The "Academic Supervision Forum... Prospects and Aspirations" in its first season, organized by the Deanship of Postgraduate Studies at Umm Al-Qura University today, produced a series of scientific recommendations on improving the effectiveness of academic supervision. The points were discussed in working papers presented by a group of specialists in the fields of scientific studies and research, including deans and vice deans of the university. The forum was attended by His Excellence Umm Al-Qura Vice President for Postgraduate Studies and Scientific Research, Dr. Abdul-Wahhab Al-Resini, and UQU Vice President for Female Student Affairs, Dr. Sarah Al-Khuli.

The forum speakers recommended that a road map should be developed to define research priorities in all postgraduate programs at the university, which would help direct dissertations and theses to discuss the immediate and future needs of the country, as a source of power for the state. Efforts must be devoted to developing scientific research by various means, and the university role in knowledge production should be enhanced according to the latest research and innovation methods. This is in order to achieve the goals of the national vision and meet the requirements of the labor market.

The speakers stressed the importance of exchanging successful supervisory experiences by holding comprehensive workshops or lectures for all postgraduate specialties. Moreover, they were particular in highlighting the need to activate the role of modern technologies and new media in improving the roles of academic supervision.

They also demanded the development of certain indicators to measure the performance of academic supervision at the university, and develop this supervision on the ground and improve its performance. Moreover, the university should benefit from these indicators in selecting and appointing academic supervisors, and then subjecting them to training programs in effective supervision skills, in coordination with the competent colleges at the university.

The working papers, presented by the male and female researchers of the forum, included research priority courses of the university studies and the reality of academic supervision, in light of the postgraduate study regulations from the students' point of view as partners in the success of the supervisory process. This was carried out through questionnaires that define their view of the effectiveness of the supervision and to what extent their expectations are applied on the ground.

The forum speakers also presented successful experiences in the field of refereeing and scientific supervision, including the experience of the Qur'anic Guidance Chair and its contributions to the refereeing of the scientific product through the electronic portal. In addition, they reviewed an example of an academic experience in the field of supervision at the university.

His Excellency the UQU Vice President for Postgraduate Studies and Scientific Research, Prof. Abdul-Wahhab Al-Resini, emphasized the comprehensiveness of the forum as the first announced initiative of the deanship; it highlights the reality of academic supervision, which is the basis of scientific theses and the outcome of education and its spread. It also sheds light on the contributions of supervisors and their obvious role in assessing the student's social, psychological and scientific weight.

On his part, the Dean of Postgraduate Studies, Dr. Sulaiman Al-Saeed, considered the forum a means to present the organizational lists of the university postgraduate studies and research contributions, and their relationship to development theses and visions. This is in order to assist in the process of supervision, and reduce the time and effort of the student and the supervisor. He stated that the deanship intends to launch questionnaires to allow the participation of faculty members in setting standards supporting the development of supervisors' performance. On the basis of these questionnaires, Excellence Awards for Postgraduate Studies as well as the Best Academic Supervisor Award will be launched.