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ITTPC certifies tutor training programs in postsecondary educational institutions. Once granted CRLA certification, the tutor training programs each have the authority to recognize their tutors as having met the approved ITTPC tutor training program requirements. The purpose of the ITTPC program is twofold-first, it provides recognition and positive reinforcement for tutors' successful work from an international organization; second, CRLA's tutor training program certification process sets an internationally accepted standard of skills and training for tutors.
AUK Tutoring Center sought ITTPC certification to further advance peer tutors' professional skills, and in turn increase the quality of services offered to students. Learning Support Services Director, Hanouf Aljuhail explains, "The Tutoring Center was in a transitional phase a few years ago and its team was searching for ways to improve and diversify the services it offered to AUK students and faculty. Obtaining the CRLA certification was the first step in the right direction. As a certified center, we'll have access to various resources, trainings, and guidelines to take the Tutoring Center and its team of Peer Tutors to the next level."
Tutoring Center staff Sally Saleh and Nada Bedir began the certification process in summer 2016, during which they prepared a training program that met the CRLA requirements and the center's needs. The first cycle of the training program was held during the Academic Year 2016-2017, consisting of 11.5 hours of training, which included 7 hours of trainer-led, interactive, live, real-time (TILR) training, and 4.5 hours of assigned individual reading.
Eighteen students who work as peer tutors at the Tutoring Center have completed the training, and are now certified as CRLA ITTPC Level 1 Tutors.
Following this achievement of Learning Support Services, the Tutoring & Writing Centers held an LSS Open Day to celebrate with the AUK community and award certificates to peer tutors who have completed the training.
Tutoring Center team celebrating the certification with AUK community
She began by explaining the center's goals which is to provide medical, social and financial support to treat addiction. This was followed by an open discussion about the dangers and implications of drug and alcohol abuse. Furthermore, Fatima also mentioned the three cases in which addicts are admitted to the center. Patients either come at their own expense, or by law enforcement, or by court orders. All of these cases are treated carefully with an emphasis on confidentiality. During the tour, the students explored the different facilities that the center provides, like the gym, swimming pool, and outdoor space. The rehab center also provides a residential halfway house, which is aimed to help addicts stay clean. The residents of the halfway house are able to leave the house to work, visit family, etc. The halfway house also provides housing for patients who have completed their rehab programs, but are in need of an environment that is conducive to a full recovery.
The second facility visited was the Kuwait Center for Mental Health. Dr. Abeer Hamadah guided the students through the facility and its objectives. She discussed her passion for mental health, and the efforts the center is putting to normalize mental illness. It treats patients with a variety of mental illnesses, but the most common are schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The center provides a well-rounded approach to treatment. It provides educational programs-especially linguistic. It has also recently opened up an occupational therapy unit.
Finally, the students visited the forensic unit of the Mental Health Center, which is the first of its kind in the Gulf region. The trips were insightful and enriching for the students. With the help of the experienced guides, the students were able to witness first-hand the process of recovery, and learn more specifics about various mental health issues.
Images from the Visit
Dr. Lisa Urkevich is a Professor of Musicology/Ethnomusicology whose research concentrates on the cultures of the Arabian Peninsula. For seven years she was the film/video review editor of the Yearbook for Traditional Music (UNESCO). In 2015-16 she was a visiting scholar at Harvard University, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and she is the recipient of the Alumna of the Year Award at the University of Maryland. Urkevich is looking forward to working with CMS editors and board members in order to effectively advance the Symposium into the future.
Dr. Lisa Urkevich, Chair of the Department of Music and Drama
For the fifth consecutive year, the AUK Library hosted a group of grade 11 students from the American International School of Kuwait (AIS).
The aim of the visit was for Grade 11 Diploma Program students to obtain resources needed for their IB Extended Essay, 1 which is an independent research project. The AUK librarians welcomed the students to a tour around the library to showcase the facilities and services. The Reference and Instruction Librarian provided a library workshop to highlight the available online resources, and instructed the students on how to conduct successful searches to locate information resources needed for their school work and projects.
The students then used the library computer labs to apply the search techniques they learned, and conducted searches based on their topics. Different topics and ideas were shared amongst the students that showed the broad range of topics they were writing about.
The AUK Library is proud of this partnership with AIS to help prepare students for further academic life. The knowledge shared between the two educational institutions will definitely help high school students who are transitioning to college by introducing them to the world of research and writing.
Released by the Office of Public Affairs on 30th January 2018
The orientation event, held at the start of each Fall and Spring Semester is one of the most highly regarded university events, designed to prepare students to successfully transition into university, providing students with the information and tools to become academically and socially successful and comfortable.
Featuring several activities throughout the day, the new student orientation consisted of student check-ins followed by a welcome speech by the Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Hanan Muzaffar; President of AUK, Dr. Tim Sullivan; and Provost, Dr. Rawda Awwad who spoke of what the students will gain during their journey at AUK, "A university experience, and specifically the learning and experience we offer at our university (AUK) has become essential as it provides you with the level of confidence, and braveness required to take on what is out there, the flexibility to adapt to change, and the know-how to create the new and innovative, that is not only sufficiently competitive but is also expected of you."
After the speeches, the students watched a virtual video tour of the AUK campus and were later divided into groups to meet and greet other fellow students, followed by a group photo, trivia challenge, lunch as well as an art workshop, billiards competition and basketball game.
Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Hanan Muzaffar added, "New Student Orientation is an important step in the success of a student, it helps students prepare for their university experience. At AUK, it is our job and passion to ease the transition to AUK and to university life for both first-time and transfer students. We welcome all new students and wish them the best of luck at AUK."
AUK Spring 2018 Freshmen Students
New spring semester students checking in before orientation
AUK Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Hanan Muzaffar
Guided campus tour for the new students
AUK has announced the recipient of the Dartmouth-AUK Fellowship for this year. The fellowship, which will be held in residence at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, during the summer of 2018, has been granted to Dr. Iyad Abu Doush, Associate Professor of Computer Science.
Dr. Abu Doush will be studying "the Effect of Different Properties for Harmony Search Algorithm with Multi-Parent Crossover" in collaboration with Dr. Eugene Santos, Jr., Professor of Engineering at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth.
Dr. Abu Doush, who joined AUK in Fall 2016, obtained his PhD in Computer Science at New Mexico State University, USA in 2009, and his M.Sc. in Computer Science and Information Systems from Yarmouk University, Jordan, and his B.Sc. in Computer Science from Yarmouk University, Jordan. Dr. Abu Doush has received a number of research grants from different agencies including USAID, Microsoft, King Abdullah II Design & Development Bureau, Deanship of Research & Graduate Studies at Yarmouk University and Jordanian Scientific Research Support Fund. He also published more than 40 articles in international journals and conferences, and was selected to serve as a visiting researcher in universities of Malaysia and Lithuania. His research interests include evolutionary algorithms, optimization, accessibility, and human computer interaction.
Dr. Abu Doush will be the 10th AUK faculty member to join the Dartmouth fellowship program. The fellowship program is open to AUK faculty members conducting research that can be facilitated by access to Dartmouth's libraries and museum collections, or to senior administrators pursuing professional development projects that can be guided by Dartmouth mentors.
The selection criteria is conducted by the University Research Board (URB) and is based on the proposal's promise of research outcomes or professional development, alignment with the Strategic Planning Goals of AUK, a project timeline, and appropriate use of Dartmouth resources.
Dr. Iyad Abu Doush, Associate Professor of Computer Science
AUK held the 5th Annual Electrical & Computer Engineering Exhibition 2017 (ECEE'17), in which graduating engineering students showcased their senior design capstone projects and poster designs to compete for the Best Project Award, as well as the Students Choice Award. The event was organized by the AUK Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) Department, along with student teams from the AUK Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Student Branch (IEEESB), and took place in the AUK auditorium in December.
In inaugurating the exhibition, Dr. Mounib Khanafer, Chair of the Organizing Committee and Assistant Professor of Computer and Electrical Engineering at AUK, explained that the projects provides opportunities for the students to gain experience by applying their knowledge, showcasing their skills, and paving their career path. He also noted that the timing of the event coincides with the ABET praise of the ECE Department, which testifies for the quality of the programs and echoes the success of its students.
The event also featured 3 keynote speeches. Dr. Hanan Al-Tabbakh, Assistant Program Manager, KFAS, spoke of systems engineering and its application within the institution’s success; Dr. Ghulam Hussain, Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering, AUK, spoke of distributed generation and microgrids; and Mr. Nasser Hayawi, an engineer and technical team representative, Maker Faire Kuwait, spoke of the annual event, encouraging the students’ participation in its 2nd installation.
The ECE department also took the opportunity to honor Dr. Hidab Hamwi, Adjunct Assistant Professor at AUK, for her contribution to the program’s success through the internship program which she manages.
This year, eleven alumni teams participated in the event, each individually addressing a particular area of technical interest-such as networking and computing-all whilst under the supervision of a faculty member from the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department. Through the provision of this platform, the participants are encouraged to engage in undergraduate research, cross-collaboration, and social networking among students, alumni, and professionals in the field, also serving to inspire seniors and juniors with their capstone design projects.
Following the keynote speeches, the current President and Vice President of the AUK-IEEESB briefly outlined the global and local history of the IEEE, highlighting its achievements, including the previous Engineering Village, invitations to attend IEEE conventions regionally, and being recognized at 2nd place regionally for being one of the best IEEE branches. In extension of these recognitions, Dr. Issam Damaj, Associate Professor of Computer Engineering at AUK, expressed pride in the students’ recent accomplishments in the IEEE Xtreme, thereby echoing the success of its members and the support of the department.
Towards the end of the event, the judging panel that comprised of Dr. Ashraf Zaher, Department Chair and Associate Professor of Computer Engineering at AUK, and Dr. Jibran Yousafzai, Assistant Professor of Computer and Electronic Engineering at AUK, picked the Hotel Smart Mirror as the winner of the Best Project Award, while registered students in the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department voted the SignIT project as the winner of the Student Choice Award. Here, Dr. Ali Charara, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, presented the awards to the winning projects.
Dr. Mounib Khanafer, the organizer, recognized the success of the event, as "this was sensed by the increased number of participating projects and keynote speakers, meaning that more guests are coming and are interested in our event. We have, also, seen that the students from different cohort levels attended and listened to the speeches, despite their level of advancement. All of these factors together contributed in making this event a success."
Anfal AlFailakawi and Faisal AlBaghli won the Best Project Award with their project, Hotel Smart Mirror. Featuring a smart mirror design, engineered for hotel use, this project aims at providing a more creative experience for guests through providing features that help guests use their time more wisely. This includes the display of the date, time and weather, alongside maps and a city guide, allowing guests to efficiently plan their day. This team was supervised by Dr. Mohammed El-Abd, Associate Professor of Computer Engineering.
Fatma Al-Kandari, Meyar Shehab and Rouaa Diab won the Students Choice Award through their project: SignIT. Their creation attempts to automate the conversion of universal sign language into normal audible vocabularies, in order to facilitate the daily interactions of the deaf/mute community. It does so with the help of a glove that translates hand gestures into vocal form. By using sensors, along with micro-controllers, the glove translates certain hand movements into spoken English. This team was supervised by Dr. Seyed Esmaeili, Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering.
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering strives to provide high-quality engineering education centered around the key principles of liberal arts, specifically, lifelong-learning, critical thinking, and effective communication. The department prepares students to become successful engineers, and be able to contribute effectively to their profession and community.
The Art and Graphic Design Department (GDES) organized the GDES alumni reunion to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the program at AUK. The event was held on the 29th of November with activities spread across the university campus that included GDES alumni presentations, exhibitions, and booths promoting alumni businesses, all in an effort to inspire, empower and reflect on both the growth of the program and the alumni who have come back to showcase their work.
A packed auditorium housed students, staff and faculty who have gathered to support the alumni presentations. Following the opening remarks by AUK President Dr. Tim Sullivan, and Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, Dr. Ali Charara, a number of acclaimed alumni including, Ghaneema Al-Qudmani, Lamees Nijem, Bashayer Al-Zayed and Ahmed Al Terkait relayed particular personal and professional experiences and highlighted their success stories in their respective fields of magazine, motion graphics, environmental conservation, and filmmaking. A prominent theme was how quickly they had to adapt to the demands and opportunities of the real world, all whilst remaining original and authentic to their passion and message.
As the presentations concluded, the audience was invited to the multipurpose room to visit the alumni exhibition that showcased photographs, paintings and other forms of art endeavours. The event concluded with an open buffet where alumni mingled with current students, and rekindled old friendships with other alumni, faculty and staff.
Associate Professor William J. Andersen, Chair of the Department of Art and Graphic Design, emphasized how proud AUK was of its graduates for the positive impact they have added to society
Assistant Professor Rita Merheb, chair of the organizing committee, said that “This event is the program’s first attempt to re-establish ties with its Alumni, our Alumni who are the program’s and the institution’s ambassadors to the outside world. And having them back on campus to share their experiences and accomplishments, served as an inspiration to our current students who also attended the event”.
Professor Rita Merheb, Chair of the Organizing Committee, addressing the audience
Professor William J. Andersen, Chair of the Department of Art and Graphic Design during his speech
Alumna, Ghaneema Al-Qudmani sharing her experience and success story
AUK Alumni, Bashayer Al-Zayed, sharing her experience and success story
AUK Alumni, Lamees Nijem, sharing her experience and success story
The American University of Kuwait (AUK) organized its annual Faculty Recognition Evening to celebrate the accomplishments attained by its significant faculty members. The event was held at the Marina Hotel Six Palms restaurant and was attended by some members of the AUK Board of Trustees, in addition to the AUK President and faculty members.
AUK President, Dr. Tim Sullivan welcomed the faculty members and guests to the Recognition Evening that was prepared in their honor. During his opening remarks, President Sullivan said, “The work you do as teachers and in service to students and the University is respected and valued and I want you to know how much it is appreciated by everyone, including the Board of Trustees and also by the entire administration.”
Following the president, AUK Provost Dr. Rawda Awwad also gave a speech praising the efforts of faculty by stating, “I thank each and every one of you for all that you accomplish on a daily basis to support our student learning and make AUK the best that it can be.”
Deans of the College of Arts and Science, and College of Business and Economics each spoke on behalf of their respective faculty. Dr. Ali Charara, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences expressed his support for faculty in their academic endeavors, saying, “I encourage new faculty to follow the path, and promise to support faculty who continue to reach for scholarly and professional distinction.” While Dr. Ralph Palliam, Dean of the College of Business and Economics stressed the importance of acknowledging faculty’s hard work on behalf of the University. “Today’s recognition is one small but vitally important occasion in the evolution of institutional scholarship that predicates a certain moral persuasion of being a university citizen,” he said.
This year, AUK recognized 62 faculty members whose research and creative work produced books, book chapters, journal articles, book reviews, conference papers, and exhibitions/designs/ performances. AUK also recognized 3 faculty members who received external grants, patents and fellowships.
The faculty members who contributed to these successes are:
|
Dr. Abid Vali |
Dr. Antonia Stamos |
Dr. Detlef Hummes |
|
Dr. Ahmad Rabaa’i |
Dr. Ashraf Zaher |
Dr. Farah Al-Nakib |
|
Dr. Ali Aljamal |
Dr. Athmar Al-Salem |
Dr. Ghazi Nassir |
|
Dr. Aly Mansour |
Dr. Ayman Haddad |
Dr. Gholam R. Vatandoust |
|
Dr. Amir Zeid |
Dr. Bashar Zogheib |
Dr. Hussain Alsarraf |
|
Dr. Andrei Zavaliy |
Dr. David Hadbawnik |
Dr. Inas Mahfouz |
|
Dr. Issam Damaj |
Dr. Mohammed El-Abd |
Mr. Ben Crace |
|
Dr. Iyad Abu Doush |
Dr. Mohsen Bagnied |
Mr. Clark Stoeckley |
|
Dr. Jibran Yousafzai |
Dr. Mounib Khanafer |
Mr. Ramy Khair |
|
Dr. John Russell |
Dr. Muath Eleswed |
Mr. William Andersen |
|
Dr. Juliet Dinkha |
Dr. Pellegrino Luciano |
Ms. Agnieszka Fajga |
|
Dr. Karim Jallad |
Dr. Rafiqul Bhuyan |
Ms. Alison Koushki |
|
Dr. Khitam Al Khouli |
Dr. Ralph Palliam |
Ms. Claire Giddings |
|
Dr. Kyle A Msall |
Dr. Raymond Farrin |
Ms. Hanan Arnous |
|
Dr. Lisa Urkevich |
Dr. Rosalind Buckton-Tucker |
Ms. Joo Won Lee |
|
Dr. Malek Mohammad |
Dr. Seyed Esmaeili |
Ms. Marcella Janush-Kulchitsky |
|
Dr. Mark Speece |
Dr. Shareefa Al-Adwani |
Ms. Maryam Hosseinnia |
|
Dr. Masayoshi Kaneda |
Dr. Stavros Hadjisolomou |
Ms. Michelle Kunkel |
|
Dr. Michael Aristidou |
Dr. Sumayya Banna |
Ms. Rachel Sage |
|
Dr. Mohamed Satti |
Dr. Tina Žigon |
Ms. Rita Merheb |
|
Dr. Mohammed Al Sawafta |
Dr. Wafaa Sbeiti |
|
AUK congratulates all those recognized, and pledges to support faculty who continue to reach for scholarly and professional distinction.
The American University of Kuwait (AUK) is an independent, private, equal opportunity, and co-educational liberal arts institution of higher education. The educational, cultural and administrative structure, methods and standards of AUK are based on the American model of higher learning. The language of instruction is English. More information on the American University of Kuwait can be found at www.auk.edu.kw.
Headquartered in USA, the HRCI®, is the premier credentialing organization for the human resources profession, setting the standard for HR mastery and excellence around the globe for over 40 years. The recently acquired HRCI® certification authorizes CCE to add to their Career Development courses the HRCI's Professional in Human Resources International (PHRi™), an international exam preparation course for HR professionals.
"This American international certification presents the latest development opportunity for modern HR professionals, who seek a career advancement and professional credibility in the organization that they work for," said Buthaina Al-Khubaizi, Director of CCE. The Cambridge Assessment International Education, part of the University of Cambridge, is a non-profit organization that offers programs and qualifications that set the global standard for international education. They also offer Cambridge Professional Development Qualifications for teachers and trainers. Through this accreditation, CCE has added to their Teacher Development courses the Cambridge International Certificate in Teaching & Learning, which explores different aspects of educational practice, from designing a curriculum to improving the quality of classroom activity.
According to Mrs. Al-Khubaizi, Cambridge Professional Development Qualifications are internationally recognized as a mark of excellence for individual teachers or leaders, helping to improve their professional profiles and career development. "The Cambridge International Certificate in Teaching and Learning helps teachers and leaders improve the quality of their practice by engaging with international best practices and teaching principles to apply new ideas and approaches, develop reflective practice and employ a wide range of active learning strategies," she said.
In addition to CCE's diverse signature courses, the two new courses are now available for registration through the CCE website www.auk.edu.kw/cce
About CCE
CCE was established in 2004 and, in addition to offering language courses in Arabic, English, French and Spanish, offers an array of courses and workshops aimed to assist in the personal and professional development of individuals and groups within the public and private sectors. Course offerings are specifically tailored to meet the needs of their clients, whether they are independent groups or corporations.
Heather Rennison (CCE Training Operations Manager) presenting CCE's international programs
(From Left) Buthaina Al-Khubaizi (CCE Director), Raed Brahedni (Senior Manager - Cambridge Assessment International Education), Heather Rennison (CCE Training Operations Manager), during the certification visit in Kuwait
