VII. Strategic Area 4: Students

Objective 1: Improve Student Involvement

Initiative 2022-2027

2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

Actions by Initiatives

Automate SCA students’ related Processes

• Identify processes that need to be automated in collaboration with DSA/DAR or initiated by SCA.

• Devise a plan with a timeline to automate the identified processes.

• Implement the automation plan.

• Measure the satisfaction of students.

Revise Student clubs and activities

KPIs Responsibility

• Number of clubs and students associations per year fulfilling IQRA value

• Number of sport activities fulfilling IQRA value in which CA students participated

• Number of community service hours completed per student (volunteering) fulfilling IQRA value.

• Percentage of students participating in activities fulfilling IQRA value out of the total of CA students’ body.

• Ensure the utilization of the automated processes

Improve Quality of Student’s Experience

• Review and recommend updating co-curricular and extracurricular programs and activities serving SCA (Student Success Programs)

• Revise the Academic incentives for co-curricular and extracurricular programs and activities.

• Improve Student Services

Enhance student role in governance

Actions by Initiatives

• Revise Student Clubs and Activities

• Percentage of identified CA governing bodies with student involvement Satisfaction rate of students’ activities.

LEAD: DEPT CHAIR

OTHERS: DEAN SA/ STUDENTS COUNCIL

• Promote and support learning activities beyond the classroom (such as field trips, site visits, hosting guest speakers, workshops, students’ seminars, etc.).

• Enhance academic services (admission, registration, advising, orientation, grievances and appeals, graduate audit, scholarship, graduation ceremony).

• Improve campus wide services (food services, technology, printing services, housekeeping services, etc.).

• Plan, design, and implement Campus Life student counseling and wellbeing services.

Encourage Students to Become Future Entrepreneurs

• Cultivate entrepreneurship culture within the SCA by focusing on the activities geared towards entrepreneurship.

• Create opportunities for students to participate in social entrepreneurship contests.

• Develop partnerships with community entities that could support or finance SCA students’ start-ups

LEAD: CHAIR

OTHERS: STUDENTS COUNCIL

Objective 3: Develop International Student Mobility

Initiative 2022-2027

Establish opportunities for outgoing student mobility

• Broaden the range of clubs and students’ organizations to help students build unique set of skills

• Support sports activities by conducting intercollegiate, intermural and community sporting events.

• Contribute to the community with activities geared towards civic engagement (volunteering in charity organization, environmental projects, socio-cultural activities, etc.).

Enhance Student Role in Governance

• Enhance the SCA culture by supporting students’ participation in university governance (councils, committees).

• Improve students’ governance (students shura, student government) by aligning it with students’ interests and needs.

Objective 2: Improve Student Experience

Initiative 2022-2027

KPIs Responsibility 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

Establish opportunities for incoming student mobility

Establish virtual mobility experiences within programs

International Student Ratio

KPIs Responsibility 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

• Percentage of graduate and undergraduate SCA students enrolled at educational institution abroad for at least six weeks in the academic year.

• Percentage of international incoming students to SCA.

• Number of virtual mobility opportunities and programs established

• Proportion of international undergraduate and postgraduate SCA students who spent at least three months in the institution during the academic year.

LEAD: DEPT CHAIR

OTHERS: PROVOST/ DEAN/DEAN SA

LEAD: DEPT CHAIR

OTHERS: PROVOST/ DEAN/DEAN SA

LEAD: DEPT CHAIR

OTHERS: DEAN/ DEAN T&L/DEAN DAR

LEAD: DEPT CHAIR

OTHERS: DEAN SA/ DEAN

Automate SCA students' related processes

Improve quality of student’s experience

Improve student services

Encourage students to become future entrepreneurs

• Percentage of students satisfied with automated processes.

• Percentage of utilization of the automated processes

• Percentage of SCA students satisfied with the quality of co-curricular and extracurricular programs and activities.

• KPI-I-10 Students’ satisfaction with the offered services.

• Number of student activities geared towards entrepreneurship.

• Number of partnerships established

• Number of start-ups.

LEAD: DEAN SA/ DEAN DAR

OTHERS: DEPT CHAIR

LEAD: CHAIR

OTHERS: DEAN QA

DEAN SA

STUDENT COUNCIL

LEAD: DEPT CHAIR

OTHERS: DEAN QA/ DEAN SA/ STUDENT COUNCIL

LEAD: DEPT CHAIR

OTHERS: DEAN QA/ DEAN SA/ STUDENT COUNCIL

Actions by Initiatives

Establish Opportunities for Outgoing Student Mobility

• Promote student mobility program, select and send the best eligible undergraduate and graduate students to the partner.

• Select and send the best eligible undergraduate and graduate students to the partner.

Establish Opportunities for Incoming Student Mobility

• Plan and implement recruitment campaign for attracting international and visiting students.

• Update and maintain a well-informed website devoted to international students.

• Build and maintain strong connections to international entities (cultural attaché, Islamic centers, international schools, international universities, ...).

Establish Virtual Mobility Experiences within Programs

• Form successful virtual academic and non-academic opportunities and programs for undergraduate and graduate students with EU network of partners.

• Encourage motivated students to join the established virtual opportunities and programs with the partner universities.

• Evaluate the effectiveness of the virtual opportunities and programs and students’ satisfaction for continuous improvement.

International Student Ratio

• Plan and implement recruitment campaign for attracting international and visiting students.

• Provide attractive scholarship/sponsorship programs and support services.

• Plan and implement recruitment campaign for attracting international and visiting students.

• Update and maintain a well-informed website devoted to international students.

• Build and maintain strong connections to international entities (cultural attaché, Islamic centers, international schools, international universities, ...).

Objective 3: Develop International Student Mobility

Initiative 2022-2027

Achieve sustainability through recruitment and retention of diverse body of students

2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

Actions by Initiatives

KPIs Responsibility

• Percentage of CA students’ population out of the projected number in the strategic plan.

Achieve Sustainability through Recruitment and Retention of Diverse Body of Students

Actions by Initiatives

Graduates with Entrepreneurial Businesses

• Cultivate entrepreneurship culture within the SCA by focusing on the following: a. Case studies of real-world corporate stories and operational hiccups faced by them. b. Create opportunities for students to participate in social entrepreneurship contests. c. Invite business executives to deliver lectures. d. Provide consulting services to non-profit organizations (for final year students).

• Follow closely with clubs and activities that encourage entrepreneurial activities.

• Follow graduates with entrepreneurial business and invite them as motivational speakers and for workshops, etc.

Improve Alumni Communications and Data Management

• Obtain the information while they are still students in SCA.

• Build unbreakable alumni relations, promote their brand, and earn goodwill for the SCA.

• Update the alumni database in collaboration with DSA to have a clear standpoint of all possible alumni information every semester

LEAD: DEP. CHAIR

OTHERS: DEAN/DEAN DAR

• Launch and closely monitor a student journey management initiative, where strong recruitment and retention plans cover the entire students’, journeys based on the following different levels: a.Enrolments – Conduct effective marketing activities on relevant students target groups, attractive online and offline recruitment processes and on-campus school recruitments from leading schools with great pass-out, to ensure enrolling good quality students. Special attention should be given to male recruitment b.Onboarding – Simplify the onboarding processes through efficient digital tools, bringing services directly to the students. c.Student Life – Employ a Customer Relationship Management to track and monitor a student’s touchpoints throughout the journey. d.Alumni Engagement – Engage alumni in building marketing capabilities and contributing to the SCA, college and university through donations or other non-revenue generating activities.

Objective 5: Improve Alumni Relations

Initiative 2022-2027

Graduates with entrepreneurial businesses

Improve alumni communications and data management

Develop focused portfolio of alumni activities

Establish alumni mentorship program

Improve alumni performance

KPIs Responsibility 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

Percentage of entrepreneurial businesses of undergraduate alumni within (12/24) months of graduation.

Percentage of completion of CA alumni database.

Number of alumni activities developed.

Percentage of alumni participation in mentorship programs.

Percentage of alumni participation in offered training programs.

LEAD: DEPT CHAIR

OTHERS: DEAN/DEAN SA

LEAD: DEPT CHAIR

OTHERS: DEAN/DEAN SA

LEAD: DEPT CHAIR

OTHERS: DEAN/DEAN SA

LEAD: DEPT CHAIR

OTHERS: DEAN/DEAN SA

LEAD: DEPT CHAIR

OTHERS: DEAN/DEAN SA

Develop Focused Portfolio of Alumni Activities

• Organize focused portfolio of alumni activities and events in collaboration with the alumni association representative through: a. Engaged and rich discussions with alumni from different ages, locations, and professional backgrounds. b. Social media activities. c. Personalized messages to establish a strong personal communication. d. Alumni annual gathering. e. Other focused activities.

Establish Alumni Mentorship Program

• Provide mentorship opportunities for alumni by current SCA faculty.

• Invite alumni to mentor current students through individual or group activities.

• Invite alumni regularly to the university campus to meet with the current students through seminars, speeches, etc.

Improve Alumni Performance

• Assess the needs of the alumni for professional development opportunities.

• Offer training programs, workshops, seminars, to improve the performance of the alumni.

Risk Management

The following table indicates the key risks associated with each strategic recommended area and a corresponding mitigation plan for every risk:

Topic Risk Mitigation Plan

Improve Students’ Involvement in Activities & Governance & Experience

Financial restraints.

Organizational constraints (lack of time and resource).

Lack of internal capabilities.

Smart allocation of funds and collecting extra fees from the students participating to reduce the burden of additional funds required.

Hiring additional resources to balance the workload and focus on student clubs and activities.

Hire external agencies and organizations that are proficient, to deploy a few of these initiatives.

Actions by Initiatives Graduates with Entrepreneurial Businesses

• Cultivate entrepreneurship culture within the ECoAD by focusing on the following: a.Case studies of real-world corporate stories and operational hiccups faced by them. b.Create opportunities for students to participate in social entrepreneurship contests. c.Invite business executives to deliver lectures. d.Provide consulting services to non-profit organizations (for final year students).

• Follow closely with clubs and activities that encourage entrepreneurial activities.

• Follow graduates with entrepreneurial business and invite them as motivational speakers and for workshops, etc.

Improve Alumni Communications and Data Management

• Obtain the information while they are still students in ECoAD.

• Build unbreakable alumni relations, promote their brand, and earn goodwill for the institution.

Improve Student Population and Experience

Long term commitment. Deploying systems such as CRM and capturing sufficient data should be considered a long-term goal.

Financial consideration for the student.

Form strong relationships with the partner universities, such that the host college provides a tuition waiver and free accommodation to visiting students and provide the same to the visiting students.

• Update the alumni database with all possible alumni information every semester.

• Develop Focused Portfolio of Alumni Activities

• Organize focused portfolio of alumni activities and events in collaboration with the alumni association representative through: a. Engaged and rich discussions with alumni from different ages, locations, and professional backgrounds. b.Social media activities.

Student Mobility c.Personalized messages to establish a strong personal communication. d.Alumni annual gathering. e.Other focused activities.

Cultural differences between the host and home institution.

The international office should provide psychological counselling for those students who are in culture shock or face any kind of difficulty.

Language-barrier. Emphasis on English learning courses.

Pleasantries exchanged are usually one-way. Communication to be designed in an interactive way.

Establish Alumni Mentorship Program

• Provide mentorship opportunities for alumni by current ECoAD faculty.

Alumni Engagements

Alumni relations solely based on financial contribution.

Alumni contribution can be implemented through offering internships for ARCH department students in the alumni architectural firms, mentoring students through planned events, seminars and lectures when needed, etc.

• Invite alumni to mentor current students through individual or group activities.

• Invite alumni regularly to the university campus to meet with the current students through seminars, speeches, etc.

Improve Alumni Performance

• Assess the needs of the alumni for professional development opportunities.

Communication might be impersonal

Customized and more personalized communication to build an emotional connection..

• Offer training programs, workshops, seminars, to improve the performance of the alumni.