Page 8 - FP Newsletter Issue 2 2018

Together we succeed

c.Professional Development

Without a commitment to lifelong learning ourselves, we cannot
pass on this value to others. Our Professional Development
Committee here at the FP leads us in a constant pursuit to upgrade
our skills and optimize our teaching and service to students. A
workshop on ‘Working with a Multi-Level Class’ was organized
for 35 members of the FP staff. Dual components of watching a
training video on the subject, as well as healthy faculty discussion
and feedback served to produce a good range of methods and
ideas to work well with mixed classrooms. In addition to
workshop training, discussion points on topics relevant to
classroom teaching have been posted on Moodle for staff
discussion and interaction.
d.Risk Management

To ensure the highest possible quality of instruction and program
viability, it is essential to be constantly assessing and addressing
risks that threaten the health and effectiveness of our FP program.
The FP Risk Management Committee leads us in identifying and
facing these risks, doing all we can to minimize or eliminate them.
Awareness sessions have been conducted for both faculty and
students with the end result that main risks have been identified
and an array of suggestions for mitigating these risks have been
collected by the committee.

e.Non-Smoking Campaign

Working toward a healthy and safe campus is central to ensuring
both students and faculty can focus on the task of learning. Our FP
Health and Safety Committee has led the charge in requesting that
ash trays which encourage smokers to act against the published
Dhofar University Non-smoking policy be removed. While these
efforts have been largely successful, one still remains. The
committee remains committed to seeing this also rectified. In
addition, the committee has added a student representative to the
committee and also pursued the installation of additional first aid
boxes in the FP office block.

f.Sunday Digest

Allowing our teachers and leadership to remain focused on the vital task of teaching
students and ensuring quality instruction is central to our aims here at the FP. With
dozens of meetings and activities happening in any given week, time and attention can be
taken away from preparation for class and student feedback. In an effort to improve
coordination and awareness of activities, the News and Publications Committee has
introduced the Sunday Digest here at FP. Each Sunday, a digest of the most important
announcements, dates, activities, and committee activities is sent out to FP staff. Also, to
ensure promotion of our key initiatives we have introduced the practice of stamping
posters and posted announcements by FP secretaries to ensure that only approved
activities are promoted in the name of Dhofar University and the Foundation Program.

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