Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (PNU) has become the first university in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to have had achieved Advance HE accreditation. As a result, PNU will be able to confer Fellowship on candidates who successfully complete its Academic Excellence Programme (AEP).
Led by staff in its Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) which is under the umbrella of the Academic Development Deanship (ADD), PNU has been working towards accreditation over the past three years, establishing a strong team of Fellows, including two Principal Fellows, 14 Senior Fellows, 65 Fellows and two Associate Fellows. These Fellowships have, to date, been achieved through individual direct applications to Advance HE. This process has immersed those staff in the Professional Standards Framework, which is at the heart of Fellowship and accredited programmes; and the success and determination of those individuals as mentors and advocates has been the driving force in the University achieving accreditation.
Dr. Ola Elshurafa, Academic Consultant and AEP Scheme Leader in the University’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), and herself a Senior Fellow, said, “We are delighted to have achieved accreditation for the AEP, a professional development and recognition scheme. This achievement is a significant milestone in our work towards teaching excellence across PNU by recognising and rewarding the commitment of individuals in their continuous professional development. We, at CETL, are committed to support PNU faculty and staff in their journey towards quality education, in light of international standards, for the improvement of student learning and achievement.”
“As well as rewarding individuals for their quality work, we are now able to demonstrate unequivocal evidence of PNU’s institutional commitment to enhancing teaching and learning – that’s a very strong message for everyone engaged with PNU. A huge thank you to the wonderful team at Advance HE for all their support throughout. I am particularly looking forward to seeing the impact for PNU students as we further embed this programme.”
Ian Hall, Advance HE’s Head of Membership (International), said, “I am so pleased for PNU. We have worked with CETL over the past three years to get to the point of accreditation. PNU has set the model pathway – investing in time and effort to ensure that they have the mentors and champions in place, as well as sound practice and thorough processes and procedures to underpin a very robust accredited programme.
“It’s been a fantastic effort by everybody involved and I am confident that the Academic Excellence Programme (AEP) will be a vital part of PNU’s teaching excellence strategy. Well done to all involved!”
PNU is a public women's university – the largest women's university in the world with nearly 4,000 academic staff and more than 27,000 students. Its Fellows join the growing number of staff with Fellowship, now nearly 148,000, including over 9,000 outside the United Kingdom.