An Exploration of the Instructors' Teaching Practices in Saudi Emergent Universities

This thesis explores the nature and status of instructors’ teaching practices in an emergent university in Saudi Arabia. The study begins by investigating current teaching practices as reported by the instructors and their students, as well as the instructors’ perceptions of ‘good’ or ‘effective’ teaching practices. It goes on to explore the challenges involved in teaching practices from the perspective of the instructors, and the factors affecting these teaching practices. It identifies intrinsic (or micro) factors based in the institution, such as institutional regulations, physical environment, professional development programmes, teaching materials and assessment requirements, and extrinsic (or macro) factors including socioeconomic conditions, cultural values, and regional influences of geographic location, tribe, family, and extended family. The study utilized exploratory case study methodology to collect and analyse data from university instructors and their students. It used a mixed methods approach involving both qualitative and quantitative data in order to obtain a holistic understanding of the instructors’ teaching practices. For the quantitative element, two questionnaires were developed and administered to 48 instructors and 628 students in the same university. The responses were analysed using descriptive statistics. The main corpus of data was obtained via semi-structured interviews for both instructors and students. The data obtained were analysed using a general inductive approach through the ‘indexing’ technique proposed by Ritchie et al. (2003). The study found that an instructor-centred teaching approach dominated teaching practices, where students’ learning was perceived as in the ownership of their instructors. More importantly, drawing on a holistic understanding of the instructors’ teaching practices, the study found that these practices arose from the instructors’ location in a matrix of relations of power, or their ‘socio-academic’ position. Specifically, while the instructors held a privileged position in their universities and local community, the students lacked this status and were often disadvantaged in their own learning. Both, however, were subject to major challenges related to the local socioeconomic context. Drawing on these findings, I argue that the context-specific nature of the current university has produced a sort of ‘culture’ where several forces operate to shape and determine teaching practices. I conclude the study by proposing some theoretical tenets that I suggest are useful for understanding the status of teaching practices at the university level and for responding to the diverse challenges involved; these theoretical tenets are collectively referred to as ‘contextually responsive differentiated teaching practices’. Since the study is the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia, it is expected to provide insights for local researchers to further investigate the several questions the study raises. It should also raise the awareness of instructors, policymakers and social actors of the current status of teaching practices as well as the challenges involved, especially in Saudi emergent universities

DISKRIMINASI GENDER TERHADAP PEREMPUAN DALAM NOVEL PEREMPUAN BERKALUNG SORBAN KARYA ABIDHA EL KHALIEQY (TINJAUAN RELIGI)

Diskriminasi adalah perlakuan kelompok mayoritas yang menyudutkan kelompok minoritas karena perbedaan suku, ras, agama, jenis kelamin, dan status sosial.  Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan wujud diskriminasi atau ketidakadilan gender yang dialami tokoh perempuan dalam novel Perempuan Berkalung Sorban Karya Abidah El Khalieqy. Metode yang digunakan pada penelitian ini yaitu menggunakan pendekatan Kualitatif. Penelitian ini menggunakan rancangan penelitian deskriptif kualitatif. Jenis kajian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah kajian religius. Sumber data adalah novel Perempuan Berkalung Sorban karya Abidah El Khalieqy.  Dengan menggunakan rancangan penelitian deskriptif kualitatif data dalam penelitian ini yaitu berupa kutipan yang sesuai dengan diskriminasi terhadap gender perempuan dalam Novel Perempuan Berkalung Sorban karya Abidah El Khalieqy. Prosedur pengumpulan data pada penelitian ini menggunakan teknik studi kepustakaan, teknik baca, dan teknik catat. Hasil penelitian mendeskripsikan tentang wujud diskriminasi yang dialami tokoh perempuan dalam novel Perempuan berkalung sorban yaitu, diskriminasi pendidikan terhadap perempuan, diskriminasi agama terhadap perempuan, dan diskriminasi sosial terhadap perempua

Time Series and Renewable Energy Forecasting

Renewable energy generation has been constantly increasing during recent years. Wind and solar have had the most significant growths among all renewable resources. Wind and solar resources are highly intermittent and dependent on meteorological parameters and climatic conditions. The power output of wind turbines is subject to various meteorological parameters, such as wind speed, wind direction, air temperature, relative humidity, etc., among which the wind speed is the most direct and influential factor in wind power generation. Solar photovoltaic (PV) power is a function of solar radiation. Wind speed and solar radiation time series data exhibit unique features which complicate their prediction. This makes wind and solar power forecasting challenging. Accurate wind and solar forecasting enhances the value of renewable energy by improving the reliability and economic feasibility of these resources. It also supports integrating solar and wind power into electric grids by reducing the integration and operation costs associated with these intermittent generation sources. This chapter provides an overview of the time series methods that can be used for more accurate wind and solar forecasting

Synthesis of Optimal Enterprise Networks between Bio-refinery and Petroleum Refinery

The production of transportation fuels from the conversion of biomass into gasoline and diesel in a bio-refinery is an attractive, clean, carbon neutral and sustainable process. The economics of standalone bio-refinery can be improved via integration with an existing petroleum refinery, whereby bio-refinery intermediates can be upgraded using the existing petroleum refinery infrastructure. The current literature considered only limited materials integration between bio-refinery and petroleum refinery. In this work, an efficient mathematical modeling approach for synthesizing optimum enterprise networks between bio-refinery and petroleum refinery is proposed for the utilization of materials and hydrogen across the enterprise

HILIRISASI HASIL RISET PUPUK FOSFAT-PLUS UNTUK MENINGKATKAN PRODUKSI PERTANIAN DI PAPUA BARAT

Percepatan pembangunan pertanian di Provinsi Papua Barat mutlak diperlukan karena sebagian besar masyarakat di pedesaan menggantungkan hidupnya pada sektor pertanian. Selain penghasil komoditas yang dapat meningkatkan pendapatan daerah, sektor ini juga menjadi penyedia tenaga kerja terbesar, sumber bahan baku industri, sumber bahan bakar nabati (energi terbarukan), dan sumber pendapatan masyarakat. Usaha peningkatan produksi pertanian di Papua Barat khususnya di daerah sentra-sentra pertanian menghadapi berbagai kendala.  Salah satu kendala adalah rendahnya kesuburan tanah, dimana defisiensi fosfor dan bahan organik merupakan kendala utama. Papua Barat memiliki salah satu sumberdaya alam yaitu Tanah Endapan Fosfat Krandalit (TEFK) seluas lebih dari 100.000 hektar yang dapat diproses menjadi pupuk fosfat-plus. Penelitian tentang pemanfaatan TEFK dan bahan organik yang diproses menjadi pupuk fosfat-plus telah dilakukan dengan menghasilkan produk pupuk “Papua Nutrient”. Hasil penelitian ini telah memperoleh hak paten (ID P0030110). Pengujian pupuk fosfat-plus pada tanaman kedelai telah dilakukan di daerah Transmigran Prafi Manokwari. Kegiatan ini merupakan hilirisasi dari Program Pengembangan Usaha Produk Intelektual Kampus (PPUPIK) dan melibatkan petani. Perlakuan Pupuk fosfat-plus dibandingkan dengan pupuk NPK subsidi dan SP-36 yang dirancang menggunakan Rancangan Acak Kelompok. Hasil pengujian menunjukkan bahwa pemberian pupuk pada tanaman kedelai yang ditanam di lahan sawah setelah panen padi berpengaruh tidak nyata baik terhadap komoponen pertumbuhan maupun hasil. Petani merespons positif penggunaan pupuk fosfat-plus, meskipun ketergantungannya  pada pupuk subsidi masih sangat besar. Hasil pengujian pada tanaman padi yang dilakukan oleh petani menunjukkan bahwa terjadi peningkatan produksi   sebesar 424,5 kg   beras per hektar  dengan  penambahan  pendapatan  sebesar Rp. 2.694.000,-.Kata Kunci: hilirisasi, krandalit, pupuk fosfat-plus, pertanian