The Department of Architecture at DAU has hosted a virtual visit by the Quality Education Project in Private Universities via the MS Teams platform. The visit included five lengthy sessions that began with a meeting with the department’s leaders, where the members of the commission met with His Excellency Dean of the College, Prof. Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Ghunaimi, His Excellency Prof. Dr. El-Sayed Amer, College Adviser and Dr. Mustafa Ramadan, Head of the Architectural Engineering Department. Members of the commission were briefed on the Department’s continuing efforts in providing high standards academic services as reflected in the fulfilment of the visit’s prerequisites including the preparation of all required files and documents using the Commission’s updated templates. The discussion focused on the department’s learning outcomes plan, and their compatibility with and support of the college’s strategic plan. During the discussion, the department head reviewed a number of governance mechanisms in the department, which consist of creating an organizational environment that ensures the continuity of the required workflow and the achievement of objectives.

This was followed by a session with the faculty members that included a discussion of a number of issues related to the faculty, their effectiveness and constructive participation in scientific research, their following up on current issues in the labor market and transmitting them in a clear way to the College’s students. The discussion also focused on the continuous development of courses in line with the college’s learning outcomes, and the stimulating, interactive academic process through the use of unique learning resources provided by the university to male and female students alike.

Members of the Ministry’s visiting committee also met with a number of male and female students in a closed session characterized by privacy and impartiality, which emphasizes the student as the foremost focus of in all educational institutions and the educational process. This was followed by a special session with graduate engineers at their own place of work. This included engineers from both government and private sectors who are graduates form DAU’s CADD and who have been able to hold prestigious positions, which reflects the excellence and sophistication of the education they obtained at DAU.

The visit concluded with a virtual tour of the college and university facilities, where the architectural identity of the college was reviewed, an identity that reflects the vision of the college and department in achieving leadership in the field of architectural education locally and globally and emphasizes the principle of transparency in the educational process to stimulate constructive communication between students and faculty members. The tour included a number of specialized laboratories, which are characterized by high-quality, efficient equipment that are made available to students with an emphasis on instructions for the safe use of these laboratories. The team also toured the distinctive sport centers, the main swimming pool, and the central library as an effective source of learning which includes more than 5,000 books in the field of architecture, and enhances digital education through partnership with the Saudi Digital Library. The honorable Commission members commended the services, facilities and equipment provided by the university, which are a source of pride for the support they provide in the educational process.