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outcomes are met . The process must be periodically evaluated to ensure that it is meeting its objectives.

Achieving excellence in teaching and learning is the major focus area of the department. In order to achieve this goal, evaluation and process control of teaching and learning are conducted regularly. Moreover, the department emphasizes improvement in the method of instruction by recommending the instructors to utilize the current modern technologies such as multimedia, audio-visual facility, computer animations, and models. In addition, teaching effectiveness is enhanced by encouraging faculty members to attend relevant short courses, workshops, and seminars.

The processes and procedures used to ensure that teaching and delivery of course material are effective and focuses on students learning, are conducted through implementing the following practices:

(i) Chairman role

At the beginning of each academic year, the Chairman appoints a committee to prepare the teaching assignment and course schedule for the following two semesters. At the beginning of each semester, he approves the proposed faculty teaching assignments after making the necessary adjustments. Furthermore, in order to run the teaching process smoothly and ensure that the various teaching functions are conducted with the required standard and quality, he appoints coordinators to be in charge of these functions. The appointed coordinators are: course coordinators for multiple-section courses, coop program coordinator, summer training coordinator, and senior design coordinator, seminar coordinator, and homework/exam coordinator. Moreover, he appoints directors for the teaching and research laboratories, and graders for homework assignment, and advisors for all the students in the program, in addition to the department standing committees. The teaching load of each faculty member is carefully selected to account for other assigned administrative tasks. The clear link between teaching activities and faculty teaching evaluations by students provides an effective mean to adjust the teaching assignment monitor and improve teaching quality. Before approving the final grades, the Chairman reviews and discusses the course files with each instructor to ensure that the course material is fully covered and the final grades of the students are aligned with their performance.

The result of grade point average of each course is closely analyzed and compared with established averages of the course and instructor performance for improvement guidance in teaching assignment.

(ii) Teaching assignment

Each semester faculty teaching assignment and course schedule are prepared by the Teaching Assignment Committee and forwarded to the Chairman for approval and implementation.

Usually instructors are carefully assigned to courses in which they have experience, knowledge and strength. The committee decides which courses to be offered, elective courses based on the student needs in each area, number of sections for each course in accordance with the number of students in each level and their needs. Number of students per section is limited to 25 in lectures and 15 in laboratory sessions. The teaching assignment is made in accordance with the input provided by the faculty members regarding their preferences in teaching.

(iii) Course coordination

The Chairman selects a faculty member to act as a course coordinator for each multi-section course. Experienced, competent faculty members with excellent teaching record are usually selected as course coordinators. The duty of the course coordinator/instructor ensures that:

• All the topics of the course syllabus are included uniformly in the course teaching coverage material.

• Instructional materials are selected based on quality and appropriateness to the course objectives and assigned textbook.

• Grading scheme is prepared and followed by all instructors teaching the same course.

• Multiple means for evaluating and measuring student progress are used.

• Student progress and areas for improvement are discussed by the instructors.

• Enforcement of the University regulations and policies regarding attendance and absences.

• Emphasizing the use of computer applications and introducing design oriented problems.

(iv) Laboratory coordination

Every semester, the Chairman appoints coordinators for multi laboratory sessions. The duties of the coordinators are to ensure that :

• All assigned experiments in the syllabus are to be conduced as scheduled.

• The experiments are streamlined with course lectures.

• Grades of students' reports are submitted to respective instructors.

• Experiments handouts are well prepared and readily available.

• Experimental setups and facilities are properly arranged.

• Preparation of the laboratory course file at the end of the semester

(v) Instructors

Instructors are required to prepare a course file for each course they teach and submit it to the Chairman on the completion of the course. The course content is reviewed and updated to reflect new development and advances of the detailed course syllabus approved by the department.

Teaching performance evaluations results are used to serve and guide instructors to enhance their teaching proficiency. Instructors are advised to consult the course files and make use of them to improve the quality of teaching. Moreover use of multimedia and computer applications is valued to improve the quality of instruction delivery.

(vi) Course files

The course files contains the documentation of course syllabus, students names and their grades, copies of all quizzes and exams, homework assignments, copies of term projects, copies of the highest, average, and lowest graded final exams, grader evaluation, and instructor report. The course files are kept in the department as a reference.

(vii) Coop coordinator

All the records of student participating in coop program and their progress are handled and documented by the coop coordinator. The coordinator ensures that all the coop requirements have been satisfied before he assigns the coop grades of the students. He processes the progress reports and company evaluations of the students and arranges for the students oral presentations and examining committees.

(viii)Summer training coordinator

All the records of student participating in summer training program and their progress are handled and documented by the summer training coordinator. The coordinator ensures that all

the summer training requirements have been satisfied before he assigns the grades of the students. The process of evaluating the students' final reports is arranged by him.

(ix) Homework/Exam coordinator

To avoid examination time conflicts of the offered courses, particularly of the mid term examinations, the homework/exam coordinator prepares a conflict-free schedule of all the midterm examinations. The prepared schedule improved student performance in examinations by minimizing the possibility of having two mid term examinations in same day for every student.

The coordinator also conducts at the end of each semester the evaluations of the course graders.

Each grader receives the results of his evaluations and a copy of the evaluation is sent to the Chairman. This activity ensures the quality of grading.

(x) Seminar coordinator

In order to complement and enrich the teaching atmosphere and update the knowledge of faculty members, seminars are conducted approximately every week in the department. Seminars are presented by faculty members and invited speakers from industry and other academic institutions.

(xi) Senior design coordinator

The senior design coordinator assigns the topics of the senior design projects proposed by faculty members to the students every semester. All the record of the students and their progress are handled by him. The coordinator ensures that all the senior design project requirements have been satisfied before he reports the grades of the students. He arranges the schedule of the students' oral presentations and examining committees.

(xii) Students’ supervision

Every student has an academic advisor. The role of the advisor is to assist his advisees in selecting the courses according to their degree plans, and monitoring their learning performance in courses through the midterm warning grades and final grades. In addition, a Student Affairs Committee is appointed every academic year to closely monitor the performances of ME students on probation and tries to advice, help, and encourage them to improve their academic

status. The committee works in close cooperation with the student advisor. Students who are in need of extra help are identified every semester.

(xiii) Teaching record

A record-keeping system for faculty teaching performance evaluations, course files, and student feedback is maintained in the department to guide and assist with short- and long range planning, modification and improving teaching and learning process.

(xiv) Curriculum and course syllabus

From the instructor's input, students' feedback and course files, the Chairman verifies that the contents and objectives of the actual teaching experience are aligned with the syllabi of the courses. Each instructor distributes to his class a copy of the detailed syllabus which contains the course title, textbook, reference books, sequential coverage of the material lecture by lecture, schedule of examinations, grading scheme, attendance policy and other important information.

(xv) Office hours

Faculty members are requested to allocate a significant amount of time for teaching and meeting their students and advisees. A minimum of 5 hours weekly are scheduled at times convenient to students, distributed over the days of the week. The schedule of the office hours is posted at the instructor's office and a copy is provided to the department.

(xvi) Examinations and grade

Generally, student performance in courses are evaluated by a combination of oral and written examinations, seminars, term projects, homework assignments, laboratory or field work, and final exams depending on the nature of the course. All the examinations, except the finals, are scheduled by the instructors themselves. The final examinations are mandatory for all courses and scheduled by the Deanship of Admission and Registration. The duration of the written final examinations are between one and three hours.

(xvii) Textbooks

The adopted text books for teaching are frequently evaluated by the course coordinators and instructors. Proposed new text books either as a replacement for an existing one or as a new addition for a course are first evaluated by the Text Book Committee and recommended by the Department Council before the obtaining the University approval.

This process has never been evaluated before.

Standard 5-5: The process that ensures that graduates have completed the requirements of