workshop 1

Karim J. Nasr, Ph.D. Assistant to the President for Academic Advancement at University of Balamand (UOB). Prof. Nasr holds a Ph.D. (1993) and a MS (1990) from Purdue University and a BS from Oklahoma State University (1987), all in Mechanical Engineering. Prof. Nasr served as a member of SAE, ASEE, ASME, ASHRAE, the World Energy Council, and also an EC2000 ABET Evaluator for the accreditation of engineering programs. Dr. Nasr published an extensive list of journal papers.  In September 2004, Dr. Nasr assumed an administrative role at the University of Balamand as Dean of the Faculty of Business and Management. Dr. Nasr’s educational and pedagogical research interests focus on the assessment of learning outcomes, Higher Education Strategic Planning, the enhancement of students’ learning experience and the effectiveness of educational programs.  Prof. Nasr is a recipient of SAE’s Ralph Teetor Educational Award (1998), Kettering University’s Outstanding Teacher Award (2000), Outstanding Applied Researcher Award (2000), CETL’s Best Poster Award as Educational Research (2002), and TRW/CETL Educational Scholar Award (2003).  Dr. Nasr also serves on national committees such as the taskforce on University Governance and Quality Assurance at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.  Since 2007, Dr. Nasr serves additionally as Assistant to the President for Academic Advancement at UOB, mapping Quality Assurance and Control initiatives for the University of Balamand.

Mwaffaq Otoom, Ph.D. Currently, Dean Assistant of Graduate Studies and Scientific Research at Yarmouk University (YU), Jordan. Dr. Otoom holds a Ph.D. (2012), a MS (2006), and a BS (2004) from Virginia Tech, Arizona State University, and Yarmouk University, respectively, all in Computer Engineering. Dr. Otoom is a member of IEEE, Jordan Engineers Association, American Society for Engineering Education, Eta Kappa Nu, Gamma Beta Phi Society, and Golden Key International Honour Society. He has been selected for Who’s Who Among American College Students in 2010. Dr. Otoom published very high quality list of ISI journal papers. During his work at Yarmouk University, Dr. Otoom has been appointed as Dean Assistant of Engineering (2013 - 2014), and Director of the Academic Entrepreneurship Center of Excellence (2014 - 2016), during which he has been also Vice Director to the Quality and Academic Development Center. Dr. Otoom is currently involved in several projects funded by the European Commission, including: Open Source Software Communities and Rejuvenation of Technical Education and Innovation (OSSCOM), Modernisation of Institutional Management of Internationalization in South Neighboring Countries (MIMI), and Enhancing Quality Assurance Management in Jordanian Universities (EQuAM), in addition to coordinating other exchange programs.

workshop 2

Rebecca Lauther is Research Assistant in the field of Quality Management at WZL of RWTH Aachen University. Her focus is the analysis and modelling of interdependencies within organizational structures and the implementation of Quality Management Systems. Furthermore she is responsible for the conceptualization and implementation of performance enhancing projects, especially in the field of Quality Management Systems in Higher Education Institutes