B.Sc. in Petroleum Engineering Undergoing Academic Program Review

The American University of Kurdistan (AUK) is, on the institutional level, hard at work on earning accreditation from the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). An essential part of the University’s due diligence to the principles of institutional effectiveness is the implementation of Academic Program Reviews. On April 5 and 6, the Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering degree was under the microscope. A committee of four, made up of two members of the AUK community and two external peer reviewers, spent hours meeting with departmental stakeholders: students, faculty, alumni, employers, and program leadership. The two internal reviewers were Dr. Mustafa Amen, of the Department of Design, and Sinbl Yakoob, of the College of Business. The two external reviewers were Professor Salam Al-Rbeawi, from the Northern Cyprus Campus of Middle East Technical University, and Dr. Tarek Al-Arbi Ganat, from the Department of Petroleum Engineering at Malaysia’s Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS.

On April 5, the committee met with AUK President Randall Rhodes, Director of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning (OIEP) Ajin Saadi, the University Provost, the Dean and Chair of the Department of Petroleum Engineering, and representatives of various student support services. The assessment of student learning outcomes is central to the mission of any university, so the committee’s 90-minute meeting with a class of Petroleum Engineering students deserves a more detailed discussion. The committee members collectively strove to get a sense of the students’ confidence in their own skills and in the program. The external experts asked technical questions and subtly questioned the students on their understanding of the industry in which they aspire to work. Program reviews are meant to uncover areas for growth, and the students offered some.

On April 6, the committee met with employers and alumni, visited classrooms, and examined the Petroleum Engineering Laboratory. The agenda included an hour-long meeting with the Petroleum Engineering faculty. They discussed the Math and Physics prerequisites for Petroleum Engineering courses, as well as the “professional practices” and “soft skills” that should be imparted throughout the curriculum. Looking at the list of course offerings, the committee challenged the faculty members to define the precise learning objectives of each course.

The American University of Kurdistan welcomed the Academic Program Review for the Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering degree. The four-member committee will submit a report, based on which the Department of Petroleum Engineering will devise an action plan for continuous improvement.