Jordan’s Applied Science Private University has high expectations of its staff and students, and offers a wealth of support for their academic endeavours
Applied Science Private University (ASU) in Jordan has focused on quality and excellence since it was established in 1991. It sets high standards for staff and students in terms of research, employability and external accreditation. “We believe that our academics transfer their knowledge, skills and ethical criteria to students, so we make sure they come from the top-ranking universities. We want to be able to guarantee excellence in the academic knowledge they share,” explains Iman Albasheti, president of ASU.
To sustain this level of excellence, ASU requires academics to produce at least two advanced research manuscripts per year to advance their knowledge and expertise in their field. They are also required to adhere to strict ethical requirements in line with the values of the university, Albasheti adds.
An academic development committee provides workshops and one-to-one tutorials for staff to update their knowledge in areas such as effective online teaching, and staff are encouraged to collaborate with other academics, both internationally and with local universities in Jordan. The president herself spent a month of the year with ASU partner the University of Sydney, where she is an honorary professor in the faculty of pharmacy. Likewise, ASU’s dean of scientific research and graduate studies, Mohammad Al-Najjar, expands his knowledge at the University of Camerino in Italy.
“Continuous life learning is one of the most important things we ask of our staff, and that can only be done through real-life experiences and be enriched through partnerships with other institutions,” says Albasheti. That’s not to say that online learning and enrichment does not have a place in building academic excellence at ASU, however. Like many global universities, the pandemic has accelerated how ASU academics collaborate online.
The university has a strong virtual relationship with the University of Malaya, connecting researchers on joint projects and papers. “This saves time and money on travel, but there are lots of benefits in terms of joint research and supervision for master’s students,” she adds. “Online work complements the in-person experience. Our academics use the same five-star learning system as the students so they can record lectures and build a rich resource, meaning they can spend more time on other educational strategies.”
Accreditation also helps boost the standing of ASU academically, according to Thair Kaddumi, head of ASU’s quality assurance and accreditation office. “This means we have the assurance that our learning is creating progress for students in all majors,” he explains.
By 2023, almost all faculties will have received a relevant external accreditation from an international authority – something that has become a great marketing tool for ASU. “We have a good academic reputation in the market, and this has been reflected in our enrolment numbers. This year, we had about 1,750 enrolments compared with 1,500 last year,” Kaddumi says.
New courses in areas such as artificial intelligence, interior design, fintech and risk management allow the university to respond to the needs of employers. Graduate employability sits at 80 per cent for a number of subjects including pharmacy, IT and nursing, Kaddumi says. “We set a benchmark, plan, work towards a goal and respond if there is any deviation, and this is why our employability increases positively each year.”
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