Improve Learning Outcomes” by Al-Farabi College
“Success partners for the Tamayouz journey” was the main title of the virtual meeting organized by Al-Farabi College of Dentistry and Nursing in Jeddah, represented by the Dean of the College, Prof. Dr. Ali bin Habib Allah Akbar, the faculty’s vice presidents and representatives of the Quality and Development Unit at the college on Wednesday, December 15, 2020, The meeting was held in the presence of a distinguished elite of decision-makers in the vital sectors of the dental and nursing specialties, and with the participation of the deans of Al-Farabi Faculties in Riyadh, the deans of the College of Dentistry and Nursing at King Abdulaziz University, the National Guard and collaborators from all the contributing sectors, the college’s employees, representatives of students and graduates, and representatives. On behalf of parents to seek their opinions in preparation for drawing a road map for change towards improving the academic outputs of Al-Farabi College graduates and alumni. The meeting was initiated by His Excellency the Dean of Al-Farabi College in Jeddah, Mr. Dr. Ali Habib Allah Akbar affirming the need to strive for change for the better at all levels, updating curricula and educational plans is the means to achieve the desired goal, recognizing the weakness of the outputs and the presence of observations, which is only the real beginning of change and the main point of the launch towards the path of excellence. His Excellency also indicated that in a previous meeting with His Excellency the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Vision Colleges for Education Company A. Othman Al-Zoman emphasized that one of the most important goals is to ensure the importance of quality and to produce a safe and appropriate health practitioner in the work environment.
Dr. Rizana Bukhari, coordinator of the Academic Accreditation Committee and Head of the Dental Reform Department at the College, included her voice with His Excellency the Dean, stressing that the basic nucleus of change begins with improving the curricula and methods of education and working to distinct educational outputs commensurate with the needs of the labor market with the participation of decision makers and their opinion polls. On how to achieve the distinguished director and what are the most important programs and initiatives that are required to be implemented on the ground, and to urge graduates to seek them to achieve the vision of the Kingdom.
The consultant for curriculum development and education quality, Dr. Shurooq Hassan Aqubad led the meeting and explained the importance of exploring the basic features of future graduates and how to prepare distinguished Saudi cadres and their suitability to engage in the labor market and their ability to face future challenges and changes positively to contribute to the national renaissance in fulfillment of the Kingdom''s 2030 vision.
His Excellency Prof. Sulaiman Al-Omran, Deputy Amish, a cooperation agreement between the Saudi Orthodontic Society, the College of Dentistry, and the University Dental Hospital, formerly of the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, and a professor at King Saud University and founder of the Saudi Orthodontic Society and the Saudi Board of Orthodontics that the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties conducted a study In 2018 for the workforce, it became clear from its results that there is a need to graduate dentists until the year 2027 AD, for the governmental and private sectors. No less important than other disciplines.
His Excellency the Director of the Dental Department at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Saud Orfali referred to the reasons for the recent occurrence of unemployment in dentistry in the Kingdom and to recall the state’s keenness to provide jobs for graduates of dental and nursing programs, and that a royal decree was issued with several recommendations to increase employment opportunities in dentistry and make the necessary preparations for that.
The Dean of the College of Dentistry at the Founder University, Prof. Dr. Abdul-Ghani Mirra, expressed his happiness at participating in the meeting of the success partners of Al-Farabi College, saying that preparing dental graduates in particular is a concern of all of us, especially in the deans committee of dentistry in the Kingdom, which was keen to contribute Effectively in improving and preparing dental graduates from all colleges of dentistry in the Kingdom, by holding many meetings and holding workshops for strategic plans in the interest of the graduate and creating suitable job opportunities for them in cooperation with the Saudi Dental Association and the Saudi Commission for Specializations Health Ministry, stressing the same endeavors with regard to nursing, as the convergence of goals between King Abdulaziz University and the College, in addition to other platforms, and participation in the industry of distinguished graduates is only one of the strongest positive indicators of success.
His Excellency Dr. Muhammad Al-Harthy, representative of the Saudi Dental Association and a faculty member at Umm Al-Qura University, that we urgently need strategic planning, and that this meeting is a distinct and unique initiative and is considered the first of its kind, and it is only the beginning of mapping the college towards the future and what must be done to reach the aspirations. His Excellency Dr. Muhammad Al-Harthi said that one of the goals of the Kingdom''s Vision 2030 is the path for economic and development work in general and reliance on the knowledge economy in particular, and that the prosperity of education and the development of societies stems from universities and colleges in the public and private sectors, and that the most important characteristic that future graduates need from the point of view His view is to develop and enhance skills and spread the culture of entrepreneurship. And he stressed the need to reform the educational outcomes so that they fit this goal and work to achieve it. He also mentioned the importance of developing all other aspects, such as developing faculty members and the educational environment.
On the other side of the meeting, codified electronic questionnaires were available to the participants to contribute their opinions to know the basic features that future graduates need, the real wealth that we rely on a lot in the renaissance of the homelands, commenting on that student representative, future doctor Khaled Al-Barqi, as he indicated the need for a shift from the concentration of education from teacher to student. And activate self-learning and interactive learning to make the process more fun and effective.
In conclusion, His Excellency commented. Adel Al-Ajlan, Executive Vice President of Vision Colleges for Education, quotes “If it does not progress, it will become outdated” and that development is a joint responsibility and an urgent need in all fields, especially in the field of education, which is the most important tributary to contributing to the renaissance of the nation.
