JEDDAH, 16 January — Some say the student builds the school’s character. Others put the school on a pedestal, with technological facilities, faculty members and professors being the source of inspiration to students in honing their skills and enhancing the school’s image and reputation. Whichever it may be, Effat College stands out in its efforts to integrate its students and faculty members into a single entity.
Effat College students soon recognize the possibility of building a promising future for themselves and for generations to come. They are also willing to take on the challenges and explore new ways of learning. Indeed, Effat College has produced a motivated female student body.
The facilities available at the college make the student’s experience all the more exciting. User-friendly libraries, audio-visual services, conference rooms, electronic references and information skills services — including Internet search facilities — information skills instructions, customized courses and two computer labs — all add color and meaning to the development stage.
"It’s about communication, leadership and self-confidence," said Kerry Laufer, the dean’s assistant for Institutional Development and Quality Control.
These skills are important but not specific to a major. Instead, the college instills the necessary means for the student to become well rounded in a number of important areas.
"Students are aware that they can learn in many different ways," Laufer added. "A student may learn better if she can touch things; another may want to see things; still another might prefer to write things down," she explained.
In these ways, students will learn, over their time in the college, to work on their strengths and minimize their weaknesses.
Visiting a typical classroom at Effat College is a learning experience of its own. Rather than having the professor parrot the material in class and ask students to recite what they have memorized, an Effat professor will use "questioning techniques to encourage students" to participate in class, and "to let them know that it is okay to express their opinions," said Laufer.
The classroom is very vital, with plenty of movement, as groups of students sit together or individually to work on certain projects, explained Laufer.
There is also a give-and-take in discussions, although some students are intimidated at first and are unwilling to express themselves. But here is where the role of the professor comes in. "It’s challenging for the instructors and for us because we want to encourage students to think for themselves and not simply rely on their notes and textbooks in order to make meaning out of something," said Laufer.
There is also the importance of speaking and communicating, an emphasis that Effat College has promoted by developing the "Center for Rhetoric and Communication," which opened last fall. The center, headed by Sue Al-Mutair, seeks to strengthen communication skills, so "if a student wants to explain to someone how a particular formula is applied in mathematics," Laufer said, the student needs to discuss the subject in a coherent, meaningful manner. Hence, the student learns not only to communicate with a person but to a body of students in the classroom.
Al-Mutair usually meets with faculty members to discuss the ways in which the necessary skills can be integrated into the curriculum. She also visits classrooms to provide feedback to both students and faculty, "so, if they did a presentation, she tells them how well they did, how they can do better and when they can visit the center to practice presentation skills beforehand," Laufer said.
Students at Effat are also assessed on how well they do in a number of ways.
Final exams are the typical form, but professors are encouraged to ask for a written assessment, a presentation or a project to "bring out students’ talents and analyze where their strengths are," said Laufer.
Effat Academic Institute is a preparation program that also provides students with skills for use in their studies. The program is on six levels, with each level customized to the needs of the student. The program focuses on improving the students’ command of English and also on competence in the fields of technology, study skills, information and library skills, mathematics and social awareness.
In the case of making students socially aware, for example, professors give examples to students by means of the kinds of materials they use. "If you walk into an English classroom, you may hear the teacher discuss the importance of performing charity work," said Laufer. This way the student learns the importance of charity, its relevance and how to go about it — a local concern as well as a global one.
So what is it like being a student at Effat College? In addition to the array of programs offered, the diversity of the student body provides an education in itself. Students from Dammam, Al-Bisha and Abha attend the college and they all socialize with one another and learn from one another.
Laufer commented, "Socially, it’s nice to see Jeddah students hanging out here on campus after hours with students from the residence halls."
With 187 students at Effat College, each class has a maximum of 20 students and an average of 12 to 15 students per class. This environment is conducive to achieving the standards desired through one-to-one interaction with professors and participation in class.
"We’re always looking for new students," said Laufer. "We have programs and levels, as part of our pre-college programs, that can accommodate varying levels of students and their interests. We’re looking for students who are open to new ways of thinking about things and who are motivated and want to learn."
All in all, students at Effat have the potential to grow as obstacles are eliminated once the student enrolls in the various programs offered to them.
Faculty members work closely together to find ways to attract students as each professor explores new teaching methods.
So are there any stumbling points that students should be aware of before entering Effat? Not at all, explains Laufer. "We don’t look at it that way. We’re always finding solutions and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy."
So take the chance, enroll at Effat College and reap its fruits by learning more about yourself and what you can do to add to the reputation of Effat College.
Advising and registration will be from Jan. 19 to Jan. 23. Classes will begin on Jan. 29.
