In a desire to develop the college technically and provide the appropriate technical environment for improving the teaching process, the Information Technology Unit was established at the Faculty of Arts in 2000. The unit’s responsibilities, as outlined in its establishment decision, include: 

1. Installation and maintenance of computers and their accessories. 

2. Installation, maintenance, and development of software.

 3. Technical supervision of the computer lab in the faculty, including software, hardware, and the networking system. 

4. Providing the faculty’s work centers with information on the latest software releases and updates in the field of information technology. 

5. The unit ensures the acquisition of licensed original software copies for installation in work centers. It is also allowed to obtain Site Licenses from the software producers for installation. The unit is committed to not installing pirated or unlicensed software, as this contradicts the teachings of our religion and intellectual property protection laws. 

6. Maintenance and updating of the faculty’s website. 

The Information Technology Unit represents an essential support for the college in its efforts to obtain academic accreditation, as accreditation requires the availability of suitable technological infrastructure. 

The unit was established in 2000, and Dr. Salah Al-Najm assumed its leadership immediately upon its creation. A plan was initiated to develop the IT infrastructure despite the lack of a sufficient budget. The establishment of the unit coincided with the college’s acquisition of its first computer lab, donated by the General Secretariat of the Endowment. Between 2000 and 2005, two more labs were opened, one of which was also established through a donation, and the first lab was renovated through another donation from the General Secretariat of the Endowment.

Faculty Website:

 On the other hand, a Web Content Management System (WCMS) was used to develop the faculty’s website using open-source technology. This system enables work centers to easily update their data on the website without needing to learn programming languages. It also provides a Work Flow system that organizes authoring, editing, and publishing permissions.

Electronic Exams:

 The Information Technology Unit implemented electronic exams for the course 102 Aesthetics of Arabic Literature (Department of Arabic Language) in the first and second semesters of the 2006-2007 academic year, taught by Dr. Ahmed Awad. This is one of the general courses with high enrollment. To increase the effectiveness and continuity of the e-learning system (referred to as availability in information systems), the unit implemented a Disaster Recovery system, which used for scheduled backups of electronic courses stored on the e-learning system.

Screen of the E-learning System for the College of Arts: 

Additional Activities:

 In addition to the above, the unit has undertaken the following activities:

• Providing technical support to faculty members and staff. 

• Assisting faculty members in using the smart classrooms in the college. 

• Participating in registration activities at the college. 

• Upgrading classrooms with the latest computers and software. 

• Updating computers for faculty members and installing the latest software used in the teaching process. 

• Assisting in various college activities such as conferences and seminars held both inside and outside the college. 

• Designing and updating the faculty’s website and its e-learning system.