Prince Sultan University Research Articles

Securing the Edge: CatBoost Classifier Optimized by the Lyrebird Algorithm to Detect Denial of Service Attacks in Internet of Things-Based Wireless Sensor Networks

The security of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) is of the utmost importance because of their widespread use in various applications. Protecting WSNs from harmful activity is a vital function of intrusion detection systems (IDSs). An innovative approach to WSN intrusion detection (ID) utilizing the CatBoost classifier (Cb-C) and the Lyrebird Optimization Algorithm is presented in this work (LOA). As is typical in ID settings, Cb-C excels at handling datasets that are imbalanced. The lyrebird’s remarkable capacity to imitate the sounds of its surroundings served as inspiration for the LOA, a metaheuristic optimization algorithm. The WSN-DS dataset, acquired from Prince Sultan University in Saudi Arabia, is used to assess the suggested method. Among the models presented, LOA-Cb-C produces the highest accuracy of 99.66%; nevertheless, when compared with the other methods discussed in this article, its error value of 0.34% is the lowest. Experimental results reveal that the suggested strategy improves WSN-IoT security over the existing methods in terms of detection accuracy and the false alarm rate.

Exploring the nexus of artificial intelligence in talent acquisition: Unravelling cost-benefit dynamics, seizing opportunities, and mitigating risks

The rise in talent management complications led organizations to rely on the latest technologies to automate their routine HRM tasks through AI. This study proposed to examine fundamental aspects of AI in talent acquisition (cost-benefit, opportunities, and risk factors) from the context of strategic analysis and decision-making. 52 respondents from HRM and the information technology departments from fifteen large dairy enterprises, each with more than one thousand employees, were included in the focus group discussion. Both departments were included in the focus group discussion as they heavily employ AI in talent acquisition. The opinions were collected in multiple rounds based on the cost, benefit, opportunity, and risk criteria using the analytical hierarchy process, a multi-criteria decision-making framework. The findings demonstrated that most respondents opinioned AI supports talent acquisition with many opportunities (38.7%) that involve the identification of the best applicants (18.7%) and different benefits (33.2%) to the organization in the form of saving time and cost (16.1%) leading to higher efficacy. The study infers that the application of AI in HRM significantly contributes to talent acquisition, streamlining processes, improving efficiency, and enhancing decision-making. The study recommends that implementing AI in talent acquisition requires a strategic approach, and organizations need to consider factors such as data privacy, ethical use of AI, and ongoing training to ensure successful integration into their hiring processes. Additionally, regular monitoring and adjustments are essential to optimize the effectiveness of AI tools in talent acquisition. AcknowledgmentThe authors of this article would like to thank Prince Sultan University for its financial and academic support for this publication.

Preface

The International Conference on Computing and Data Science (CONF-CDS) is a leading conference on computing technology, machine learning, computer science, and data science. Participants worldwide are welcome to share their findings and inspirations in relevant fields through research papers, speeches, and presentations. CONF-CDS hopes to build an international platform for researchers, scholars, and academicians to carry out academic exchange and thus promote cooperation.This volume contains the papers of the 4th International Conference on Computing and Data Science (CONF-CDS 2022). Submissions were reviewed by the editorial team and professional reviewers. Each paper has been examined and evaluated for its theme, content, structure, language, and other necessary elements of an academic paper. These papers all lie in the field of computing and data science, focusing on various algorithms, machine learning, and neural networks for example.CONF-CDS 2022 was successfully held online during July 16-25, 2022. Authors of high-quality papers were invited to deliver presentations of their works. Prof. Chengzhong Xu from the University of Macau, Prof. Tanzila Saba from Prince Sultan University, Prof. Li Xiong from Emory University, and Prof. Lewis Tseng from Boston College, Massachusetts were invited as keynote speakers and have given brilliant speeches on their latest research and frontier technologies.We would like to give sincere thanks to all authors who have submitted their papers to CONF-CDS 2022, editors and reviewers who guaranteed the quality of papers with their expertise, and the committee members who have devoted themselves to the success of this conference.Hope you may find it enjoyable and draw inspiration from this volume.List of Committee Members are available in the pdf.

THE CORRELATED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ACADEMIC HELP-SEEKING AND ACADEMIC SELF-EFFICACY AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

The current research seeks to investigate the correlation  between academic assistance-seeking and academic self-efficacy and determine the prevalence of academic assistance-seeking among students at Prince Sultan University as well. Additionally, the research aimed to establish a formula for learning about academic self-efficacy utilizing academic assistance-seeking. The sample of the study includes 218 participants at Prince Sultan University. The results of the research stated that  the percentage of  the students who demonstrated an increased  level of perceived forms of assistance request (henceforth AR), necessary (adaptive) AR, implemented(maladaptive) help-seeking, and avoidance of help-seeking was 51.4%, 50%, 6.8%, and 5.1%, respectively. Furthermore, the results indicated a considerable positive correlation between necessary assistance-seeking and self-efficacy, while a considerable negative connection was found between implemented AR and academic self-efficacy. However, no statistically significant relationship was found between avoidance of assistance--seeking and academic self-efficacy.

Promoting pedestrian ecomobility in Riyadh City for sustainable urban development

As the world is giving climate change a higher priority, several Coalitions are working on meeting a clean and green environment (SDG 13), focusing on new streets’ design in total urban development. A previous study discussed the pedestrian mobility status in Riyadh city, with attention to sustainable mobility, considering the pedestrians’ traveling patterns that use their cars rather than public transportation. This paper investigates the Ecomobility that seeks to promote the integration of passenging, cycling, wheeling, and walking. This approach will provide better health (SDG 3), clean air, mobility and accessibility, noise avoidance, greenhouse gas emission reduction, individual cost savings, and energy efficiency (SDG 11). It analyzes the pedestrians’ traveling modes in Riyadh city through a case study of the Prince Sultan University’s (PSU) community, then evaluates the pedestrians’ environment quality in the campus surroundings. Analysis used a web-based survey referred to the PSU people, including Students, Faculty, and Staff. On the other hand, the pedestrian’s environment quality was evaluated on-site built on well-constructed criteria. The assessment’s results addressed the factors influencing pedestrian choices and underlined the barriers to transformation to Ecomobility. They revealed that around 73% of the respondents expressed willingness to transform to ecomobility modes. About 52% of the survey sample preferred the public bus option. For the non-motorized options, students preferred cycling and wheeling modes, while faculty members and staff preferred walking. Based on conclusions, recommendations are proposed to foster pedestrian ecomobility for sustainable urban development in Riyadh city.

An Innovative JavaScript-Based Framework for Teaching Backtracking Algorithms Interactively

Algorithm fundamentals are useful to learn at different levels engineering education. One of the most difficult concepts to teach and understand is backtracking algorithms with proper bounding functions. This article proposes a framework to implement interactive online tools showing examples of backtracking algorithms in which students can graphically observe execution step-by-step. This approach is illustrated with the n-queens problem with students from Prince Sultan University, Saudi Arabia, and Complutense University of Madrid, Spain. The results show 6.67% increased learning on a backtracking exercise in the experimental group over the control group, in which the algorithms were automatically validated with DOMjudge software (an automated system used to run programming contests). The proposed framework was evaluated as easy to use, with a score of 74.5% in the validated System Usability Scale (SUS); easy to learn, with a score of 6.22 out of 7 in the validated Usefulness, Satisfaction, and Ease-of-Use (USE) scale; and with a general satisfaction of 5.97 out of 7 in the validated USE scale.

Peer Review Statement

All papers published in this volume have been reviewed through processes administered by the Editors. Reviews were conducted by expert referees to the professional and scientific standards expected of a proceedings journal published by IOP Publishing.• Type of peer review: Double Anonymous• Conference submission management system: Morressier• Number of submissions received: 172• Number of submissions sent for review: 172• Number of submissions accepted: 70• Acceptance Rate (Submissions Accepted / Submissions Received × 100): 40.7• Average number of reviews per paper: 2• Total number of reviewers involved: 35• Contact person for queries: Name: Umashankar Subramaniam Email: usubramaniam@psu.edu.sa Affiliation: Prince Sultan University

PREFACE

ICSDI 2022 is the most dynamic, informative, inspirational, and innovative event organized by the Engineering College of Prince Sultan University (Riyadh, KSA). The 2022 conference focuses on the State of the Art and Practice in different sustainable development goals (SDGs), as one of the promising and trending Engineering disciplines, this field is still changing rapidly. Along with the diversity of presentations on challenging projects and research, ICSDI 2022 will feature multiple invited speakers on selected topics. The conference will include a wide range of knowledge-enhancing technical and panel sessions, short courses, and workshops.There are around 96 participants attending the conference in the opening ceremony and plenary sessions. They are from the United States, Germany, Canada, India, Brazil, Chile, China, Egypt, Russia, Georgia, Hong Kong and so on. The conference was held in hybrid, both physical and virtual mode due to covid19 restrictions in few countries. Around 18 participants attended in virtual mode. At this conference, we were greatly honored to have outstanding Keynote Speakers and Invited Speakers from different countries. They addressed the audience and shared their knowledge and rich experience in related fields. They are Prof. Dennis D. Truax from Mississippi State University, USA; Mr. Ziyad Alshiha, Group Chief executive of The Saudi Investment Recycling Company (SIRC), Saudi Arabia; Dr. Adam C. BOULOUKOS, The UNDP Resident Representative for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Eng. Turki Bukhari, Vice President, Assets & Facilities Management, Expro, Saudi Arabia; Mr. Raed Albasseet, Chief Environment and Sustainability Officer of the Red Sea Development Company & AMAALA; Eng. Fahad Al Ajlan, President, KAPSARC; Mr. Mark Mirza, Project Leader at Fraunhofer ISC, Germany; Ms. Mayssam Tamim, Assistant Resident Representative; Dr Ahmed Al-Darwish, Deputy Governor for Development, Economic Research & Policy Advocacy; Dr. Ahmad Alwosheel, Assistant Researcher at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST); Eng. Mazin Albahkali, Executive Vice President Strategic Planning and New Business Development, Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), Saudi Arabia; Mr. Bandar Al Blehed Clients Relations Development Head -Saudi Exchange; Dr. Abdullah Alabdulkarem Executive Director of the Enablement Sector at the Government Expenditure and Projects Efficiency Authority (EXPRO); Eng. Waleed AlGhamdi, Associate Director, Smart City & Sustainability; Mr. Turki A. Alrowili, Spokesperson, Public Relations and Communication Director at National Development Fund; Dr. Ameer M. Al-Alwan, Advisory and Training Director, Center for Local Governance.There are 16 sub-sessions during the conference. The tracks of the conference include Manufacturing and Industrial Systems towards Sustainability, Sustainable Construction Technologies and Materials, Energy Sustainability: Challenges and Opportunities, Sustainable Urbanization and Smart Cities, Sustainability and Built Environment, Policies, Regulations and Economic Assessments towards SDGs. Attendees, paper presenters, keynote speakers, scholars and students have benefited in many ways from this conference. We would like to express our great appreciation to the organizers, members of the program committees and reviewers of ICSDI 2022 for their hard work. Without their participation, it would be impossible to hold ICSDI 2022 successfully and ensure the high quality of papers of the conference proceedings. We also would like to express our gratitude to the unbelievable number of authors for contributing their research results to the conference.List of Committees, Statement of Peer Review are available in this pdf.

Perceived Satisfaction of Prince Sultan University Graduates and Faculty from Health and Physical Education Program (HPEP)

An increasing interest in examining the Health and Physical Education Program (HPEP) has become evident to higher education institutions. However, the studies on the satisfaction of university stakeholders from the said program remain scarce. This study, therefore, examines the perceived satisfaction of university stakeholders from HPEP, including its distinct aspects/ areas and program offerings in an international higher education institution. Validated instruments such as a survey that received an overall mean score of 4.85 (SD=0.34) and an interview protocol with a mean score of 4.89 (SD=0.23) obtained data from university graduates/ alumni (n=250) and faculty members (n=10) between 2010 and 2018. The survey data indicated that alumni respondents evaluated the HPEP educational services (4.12 [SD=0.96]), learning environment (4.26 [SD=0.88]), and facilities (4.19 [SD=0.92]) with a high level of satisfaction. The adequacy of skills learned (3.80 [SD=1.16]), adequacy of HPEP as a program (4.08 [SD=0.08]), and relevance of the HPEP (4.11 [SD=0.07]) received a high-level satisfaction. On the other hand, the interview data revealed faculty members' satisfaction with some recommendations for improving the general aspects of the HPEP. While both alumni and faculty members were satisfied based on their understanding and experience of HPEP, discipline-centric activities, and infrastructure, there remains a need for consistency in the services offered, maintenance of facilities and equipment, and demand for strengthening values and transferable skills developed by HPEP. This study is of relevance to health and physical education scholars and practitioners. It may likewise serve as a lens to revisit the HPEP for program improvement.

Saudi Vision for a Happy City

Launched in 2016 to bring wellbeing to its citizens through the diversification of its economy, Saudi Arabia has gained much appreciation with its Saudi Vision 2030. Among its themes, the vision includes the 'A Vibrant Society' which aims to facilitate happy and fulfilling lives through the development of livable cities. The goal is to have three cities among the top 100 livable cities in the world. Riyadh is the nation’s capital and biggest city. It represents Saudi Arabia as a whole and as such, is a promising candidate to be one of Saudi’s most livable cities. This article argues that the vision for Riyadh should facilitate a ‘vibrant society’ comprised of happy citizens. To further our understanding of ‘happiness’, we focused on the ‘Vision for Riyadh city’ in the ‘Quality of Life Program’, which was developed as part of the ‘Vibrant Society Theme’ under the Saudi Vision 2030. It was compared with design proposals by architecture students from Prince Sultan University for urban spaces in Riyadh made between 2016-2019. Our analysis clarifies the extent to which the students’ vision for the city resonated with the administrative plans for Riyadh. Similarities between the visions reveal that the Saudi Vision 2030 is aligned with the students’ preferences and the views of citizens, while differences indicate the need for a more collaborative approach to developing Riyadh’s city vision; one in which students can play a vital role along with their professors and city administrators to ensure the development of a harmonious and ‘happy’ city.

Editor's Desk - ENVISIONING ENTOPIA!

Welcome to the special issue: Saudi Vision 2030 - Habitats for Sustainable Development. Led by Dr Yenny Rahmayati of Prince Sultan University, Saudi Arabia, this issue presents a range of responses to the ambitious project inspired by Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman: ‘Saudi Vision 2030’. As a guide to diversifying the oil- based economy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Vision 2030 encompasses a range of initiatives in all areas of development. These can be understood through three key themes relating to society, the economy, and the nation. In short, Vision 2030 aims to facilitate the creation of a vibrant, thriving, and ambitious kingdom.

The Impact of Educational Technology on Teaching and Frequency of Usage: The Case of Saudi Arabian Universities

Educational technology refers to the application of software, hardware, and other educational accessories to enhance the learning process, and improve learners’ performances. This paper aims to research the various forms of technology integrated into Saudi Arabia’s educational system and to determine how they have been used to enhance learners’ achievements in schools. The study was conducted on 325 students studying political science in five different universities in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh. Samples of students were taken from King Saud University, Prince Sultan University, Shaqra University, Al Yamamah University, and Majmaah University. An online survey on the application of technology in education was sent to all the respondents of the study. To determine the frequency of technology usage and its impact on students’ achievements, the correlation rank coefficient, and descriptive statistics were used. In all five learning institutions, the study revealed a significant relationship between students’ use of technology and their achievements in class. According to the study, 58% of the students used laptops in their learning activities, 35% used mobile devices, 5% used tablets, and 0.5% used desktop computers. This paper details the results of the study to show how technology is used among political science students in the country, and the benefits associated with it. The use of technology in learning processes produces substantial benefits, compared to not utilizing assistive technologies. Nonetheless, further research is required to determine the scale of success associated with educational technology.

What to Expect in the Design of Labor Rooms: A Mixed-Method Study

To examine the environmental aspects in labor and delivery rooms (LDRs) in Saudi Arabia according to mothers’ points of view, especially with the recent increased numbers of C-section deliveries. A mixed-method study based on a survey and open-ended questions analysis and comparison between the findings in two samples. Mothers who experienced labor and delivery in Saudi hospitals during the last five years participated in the study. The survey was distributed via email and text message to participating mothers, and 236 surveys were completed by participants. Based on analysis of the qualitative data, several factors were highlighted Psychological aspects (39.74%), Caregiver attitude (15.89%), Space Layout and Furniture arrangement (12.58%). Importantly, from the quantitative analysis, the study finds that during COVID-9, there was an increase on the mother’s perception of the importance of the labor environment comparing to Pre-Covid-19 period. The needs of mothers in Saudi were similar to those in the UK sample, except for these aspects were important to Saudi women but not those in the UK: spiritual support, psychological support and policies. Therefore, designing labor and delivery settings should consider these cultural differences. Funding: his research received no external funding. The APC was funded by Prince Sultan University. Declaration of Interest: None to declare. Ethical Approval: This study was approved by PSU Institutional Review Board (PSU IRB) - PSU IRB-2018-10-002.

The impact of timetable on student’s absences and performance

Student’s academic performance is the point of interest for both the student and the academic institution in higher education. This performance can be affected by several factors and one of them is student absences. This is mainly due to the missed lectures and other class activities. Studies related to university timetabling investigate the different techniques and algorithms to design course timetables without analyzing the relationship between student attendance behavior and timetable design. This article first aimed at demonstrating the impact of absences and timetabling design on student’s academic performance. Secondly, this study showed that the number of absences can be caused by three main timetable design factors: namely, (1) the number of courses per semester, (2) the average number of lectures per day and (3) the average number of free timeslots per day. This was demonstrated using Educational Data Mining on a large dataset collected from Prince Sultan University. The results showed a high prediction performance reaching 92% when predicting student’s GPA based on absences and the factors related to timetabling design. High prediction performance reaching 87% was also obtained when predicting student absences based on the three timetable factors mentioned above. The results demonstrated the importance of designing course timetables in view of student absence behavior. Some suggestions were reported such as limiting the number of enrolled courses based on student’s GPA, avoiding busy and almost free days and using automated timetabling to minimize the number of predicted absences. This in turn will help in generating balanced student timetables, and thus improving student academic performance.

دور قواعد المسؤولیة الدولیة فی تفعیل آلیات الحمایة القانونیة للتراث الحضاری مقاربة تاریخیة لتراث الأندلس الإسلامی The role of international responsibility rules in activating the legal protection mechanisms for the cultural heritage A historical approach to the Islamic heritage of Andalusia

دور قواعد المسؤولية الدولية في تفعيل آليات الحماية القانونية للتراث الحضاري مقاربة تاريخية لتراث الأندلس الإسلامي وردة بلقاسم العياشي . قسم القانون العام ،کلية القانون ، جامعة الأمير سلطان ، الرياض ، المملکة العربية السعودية . البريد الإلکتروني :dr.mshg73@gmail.com ملخص : تهدف هذه الدراسة إلى البحث في مختلف الأحداث التي وقعت في الماضي بالنسبة لتراث الأندلس والاثار الإسلامية، والتي لها علاقة جوهرية بمضمون هذه الدراسة، ومن ثم مطابقتها مع الأحداث الحالية وما يحدث من تدمير للتراث الإسلامي من جراء الحروب الاهلية في وقتنا المعاصر من خلال المقاربة التاريخية التي تتعامل مع أحداث وقعت في الماضي وعلاقتها بالأحداث المعاصرة من خلال توضيح مفهوم التراث وتبيان أهميته، ومختلف الأخطار التي يتعرض لها من جهة، وتسليط الضوء على أهم الجهود الدولية المکرسة لحماية التراث والحفاظ عليه سواء أثناء النزاعات المسلحة أو وقت السلم. الکلمات المفتاحية: المسؤولية الدولية ، الحماية القانونية ، التراث الحضاري ، مقاربة تاريخية ، تراث الأندلس . The role of international responsibility rules in activating the legal protection mechanisms for the cultural heritage A historical approach to the Islamic heritage of Andalusia WardaBelkacem Al-Ayashi Department of public law ,College of Law, Prince Sultan University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. E-mail:dr.mshg73@gmail.com ABSTRACT: This study aims to investigate the various events that occurred in the past in relation to the heritage of Andalusia and Islamic antiquities, which have a fundamental relationship with the content of this study, and then reconcile them with current events and the destruction of Islamic heritage as a result of civil wars in our contemporary time through the historical approach that It deals with events that occurred in the past and their relationship with contemporary events by clarifying the concept of heritage and explaining its importance, and the various dangers to which it is exposed on the one hand, and highlighting the most important international efforts devoted to protecting and preserving heritage, whether during armed conflicts or in peace time. Key words:International Responsibility, Legal Protection , Cultural Heritage, Historical Approach, Heritage Of Andalusia.

Effectiveness of Human Resources Managements in Riyadh’s Private Universities: فاعلية إدارة الموارد البشرية في الجامعات الأهلية بمدينة الرياض

The Study aims at discovering how effective the Human Resources Managements (HRMs) in some of Riyadh’s Private Universities are. To achieve this main objective, the researchers used the descriptive approach and applied a scale that consists of 70 questions covering 9 issues, and it was applied to all managers of human resources departments and their employees, the total number of participants is 36 which represents the total of the HRMs’ heads and employees of the privet universities: (Prince Sultan University, Dar Al Uloom University, AlMaarefah University, and Arab Open University) in Riyadh. The study found several significant results. One of them is that the participants agreed to a certain extent that HRMs are effective in their universities. The results also show that the HRMs are highly effective in devices and software used in HRMs’ issue as its score was Average, followed by policies, strategies and objectives of the HRMs’ issue as its score was Average as well. The remaining issues came, according to their scores, in the following sequence: HRMs’ planning’s issue, headhunting, recruiting, and supporting HRs' issue, legislations of the HRMs' issue, performance evaluation issue, work design and analysis’s issue, HRMs’ training's issue, and finally salaries and both material and nonmaterial incentives' issue. Based on the findings and conclusions, the researchers’ recommendations include encouraging HRMs in Private Universities in Riyadh to provide flexible and effective incentives programs to encourage their employees and increase their affiliation to the organization and designing clear-cut performance evaluation criteria and measurements.

What Motivates Students to Study Engineering? A Comparative Study between Males and Females in Saudi Arabia

Motivation to study engineering in undergraduate study is of great importance to students. It encourages undergraduate students to enroll in an engineering program and continue their studies without dropping out. Male students enroll in engineering programs with large numbers compared to female students in many parts of the world. In Saudi Arabia, there were limited engineering programs for female students. In this research, the motivation to study engineering is studied and compared between male and female students in the College of Engineering at Prince Sultan University, the first private university in Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted through a detailed survey distributed to 41 male engineering management students and 45 female architectural engineering students. These students’ performance and experience were considered and compared considering their gender to evaluate their persistence toward engineering study. According to the results obtained, the highest degree of the parents had a considerable effect on the selection of engineering major for male and female students. Most surveyed male and female students select an engineering major because of its positive impact on the community and its role in improving the way of life. Male students may differ in that they considered engineering in order to start their own business after graduation with a higher percentage compared to female students. There was a very limited role of the school in selecting engineering majors according to the surveyed male and female students. This role should be enhanced and utilized to encourage more female students to consider engineering majors in their college study.

Futuristic Trends and Innovations for Examining the Performance of Course Learning Outcomes Using the Rasch Analytical Model

The literature on engineering education research highlights the relevance of evaluating course learning outcomes (CLOs). However, generic and reliable mechanisms for evaluating CLOs remain challenges. The purpose of this project was to accurately assess the efficacy of the learning and teaching techniques through analysing the CLOs’ performance by using an advanced analytical model (i.e., the Rasch model) in the context of engineering and business education. This model produced an association pattern between the students and the overall achieved CLO performance. The sample in this project comprised students who are enrolled in some nominated engineering and business courses over one academic year at Prince Sultan University, Saudi Arabia. This sample considered several types of assessment, such as direct assessments (e.g., quizzes, assignments, projects, and examination) and indirect assessments (e.g., surveys). The current research illustrates that the Rasch model for measurement can categorise grades according to course expectations and standards in a more accurate manner, thus differentiating students by their extent of educational knowledge. The results from this project will guide the educator to track and monitor the CLOs’ performance, which is identified in every course to estimate the students’ knowledge, skills, and competence levels, which will be collected from the predefined sample by the end of each semester. The Rasch measurement model’s proposed approach can adequately assess the learning outcomes.

The Integration of Computer-Aided Translation Tools in Translator-Training Programs in Saudi Universities: Toward a More Visible State

The paper aims to investigate the current state of Computer-Aided Translation (CAT) tools integration into the translator-training programs of some universities in Saudi Arabia, which are King Saud University (KSU), Princess Nourah University (PNU), Imam Mohammed Ibin Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Prince Sultan University (PSU), and Saudi Electronic University (SEU). The investigation touched upon the sufficiency of this integration and the usability of these tools by the translation students and graduates of these universities in different translation courses and tasks, which contributes to enriching the field of translation technology, due to the scarcity of such studies in the investigated region. The study used a mixed-methods approach to enhance the validity of the data. The results showed that CAT tools have not been integrated effectively yet into the translator-training programs of the universities under study, as not all of them provide CAT courses. While the universities that do, lack some elements which can help to promote the integration of these tools into the programs. As for the usage of these tools, the findings revealed that a significant percentage of the participants do not use CAT tools in their translation tasks, and more than half of them do not use CAT tools in other translation courses. These findings suggest more integration of CAT tools in the universities’ translator-training programs to enhance their outcomes and increase their graduates’ opportunities in the job market.

Towards sustainable pedestrian mobility in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia: A case study

A new public transportation network is currently being constructed in Riyadh city. Public buses and Riyadh metro are expected to be available for the passengers shortly. Based on the Saudi Vision 2030, the government directed billions of dollars to rehabilitate the infrastructures and sidewalks to support the national transformation to sustainable mobility. With that in mind, understanding the individual’s choice of mobility mode is necessary to adopt appropriate planning and management policies. In this paper, a comprehensive assessment study has been carried out to examine the individual’s travel patterns in Riyadh city through a case study of the Prince Sultan University's (PSU) community and evaluate the pedestrian environment's quality around the campus. Individuals' travel patterns were analyzed using a web-based survey addressed to the PSU community, including; Students, Faculty, and Staff. Moreover, the quality of the pedestrian's environment was in-situ evaluated based on well-defined indicators. The results of this assessment addressed the factors influencing the pedestrian mode choice and highlighted the barriers that may delay the transformation to sustainable mobility. Based on this study's conclusions, several recommendations have been proposed to promote the transformation to sustainable mobility in Riyadh city.