**5. Discussion of the findings**

The data used for this study came from all three stages of the methodology as outlined in the methods section. Over the past 10 years, the program has granted B.Sc. degree to a total number of 60 students. The majority was graduated before the recognition of the IHO was given. In 2016, the first batch of the program with 10 students has graduated with the IHO recognition as Category "A," which makes this as a milestone in the application development by providing the graduates with international certification along with B.Sc. in Hydrographic Surveying. Out of 50 students, a total number of graduates from the program over the study period, the survey covered 55 students for their feedback on their evaluation of the program and whether the program has met their expectations regarding quality of education needed for the job, or in supporting their future career objective. The interview questions covered the knowledge requirements according to the Saudi National Commission on Academic Accreditation and Assessment (NCAAA) routine assessment for academic programs.

**Figure 4.** Mean response score % for the survey questions.

The questions of the Interview has focused on different themes, the first topic was general questions, the second theme was focusing on what happened during the program, and the third issue was the overall process evaluation of the program, and the last subject was an assessment of the overall satisfaction with the program. The survey questions are shown in **Table 2**.

The results of the student's survey as shown below have highlighted the level of satisfaction a large number of students have expressed in the program were rated on a scale of 1–5 where five were extremely satisfied, and one is extremely dissatisfied. The results as seen in **Figure 4** have all presented a good level of satisfaction except in 10, where some students have raised a flag on the course reference. This was before securing the IHO recognition, where the course material used was not very well structured. However, the matter has been improved in the following years. These results are cumulative results for the entire period of the study. The (n) is equal to 35 from 10 years time.

The graduate's exit survey has utilized the NCAAA standard forms, and it was used to highlight the themes of help and support for learning, resources available for learners, and the evolution of student and the overall evaluation of the program. The number of students who completed the exit survey was 35 students; they answered some questions dealing with their overall experience in the program, and it was satisfactory and supported 100% employment rate within 6 months of graduation.
