Reviewing the Common First Year Program
During the 1427-1428 AH academic year, King Saud University established the Deanship of the Preparatory Year. The deanship’s main objective was to provide university students with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in their studies at the university as well as after joining the workforce. Several studies were conducted on the effectiveness of such preparatory programs, including a recent study conducted by the Center. The study reiterated the importance of the preparatory year and its positive impact on the student's performance in their subsequent years. Additionally, the sturdy revealed the program’s role in decreasing dropout rates as well as equipping university students with research, communication, life, and technological skills.
In 1437/1438 AH, the University Council approved changing the Deanship of the Preparatory Year to the Deanship of the Common First Year and involving faculty members in teaching the first-year courses. Additionally, with the guidance of the Vice-Rector for Educational and Academic Affairs and the management of the Center of Excellence in Learning and Teaching, a committee was assembled to study the status of the deanship as well as the mechanisms and requirements for the transforming, managing and operationalizing the new deanship.
The full report is available in Arabic at:
