Defense of the First Master's Thesis in Physical and Health Education at AAU

Al-Ahliyya Amman University witnessed the defense of the first Master's thesis in the field of Sports Science within the Department of Physical and Health Education at the Faculty of Educational Sciences. This marks the first such defense among private universities in Jordan. The thesis, titled “The Effect of Functional Resistance Training Designed Using Artificial Intelligence on Selected Physical and Physiological Variables Among Swimmers”, was submitted by student Hazem Saba. The thesis defense committee consisted of Prof. Sari Hamdan, President of Al-Ahliyya Amman University, serving as an internal examiner; Prof. Mohammad Abu Al-Tayyib from the University of Jordan as an external examiner; and Dr. Hatem Al-Shalloul, Head of the Department of Physical and Health Education at the Faculty of Educational Sciences, as the main supervisor. This thesis is considered one of the first scholarly works at both the local and Arab levels to explore the application of artificial intelligence in the field of sports. Modern AI-powered applications were used to design sports training programs as part of the research. The defense committee recommended awarding Hazem Saba a Master’s degree in Physical and Health Education with distinction. It is worth noting that Al-Ahliyya Amman University was the first private university in Jordan to establish a Department of Physical and Health Education in 2018. In 2022, it also became the first among private universities to offer a Master's program in this field, launching three specialized tracks: Strength and Conditioning Training, Sports Facility Management and Marketing, and Clinical Sport Psychology.