An Overview of the Quality Management System in HE in Oman and background to Institutional Quality Assurance Process Khalid Zayed Al Muharrami, PhD Dr Salim Razvi Susan Trevor-Roper Conference on Cross-Border Quality Assurance Istanbul, Turkey 6 – 7 September 2018

An Overview of QMS in HE in Oman

Outline Oman’s HE Sector OAAA Roles and Responsibilities 1 OAAA Roles and Responsibilities 2 The National Quality Management System 3 Oman Qualifications Framework 4 HEI QA Processes 5 Program QA Processes 6 Public Reporting & Comparability 7 Register of External Reviewers (RER) 8 Conclusions 9

Historical context of Oman’s HE sector 1970s & 1980s: Government colleges established, offering cert and diploma programs in the national priorities of health, teaching and technical skills. 1986: Sultan Qaboos University established, the first (and only) comprehensive and only public university. 1990s: Oman started importing higher education; today there are 28 private HEIs. 2001: National quality agency OAC established, becoming OAAA in 2010 Private university colleges and colleges require affiliation with overseas HEIs in order to provide quality assurance and to support the development of their quality management systems

Historical context of Oman’s HE sector Sultan Qaboos University, Oman’s public university, established in 1986 In 2016, there are over 1300 schools and 69 public and private institutions offering post secondary education leading to higher education qualifications

HE students in Oman 2015-2016 Enrolled students New entrants Number of Graduates Public sector 65,199 16,528 11,472 Private sector 70,294 16,124 11,691 Total 135,493 32,652 23,163 From: ‘The Annual Statistical Report of Higher Education in the Sultanate of Oman Academic year 2015/2016’ www.heac.gov.om

Enrolled Students in External Scholarships (2015/2016) No. of Omani Students abroad= 6,297 (2015/2016) = 3,849 M + 2,448 F

Classification of Institutions HEI = 41 Public + 28 Private = 69 (2015/2016) University: At least three major fields of study and Significant research component. University College: Programmes up to and including the Master’s degree in at least two broad fields of study. Include research activity relevant to local and national needs. Has appropriate research facilities. Reasonable staffing to support the research function. College: Primarily teaching institutions. Offering programmes up to and including the Bachelor’s degree Must ensure that academic staff are engaged in scholarly activities and remain up-to-date with the latest developments in their field.

Role of Cross-Border Education in Oman All private colleges and UC in Oman require affiliation with foreign HEIs in order to be licensed HEI affiliation is intended to serve as a quality assurance mechanism Some public HEIs have also chosen to have affiliation agreements

Types of Cross-Border Education in Oman From: ‘Academic Affiliations between foreign and Omani higher education institutions: learning from OAAA quality audits’ Susan Trevor-Roper, Dr Salim Razvi, Dr Tess Goodliffe, INQAAHE Conference 2013, Based on typology from Knight (2006) and Alleyne (2012)

Types of Cross-Border Education in Oman UK USA Germany India Malaysia Egypt Coventry Bedfordshire Wolverhampton Portsmouth Stirling Aston Cranfield Sunderland Cardiff Metropolitan Staffordshire Bradford Strathclyde Business Glasgow Caledonian Open California State (CSUN) Purdue South Carolina West of England Central Lancashire Missouri of Science & Tech Missouri St Louis Franklin West Virginia Pahang Sains Islam (USIM) RWTH Aachen Frankfurt School F&M Birla Institute of Tech Banasthali Vidyapeth Jaipur American University Cairo Ain Shams Jordan Canada Netherlands Spain Ireland Lebanon Australia Al Ahliyya Amman Yarmouk Queens NHTV Breda Bond Complutense Madrid Dublin Institute Tech Lebanese American

Analysis of Cross-Border Education in Oman Chart shows percentage of 17 HEIs required to have an affiliate and the formal conclusions received in Report section 1.4 ‘Institutional Affiliations for Programs and Quality Assurance’ 41% 53% Commendation Recommendation Affirmation 6% From: Same reference above by Trever-Roper et al 2013.

Value Continuum of Cross-Border Education in Oman From: Same reference above by Trevor-Roper et al 2013.

About the OAAA OAAA Vision OAAA Mission An independent governmental entity originally established in 2001 by a Royal Decree to: provide confidence to the public that the quality of higher education in Oman meets international standards encourage continuous improvement in the management of the quality of higher education. OAAA Vision The OAAA aspires to provide efficient, effective and internationally recognized services for accreditation in order to promote quality in higher education in Oman and meet the needs of the public and other stakeholders. OAAA Mission The OAAA guides and supports the Omani higher education sector to meet international standards; maintains the national qualifications framework; and, through a transparent and rigorous system of institutional and program accreditation, provides reliable information to the public and other stakeholders on the quality of higher education in Oman.

OAAA Roles & Responsibilities 1 Developing a system for institutional and program accreditation 2 Accrediting public and private HEIs and academic programs 3 Conducting Quality Audits of HEIs 4 Establishing a procedure for recognising foreign programs offered in Oman To sum it up, here is an overview of OAAA’s roles and responsibilities Developing a system for institutional and program accreditation: designed to ensure that institutions may pursue their unique missions and strategies, while also ensuring that minimum standards are achieved. 9 Standards and 79 Criteria for Institutional Standards Assessment A system for program accreditation is under development Almost all public and private HEIs have undergone Stage 1 of Institutional Accreditation Quality Audit is Stage 1: Formative approach (does not result in a pass/fail) Encourages HEIs to develop their individual quality management systems while informing public about quality Each HEI is evaluated against own stated Mission and objectives Use of locally-based as well as international reviewers so Panel understands local diversity Formal conclusions (Commendations, Affirmations, Recommendations) recognise diversity of each HEI’s provision. Resulting reports published on OAAA website Establishing a procedure for recognizing foreign programs offered in Oman This is subsumed as part of the program accreditation Two MoUs have been signed, one with Bahrain’s National Authority of Qualifications & Quality Assurance for Education & Training (QQA), and the other with the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), USA ONQF Development Project was launched yesterday. The Royal Decree 54/2010 states that the OAAA is responsible for “developing and updating the Oman Academic Qualifications Framework in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education and other relevant authorities” (Article 8, E). The scope of the OAAA mandate for developing and maintaining the current academic higher education qualifications framework was expanded to include all types of qualifications and levels from other education sectors, including schooling and vocational and technical education and training based on a decision issued by the Education Council (March 2014). Project is to revise and further develop the current ONQF into a comprehensive NQF for Oman which, when implemented, will address identified needs across all education sectors in Oman and assist Oman in achieving national policy goals. 5 Signing mutual recognition MoUs with external QA agencies 6 Updating and maintaining the OQF

Elements of the National Quality Management System Oman Qualifications Framework Oman Standard Classification for Education Framework (OSCED) Oman Institutional Classification Framework HEI Licensing (through Royal Decree or EC) HEI Standards HEI Accreditation Stage 1: Quality Audit HEI Accreditation Stage 2: Standards Assessment Program Licensing (through MoHE or responsible Ministry) Program Standards Program Accreditation Appeals

Responsibility for Quality in Oman’s HE sector ABBREVIATIONS EQA external quality assurance EQE external quality enhancement HEIs Higher Education Institutions IQA internal quality assurance IQE internal quality enhancement MoE Ministry of Education MoHE Ministry of Higher Education OAAA Oman Academic Accreditation Authority OAQHE Oman Association for Quality in Higher Education

The Oman Qualifications Framework (OQF) 18

Oman Qualifications Framework (OQF) Oman’s National Qualifications Framework is a key part of the system of Quality Assurance, as it sets the standards for academic awards for all categories of institutions. Designed as part of Requirements for Oman’s System of Quality Assurance (ROSQA) in 2003, specifically for the Oman context, to: Provide consistency in programme requirements and award titles Provide equivalence of standards in comparison with respected international institutions of HE. Establishe policy regarding the learning outcomes expected in Higher Education, with particular emphasis on thinking and problem solving. This first version of OQF contained six levels of post secondary education, including four undergraduate and two postgraduate levels. The term “Level” is used to refer to a degree of achievement in academic progress on a scale, with gradations representing the extent of acquisition of knowledge, conceptual understanding, competencies and practical skills.

Current Oman Academic Qualifications Framework

Oman Qualifications Framework (OQF) As time progressed and HE development in Oman started to gain momentum, there arose a necessity to develop a more comprehensive OQF that covers the whole education system including school qualifications as well as technological, vocational and professional oriented qualifications. The Royal Decree 54/2010 outlines the following responsibilities for the OAAA: Developing and updating the Oman Academic Qualifications Framework in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education and other relevant authorities (Article 8, E). In March 2014 the Education Council issued a decision stating that the OAAA is responsible for developing the OQF which covers academic, vocational, professional and school education. Phase 1 undertaken with partner, Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), started in May 2015 and completed 2017 End. Phase 2 immediately followed and OQF is now in final stages of development.

HEI Quality Assurance Processes 22

HEI Accreditation System HEI Licensure HEI Accreditation Stage 1: Quality Audit First cycle commenced 2008 ≤4 years HEI Accreditation Certificate 5 years HEI Accreditation Stage 2: Standards Assessment Appeal Process Available Standards met Standards not met Maximum one year Conditionally Accredited or on Probation Process Document Start / End KEY Standards not met, but good progress shown HEI Standards Reassessment HEI Accreditation Process Terminated Standards not met, and insufficient progress shown Standards met

Institutional Quality Audit (IQA) Introduced in Oman in 2008 as the first stage of a two-stage institutional accreditation process Focus on fitness of purpose in order to evaluate the effectiveness of an HEI’s QA and QE processes against stated strategic objectives Evidence based method – use of ADRI The IQA Process considers 9 main areas and 79 subareas. The subareas include: Planning & Management Graduate Destination and Employability Institutional affiliations for programs and quality assurance Academic Integrity, Ethics and Biosafety Research-Teaching Nexus Curriculum Relationships with Alumni Teaching Quality Registry Assessment Methods, Standards and Moderation Student Satisfaction & Climate Recruitment & Selection Student Retention and Progression Facilities Management Results in public report published on OAAA website with Commendations, Affirmations and Recommendations which help to support the emerging HE sector in Oman. All Eligible HEIs have been through the quality audit process.

Difference between Quality Audit and Institutional Standards Assessment Evaluates the HEI’s effectiveness against its own stated Mission and goals Evaluates the HEI’s effectiveness against a set of nine national standards which are internationally benchmarked Formative in nature Summative in nature Results in Recommendations, Affirmations and Commendations which help to support the emerging HE sector in Oman Results in an Accreditation Outcome Quality Audit Report made public Standards Assessment Report not made public Accreditation Outcome and ratings against standards and criteria made public

HEI Accreditation Scope 1. Governance and Management 2. Student Learning by Coursework Programs 3. Student Learning by Research Programs 4. Staff Research and Consultancy 5. Industry and Community Engagement 6. Academic Support Services 7. Students and Student Support Services 8. Staff and Staff Support Services 9. General Support Services and Facilities

ISA Includes all standards and criteria and the approach to ISA decision-making. ISA Standards Developed by OAAA through extensive consultation with the HE sector in Oman. All HEIs, governmental bodies and relevant supervising entities were consulted in its design. Benchmarked with more than 40 International EQA agencies. Manual The ISAM details each step of the ISA process. The ISAM was approved by the OAAA Board in December 2015.

Accreditation Outcomes ISA Outcomes Met  (ratings 2, 3, 4) Partially Met (rating 1) Not Met  (rating 0) Criteria Ratings Criteria 79 Excellent Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Standards Ratings Accredited with Distinction in one or more standards and/or Accredited with Merit in one or more standards Accredited Conditionally Accredited On Probation Not Accredited Accreditation Outcomes

Program Quality Assurance Processes 29

General Foundation Programs GFP studies are undertaken prior to admission to Higher Education programs, and are not considered part of Higher Education programs. Vital to the success of students progressing to higher education. Recent statistics show that more than 85% of all students entering higher education are involved in some form of GFP. National GFP learning outcome standards approved in 2008. Standards focus on: English language skills Mathematics IT skills Study skills (e.g. problem solving & critical inquiry) Four pilot GFP Quality Audit were conducted. Currently implementing official GFP Quality Audits (started Feb 2017). 30

met, but good progress shown insufficient progress shown Program QA Processes after graduation of first cohort Program Licensure Program Standards Assessment 5 years Program Accreditation Certificate Decision Appeal Standards Met Standards not met Max one year conditionally accredited / on Probation KEY Start/End Standards not met, but good progress shown Process Program Standards Reassessment Program Accreditation Terminated Standards met Document Standards not met, and insufficient progress shown

Public Reporting and Comparability Accreditation outcomes will be published on OAAA website, with ratings against each standard and criterion A 5-point criteria rating scale provides a transparent means for stakeholders to identify/compare how an HEI/program has performed Stakeholders will be able to apply their own priorities in order to identify the HEI/program which meets their needs This approach to public reporting avoids institutional/ program ‘league tables’

Stakeholders can compare HEIs/programs and may choose to input their own weightage for every criterion

Register of External Reviewers

Register of External Reviewers

International Perspective ANQAHE (Membership) INQAAHE (Membership) The Education and Training Quality Authority (BQA), Bahrain (MOU) Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), USA (MOU)

Challenges & Opportunities The HEI are young private sector and need support to effectively exploit their relationships with affiliates. There is a need to review the details of the legal requirement for an affiliate. Internal QA systems are being developed Affiliates Public and Private HEIs dependent on government scholarships International accreditation

Issues to be Addressed Share data of RER Staff exchange scheme Facilitate the exchange of representatives to observe accreditation evaluation activities and the exchange of experiences. Mutually support the development of accreditation processes and procedures through review and feedback on draft documents. Promote and facilitate an exchange participation in seminars and workshops on accreditation systems worldwide.

شكراً لحسن استماعكم Thank you www.oaaa.gov.om