The Regional Centers (RC) in Saudi Arabia, currently those in Jeddah, Ahsa, Dammam, Hail, and Medina are administratively, financially, and academically linked to the AOU branch in Riyadh. The supervisory role of the branch over affiliated RCs calls for periodic fact-finding visits. Meanwhile, the processes associated with a number of topics are outlined below, in which required interaction between the branch and affiliated RCs is underlined.

Admissions and Registration

  A regional center has full control over the process of admissions and registration at the      center, in which the RC abides by the University rules and regulations.
  Full information about students and their status and progression are subsequently       forwarded  to Assistant Director for inclusion in a unified data base.
  Students' requests for transfer between disciplines are processed by the DRC, and a       recommendation is sent to the Assistant Director for approval.

Assessment

  Ensure that arrangements for the examination of students within the RC are proper and       consistent with the procedures set out by the AOU.
  Implement the procedures for students' appeals, as seen in the following section on       Grievances and Appeals.
  Supervise the grading of the final examination papers. Results are sent to the Assistant       Director.
  Random samples from each TMA for each course, which have been doubly marked by the       concerned staff tutor in the RC, are sent to the Assistant Director at the branch.
  Similarly, random sample examination papers of the final examination of each course at the       RC are sent to the Assistant Director.
  A preliminary analysis of the final examinations results is made by the RC, where it is       presented to the BC.
  Cases of students, who cannot attend the final examination of a specific course, and their       compelling reasons for their absence, are examined and resolved by the DRC.
  Special circumstances which adversely affect the student's ability to prepare TMAs, or       submit them on time, are examined and reported to the DRC.
  Cases of students with special needs, whose conditions negatively affect their abilities to       solve the assignments and other continuous assessment requirements are examined by       the DRC and forwarded to the Assistant Director, who approves the suggested action.

General Quality Assurance Matters

  One staff member at the RC is assigned to supervise the acquisition of data relating to       quality assurance measurement. This includes the distribution and collection of views       questionnaires.
  The data are entered to a computer on site, and then forwarded by the DRC to the BD.

  It is mandatory that tutors fill out the TMA marking sheets and submit them to their respective       staff tutor.
  Staff tutor fill out the Tutor Monitoring sheets -in accordance with regulations- and submit a       full summary of their assessment to the DRC, who in turn pass them to ADAC.
  A periodic full report on tutor performance is, further more, submitted by the DRC to ADAC,       who suggests subsequent actions.

Staff Appraisal

In the University regulations pertaining to the appraisal of academic staff, the distinct roles of deans and branch directors are clearly identified. Concerning the academic staff at a RC, the following is to be noted:

  The role of the BD -as stated in the above mentioned regulations- is exercised by the DRC.
  The DRC report is endorsed by the BD before being sent to AOU headquarters for final       processing.

Grievances and Appeals

  Students dissatisfied with the results of their assessments may submit a request to the       DRC. The DRC can settle the matter if it is simple and clear enough. For more serious       cases, the issue is presented by the DRC to the Branch Examination Committee in its next       meeting.
  The BEC permits only those requests for review that are based on additional information       about the student's personal circumstances or evidence of procedural irregularity, and not       requests that challenge the academic judgment of the examiners.
  A student who receives the rating of "Fail" in a specific course may submit a request       for  appeal to the DRC within two weeks of the dated notification supported by his grounds       for  appeal and supporting documents.
  Requests for review are first considered by a staff tutor or a senior tutor, who is appointed by       the DRC, and who has no direct involvement with the teaching and assessment of the       course concerned.
  The appellants are allowed the right to choose, following an initial advice by the reviewer,       whether or not to put their cases before the BEC.