader  Dr. Eid Al-Shammari, Member  Dr. Khudair Al-Khudair, Member  Dr. Hocine Bahlouli, Member

4 Charges of the Task Force  Update report on GER submitted to VRAA.  Identify accomplishments made.  Recommend options for adding 2 GS courses in the curricula as recommended by Academic Committee.

5 GER Components Identified in the Report  Math and Sciences –Mathematical Sciences –Quantitative Reasoning –Natural Sciences –Science, Technology and Society  Critical thinking  Computer Literacy  Communication Skills (Arabic and English) –Written Communication –Oral Communication –Visual & Electronic Communication  Religion and Humanities –Islamic Studies –Ethics  Social Sciences –Human behavior –Social, cultural, and political processes  Attitudes and skills for healthy life –Physical Education

6 Report Findings After updating the GER report, the Task Force found the following:  There are variations in the GERs from department to department.  There is no well defined understanding of GER components in all departments.  Almost anything that is not part of the core/concentration requirements is considered GERs.  There is inadequate coverage of the human behavior. Arts and Humanities are almost absent: history of civilizations, economic developments, industrial revolution, philosophy, linguistics, …  There is insufficient coverage of the social, cultural, and political processes. A lack of social sciences ( psychology and sociology) in our GER curriculum.

7 Academic Committee Recommendations The Academic Committee discussed the GER report and made the following recommendations:  The report recommendations should be made available to departments to see what GERs exist and what need to be implemented.  Departments should revise their curricula so that the degree plan has room for more GS courses (2 courses) to satisfy GERs in Social Science and Human behavior.  Faculty with special skills for the recommended courses should be hired.

8 Current GS Electives  The University offers some of the following GS courses: –GS 200: Info Searching Skills –GS 221: Industrial Sociology & Production –GS 321: Principles of Human Behavior –GS 423: International Relations –GS 424: Planning & Social Development –GS 427: Man & Environment

9 Current IAS Electives  The University offers some of the following IAS courses:  IAS 411: Contemporary Islamic World  IAS 416: As-Sirah An-Nabawiyyah  IAS 418: Contemporary Financial Transactions in Islam  IAS 419: Inimitability of Al-Quran

10 KFUPM Accomplishments to Improve GERs  Opening a new GS Department  Appointment of a Chairman for the Department  Introducing two IAS course: –IAS 212: Professional Ethics. –IAS 322: Human Rights in Islam  Transforming two IAS courses: –IAS 201: Writing for Professional Needs –IAS 301: Oral Communication Skills  Searching for hiring more GS faculty members.

11 Task Force Recommendation  There must be a common GER courses for all colleges. (i.e. University Requirements).  Departments may add relevant GER courses as seen fit for their students.  A full revision of the present IAS credit-hour requirements is very much needed.  We should speed up building our capacity in the new GS department to take care of the shortcoming in the GERs.

12 Task Force Recommendation (cont’d)  In order to make up for the addition of 2 GS courses (6 Credit Hours) recommended by the Academic Committee, the Task Force recommends the following options:

13 Task Force Recommendation (cont’d)  Option #1: –Reduce the IAS credits from 14 to 8.  Option #2: –Reduce the IAS credits from 14 to 10. –Reduce the COOP credits from 9 to 6.  Option #3: –Reduce the IAS credits from 14 to 10. –Reduce the Major credits by at least 2.

14 TF Recommendation (cont’d)  The Task Force recommends adopting option #1 for the following reasons: –The IAS and GS courses are part of the GERs. –Some IAS courses have little benefit compared to potential GS courses. (e.g. IAS 101 and IAS 111 syllabi contain material to which students have been exposed in the high school).

15 Q & A