1. 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

2. An Overview of QMS in HE in Oman

3. Outline Oman’s HE Sector OAAA Roles and Responsibilities1
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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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’

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

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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)

11. Types of Cross-Border Education in OmanUK
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

12. 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.

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

14. 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.

15. OAAA Roles & Responsibilities1
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

16. 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

17. 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

18. The Oman Qualifications Framework (OQF)18

19. 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.

20. Current Oman Academic Qualifications Framework

21. 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.

22. HEI Quality Assurance Processes22

23. 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

24. 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.

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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.

28. 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

29. Program Quality Assurance Processes29

30. 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 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

31. 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

32. 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’

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

38. Register of External Reviewers

39. Register of External Reviewers

40. 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)

41. 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

42. 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.

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