A research team from the College of Education has achieved international recognition after winning the Merit Award at the Second International AI in Education Competition 2026, the finals of which were hosted by the Hong Kong University of Education.

The award was presented for the team's innovative research project, Al-Ma'rifa: An AI-Driven Chatbot for Enhancing Student Support in Higher Education. The AI-powered chatbot was developed to support higher education students by providing accurate, instant responses to academic, administrative and service-related enquiries around the clock. The system aims to improve students' access to information, reduce the time and effort required to obtain support, strengthen communication between students and the university, and advance digital transformation initiatives.

The award-winning research team comprised Dr. Rouhollah Khoda Bande Lou, Dr. Shubair AbdulKareem Abdullah, Professor Wan Mohamad Fauzy, Dr. Abdelrahman El Haj, and Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Fahmy Yousef.

The team expressed their delight at receiving the award, describing it as the result of effective scientific collaboration and teamwork. They noted that the recognition would motivate them to continue developing innovative solutions that promote the responsible and ethical use of AI to enhance the quality of education.

This achievement highlights the growing international profile of SQU and the College of Education. It also reflects the increasing contribution of research to advancing AI applications in education and supporting the development of more efficient, reliable and sustainable learning environments.