• Al Falah University (AFU) employs sufficient number of faculty members to effectively deliver the programs it offers, both credit-bearing and noncredit-bearing, in line with its mission and international norms.
• There is a clear and accessible faculty workload which is appropriate to the nature and mission of the institution, which is consistently and transparently applied.
• Workload assignments are equitable and reasonable and include the entire range of a faculty member's responsibilities, such as instruction, advising, project supervision, internship supervision, accreditation work, committee work, supervision in general, guidance of student organizations, research, community engagement and service, and curriculum development. Assignments has to consider the number of course preparations, the level of courses taught, student enrolments, subject matter, support from clerical and other staff, and administrative responsibilities.
• Faculty members are allowed flexible work hours in order to meet teaching, research, and scholarly requirements.
• Faculty workload is 12 credit hours/regular semester for PhD holders, and 15 credit hours/regular semester for master’s degree holders.
• In exceptional circumstances where teaching assignments in excess of the above (overloads) are unavoidable, faculty must be compensated. In these exceptional circumstances where teaching assignments in excess of the above requirements (overloads) are inevitable, they require Vice President prior approval before beginning teaching and are either compensated through reduced teaching assignments in the next regular semester or compensated financially based on adjunct remuneration rate.  
• Any allocation of teaching, supervision, internships, or independent study courses (and according to CAA 2019 standards) beyond the 12 undergraduate credit hours per semester shall be calculated on an annual basis and compensated financially according to the faculty workload calculation.
• Workload assignments provide for a release time as follows:
  • Three (3) credit hours per semester for Head of General Education/Department Chairs (if post avail).
  • Three (3) credit hours per semester for Vice Dean / Dean Assistant (if post avail).
  • Six (6) credit hours per semester for Director of Quality Assurance and Institutional Effectiveness.
  • Six (6) credit hours per semester for deans.
  • Six (6) credit hours per semester for Vice President for Academic Affairs.
  • Nine (9) credit hours per semester for Vice President.
• If any of the above (from A – F) had a teaching load within his/her release time, then his/her teaching will not be considered as overload, unless he/she teaches more than 12 credit hours/regular semester.

• Deans/Program heads are responsible to allocate teaching load to the faculty during the academic year, in case of any under load credits, this can be covered during summer.  

• Overload (overtime) payment for summer courses will be for any course exceeding 24 total credit hours taught in the preceding year.
• AFU recognizes that laboratory, studio, internship, and other forms of pedagogy must be differently accounted for in faculty workload calculations. Certain courses are composed of 2 parts; theoretical and practical, and both parts are included within the same offered course and same course number.  In such courses, the workload for the faculty will be calculated in terms of real contact teaching hours (Theoretical + Practical) according to the curricula, rather than the credit hours. The calculation of workloads includes any classes that are split into sections.
• A faculty member is required to teach a mix of undergraduates and postgraduates’ courses (where applicable) in at least one regular semester per academic year.

Part-time (adjuncts) Faculty

AFU ensures that:

• normally no more than 25% of the instructors, by headcount, teaching courses in a given program are part-time faculty.
• part-time faculty meet the same qualification requirements for appointment as full-time faculty.
• part-time faculty are employed on the basis of well-documented job descriptions and clear, equitable contracts.
• policies and procedures, including provisions related to office hours, that apply to full-time faculty apply equally to part-time faculty.
• Assignment of teaching and tutoring load for part-time faculty members should be no more than six (6) credit hours per semester.

Summer Course Teaching: 

Faculty (full-time/part-time) are eligible to teach up to the 6 credit hours during the summer semester. Faculty will be compensated for teaching summer courses based on the remuneration rates of adjuncts announced at the beginning of each academic year.

Faculty Ranks and Qualifications

Full-Time Faculty Members

a) Teaching Assistants (if applicable)

An appointee to this rank must:

• Have a Bachelor or equivalent qualification in a discipline of their College from an accredited institution
• Demonstrate promise of future professional growth in his/her field
• Expect to participate in all University affairs
• Teaching assistants will be only assisting in course laboratory preparation.

b) Instructor (Appointed in Colleges)

An appointee to this rank must:

• Have a master or equivalent qualification in a discipline of their College from an accredited institution.
• Have demonstrated the potential to achieve excellence in teaching and scholarly or creative activities.
• Demonstrate promise of future professional growth in his/her field.
• Participate in all University affairs.

c) Instructor (appointed in the Language Center)

An appointee to this rank must:

• Have completed a bachelor and/or professional certification of equivalent.
• Have demonstrated the potential to achieve excellence in teaching.
• Demonstrate promise of future professional growth in his/her field.
• Participate in all University affairs.

d) Assistant Professor

An appointee to this rank must:

• Have a doctoral or equivalent qualification in a discipline of their College from an accredited institution.
• Have demonstrated the potential to achieve excellence in teaching and scholarly or creative activities.
• Demonstrate promise of future professional growth in his or her field.
• Participate in all University affairs.

e) Associate Professor

An appointee to this rank must:

• Have a doctoral or equivalent qualification in a discipline of their College from an accredited institution.
• Have demonstrated excellent teaching ability and shown continuing active engagement with students in and outside the classroom.
• Have demonstrated significant scholarly or creative accomplishments appropriate to his/her discipline.
• Show potential of becoming a scholar or artist of distinction and have achieved professional recognition and growth. 
• He/she should have had at least five years of full-time teaching and research experience as assistant professor.
• Submit a certified letter that he has been academically promoted to Associate Professor (or equivalent) if he was promoted to Associate Professor in another university.
• Participate in all University affairs.

f) Professor (Full-Professor)

An appointee to this rank must:

• Have a doctoral or equivalent qualification in a discipline of their College from an accredited institution.
• Have achieved all the qualifications for Associate Professor.
•  Have achieved a record of international distinction in the academic or creative aspects of his/her field.
• Have demonstrated excellent teaching ability and shown continuing active engagement with students in and outside the classroom.
• Have a record of relevant and effective professional service and demonstrate an ability to continue to take an active role in the development and progress of his/her field.
• Have had at least ten years of full-time teaching and research experience in a university or college, including at least five of those years in a rank of Associate Professor.
• Submit certified letters that he has been academically promoted from Assistant Professor (or equivalent) to Associate Professor (or equivalent), and from Associate Professor (or equivalent) to Full Professor (or equivalent) if he was promoted in another accredited institution.
• Participate in all University affairs.

g) Visiting Faculty

• All appointments will meet the relevant criteria as per his rank as mentioned above.

Part-Time Faculty

• Part-time faculty are members that are engaged in University Colleges and centers but have full-time duties elsewhere. They are basically recruited for teaching purposes, in addition to other functions that are mentioned below. The appointment of part time faculty will be done according to criteria of the full-time faculty. Part time faculty will receive the same pay rate per hour given to full time faculty when they carry overload. They will be subject to the same orientation program as the full-time faculty and will be evaluated on the same bases. The University requires that part-time Faculty must meet the same qualifications as that of full-time University.

Part-time and Full-time Faculty Ratio

The part-time Faculty teaching on each program will not exceed the 25% of the total number of the Faculty member in the program.

Policy on Professional Requirements for Teaching

• Al Falah University (AFU) requires that the preparation and qualifications of all faculty members (full-time and part-time) be at the appropriate level in the field of their assignments with earned degrees from internationally recognized institutions of higher education.
• The Faculty members must have earned a terminal degree considered for a teaching position in the University.

Parity for Faculty members

• It is the University's policy that part-time and full-time Faculty members are equally evaluated and parity in meeting the requirements for professional, experiential and scholarly preparation. All Faculty members (part-time and full-time) have equal opportunity in professional privileges.

Equivalency

• As a mandate by Ministry of Education (MOE), successful candidate must submit for UAE degree equivalency by MOE within 1 month after joining Al-Falah University (AFU), and according to the set rules and regulations by MOE.

Documentation

• Qualifications of all faculty are documented through official transcripts, certificates, and certificates of equivalency from the UAE MoE.  Faculty files are maintained and include passport and visa information (for non-UAE nationals), credentials, and up-to-date curriculum vitae in a consistent organizational format

• Faculty orientation programs: this usually occur at the beginning of each semester in coordination with the Deanship of Student Affairs.
• Ongoing training sessions and workshops: (throughout the semester) on various topics such as: search techniques, searching techniques with federated search engine, etc.
• On-demand training sessions: to address specific training needs or training resulting from suggestions or recommendations.
• Assessment of the various Learning Resources information literacy programs takes place as part of the overall Learning Resources assessment during the academic year and this managed by QAIEC.

According to UAE’S Labor Law, Part III, Article 37, a staff member may be engaged on probation for a period not exceeding six months, during which his/ her services may be terminated by the employer without notice or severances pay, provided that he/she shall not be engaged on probation more than once in service of any one employer. Where a staff member successfully completes his/her period of probation and remains in his/her job, the said period shall be reckoned towards his/her period of service.

• After the spring semester, HR sends the related (AFU) Performance Evaluation Forms to the Deans of the Colleges/Head of General Education/Heads of Administrative Units to initiate the faculty/Administrative staff annual performance appraisal.
• The Vice President initiates the Dean’s annual performance assessment process within the same timeline, through HR Unit.
• The relevant performance review forms must be submitted within 15 working days from receiving the request.
• Faculty/Administrative performance assessment shall be conducted in line with the approved job descriptions.
• It is the responsibility of the faculty/faculty administrators to collect all necessary evidence on all activities related to their scope of work within the performance appraisal period (1 year).
• The annual performance assessment of all faculty members and administrators is conducted on a university-wide basis towards the end of each academic year, where the vice president and the Deans of the respective colleges / Heads of AFU Units shall initiate the cycle for performance reviews. This evaluation is conducted at the college/departmental level (if avail) and will form a continuous record of the performance of every faculty member at the university. However, the performance assessment is an on-going process of communication between the Line Manager (Vice President/Dean of College/Heads of Units) and staff.
• It is an opportunity for all faculty and administrators to receive and discuss feedback on performance; to chart progress and identify achievements; to consider individual contribution to the college/unit and, where relevant, the University; and to identify the development needs relevant to one's role. The aim is to ensure that all members have a structured framework for reflecting on their work.
• The performance review recognises the value of effective two-way communication. It places an emphasis on communicating the goals and objectives of the college/unit and also provides staff with the opportunity to give feedback on the things that have helped them perform to the best of their abilities and on the instances where procedures and practices have inadvertently created barriers to good performance.
• Performance review is not a punitive process but rather a form of mentoring, an opportunity to celebrate achievements, acknowledge strengths, at the same time provide mechanisms and support for continuous improvement and enhancement of faculty performance.
• The Framework for annual performance review serves as a mean for maintaining a degree of consistency across the University without sacrificing individuality and autonomy at the academic/administrative unit level. The Framework for Annual Performance Review is also predicated on the understanding that the approach to Deans, Departments’ Chairs, faculty/staff evaluation should be comprehensive. Therefore, the system should:
• Address the various roles of the individual and their professional profiles.
• Provide information for enhancing performance and professional growth.
• Provide information and materials for the promotion, and merit review process.

Department Chair (if post avail) Evaluation for Re-appointment

The department chair shall serve a term of one year, renewable based on performance.  The Dean will either recommend reappointment or begin the selection process for the position.

Evaluation of Senior Management

The criteria for senior management evaluation encompass an appropriate scope. The criteria at AFU includes outcome standards that relate the actions of the senior management member to the mission and goals of the University. The major outcome criteria are in the form of performance goals set by the senior management member each academic year. Performance goals may vary from year to year; however, there are certain job-specific functions for each senior management position at AFU that should be evaluated each year. The Board of trustees will carry out certain aspects of the university president evaluation as there is no direct line manager within the university for the president. With the Vice President (as with most employees) this role will be filled by the direct line manager (the University President). 

Deans Evaluation and Re-Appointment Procedure

• At the end of each academic year, the dean shall submit an overall report of his/her achievements and accomplishments during his/her service as a dean to the Vice President.
• Vice President shall review the report, discuss it with the dean, and submit his recommendation to the President.  Vice President shall recommend one of the following two options:
  • Re-appointment as a dean. He/ She will benefit as a faculty of his rank and experience and be entitled to 6 credit hours’ release time per semester and will receive a monthly deanship allowance.
  • Issue an offer as a full-time faculty member.  He/ She will benefit as a faculty of his rank and experience.

• The president issues a decision in light of the Vice President recommendation and based on the demonstrated capability of the dean and his/her ability to lead the college towards the achievement of the strategic goals of the college and the university vision and mission in accordance with the guidelines.
• HR communicates the decision of the President and proceeds as per the HR policy and related procedures.

University Vice President Evaluation:

Evaluation of the Vice President will be performed on an annual basis.

Performance Goals and Indicators

At the end of each academic year, the Vice President will outline yearly individual performance goals and specific performance indicators reflective of short and long-term goals and in accordance with the University's mission and strategic plan.  The Vice President will meet with the President to review these goals. During the summer months, the Vice President will document to what extent the goals and indicators were met. This documentation will be shared with the President.

Vice President's Annual Evaluation Form

The Vice President's Annual Evaluation Form contains rating scale items and an open-ended item which pertain to the general performance and responsibilities of the Vice President.   These job-specific indicators will be converted to a measurable format and added to the Vice President's Annual Evaluation. The Vice President's Annual Evaluation Form will be completed by the University president and the responses on the Vice President's Annual Evaluation Form will be analysed using descriptive approach. 

Evaluation Review and Report

At the end of each academic year, the President will meet with Vice President to review the results of the Vice President's Annual Evaluation Form and discuss the achievement of the performance goals.  The President will write a summary of the evaluation for Vice President.  The summaries of these evaluations will be maintained by the President's office in the personnel folder of the Vice President.

President shall recommend one of the following two options:

• Re-appointment as a Vice President. He/ She will benefit as a faculty of his rank and experience and be entitled to 9 credit hours’ release time per semester and will receive a monthly allowance.
• Issue an offer as a full-time faculty member.  He/ She will benefit as a faculty of his rank and experience.

• HR communicates the decision of the President and proceeds as per the HR policy and related procedures.

University President Evaluation:

Evaluation of AFU President will be performed on an annual basis. Components of evaluation include the President's completion of the Performance Planning Document (goals and suggested indicators) at the beginning of each academic year, the President's report of performance attainment made at the end of the academic year, and the compilation of results generated from responses to the President's Annual Evaluation Form completed by university board of trustee members.

Performance Goals and Indicators

At the end of each academic year, the President will outline yearly individual performance goals and suggested specific performance indicators reflective of short and long-term strategic goals for AFU. These goals will be reviewed with members of the board of trustees at the end of the academic year. During the summer months, the President will document to what extent the goals and indicators were met. This documentation will be shared with the board of trustees.

The President's Annual Evaluation Form, which contains job specific and general performance rating scale items and an open-ended question, will be completed by the board of trustees’ members. Responses on the President's Annual Evaluation Form will be analysed using descriptive approach.  

Evaluation Review and Report

At the end of each academic year, the President will meet with the board of trustees to discuss achievement of yearly goals and how he/she helped into meeting the university's short and long-range strategic goals, and the results of the President's Annual Evaluation Form.  A Summary report is prepared using available evaluation data. Additional indirect evaluation data may be available for the board of trustees’ members to review.

Full-Time Faculty

Full time Faculty members have instructional and non-instructional duties as assigned by the University and as described in the above sections:

• Instructional duties include but are not limited to the teaching of assigned classes, evaluating the students in the classes, and meeting with those students who require additional assistance.
• Non-instructional duties include but are not limited to conducting research and other scholarly activities, advising students, serving on committees, sponsoring organizations and participating in professional organizations.

Part-Time Faculty

Part-time Faculty members are employed only for the purpose of teaching classes. The assigned responsibilities are to provide instruction, evaluate students’ performance pertaining to the instruction to meet with those students who require assistance in their classes, and ensure that the university institutional policies are enforced in the class.

The professional development provides faculty development activities that support teaching, research, and appropriate support services and training programs for faculty members, including part-time faculty, in a variety of instructional strategies and technologies to foster active and lifelong learning; also provides adequate training and support for faculty member in using software related to meeting educational goals.  The policy also provides professional staff development activities that support administrative staff members' roles and improve performance; these activities are evaluated to ensure they are appropriate and effective

Professional Development Objectives:

• To develop professional programs that support both faculty and administrative staff roles and improve their performance.
• Identify the areas or aspects of improving the performance and ensuring its achievement.
• To develop professional sessions aimed at providing practical usage of new skills and knowledge in line with the perspective of learning.
• To apply updated professional programs based on experience and consistent with the vision and mission of the university within the specialization
• To Evaluate programs and ensure that they meet the goals of the University.
• To Generalize the experiences that are distinctive between different colleges, departments, units, and centers.
• Share the distinguished experiences or good practices among different colleges, departments, units, and centers.

Professional Development Areas:

• Effective education and learning.
• Teaching methods including e-Learning pedagogies.
• Develop scientific research skills.
• Specialized practical and professional knowledge.

Implementation Responsibility: College Deans and Human Resources Unit Manager.

• The Coordinator of the Professional Development Unit sends the form (PD2020-18. a) at the beginning of the new year to define the areas for professional developments sessions.
• The College Deans / Director of Human Resources determines the needs and aspects of professional development and the proposals submitted by the members and they are approved based on:
  • The goals of Al Falah University.
  • Strategic plan.
  • Local and global accreditation requirements
  • Evaluation of faculty members
• The Dean / Director of Human Resources determines the participants at the college level or unit leave. 
• All needs, and aspects of professional development and proposals shall be submitted by the coordinator of the Professional Development Unit to the President of the University for approval.
• The requirements and aspects of training would be circulated to the deans of colleges and the Human resources department (PD2020-3. d).

Preparing the Plan of Professional Development Program and Plan

Implementation Responsibility: College Deans, academic staff, and Human Resources Unit Manager.

The Professional development coordinator asks the faculty to prepare a professional development session (PD2020-2. d)  according to the needs of the colleges / departments / units. Then the coordinator will arrange and announce the timing, session duration, and participants.

For administrative staff program coordinator will plan as per Human Resources unit recommendations. 

Procedures for organizing the professional development program

• Prior to the session the Professional development coordinator will comminute with the Human Resources unit for approvals.
• After approval, the coordinator announces the date, time and requirements of the online professional development activity using (MS Teams) platform.
• The documentation office sends an online circulation for the target audience /distribute invitations to those involved in attending the program, and address all concerned with the organization of the event in coordination with the coordinator.
• The Coordinator ask the presenter to indicate the title and the expected outcomes of the program.
• The Professional Development Program presence form (PD2020-12. a) is distributed at the beginning of the program to the attendees to sign the form to demonstrate attendance and to the coordinator /can be relied on e-attendance at the e-meetings.
• The Professional Development Program Presence Assessment form (PD2020-4. e) is submitted electronically at the end of the program.
• At the end of the program, the lecturer receives a certificate/ an e-certificate of appreciation for his fruitful efforts and encouraging him to introduce more professional development programs.
• The professional development program is recorded for documentation purposes and as a reference for the target audience.

Annual Evaluation of Professional Development Programs and Preparation of the Final Report.

• The coordinator receives the Professional Development Program evaluation forms (PD2020-4.e)
• The Coordinator analyzes the sample data, shows the results, and preparing the final report for all the professional development program.
• The Coordinator submits the report with the required forms for the Vice President.
• The President shall approval the report after its presentation to the Council, which shall be discussed and transformed into a college and a copy into the unit of quality assurance and institutional effectiveness. QAIEC will evaluate the results and the score for each faculty would reflect in his/her evaluation form. 

Budgeting Procedures

• The coordinator would submit a requisition suggested by the colleges/units to the Human Resource unit.
•  2 Human Resources unit will forward it to the Finance for final approval. 

Procedures for collaboration and agreement with third parties to implement the professional development program

Faculty members participate in professional development programs / courses organized outside the university (at least 1 program per academic year) according to the following conditions:

• That the program / course has clear goals and are consistent with the goals of the university and the goals of professional development at the university.
• That a faculty member can gain new skills in his specialization.
• That the faculty member receives a certificate stating his type of participation and delivers a copy of the certificates attached to the form (PD2020-19. a) to the college secretariat

If the previous conditions are met, the following procedures are carried out:

• At the end of each semester, the college secretariat sends the form (PD2020-19. a) with attached certificates electronically to the coordinator for discussion and submits it to the university president for approval.
• The coordinator submits the approval decision to the Dean of the College

Procedures for Cooperation and Agreement with Partners to Implement the Professional Development Program 

Implementation Responsibility:  Professional Development Coordinator

• Cooperation with partners to implement professional development programs is carried out in the following cases:
  • Desire to seek the help of high-quality expertise.
  • Desire to expand cooperation with universities, institutes, and international centers.
  • If a new technology has been introduced to the university and a specialist is needed.
• If there is no one available at the university to implement the professional development program.
• The coordinator addresses the partner and follows up with it all requirements and arrangements.
• The coordinator submits a proposal to the President of the University that includes all the required information about the agency and the program provider in addition to the expected cost for obtaining approval.
• After obtaining the approval of the President of the University, contact is made with the entity intending to cooperate with it to complete the procedures and request approvals from the concerned authorities.
• In the event of obtaining the approvals and arrangement from the concerned authorities, a date will be set for the program and announced.

Faculty Annual Leave:

AFU grants each Faculty Member 56 days during the academic year as below:

• Winter Break (between the Fall and Spring semester)
• Spring Break
• Summer Break

Terms of Entitlement

• The annual leave is not permitted during the rest of the year days while classes/exams are going on.
• Faculty member should submit his/her Annual Leave request to HR Unit, after the approval of the Dean.

Admin Annual Leave Regulations:

AFU grants yearly 30 calendar days to the administrative staff. 

Terms of Entitlement and Conditions for Admin

Employees are entitled for annual leave after completion of probation period and one-year of service. 

• The employee will be granted an annual leave of 30 calendar days for each year. As following:
  • Continued: 30 days during a year
  • Divided:  1 week and 3 weeks during a year, or 2 weeks and 2 weeks during a year; preferably along the time of faculty annual leaves.
  • In case of any extenuating circumstances, less than 5 days of annual leave may be considered as well for Admins.

Maternity Leave

According to UAE’s Labor Law Federal Law No. (8) of 1980 and as per AFU policy:

• Maternity Leave with full pay for 45 days, including the time before and after delivery, is entitled for a working woman.
• Continuous period of service with AFU should not be less than a year.
• If working woman has not completed one-year service, she is entitled for maternity leave with half pay only.

 Paternity Leave

According to an amendment to the UAE Labour Law, in August 2020, Employees are entitled to five days of paid parental leave, to be taken within the first six months of the baby’s birth for a baby born inside UAE.  

Training/Conference Leave:

In support of its strategy for development, AFU encourages faculty members’ involvement in training and conferences. The duration of the leave depends on the nature, length, and location of training course or conference. This will be considered as a full-pay leave.

Emergency Leave / Compassionate Leave

In the event of death in the first degree relative (wife, husband, children, mother, father, brother or sister), a staff member may be granted a leave of absence with pay for a reasonable time, but not to exceed five (5) working days if it will include travelling abroad and (3) working days locally. The staff member must notify the head of the HR Unit or the direct supervisor as soon as possible of any absence due to the death of an immediate family member and complete a Leave Application request to allow the head of the HR Unit or the supervisor to arrange staffing levels and continuation of services. Documentation of legal guardianship may be requested.  

Hajj Leave

• AFU Muslim Staff member with at least one year of employment are granted one-week paid leave for Hajj.  This leave is only once during service in AFU.
• The staff member is requested to submit official documents (Hajj VISA, Invitation for Hajj, copy of a valid passport etc.) and a letter requesting hajj leave to the Head of HR through the Unit Head.
• Before the leave is taken, the HR Head will begin efforts to temporarily cover the responsibilities to be left unattended by the person on Hajj leave.

Sick Leave

• According to UAE’S LABOUR LAW Part IV Article 82, where a staff member contracts an illness otherwise than as a result of an employment injury, he shall report his illness within a maximum of two days and the employer shall thereupon take the necessary steps to have him medically examined immediately for the purpose of verifying his illness.
• According to UAE’S LABOUR LAW Part IV Article 83:

• The staff members shall not be entitled to any paid sick leave during the probation period.
• An employee is entitled to a sick leave of not more than 90 days per year, only after a period of three months’ continuous service following the probation period. 
• The 90 days sick leave can be continuous or intermittent, and the salary is paid as follows:
  • Full pay for the first 15 days
  • Half pay for the next 30 days
  • No pay for the rest 45 days.

Note: The above provisions are subject to conditions and do not apply on sick leave because of occupational illness.

• Any sick leave exceeding 2 or more continuous days must be attested by Government Health Authority.
• If sick leave exceeds five continuous working days, it would be forwarded to the General Medical Committee of the DHA for final decision.  Failing to do so, the HR shall make the necessary deduction and initiate action, as per the law.
• According to UAE’S LABOUR LAW Part IV Article 84; No remuneration shall be payable during sick leave if the illness is the direct result of the staff member’s misconduct.
• A serious health condition is defined as a medical condition which requires inpatient care at a hospital, hospice, or residential medical care facility, or a condition which requires continuing care by a licensed health care provider.
• AFU administration may initiate Sick Leave by referring a staff member to a physician of the University’s choice to certify that it is safe for the staff member to continue working and performing duties as required by the job description or to certify that the staff member does not pose a direct threat to the health or safety of other staff members, Faculty, students or visitors at AFU.
• Employees must submit approved DHA sick leave requests to the Human Resources (HR) Unit within 48 Hours. HR maintains the records of usage of sick leave. Holidays or other authorized absences during a sick leave will not reduce the accumulated days earned. Sick leave is to be used only as needed and not taken automatically.
• A staff member undergoing planned medical treatment is required to make a reasonable effort to schedule the treatment at a time that would minimize disruptions to his/her assignment. If a staff member fails to provide 30 days’ notice for a planned leave with no reasonable excuse for the delay, the leave request may be denied until at least 30 days from the date AFU receives notice.

Ineligibility for a paid sick leave

The employee is ineligible for a paid sick leave in the following situations:

• During the probation period.
• If the illness directly arises from the misconduct of the worker, such as the consumption of alcohol or narcotics.
• if the employee works for another employer during the sick leave.

Terminated on grounds of sickness

AFU may not dismiss an employee or give him a termination notice while the employee is on sick leave. If the employee uses all of his 90 days’ sick leave and was not able to report to work afterwards, the employer may terminate his services. In such a case, the employee shall be entitled to the end of service gratuity in accordance with the provisions of the labour law.

Resignation during sick leave

An employee can resign from work because of illness and before the expiry of the first 45 days of the sick leaves, if the physician from the respective health facility or the physician appointed by the employer consents to the cause of resignation. In such a case, AFU will pay to the resigned employee the wage that is due to him with regard to the remainder of the first 45 days.

Leave’s Approval

• Annual leave requires preapproval by the college Dean or the line manager. Final approval is based on leave balance by the Human Resources unit. 
• Sick leave requires the submission of the form(s) mentioned in the above policy immediately after re-joining
• All other leaves also require a leave application submission to the HR unit.

Faculty members will maintain an active research agenda which:

• Targets contributions of the highest quality.
• Strives to involve students.
• Achieves publication in peer-reviewed journals of international repute and other forms of scholarly outcomes.
• Draws on external research funding.
• Engages in generating international collaboration.
• Observes the Code of Professional Ethics.

Research Expectation:

On yearly bases:

• Each faculty publishing research in English language shall set a minimum target of achieving at least 25% of the published papers in Q1 or Q2 category journals, or publishing in Journal in Clarivate analytics with impact factor not less than 1.
• Each faculty publishing research in Arabic language shall set a minimum target of achieving at least 50% of the published papers in Scopus or Clarivate analytics databases.
• AFU expected to publish 200 research articles indexed in Scopus in the next five year.
• Faculty are to form research groups with regional and/or international scientist.
• Faculty are to form one research group within different AFU’s colleges.
• Faculty are to form research competition at the university level.
• Faculty are to publish joint research with scientist from the top 200 QS universities.
• AFU will organize and host an annual international conference.
• AFU will assign substantial funds and attract endowments for massive research investment(s).

Research on Appointment Criteria

• Recruit international scholars/faculty members from the top 500 QS universities.
• Recruit scholars with excellent research profiles.

Faculty Performance Evaluations

• Each faculty member with PhD in a college teaching in English language; should publish at least one article per academic year in a journal indexed by Scopus.
• Each faculty member with PhD in a college teaching in Arabic language; should publish at least one article per academic year in an accredited journal and AFU prefer if the journal is indexed by Scopus.
• Each faculty member is expected to present and publish, on annual bases, one article in regional conference and/or one article in international conference indexed by Scopus.

Requirement to Undertake Research

• All faculty, academic staff, and MBA students are expected to carry out active research and publish their findings in peer reviewed journals. The choice of channels may depend on the commercial sensitivities of the findings and research outputs.
• All faculty, and academic staff need and are encouraged to generate research funds/grants to support their research. AFU will actively support efforts for external fund raising for research. AFU supports the faculty with initial funding for pursing new areas research, regional focused research, and institute theme-based projects.
• Research and publishing receive equal importance as the career expectation of faculty and will be balanced with the other obligations such as professional development and administrative responsibilities.

Research Copyrights

• Copyrights are protected under Federal Law. AFU follows UAE Federal Law No. (7) of 2002 on Copyrights and Related Rights.

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)

• Authors will be given full credit for their work and will be entitled to retain their proprietary rights.
• Publishable work of AFU’s faculty, staff, and students will be available to all interested scholars.
• In cases where the produced materials are result of specific assignments by AFU, then AFU will retain the right to determine the copyright issues.
• The University owns the copyrights to all multimedia, all electronic and computer based instructional materials produced and delivered by faculty while employed at AFU and retains the right to reproduce, update, distribute, transmit and alter the course materials.
• AFU affiliation should be mentioned for all intellectual work carried out by the faculty, or staff.
• Faculty members shall not include any content which constitutes libel, invasion of privacy, infringement of copyright or literary rights or otherwise violate the legal rights of any persons under UAE law.

Research Management

Implementation of research is carried out through research committees and designated administrative positions.

• AFU Research Committee is chaired by the Vice President of the University. This committee acts as the overall research management and administrative body in AFU. This committee has the responsibility of advising the University President and BOT on research and publication strategies to be adopted; to develop, implement and review research policy.
• Research Committee is comprised of Vice President of the University, and two full time faculty with research standing.
• The research committee will:
  • Coordinate the activities of its subcommittees and monitor external research developments.
  • Manage the internal administration of the Research Fund.
  • Monitor and report on externally funded research grants.
  • Provide professional development opportunities for staff, through the Professional Development (PD) Unit in AFU, to enhance their research performance.

Research Incentives:

• Only papers that bear the author’s affiliation to the Al Falah University (AFU) are eligible for the incentives.
• Incentives shall be granted for original research papers published in journals indexed by Scopus database/ Analytics Clarivate: Master Journal List.
• Scopus conference papers/book chapters are not considered for incentives.
• The applicant must be a faculty member at AFU at the time of applying for the incentives.
• The faculty member can submit his/her application (Research Incentives Form) to the Vice President as soon as the article is published online (First Online/regular issue) or have a DOI number.
• In Joint Research with others (see below table), the incentive amount shall be divided by the number of authors, and authors only belonging to AFU shall get their share of the incentives after division.
• The total amount of financial incentives that an applicant can claim should not exceed 12000 AED per one calendar year. The Finance Department will place the incentive amount in an author’s bank account after approving the incentives application by the president.
• Active researcher who obtain the maximum limit amount of the incentives (12000 AED); or publish five or more research articles in Scopus database; in a particular year shall receive a Certificate of Appreciation/Non-Financial Research Award (will be given for the most active researcher) from the President for his/her research efforts and contributions to Al Falah University.
• The terms and conditions for the annual evaluation of the faculty member performance and promotion purposes are independent from this policy as different criteria are taken into consideration.

Incentive values:

Conference Participation Grants

Conference participation in the form of presentation and/or attendance at relevant conferences will be supported in the following cases:

• Enhance faculty knowledge and skills through research paper presentation and professional network interactions.
• Are relevant to, and in line with, the mission of the university.
• Meet best practice criteria including the scientific review process based on a peer review of the paper, academic reputation and experience of the conference organizers, and eminence of scholars associated with the event.
• Contribute to the professional growth of faculty or administrative staff.

Conference participation approval and funding will be based on the following criteria:

• International conference attendance will be granted funding once per year for full-time faculty following the successful completion of the initial contractual probation period, and the publication of a minimum of one peer-reviewed papers bearing the name of AFU. Conference attendance requires the approval of the Dean of the College, and the VPA.
• Regional conference support will be considered on a case-by-case basis, but generally only granted once per year.
• Funded participation in conferences in all circumstances is generally only permitted once per academic year for both international and regional events. However, if a faculty is participating by presenting virtually, where no travel is required and no time is taken away from other responsibilities, then more than one participation may be permitted, as will be the case for when funded and approved separately.
• The theme of the conference where a faculty is presenting or attending must relate to the applicant’s area of specialization and/or professional role and context.
• The conference must be an international or regionally recognized event. Where the applicant is presenting a research paper, it must demonstrate that it will be published in the conference proceedings, conference abstract book or refereed journals/books with international standing, after the conference.
• Generally, no conference participation is permitted during the first and last week of teaching involving physical classes, or during the final examinations and results period. Faculty are responsible for making up and organizing any missed classes while they are away at conferences.
• The research paper must bear the name of AFU.
• Applicants shall submit the Participation at Conferences and Scholarly Activities form to the Dean of College 2 months prior to the conference date.
• The Dean of the College shall determine the merit of the application and the overall quality of submitted paper and make recommendations to the Central Research Committee, authenticate the conference, and the alignment with the university research priorities, and with the faculty member’s research activities and field of work. The dean shall forward his/her recommendation to the research committee for final decision
• The Research Committee shall take the final decisions concerning the Faculty participation in the conference
• Once approved, the applicant is advised to submit to their line manager for conference leave time as per HR policy.

Scholarly Journals

• Where a publication fee is required by an external journal, the Central Research Committee may consider paying such publication fee. Fees are to be paid up to USD 300$.
• A copy of the journal publication must be submitted by the Faculty to the Dean for documentation purposes and the Dean, after approval, will proceed a copy to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Participating in Scientific Conferences

Registration:

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure their application forms are submitted to conference organizers as per the deadline to enable registration.

Regulations for Conference Participation

• The faculty member should have worked at AFU for at least one year.
• AFU’s name to appear along with the faculty member’s name (researcher).
• The faculty member needs to apply as a sole author for a paper, or to be the main researcher, which is accepted by the conference committee. In case the main researcher cannot attend, only the second author (AFU Faculty) can participate provided a written approval from the main researcher is available.
• The faculty member who has finished one year of service at AFU needs to have published one research paper during his/her course of work at AFU and carrying AFU’s name.
• The research paper submitted to the conference must not have been presented at previous conferences or previously published in refereed journals.
• The subject of the paper needs to fall within the conference topics, and AFU approved research themes.
• The faculty member cannot participate in an overseas conference (outside UAE) more than once in an academic year.
• The number of participants for a single conference cannot be more than two from the same academic department with priority given to date of acceptance of each paper.
• The researcher should present a report on the conference proceedings and recommendations to the College Dean according to the applicable format.
• The application needs to be submitted two months before the conference.
• The conference must not be held during the exams period. Summer semesters are also excluded if the faculty is teaching in summer.
• AFU President decides on cases and/or points not mentioned above.

Required Documents for Conference Participation

• Recommendation letter from the College Dean to AFU President to sponsor the faculty member at the conference.
• Recommendation letter from the Department Head to the College Dean to sponsor the faculty member at the conference in question.
• An application from the faculty member to the Department Head/Dean requesting approval to participate in a scientific conference.
• Letter of acceptance from the conference to present the paper in the proceedings.
• Information about the conference (Leaflet, etc.).
• The research paper to be presented at the conference.
• List of the papers published, or accepted for publication, written by the faculty member during his/her course of work at AFU, carrying AFU’s name.
• List of conferences in which the faculty member participated during his/her course of work at AFU and sponsored by AFU.
• Registration fees receipt (if applicable).
• Make up classes timetable duly signed by the faculty member, Department Head/College Dean.

Expenses for International Conference Participation

AFU covers the following expenses:

• Five thousand dirhams (AED 5,000) advance payment upon approval to be supported by receipts upon return from the conference.
• Balance upon presentation of receipts to cover any amount in excess of AED 5,000 and to justify the advance expenditure, with a total of advance and balance payments not exceeding AED 10,000, where applicants are entitled to obtain grants which cover expenses associated with travel, accommodation, and conference registration fees up to a maximum of ten thousand dirhams (AED 10,000). Maximum AFU support will be as following:
  • International conference (indexed by Scopus) located in Region A: 10000 AED.
  • Region A includes USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Applicable per diems; 500 AED.
  • International conference (indexed by Scopus) located in Region B: 8000 AED.
  • Region B includes South East of Asia countries. Applicable per diems; 500 AED.
  • International conference (indexed by Scopus) located in Region C: 6000 AED.
  • Region C includes MENA Region. Applicable per diems; 400 AED
• The conference participation grant covers the applicant’s round-trip air ticket in economy class, standard hotel accommodation, and conference registration, and must be supported by official receipts.

Expenses for National and Regional Conferences

AFU covers the following expenses:

• Three thousand dirhams (AED3,000) advance payment upon approval (to be supported by receipts upon return from the conference.
• Balance upon presentation of receipts to cover any amount in excess of AED 3,000 and to justify the advance expenditure, with a total of advance and balance payments not exceeding AED 5,000, where applicants are entitled to obtain grants which cover expenses associated with travel, accommodation, and conference registration fees up to a maximum of five thousand dirhams (AED 5,000). Applicable per diems; 400 AED.
• The regional conference participation grant covers the applicant’s round-trip air ticket (for conferences in the Middle East region, outside the UAE) in economy class, standard hotel accommodation, and conference registration, and must be supported by official receipts.
• Conferences in the UAE, the hotel accommodation is only issued when the conference is 100 km outside of Dubai. Applicable per diems; 200 AED.

Applicant’s Failure to Attend the Conference

• In case the applicant is unable to attend the conference due to unforeseen exceptional circumstances (e.g. sickness), he/she must inform his/her line manager and the Human Resources Department immediately.
• After getting information from the line manager, attempts will be made by the HR Department to cancel the registration and recover the conference registration fees and other costs incurred. If this is unsuccessful, the applicant will normally be expected to reimburse the entire costs incurred by AFU in processing the application, including any advance payment received by the applicant.

Supported Conference Feedback

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that benefits of the conference in terms of networking and learning are shared with colleagues at the University. This will be done in the form of a written report (Template available from HR) submitted to the line manager and copy to HR.

Support for Scholarly Activities

• Participation in scholarly activities will be supported only if it allows faculty and professional staff to make scholarly contributions, for example, through being involved in PhD exams and Viva’s, within the UAE or in other countries.
• The approval of participation in scholarly activities must be supportive of the applicant’s professional development and must contribute to the enhancement of their scholarly portfolio, as well as have an added value for the overall image of AFU in the international academic arena.
• The relevance of participation in these activities is assessed on an individual application basis and will not be funded by the University. Time to participate in such activities will be granted by the University without being deducted from the applicant’s leave days, and cannot exceed 3 working days once per academic year, and where the faculty is responsible to make up for any missed teaching responsibilities during their absence.

Collaborative Research Agreements and External Funding

The University attaches great importance to strengthening cooperation in the field of scientific research with local, regional, and international organizations. Agreements with external institutions shall be conducted according to the following principles:

• The agreement should enhance the University’s reputation in the field of research and increase mutual research activities between the cooperating parties.
• The agreement should be consistent with the objectives of the University and its research guidelines.
• The financial obligations and other requirements needed to implement the agreement should be clear and appropriate.
• The agreement should specify the general and specific objectives of cooperation, participants, funding and other resources, duration of cooperation, methods of renewing it, the responsibilities of each party, and a basis for dealing with the outcome of the cooperation.

Research Funding Resources

The University provides the means that are necessary to ensure that the required financial resources are delivered for the implementation of the tasks assigned to the College through the following:

• Allocations made from the University budget.
• Funding provided by official institutions concerned with research.
• Resources from donors.
• Revenues of scientific research, conferences, books, and journals

• All applications for external research funding must be submitted in the name of AFU through the University’s Vice President. 
• The Research Committee manages/facilitates the contract, financial and nonfinancial management services for the University. 
• Faculty and academic staff are expected to comply with the Management of External Research, Consultancy and Related Contracts with respect to the costing and pricing of external research and consultancy.
•  Faculty members can also carry out research or consultancy within the stipulations of external research and consultancy norms.
• All such activities should have prior approval from the President of the University.  Faculty and Academic staff carrying out externally funded research or consulting work can manage their funds through the respected college’s research committee, and the College Dean in line with the Guidelines of the University