Ziad Kobti was honoured when he heard he was being acknowledged by the Organization of Part-time University Students (OPUS) and says the key to working with part-time students is respecting their time.

“You must know your students, because there is no one solution that fits all situations,” says Dr. Kobti, director of the School of Computer Science. “By knowing your student population and acknowledging their needs — by customizing course offerings through scheduling and services — we can maximize their student experience and make them feel welcome.”

Kobti was one of more than a dozen faculty, staff and students honoured during the organization’s awards banquet, March 24 in the CAW Student Centre’s Ambassador Auditorium. He received the Faculty Award, recognizing contributions made by UWindsor faculty members who unselfishly assist part-time students in their efforts to achieve academic excellence. Kobti sits on a campus working group that assesses how policies and guidelines can better serve part-time students.

“The ideas and questions that come up in the working group eventually become initiatives,” he says. “Even though programs tend to be designed for full-time students, we can start thinking about adjusting office hours or course offering schedules that are more convenient to the part-time students so they can focus on upgrading their academic skills while juggling equally busy lives.”

Sociology, anthropology and criminology professor Renu Sharma-Persaud also received the Faculty Award; find a full list of honorees on the event website.