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Dr. Issa Al Bulushi Chairman and CEO Gulf College, Oman

Sultanate of Oman. The Outcome of the Partnership between Staffordshire University - UK and Gulf College - Oman 2003 – 2013. Dr. Issa Al Bulushi Chairman and CEO Gulf College, Oman. Prof. Taki Al Abduwani Dean Gulf College, Oman. November - 2013. The Speaker.

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Dr. Issa Al Bulushi Chairman and CEO Gulf College, Oman

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  1. Sultanate of Oman The Outcome of the Partnership betweenStaffordshire University - UK and Gulf College - Oman2003 – 2013 Dr. Issa Al Bulushi Chairman and CEO Gulf College, Oman Prof. Taki Al Abduwani Dean Gulf College, Oman November - 2013

  2. The Speaker Prof. Taki has been the Dean of Gulf College since 2004. He is the external reviewer of Oman Academic Accreditation Authority, Reviewer in The Research Council, Oman, he is also the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Oman Quality Network for Higher Education. PhD Degree in Education from University of Reading, UK. His thesis was on assessing the role of the soft component of human capital theory and explains the differences in soft skill endowment in Oman. He was awarded the Honorary Professorship by the International University of Vienna during the Oxford Summit of Leaders which was held during March 2010.

  3. Today's Presentation will cover • About Oman • History of Gulf College • Quality Monitoring by internal and External bodies • Affiliation arrangements with Staffordshire University • The outcome of the partnership (9 areas), focus areas for today’s presentation will be • Staff research and consultancy • Industry and community engagement • Gulf College new campus • Question and answer session

  4. About Oman • Area:309,500 Square Kilometre • Population: 3.8 Million 2013, of this, • 2.2mn Omanis, and • 1.6mn expatriates • Capital: Muscat • Official language:   Arabic language (English language spoken widely). • Time:   Four hours ahead of  GMT. • Currency: RO.1 = US$2.6  (0.385 Baiza = US$ 1) • Weather:  Hot and Humid in summer and moderate in winter • Population Growth Average:  6.4% • Life Expectancy: 72 Years

  5. Coastline - 1700 kms long Heritage, castles, valleys, Green mountains Sea turtles Deserts Traditional and Modern buildings And souqs Good hotels and tourist attractions About Oman

  6. History of Gulf College New Campus (8000 student capacity) 2014 Approval from Ministry of Higher Education Oman to upgrade the status to a Higher Education College, offering 10 different undergraduate programmes in-addition to the two postgraduate programmes which were already in place. 2003 1997 Managing the first privatised College in GCC (Kingdom of Bahrain) The first MBA programme offered in Oman through a private institution 1996 1990 Establishment of the set-up offering vocational and professional qualifications. The partnership has started since then.

  7. Quality Monitoring by internal and External bodies Internal Review of the System (results in a Quality Audit Portfolio) External Review of the System (results in a Quality Audit Report) ADRI Model Approach Deployment Results Improvements Ministry of Higher Education, Oman Staffordshire University, UK Gulf College Oman Academic Accreditation Authority Quality Assurance Agency, UK Source: OAAA

  8. Quality Reviews Internal Review Semester review - Working Groups - College Board Internal IPA Semester visit reports for each Faculty Semester Reports by the External Examiners University Annual Review by Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) Self Evaluation every 5 years by Staffordshire University MOHE Quality Audit by Oman Academic Accreditation Authority (OAAA) - every 4 years Institutional Standards Assessment by Oman Academic Accreditation Authority - every 4 years Programs Standards Assessment by Oman Academic Accreditation Authority - every 4 years OAAA

  9. Affiliation arrangements with Staffordshire University Relationship International Foundation Programme Honours Degree Programme Masters Degree Programme

  10. The Awards • Business Awards • BA(Hons) Accounting • BA(Hons) Business Economics • BA(Hons) Business Management • BA(Hons) Finance • BA(Hons) Marketing Management • BA(Hons) Travel and Tourism Management • Computing Awards • BSc(Hons) Computer Science • BSc(Hons) Computing Science • BSc(Hons) Information Systems • BSc(Hons) Mobile Computing

  11. The Quality Outcome Quality is assured by Staffordshire University in accordance with UK Higher Education requirements • Access to staff, IT resources, books, e-library • Same curriculum, assessments (localised) • Same language, same examination process • Same rules for awarding qualifications • Access to personal help Also checked by the Ministry of Higher Education, Oman and the Oman Academic Accreditation Authority.

  12. Credit Framework Level 4 120 credits • Written Examination • Practical Test • Individual Assignment • Group Assignment • Case Study • Project • Essay • Individual Presentation • Group Presentation • Business Plan • Portfolio • Journal • Viva-Voce Level 5 120 credits Level 6 120 credits

  13. Credit Transfer Level 4 120 credits OMAN Level 5 120 credits OMAN Level 6 120 credits UK

  14. Credit Transfer Level 4 120 credits OMAN Other Country Level 5 120 credits Level 6 120 credits UK

  15. Credit Transfer Level 4 120 credits OMAN Level 5 120 credits OMAN Level 6 120 credits Other UK University

  16. The Outcome (9 Areas) Governance and management Student learning by coursework programs Student learning by research programs Staff research and consultancy Industry and community engagement Academic support services Students and student support services Staff and staff support services General support services and facilities Details of the other seven areas can be downloaded from the report Source : OAAA Audit Report – www.oaaa.gov.om

  17. Staff research and consultancy • The GC research strategy revolves around the cultivation of new knowledge and its dissemination and development of research capability of staff and students. • The vision for GC is to become a leading research centre in the Sultanate of Oman through the following objectives: • To establish research grounds and to enhance the students' analytical skills and provide spin-off initiative ideas to conduct research on incentive basis. Source : OAAA Audit Report – www.oaaa.gov.om

  18. Staff research and consultancy • To provide opportunities for the entrepreneurs through cultivation of knowledge and creating links between the higher education providers and the industries. • To improve the research capability of the faculty and the students of the college to match international standards • To achieve the percentage set for each level of the academic jobs as per the college academic ranking policy. This is summarised below: • Professor 5% • Reader 10% • Principal Lecturer 15% • Lecturer 30% • Assistant Lecturer 40% Source : OAAA Audit Report – www.oaaa.gov.om

  19. Staff research and consultancy To create an environment that inspires and enables innovative research and scholarship. To disseminate research findings effectively through publications, faculty exchanges, workshops, seminars and conferences locally and internationally. To ensure that the outputs of research conducted at the college benefits the society and the economy through effective knowledge transfer and appropriate management of intellectual property To develop viable portfolios of activities from research like project consultancy and project management. Source : OAAA Audit Report – www.oaaa.gov.om

  20. Staff research and consultancy Focus Areas Active participation by staff and students in research activities such as workshops and seminars; conduct of surveys and undertaking research projects and publications in refereed journals. Conduct regular Research workshops (research methodology, research proposals and research publications) to help the researcher to analyse local problems in a scientific way and contribute to creative thinking and innovativeness. Joint publications by faculty, students and the industry. Enhancement of college’s research and enterprise activities. Developing soft skills of the students and their employability. Source : OAAA Audit Report – www.oaaa.gov.om

  21. Staff research and consultancy  Implementation  Establishment of the Centre for Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CRIE) Appointment of the Deputy Dean for Academic and Research Appointment of three Research Coordinators (one for each faculty) Annual implementation plan based on the approved research strategy Awareness campaigns to enlighten the local community of the research activities in the college. Strengthen the employment opportunities of the students focusing on employability and soft skills Source : OAAA Audit Report – www.oaaa.gov.om

  22. Industry and Community Engagement Each faculty produces annual activity calendar to enhance relationship with Industry, Community, Employers, Professions, Alumni and Other Education Providers, this include activities such as:- Participation in local and international events focused on humanitarian, health and environment aspects Source : OAAA Audit Report – www.oaaa.gov.om

  23. Industry and Community Engagement Support various Government programmes like Blood Donation, H1N1 Campaign, beach cleaning programme and others which are beneficial for the people of Oman and its community. Organise and sponsor various sports, craft and hobbies Offer free training and seminars on Career Development for its students and to the general public Source : OAAA Audit Report – www.oaaa.gov.om

  24. Industry and Community Engagement Facilitates the processing of applications of its graduates to industries and companies both for training and employment. Employer survey to assess employers’ needs. Source : OAAA Audit Report – www.oaaa.gov.om

  25. External Audit Report Outcomes Prior to the audit visit, the panel invited submissions from the public about the quality of GC’s activities. Audit visit took place over 10-13 April 2011 During the audit the panel spoke with over 90 people including representatives of the governing authorities, staff, students, and external stakeholders Source : OAAA Audit Report – www.oaaa.gov.om

  26. Audit Panel Members Prof. Debbie Clayton (Panel Chairperson) Clayton International Education Consulting Service Brisbane, Australia 2. Dr. Ahmed Al Bulushi Caledonian College of Engineering, Muscat, Oman 3. Dr. Ammar Al Ojaili Salalah College of Technology, Salalah, Oman 4. Dr. Elizabeth Stanley Higher Education Consultant, Colorado, USA 5. Prof. Gus Pennington Independent Consultant, UK 6. Tess Goodliffe (Executive Officer) Oman Academic Accreditation Authority Source : OAAA Audit Report – www.oaaa.gov.om

  27. Audit Outcome Commendations – 4 Affirmations – 10 Recommendations – 24 For details you can visit : http://www.oac.gov.om/Review/GC%20Audit%20Report%20final.pdf.

  28. Commendations • Developing an affiliation agreement with SUwhich underpins Quality Assurance of the UG programmes offered • Robust moderation of assessment to ensure consistency of standards in UG programmes • Flexibilityin timetabling, opening hours, payment schedules & responsiveness to students • Developing and implementing aneffective staff induction programme • 10 affirmations & 24 recommendations can be accessed from the audit report – www.oaaa.gov.om Source : OAAA Audit Report – www.oaaa.gov.om

  29. Gulf College New Campus Land : 24000 square metres 4 floors Building area : 72000 square metres 8000 students capacity

  30. References • www.gulfcollege.edu.om • www.omantourism.gov.om • http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/oman.htm • www.oaaa.gov.om • http://www.oac.gov.om/Review/GC%20Audit%20Report%20final.pdf

  31. Question and Answer Session • Any further clarification needed from today’s presentation • How can we work together to overcome the future challenges • How can we work together towards • sharing the good practices • benchmarking • peer observations (different partners of SU) • cultural activities and student exchange • joint research Prof.Taki Al Abduwani taki1966@omantel.net.om www.gulfcollege.edu.om Thanks

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