Orientation Program for Students of Colleges and Health Tracks at Imam Abdurrahman bin Faisal University - Academic Year 1444 AH
Imam Abdurrahman bin Faisal University, represented by the Deanship of the Preparatory Year and Supporting Studies, pays unlimited attention to preparing students enrolled in various college tracks. It enjoys the direct care and attention of His Excellency the President of the University, Prof. Abdullah bin Muhammad Al-Rubaish, may Allah (SWT) protect him, as the transition from the basic education stage to the university stage represents a great challenge for many students. Hence comes the importance of the orientation program to help students to overcome their hurdles and integrate into university life in a harmonious manner.
The first phase of this program is put into effect through electronic communication with students: The Deanship of the Preparatory Year and Supporting Studies launched an electronic preparation program at the end of the month of Dhu al-Qa’dah, 1443 AH. This program efficiently uses the various electronic means of communication available through the e-pages on the website of the Deanship. It provides guides for the Deanship and the University as well as a bank for the most common questions and answers. At this stage also, all social media are made use of such as the account for the orientation program on the Deanship’s page, its Twitter and Facebook accounts as well as text messages and emails in order to communicate with students for their placement tests and their proper preparation before undergoing the direct preparation program.
Here we refer to the placement tests in English and Mathematics courses that coincide with the orientation program. The Deanship of the Preparatory Year and Supporting Studies held English language tests in cooperation with the National Center for Measurement. Over the course of four days, 1,310 male and 2170 female students were tested.
These tests strive to diagnose students’ level in the English language course to provide them with the appropriate courses that suit their level and allow them to reach one advanced level that meets their academic needs to study and communicate in English with the required fluency by the end of the academic year.
The mathematics placement test is carried out by the Basic Sciences Department at the Deanship of the Preparatory Year and Supporting Studies. More than 900 male and 600 female students were tested to determine their level in the mathematics course in preparation for their enrollment at the appropriate levels that improve their academic abilities. This is followed by the stage of direct preparation for students, which is held during the first week of the month of Safar/ 1444 AH, in which more than 2,000 male and 4500 female students participate. It is one of the most important stages of the orientation program because it aims to hold direct meetings between students and various university officials, including academics and administrators.
These meetings include three main axes. The first axis includes meetings to familiarize students with the university rules and regulations, the study system, the e-services, learning resources, academic supervision, course registration, the quality system, and students’ activities at the Deanship. The second axis includes meetings to introduce students to the university’s admission and registration mechanisms, student activities and clubs, university accommodation, as well as security and safety procedures. The third axis highlights the different colleges’ meetings with their respective deans and academic affairs representatives. They are intended to present the various disciplines at the college, the different programs for those majors, the nature of the study, and the future job opportunities for its graduates
Finally, after more than ten weeks of perseverance and unceasing work, we pray to Allah (SWT) that these blessed efforts will benefit our students at Imam Abdul Rahman bin Faisal University. Indeed, our students are the treasure of our nation and the pillars of its renaissance and development under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and his trusted Crown Prince, may Allah (SWT) protect them both.
