The External Review Team (ERT) appointed, by the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the Ministry of Education in the UAE, made an online visit to KIC about the college’s relicensure.

The Virtual Visit involved a series of meetings with KIC students, faculty, staff, and a range of other KIC stakeholders as part of their activities. The Renewal of Licensure is the institutional level process by which an institution is authorized by the Ministry to continue providing its educational programs.

This visit was the final stage of a process that has been going on in KIC since mid-2019, starting with the development and submission to CAA of a Self-Study Report (SSR) with supporting evidence, the drawing up of a list of actions to improve and the holding of regular meetings of the KIC Relicensure Group.

The relicensure process is an evaluation of KIC and of the extent to which the college meets the Standards for Licensure, which are set out in the CAA Standards 2011. This evaluation is made against several things:

• The self-study report (SSR) and evidence which KIC submitted in October 2019
• The 48 items of evidence that the CAA ERT requested
• The 35 items of extra evidence that KIC supplied, together with a detailed Standards Updates Report which covered developments and improvements since October 2019
• The Virtual Visit’s schedule of online 32 meetings involving KIC management, heads of the academic department, faculty, heads of administrative departments/units and our key stakeholders: students and members of the Board of Trustees and Program Advisory Boards.

The ERT process is to triangulate between these various sources of information in order to form a view on the extent to which KIC meets the Standards for licensure and to make a recommendation to CAA as to whether KIC’s license to deliver programs can be renewed.
The Virtual Visit concluded on June 21^st with an Exit Meeting at which KIC was given a brief overview of the situation.

The next step is for CAA to send the draft report, likely to be received in the next few weeks. Then KIC has two months to respond to the requirements and submit our response to CAA. Once our response has been considered, the ERT makes a recommendation to CAA as to whether Licensure should be renewed.

At this stage, CAA’s ERT members have very clearly expressed their thanks to all those at KIC who have participated in the preparations and conduct of the Virtual Visit. Among the positive aspects noted by CAA which can be mentioned at this stage is the clear commitment and support of KIC’s communities of students, staff, Trustees, and community contributors.

Similarly, KIC’s management add their sincere thanks to all involved in the Virtual Visit and for their continued commitment to the future success of KIC.

Student Affairs department has organized an online orientation session to formally greet new and continuing students, aiming to provide proper induction and ensure a smooth academic and social journey at the college.

Students got the chance to meet various faculty and staff during the online orientation. Extending a warm welcome, the session was commenced with KIC’s president Dr. Assem Al-Hajj. Following his speech, the students received academic orientation and got in-depth guidance on advising services and procedures. In addition to that, they got introduced to administrative services, student council, social clubs, and health and safety guidelines.
During Summer I, KIC saw a 23% y.o.y increase in registrations.

Click on the below article to learn more.
Registrations Demonstrate an Upward Trend at KIC.

Mass Communication department at KIC has conducted its first-ever Media e-Forum to discuss the roles of Mass Media and during the COVID-19 pandemic, attracting more than 90 participants.
 

The e-Forum has attracted KIC residents, Mass Media professionals, and the general public. Two key speakers from KIC Mass Communication dept. represented the college at the forum. Dr. Ahmad Saker reflected on the positive influence of Mass Media during the pandemic, and Dr. Rania Al-Kheir presented the negative aspects of Mass Media and delved into the subject of news falsifications. Dr. Ibnaouf Ahmed, head of Mass Communication department at KIC, has moderated the event and has involved some of the key participants in the discussion.
 

Dr. Gamal AlShaer, Director of the National Media Authority (Egypt), Dr. Ahmad Farouk Radwan, Associate Professor at University of Sharjah, Dr. Mohammed Soleiman, Assistant Professor at Mansoura University, and Dr. Sherine Moussa, Assistant Professor at Ajman University, were among the key participants. They highlighted the impact of social media on traditional mass media. Collectively, guest speakers stressed the importance of presenting true stories rather than just numbers, to compensate for information overload and creating awareness. As it was mentioned, mass media is not about spreading information rather it’s all about awareness.