The Vice Deanship of Academic Affairs at the College of Pharmacy oversees academic and educational affairs within the College, and ensures the effective implementation of study plans and academic regulations. The Vice Deanship works to enhance the quality of the educational process and achieve the intended learning outcomes, in alignment with the University’s strategic objectives and accreditation requirements. 

1.Curriculum Committee 

The Curriculum Committee is an academic committee responsible for reviewing and developing study plans and academic courses to ensure alignment with the mission of the College and the University, accreditation requirements, and labor market needs, while enhancing the quality of the educational process and its outcomes.

Responsibilities:

  • Applying best academic practice standards to ensure the highest possible quality of effective curricula.
  • Planning and implementing periodic curriculum reviews and providing recommendations that support the achievement of program, college, and university goals in accordance with relevant strategic plans.
  • Planning course and curriculum content, and defining scope and sequence with emphasis on the logical progression of skills to maximize learning and comprehension.
  • Reviewing textbooks, references, instructional materials, and teaching methodologies in line with contemporary educational standards.
  • Reviewing curriculum modification proposals submitted by academic departments and providing support to faculty members involved in curriculum development.

2. Student Support and Academic Advising Unit

This unit provides academic, psychological, social, and career guidance to College students, offers counseling services, supports skill development, encourages academic excellence, and provides care for students at risk of academic probation, as well as high-achieving and gifted students.

Responsibilities:

  • Providing academic, psychological, social, and career advising to students to enhance academic performance and promote academic stability.
  • Organizing orientation programs for new and transfer students, introducing them to academic regulations and advising services, assigning academic advisors, and monitoring the activation of academic advising electronically through the approved system.
  • Monitoring students on academic warning or at risk of academic difficulty, assessing their academic status, and taking necessary actions to address and reduce academic underperformance.
  • Supporting high-achieving and gifted students and fostering their academic excellence.
  • Activating academic support programs, including peer-assisted learning sessions, in coordination with relevant entities.
  • Coordinating with academic departments and concerned units within the College and the University to provide academic, social, health, and psychological support services.
  • Monitoring and activating electronic academic advising services and generating periodic reports on students and advisors.
  • Promoting the culture and importance of academic advising among students and faculty members.
  • Measuring student satisfaction with academic advising and student support services, preparing periodic reports, and proposing improvement and development plans.

3. Female Students Administrative Affairs Unit

The Female Students Affairs Coordination Unit was established to oversee administrative and academic matters related to female students. The Unit ensures efficient service delivery, adherence to university policies, and the provision of a supportive environment that contributes to students’ academic success, personal development, and overall well-being.

Responsibilities:

  • Supervising female students’ admission procedures, course registration, attendance, examinations, and graduation processes in accordance with approved regulations.
  • Providing administrative guidance and responding to academic and non-academic inquiries professionally and in a timely manner.
  • Facilitating access to support services for female students in coordination with relevant entities, such as academic advising, housing, and transportation.
  • Acting as a liaison between female students, faculty members, academic departments, support units, and senior administration.
  • Coordinating with academic departments, faculty members, and support units to ensure service integration and efficiency.
  • Monitoring female students’ compliance with academic policies, attendance regulations, and codes of conduct.
  • Addressing issues related to students’ rights, well-being, and academic integrity in cooperation with concerned entities.
  • Encouraging female students’ participation in extracurricular, cultural, leadership, and research activities.
  • Submitting proposals and recommendations aimed at improving the quality of academic and administrative services provided to female students.
  • Preparing periodic reports on the Unit’s activities and submitting them to the relevant authorities.
  • Performing any other duties assigned by the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs.

4. Integration and Interprofessional Education Committee

The Integration and Interprofessional Education Committee is responsible for the strategic planning, coordination, implementation, and evaluation of curricular integration within the College of Pharmacy, as well as interprofessional education activities in collaboration with other health colleges. The Committee aims to enhance horizontal and vertical integration within the pharmacy curriculum and support collaborative, team-based learning experiences that prepare graduates for effective interprofessional practice with a patient-centered focus.

Responsibilities:

  • Planning, supervising, and monitoring integration processes among pharmacy courses across different academic years.
  • Collaborating with course coordinators and curriculum committees to ensure alignment of learning outcomes, content, teaching strategies, and assessment methods.
  • Identifying gaps, redundancies, and integration opportunities among foundational, pharmaceutical, clinical, and experiential courses.
  • Ensuring that integrated content aligns with program learning outcomes and accreditation requirements.
  • Planning, coordinating, and supervising interprofessional education activities involving pharmacy students and students from other health colleges (such as medicine, nursing, and allied health sciences).
  • Developing structured interprofessional education activities that enhance shared competencies, including roles and responsibilities, communication, teamwork, and professional ethics.
  • Supporting the integration of interprofessional education activities within the pharmacy curriculum at appropriate stages.

 5. Registration and Scheduling Unit

The Registration and Scheduling Unit is responsible for supporting students in course registration, resolving registration-related issues, processing requests for course withdrawal, deferment, re-enrollment, and course equivalency, as well as preparing class schedules and examination timetables.

Responsibilities:

  • Preparing class schedules for all courses offered each semester based on student numbers, classroom and laboratory capacity, minimizing timetable gaps and conflicts, and stabilizing schedules to reduce frequent changes.
  • Circulating draft schedules to academic departments for review and faculty assignment.
  • Preparing midterm and final examination schedules while avoiding conflicts, particularly for students with academic difficulties.
  • Preparing the academic calendar for each semester in alignment with the University academic calendar.
  • Entering and verifying faculty teaching loads in the Student Information System.
  • Monitoring students’ academic loads to ensure compliance with minimum and maximum credit limits, particularly for students on probation or delayed in their study plans, in coordination with academic advisors.
  • Monitoring electronic attendance records on a regular basis.
  • Entering and reviewing class schedules accurately in the Student Information System.
  • Supervising electronic course registration each semester, verifying prerequisite and co-requisite fulfillment, and managing add/drop processes within approved periods.
  • Following up on course equivalency requests for transfer students through the Student Information System.
  • Processing requests for study deferment, academic withdrawal, and course withdrawal.
  • Generating and reviewing electronic registration reports (such as prerequisite overrides, closed sections, exceeding study duration, and prerequisite exceptions), forwarding them to concerned parties, and submitting recommendations to the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs.
  • Preparing annual reports related to the Unit’s services.

6. Student Activities Unit

The Student Activities Unit at the College of Pharmacy is responsible for organizing and supervising student activities and programs under the supervision of the Vice Deanship of Academic Affairs and in coordination with the Deanship of Student Affairs. The Unit oversees Saydal Club, the official student club of the College of Pharmacy, which aims to develop students’ scientific, practical, and leadership skills, support discipline-related extracurricular activities, and promote initiative and social responsibility in accordance with university regulations.

Responsibilities:

  • Planning and supervising student and extracurricular activities within and outside the College in alignment with the goals of the College and the University.
  • Preparing, approving, and submitting the annual student activities plan to the Deanship of Student Affairs in accordance with approved templates and timelines.
  • Organizing and implementing specialized and extracurricular activities (scientific, awareness, training, and volunteer activities) that contribute to students’ skill development.
  • Supervising Saydal Club and monitoring its performance, programs, and activities within the approved extracurricular framework.
  • Coordinating with the Deanship of Student Affairs and relevant entities regarding activity approvals, guest invitations, publicity, and budgets.
  • Monitoring and evaluating activities, preparing periodic and final reports, and ensuring compliance with relevant university regulations.

7. Examination and Assessment Quality Unit

The Unit consists of the following two teams:

A. Examination Facilitation Team:

This committee is responsible for coordinating the implementation, integrity, confidentiality, and smooth conduct of examinations.

Responsibilities:

  • Ensuring the orderly conduct of all examinations and monitoring compliance by students, invigilators, and examination logistics.
  • Intervening to resolve any emergent issues during examinations.
  • Recording and addressing cases of academic dishonesty.
  • Preparing a final examination report highlighting strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations for improvement.
  • Ensuring full compliance with all university examination regulations, technical standards, and procedures.
  • Booking and supervising all examination venues during examination periods.
  • Preparing invigilation schedules and monitoring attendance and departure times.
  • Managing cases of invigilator delays and covering shortages during emergencies.
  • Recording cases of late arrival to examinations.
  • Ensuring confidentiality in the receipt and handover of examination papers.
  • Ensuring secure transmission of examination papers for grading at the Examination Center.
  • Distributing answer keys to course coordinators.
  • Ensuring a safe and comfortable examination environment for all students.
  • Implementing appropriate arrangements for students with special needs, medical conditions, or timetable conflicts.
  • Providing sufficient drinking water supplies during examination periods.

B. Assessment Quality Team:

This committee is responsible for developing, guiding, implementing, and monitoring all matters related to assessment and examinations in accordance with the policies of the Vice Deanship of Academic Affairs and the University Center for Assessment and Examination Quality.

Responsibilities:

  • Developing and implementing standardized examination templates suitable for the needs of different academic departments.
  • Providing guidance on the use of unified assessment templates for various assessment methods, including presentations, assignments, seminars, written and oral examinations, to ensure consistency and quality.
  • Reviewing written examinations to ensure clarity, consistency, and adherence to standardized formatting.
  • Evaluating the quality and depth of examination content to ensure comprehensive coverage of course material.
  • Verifying that examinations effectively measure the achievement of approved program learning outcomes.
  • Analyzing examination results, including difficulty levels, discrimination indices, and overall performance.
  • Providing feedback and recommendations to faculty members to improve future examinations through question modification, addition, or removal.
  • Conducting detailed item analysis for midterm and final examinations to evaluate question performance and guide improvements.
  • Collaborating with course instructors to review examination outcomes and propose enhancements to assessment practices.
  • Supporting continuous improvement of assessment processes by ensuring fairness, validity, and reliability of assessment tools.
  • Ensuring that assessment and examination practices meet national and international accreditation requirements.
  • Developing and updating assessment and examination policies in alignment with institutional standards and best practices.

Vice Dean of the College of Pharmacy for Academic Affairs
Dr. Abdulaziz Hassan Al Khzem
Email: ahalkhzem@iau.edu.sa
Phone: 35533
Email:CCP.VDAA@iau.edu.sa