Page 21 - Dhofar University - Foresight - English

CENTRE FOR PREPARATORY STUDIES

In November 2024, the Centre for Preparatory Studies
(CPS) Director, Dr. Moosa Ahmed Bait Ali Suliman, met
with the IT unit faculty members to discuss an initiative to
support students as they progress through their first year
at Dhofar University. The goal was to build a technology-
based program that enables all CPS faculty members to
monitor the progress of students under the roof of CPS
to ensure that all students are supported academically
throughout their first year. With that goal in mind, the
Students Monitoring System (SRTS) was created.

Led by the development team of Mr. Naef Ghanim Al-Muati,
CPS IT lecturer; Mr. Mohammed Faisal Ismail, webmaster
in the Computer & Networking Center; and Mr. Ali Omar
Al-Menhali, CPS IT instructor, the new system was designed
and implemented utilizing an Oracle Database Management
System. Its primary aim is to centralize and streamline
access to important student data, creating a unified and
shareable platform for all CPS faculty members throughout
the entire time students spend in the CPS. The SRTS is an
additional tool to be used alongside Dhofar University’s
Student Information System (DUSIS) in building a clear
picture of each student’s academic progress. It also aids
in fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment for
monitoring and guiding specific students with greater
efficiency and transparency.

After the completion of SRTS development, it was presented
in March to Dhofar University Academic Council for approval
and comments. This stage was necessary to proceed to
the next stage of the pilot launch within the CPS context.
The pilot launch of the SRTS took place on 20 March,
at the beginning of summer term 2024/25. The main
goal behind this launch is to find the challenges and the

technical drawbacks encountered by SRTS faculty users
and refining them before the official launch in the coming
academic year 2025/26. The CPS team believes that such
a system will be a valuable tool in supporting students
to succeed academically and behave in a manner that
upholds the standards of the CPS and Dhofar University
as a whole.

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