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Oman Academic

Accreditation Authority

Report of an Audit of

Oman College of

Management and Technology

March 2011

HEI Quality Audit Report Oman College of Management and Technology

© Oman Academic Accreditation Authority

Audit Report Number 018

©2011 Oman Academic Accreditation Authority

P.O. Box 1255

P.C. 133

Al-Khuwair

Sultanate of Oman

Ph +968 2461 4361/2

Fax +968 2461 4364

http://www.oac.gov.om

Oman College of Management and Technology HEI Quality Audit Report

Page 1 of 50 © Oman Academic Accreditation Authority

CO�TE�TS

Overview of the Quality Audit Process..................................................................................................... 4

How to Read This Report........................................................................................................................... 5

Conclusions.................................................................................................................................................. 6

Executive Summary of Findings ............................................................................................................. 6

Summary of Commendations .................................................................................................................. 7

Summary of Affirmations........................................................................................................................ 8

Summary of Recommendations............................................................................................................... 9

1 Governance and Management............................................................................................................ 12

1.1 Mission, Vision and Values ........................................................................................................ 12

1.2 Governance................................................................................................................................. 13

1.3 Management ............................................................................................................................... 13

1.4 Institutional Affiliations for Programs and Quality Assurance................................................... 14

1.5 Strategic Plan.............................................................................................................................. 14

1.6 Operational Planning.................................................................................................................. 15

1.7 Financial Management ............................................................................................................... 15

1.8 Risk Management....................................................................................................................... 16

1.9 Policy Management.................................................................................................................... 16

1.10 Entity and Activity Review Systems .......................................................................................... 16

1.11 Student Grievance Process ......................................................................................................... 17

1.12 Health and Safety ....................................................................................................................... 17

1.13 Oversight of Associated Entities (e.g. owned companies) ......................................................... 18

2 Student Learning by Coursework Programs.................................................................................... 19

2.1 Graduate Attributes and Student Learning Objectives ............................................................... 19

2.2 Curriculum ................................................................................................................................. 19

2.3 Student Entry Standards ............................................................................................................. 20

2.4 Foundation Program................................................................................................................... 21

2.5 Teaching Quality ........................................................................................................................ 21

2.6 Plagiarism................................................................................................................................... 22

2.7 Student Placements..................................................................................................................... 22

2.8 Assessment Methods, Standards and Moderation ...................................................................... 23

2.9 Academic Security and Invigilation ........................................................................................... 23

2.10 Student Retention and Progression............................................................................................. 24

2.11 Graduate Destinations and Employability.................................................................................. 24

3 Student Learning by Research Programs ......................................................................................... 25

4 Staff Research and Consultancy ........................................................................................................ 26

4.1 Research Planning and Management.......................................................................................... 26

4.2 Research Performance................................................................................................................ 26

4.3 Research Funding Schemes........................................................................................................ 27

4.4 Consultancy Activities................................................................................................................ 27

4.5 Ethics and Biosafety................................................................................................................... 27

4.6 Intellectual Property ................................................................................................................... 27

4.7 Professional Development for Research .................................................................................... 27

4.8 Research Commercialisation...................................................................................................... 28


© Oman Academic Accreditation Authority Page 2 of 50

4.9 Research – Teaching Nexus........................................................................................................ 28

5 Industry and Community Engagement ............................................................................................. 29

5.1 Industry and Community Engagement Planning and Management ........................................... 29

5.2 Relationships with Industry and Employers ............................................................................... 29

5.3 Relationships with Professions................................................................................................... 29

5.4 Relationships with Other Education Providers........................................................................... 30

5.5 Relationships with Alumni ......................................................................................................... 30

5.6 Relationships with the Community at Large .............................................................................. 30

6 Academic Support Services................................................................................................................. 31

6.1 Academic Support Services Planning and Management ............................................................ 31

6.2 Registry (Enrolment and Student Records) ................................................................................ 31

6.3 Library ........................................................................................................................................ 32

6.4 Information and Learning Technology Services......................................................................... 32

6.5 Academic Advising .................................................................................................................... 33

6.6 Student Learning Support ........................................................................................................... 33

6.7 Teaching Resources .................................................................................................................... 34

7 Students and Student Support Services............................................................................................. 35

7.1 Students and Student Support Services Planning and Management........................................... 35

7.2 Student Profile ............................................................................................................................ 35

7.3 Student Satisfaction and Climate................................................................................................ 35

7.4 Student Behaviour ...................................................................................................................... 35

7.5 Career and Employment Services............................................................................................... 36

7.6 Student Finances......................................................................................................................... 36

7.7 Accommodation, Catering and Transport................................................................................... 36

7.8 Medical and Counselling Facilities ............................................................................................ 36

7.9 International Student Services .................................................................................................... 37

7.10 Social and Recreational Services and Facilities ......................................................................... 37

8 Staff and Staff Support Services......................................................................................................... 38

8.1 Human Resources Planning and Management ........................................................................... 38

8.2 Staff Profile................................................................................................................................. 38

8.3 Recruitment and Selection.......................................................................................................... 38

8.4 Induction..................................................................................................................................... 39

8.5 Professional Development.......................................................................................................... 39

8.6 Performance Planning and Review............................................................................................. 40

8.7 Promotion and Other Incentives ................................................................................................. 40

8.8 Severance.................................................................................................................................... 41

8.9 Staff Organisational Climate and Retention ............................................................................... 41

8.10 Omanisation................................................................................................................................ 41

9 General Support Services and Facilities............................................................................................ 42

9.1 General Support Services and Facilities Planning and Management ......................................... 42

9.2 Public Relations and Marketing ................................................................................................. 42

9.3 Communication Services............................................................................................................ 43

9.4 Facilities Management................................................................................................................ 43

Appendix A. Audit Panel ...................................................................................................................... 44



Appendix B. Evidence of Plagiarism in the OCMT Materials.......................................................... 45

Appendix C. Abbreviations, Acronyms and Terms............................................................................ 47



OVERVIEW OF THE QUALITY AUDIT PROCESS

This Quality Audit Report (the ‘Report’) documents the findings of a Quality Audit by the Oman

Academic Accreditation Authority (OAAA) (formerly the Oman Accreditation Council) of the Oman

College of Management and Technology (OCMT). It comments on OCMT’s Mission and Vision, and the

appropriateness and effectiveness of their systems for achieving that Mission and Vision. Quality Audit

is the first stage in Oman’s institutional accreditation process. It is designed to provide a level of

assurance to the public about the quality of OCMT’s activities, and constructive feedback to OCMT to

assist with its ongoing improvement efforts.

The Quality Audit commenced with OCMT undertaking a self study of its mission, vision and systems.

The results were summarized in their Quality Audit Portfolio (the ‘Portfolio’). This document was

submitted to the OAAA by the due date of 31 January 2010.

The OAAA appointed an external Audit Panel (the ‘Panel’), comprising suitably qualified and

experienced local and international reviewers, to conduct the quality audit. For membership of the Panel

see Appendix A. The Panel met (international members by telephone) on 1 March 2010 to consider

OCMT’s Portfolio. Following this, a representative of the Audit Panel Chairperson and Executive

Officer undertook a planning visit on behalf of the Panel to OCMT on 15 March 2010 to clarify certain

matters, request additional information and make arrangements for the Panel’s audit visit.

Prior to the audit visit, the Panel invited submissions from the public about the quality of OCMT’s

activities. No submissions were received.

The audit visit took place over 11-13 April 2010. During this time, the Panel spoke with approximately

ninety people, including governing authorities, staff, students and external stakeholders. They also visited

a selection of venues and reviewed a selection of additional materials.

No information provided after 13 April (being the last day of the audit visit) was taken into consideration

for the purposes of this audit, other than pre-existing items specifically requested by the Panel in advance.

The Report contains a summary of the Panel’s findings, together with formal commendations where good

practices have been confirmed, affirmations where OCMT’s ongoing quality improvement efforts merit

support, and recommendations where there are significant opportunities or improvement not yet being

adequately addressed. The Report aims to provide a balanced set of observations, but does not comment

on every system in place at OCMT.

The Panel’s audit activities and preparation of this Report were governed by regulations set by the OAAA

Board. This Report was approved for release by the OAAA Board on 12 March 2011.

The OAAA was established by Royal Decree No. 54/2010 to replace the Oman Accreditation Council.

Among its responsibilities is the external review of higher education providers (HEIs) in the Sultanate of

Oman. For further information, visit the OAAA website (http://www.oac.gov.om). Full details of the

quality audit process are available in OAAA’s HEI Quality Audit Manual (available from

http://www.oac.gov.om/qa/HEI/).



HOW TO READ THIS REPORT

Each OAAA Audit Report is written primarily for the institution being audited. The Report is specifically

designed to provide feedback to help that institution better understand its own strengths and opportunities

for improvement. The feedback is structured according to nine broad areas of activity and presented as

formal Commendations, Affirmations and Recommendations, or as informal suggestions, each

accompanied with explanatory paragraphs. It is expected that the institution will act upon this feedback

as part of its continuous efforts to provide the best possible education to students.

The Report is made public because it also may be of interest to students and potential students, their

families, employers, Government, other higher education institutions in Oman and abroad, and other

audiences. Students, in particular, may find this Report interesting because it provides some independent

comment on the learning environment at this institution (particularly Chapters 2, 6 & 7). However,

prospective students should still undertake their own investigations when deciding which higher

education institution will best serve their particular learning needs.

Quality Audit is the first stage in Oman’s two-stage process for institutional accreditation. Its focus is

formative (developmental) rather than summative. In other words, although the audit addresses nine

areas of activity which are common to all institutions, it does not measure the institution against

externally set standards of performance in those nine areas. Instead, it considers how well the institution

is attending to those areas in accordance with its own Mission and Vision and in the context of relevant

legal regulations. Therefore, Quality Audit recognises that each institution has a unique purpose and

profile; it does not directly compare one institution with all the other institutions in Oman.

For these reasons, a Quality Audit does not result in a pass or fail; nor does it provide any sort of grade or

score. It should also be noted that the precise number of Commendations, Affirmations and

Recommendations that an institution receives in its Audit Report is not as important as the substance of

those conclusions. For example, some Recommendations may focus on critical issues such as assessment

of student learning, whereas others may focus on issues such as the maintenance of teaching equipment in

classrooms which, while important, is clearly less critical. Therefore, it is neither significant nor

appropriate to compare the Audit Reports of different HEIs solely on the numbers of Commendations,

Affirmations and Recommendations.

The second stage in the institutional accreditation process is Standards Assessment. This stage, which

will take place about four years after the Quality Audit, does provide a summative assessment against

external standards in the same nine areas of activity. It should be noted that Oman also operates a system

of accreditation/recognition for academic programs, separately from the institutional accreditation

process. For more information on Oman’s System of Quality Assurance in Higher Education please visit

www.oac.gov.om.

This Report contains a number of references to source evidence considered by the Audit Panel. These

references are for the HEI’s benefit in further addressing the issues raised. In most cases this evidence is

not in the public domain.



CO�CLUSIO�S

This section summarises the main findings and lists the Commendations, Affirmations and

Recommendations. They are listed in the order in which they appear in the Report, and are not

prioritised. It should be noted that other favourable comments and suggestions for improvement are

mentioned throughout the text of the Report.

Although the Portfolio provides a list of sources referred to, Oman College for Management and

Technology (OCMT) has not used the usual academic referencing conventions. Evidence of plagiarism

was discovered in the OCMT Portfolio and documentation submitted to the Oman Academic

Accreditation Authority (OAAA) . During the audit visit, the Panel viewed a sample of an On the Job

Training (OJT) Booklet which was found to be directly copied from a Ministry of Manpower document

without any reference to its original source (see Section 2.7). This led to the Panel to conduct an Internet

comparability check on the Portfolio and other materials submitted as evidence. This check revealed

extensive copying in key documents, such as the Strategic Plan and Operational Plan, from other sources

without acknowledgement or disclosure of sources. The evidence is provided in the table in Appendix B.

The full extent of the copying is not known. The authenticity of the entire self- review process has been

compromised as a result of the plagiarism. This undermined the OAAA’s confidence in the veracity of the

entire Portfolio and, thereby, confidence in the College’s commitment to quality and to its various

stakeholders. Notwithstanding these findings, the OAAA decided to continue with the Quality Audit,

disregarding the plagiarised documentation. It must be understood that the international higher education

community treats plagiarism very seriously and the OAAA is no exception (the OAAA policy on

plagiarism is available at http://www.oac.gov.om/files/policies/microsoft_word_-_plagiarism_policy_v1-

2.pdf ).

Executive Summary of Findings

Oman College of Management and Technology (OCMT) was established in 2004 as a private co-

educational College. OCMT is located in the Barka region of Oman, approximately 80km west of

Muscat and aims to provide “high quality education […] through student-centered education and

research” (Portfolio, p.1). The College is affiliated with Yarmouk University (YU) in Jordan, which

provides the curriculum adopted by OCMT, along with some of the supporting academic infrastructure

and resources. OCMT offers seven Bachelor degree programs in Business, Information Technology and

Interior Design, as well as a Foundation program. There are plans to introduce additional programs,

including an MBA. At the time of the audit, OCMT had approximately 660 students and 29 faculty

members, located on two campuses in Hay Asem and Al Haram.

The OCMT Portfolio was initiated by the Dean of OCMT, and developed by the Quality Assurance

Committee, in consultation with specific faculty members. The Portfolio was then approved by the Board

of Trustees (BoT) and also sent to external partners (Yarmouk University and Philadelphia University)

for their comment and feedback (Portfolio, p.vii). While the Portfolio contains relevant information in

each of the nine areas outlined in the OAAA’s Quality Audit Manual, it is primarily descriptive and

would have benefited from the adoption of a more evaluative approach (such as ADRI –see Appendix C).

The Portfolio has discrepancies between the priorities specified at the end of each chapter (identified in

lieu of opportunities for improvement) and the text preceding these priorities. These priorities are

included in the Operational Plan, much of which has been found to have been plagiarised (see Appendix

B).

OCMT has a solid governance structure in the form of a supportive and experienced BoT, although a

formal review system is required to evaluate the effectiveness of the governance and management

structures. The Panel recognised that the relationship with YU is crucial to OCMT and mechanisms need

to be created to assure the quality of this relationship. OCMT also needs to develop its own



comprehensive planning and policy framework to meet its specific context, as well as a system for

obtaining feedback from a variety of stakeholders in order to make improvements. The College has

already identified the need for improving its internal review systems, and the OAAA acknowledges these

endeavours and supports them. The Panel identified a number of areas for improvement in the governance

and management of OCMT, including the need for a clear Vision and Mission (and related values) which

should be communicated and applied consistently across the institution.

The academic programs at OCMT are provided by YU. This includes the curricula for the degree

programs, as well as learning materials and resources. OCMT does not have a specific set of attributes

that are common to their graduates and integrated into their programs. This is exacerbated by the lack of

contextualisation of the YU curricula for the needs of Omani students, as well as a lack of involvement by

employers and the industry in adapting the programs to local needs. As the only higher education

institution in the Barka region, this involvement is crucial, and OCMT recognises the need for market

data and research to inform the re-design of the curriculum. The Panel also recommends that OCMT

develop a pedagogical framework that supports the College’s Vision of student-centered learning. This

framework needs to be supported by appropriate moderation processes and policies to ensure academic

integrity and security.

Although OCMT is primarily a teaching college, it does include research in its Vision and Mission. As its

research aspirations are still at an early stage, there is a need to develop a research infrastructure if OCMT

is committed to achieving its Vision. A significant aspect of this is promoting interactions with industry

and employers, which will benefit both the learning programs and research initiatives at the College.

OCMT is already active in community outreach activities which support the local community in Barka;

however, it recognises the need to be more active in forming external relationships, including with its

alumni.

OCMT provides a range of academic support services which includes an active Student Council. OCMT

hopes to improve these services further through the planned introduction of an online registration system,

and upgrades to Internet access for staff and students. The Panel noted, however, the need for better data

collection and analysis to inform planning processes at the College. This is evident in the general student

support services. Although students were recently surveyed about their satisfaction with these services,

the data has not been utilised in a productive way and no key performance indicators/benchmarks are set

to measure how the College is performing. OCMT also requires a comprehensive academic advising

system to support “at risk” students and reduce attrition. Considering OCMT’s location, and limited

employment prospects for graduates, it is important for OCMT to provide career placement services for

its students, which is a key student support activity. Another area that the Panel believes OCMT needs to

focus on improving is the provision of social and recreational facilities (particularly for female students).

The College is aiming to address this with the search for a site on which to construct a new campus.

The Panel notes the need for OCMT to develop and implement a comprehensive human resource (HR)

planning and management system to support the growing staff numbers. This includes all areas of HR,

from recruitment and selection to performance management and professional development. Particular

attention needs to be paid to the English and teaching skills set of faculty members at the College, which

the Panel heard were in some cases found to be inadequate. The Panel also noted that OCMT does not

have a formal staff grievance policy and procedure, or a system for measuring staff satisfaction.

The Panel is concerned about the use of the term “University College” by OCMT in its publicity

materials, which must cease until the relevant approval is obtained from the authorities to apply this term

to the institution. The Panel also recognises that improvements need to be made to the communication

channels at the College in order for all staff, whether English or Arabic speaking, to be fully included in

the relevant activities of the College.

Summary of Commendations

A formal Commendation recognises an instance of particularly good practice.



1. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority commends Oman College of Management and

Technology for its community outreach activities. .......................................................................... 30

2. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority commends Oman College of Management and

Technology for establishing a Student Council and wider representation in other bodies in

order to ensure that students’ voice is heard..................................................................................... 35

Summary of Affirmations

A formal Affirmation recognizes an instance in which OCMT has accurately identified a significant

opportunity for improvement and has demonstrated appropriate commitment to addressing the matter.

1. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with Oman College of Management

and Technology that it needs to establish a risk management framework and supports its

efforts in this area. ............................................................................................................................ 16


and Technology that it needs to improve its internal review system, such as regularly

developing action plans in response to affiliate reports, and supports its efforts in this area........... 17


and Technology that it needs to review student entry standards of students entering its main

programs and supports its efforts to benchmark student achievement after completing the

General Foundation Program............................................................................................................ 21


and Technology that it needs to review its Foundation Program and supports its efforts to

align it with Oman’s National General Foundation Program Standards. ......................................... 21


and Technology that it needs to develop its relationship with alumni through a variety of

approaches, and supports its efforts in this area. ............................................................................. 30


and Technology that it needs to improve its registration services and supports its efforts to

implement an online registration system. ......................................................................................... 31


and Technology that it needs to improve its internet access and supports its efforts to upgrade

its computer laboratories and software. ............................................................................................ 33


and Technology that it needs to upgrade the provision of medical services to students and

supports its efforts to improve in this area........................................................................................ 37


and Technology that it needs to implement a faculty development program and supports its

efforts to do so. ................................................................................................................................. 39


and Technology that it needs to develop its facilities and supports its efforts to acquire land

on which to develop a new campus and in the meantime to rent new building space...................... 42


and Technology that it needs to develop its approach to marketing and supports its efforts for

example in the development of a marketing plan............................................................................. 42



Summary of Recommendations

A Recommendation draws attention to a significant opportunity for improvement that OCMT has either

not yet accurately identified or to which it is not yet adequately attending.

1. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that Oman College of

Management and Technology ensure that there is a clear and consistent Mission and Vision,

and that measures and targets are developed to monitor progress towards the achievement of

these.................................................................................................................................................. 12


Management and Technology develop formal and documented mechanisms to monitor the

effectiveness of its governance and management systems, including the role of the Dean and

committees........................................................................................................................................ 13


Management and Technology ensure that all College documents are reviewed to ensure that

they are free from plagiarism, appropriately contextualised and all reference sources have

been acknowledged. ......................................................................................................................... 14


Management and Technology regularly review its own academic quality assurance

management systems, in collaboration with its affiliate, in order to ensure that they support

an effective learning and teaching environment............................................................................... 14


Management and Technology review and revise its approach to planning in order that

strategic, operational and action plans are developed, aligned and integrated with relevant

KPIs, targets, benchmarks and timescales and that all relevant stakeholders are involved in

the process. ....................................................................................................................................... 15


Management and Technology develop and implement a systematic process for the

development and regular review of policies which is coherent, fully contextualized and

communicated to all stakeholders in an effective way. .................................................................... 16


Management and Technology develop and implement mechanisms for analysing feedback

from key stakeholder groups and that improvement opportunities are consistently acted

upon. ................................................................................................................................................. 17


Management and Technology develop and implement separate academic appeals and student

grievance systems which are clearly communicated to all stakeholders and monitored for

their effectiveness............................................................................................................................. 17


Management and Technology develop and implement a health and safety policy and

procedures, with the allocation of specific responsibilities to designated parties and the

provision of relevant training for staff.............................................................................................. 18


Management and Technology develop and implement generic graduate attributes in

consultation with industry and employers; ensure that these attributes are reflected in

program learning outcomes; and develop mechanisms to measure the attainment of these

attributes. .......................................................................................................................................... 19




Management and Technology develop a consistent process for the contextualisation of

imported curricula for Oman and establish mechanisms for the regular review of programs.......... 20


Management and Technology develop a College-wide pedagogical framework which is

supported by a professional development program in order to promote an environment of

student-centred learning in line with its Mission.............................................................................. 21


Management and Technology, as a matter of priority, introduce a College-wide culture of

academic integrity for all staff and students and includes mechanisms for supporting staff

and students in avoiding plagiarism. ................................................................................................ 22


Management and Technology implement a consistent approach to student placements across

all Departments, which includes support for students in finding industry placements; clear

criteria for academic supervision; and a consistently implemented mechanism to elicit

feedback from employers involved in placements to improve the placement process..................... 23


Management and Technology develop and implement robust mechanisms for internal and

external moderation of assessments.................................................................................................. 23


Management and Technology review its current approach to monitoring academic security

and invigilation in order to ensure that this is handled consistently and rigorously throughout

the College........................................................................................................................................ 23


Management and Technology investigate the reasons for lengthy completion times and

develop and implement a monitoring process to ensure that students complete their program

requirements within specified timeframes........................................................................................ 24


Management and Technology collect and analyse data on employability of its graduates and

feedback from employers on their satisfaction with graduates in order to inform program

review and development. .................................................................................................................. 24


Management and Technology support its emergent research culture through the development

and implementation of a clear research plan and supporting infrastructure to reflect the

College’s Vision and Mission........................................................................................................... 26


Management and Technology establish formal mechanisms to interact with industry and

employers to support its activities and to monitor the effectiveness of these mechanisms. ............. 29


Management and Technology improve data collection and analysis to inform its planning

and review processes. ....................................................................................................................... 31


Management and Technology develop and implement an operational plan for its provision of

library services, which is clearly linked to resources and supports the teaching and learning

needs of the College. ........................................................................................................................ 32




Management and Technology improve its system for academic advising, especially in

identifying and supporting ‘at risk’ students; ensuring workload allows teaching staff time to

engage with the process; and monitoring and reviewing the system on a regular basis................... 33


Management and Technology develop a proactive approach to its career and employment

services for students. ........................................................................................................................ 36


Management and Technology review its current provision of social and recreational services

in order to ensure that all students are catered for. ........................................................................... 37


Management and Technology develop a human resource management system (covering

areas such as staff induction, promotion, severance and staff grievances) which is

transparently and consistently implemented..................................................................................... 38


Management and Technology ensure it recruits staff with the desired skills and abilities,

including proficiency in English and teaching skills, in order to be able to successfully carry

out their duties. ................................................................................................................................. 39


Management and Technology ensure that its performance planning and review system is

consistently implemented and has a clear link to professional development for all academic

and administrative staff. ................................................................................................................... 40


Management and Technology establish a regular mechanism for monitoring staff satisfaction

in order to support its efforts to improve staff retention rates. ......................................................... 41


Management and Technology cease to use the term ‘University College’ in any materials

until such time its use is formally authorized by the Ministry of Higher Education........................ 43


Management and Technology review its approach to communication within the College in

order to ensure that its communication channels are fully effective. ............................................... 43



1 GOVER�A�CE A�D MA�AGEME�T

Oman College of Management and Technology is a relatively new private College, having been

formed in 2004 by a partnership between Yarmouk University (YU) in Jordan and local Omani

investors. The College is located in Barka, around 80km west of Muscat, and is governed by a

Board of Directors (BoD) and a Board of Trustees (BoT). The management of OCMT is

undertaken by the Dean who chairs the College Council, comprising senior academics and

managers. The governance structure is laid out clearly in organizational charts. This Chapter

considers the main areas relating to governance and management including the appropriateness of

OCMT’s Mission and Vision, strategic and operational planning; financial and risk management;

and the areas of student grievance and health and safety.

1.1 Mission, Vision and Values

The College’s Mission is set out as follows:

OCMT seeks to provide the community with well-trained workforce capable of

contributing to the prosperity of the Omani society and to the development of

Oman’s economy [sic] (Portfolio, p.1).

The Vision of the College is:

to be one of the top academic institutions at the graduate and undergraduate

levels providing high quality education in the country and region. OCMT aspires

to be a scholarly community dedicated to excellence through student-centered

education and research emphasizing cutting-edge professional practice in the

fields of study offered (ibid).

The Mission and Vision were formed as part of the development of the 2005-2015 Strategic Plan

and the Panel was informed that it involved the BoT and the BoD. The Panel was uncertain how

the achievement of the Vision and Mission might be measured in terms of what the statement,

“one of the top academic institutions” actually meant. There were also some inconsistencies in

the way the Vision and Mission were written in different publications (for example, in the

College Handbooks and on the College website). OCMT would benefit from ensuring that all

stakeholders have a shared understanding of its Vision and Mission.

Recommendation 1

The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that Oman

College of Management and Technology ensure that there is a clear and

consistent Mission and Vision, and that measures and targets are developed

to monitor progress towards the achievement of these.

The College’s values are:

excellence, creativity, mutual respect, collegiality, honesty, tolerance, intellectual

openness and freedom of opinion and receptiveness to the diversity of cultures,

ideas and people. (Portfolio, p.2)

The Panel considered the results of a survey that OCMT had carried out to establish the extent to

which the College’s values were shared amongst staff. Whilst the Panel supports this initiative,

the College now needs to consider how these values are embedded throughout its activities and

shared with all members of the College community.



1.2 Governance

The College is governed by the BoD, the BoT and the College Council and their roles are

outlined in OCMT’s Council Constitution and Terms of Reference. The BoD represents the

shareholders and its responsibilities include all areas of budgeting and investment. The BoT is

responsible for the academic governance of the College and has representation from OCMT’s

affiliate, YU and the BoD. The College Council is chaired by the Dean and comprises the

Assistant Dean, Heads of Department (HoDs), faculty members and student representatives

(Portfolio, p.4).

The Panel found that the BoD and BoT were aware of their separate responsibilities and that there

is a strong commitment to the Vision and Mission of the College from all concerned. Although

the College claims that there has been a marked improvement in the governance, planning and

management in the College (Portfolio, p.5), there is no indication of how the effectiveness of

these areas is evaluated. OCMT needs to develop a formal and documented review system in

order to ascertain the extent to which its governance and management structures are successfully

fulfilling their roles.

Recommendation 2


College of Management and Technology develop formal and documented

mechanisms to monitor the effectiveness of its governance and management

systems, including the role of the Dean and committees.

1.3 Management

According to OCMT:

The academic and administrative management of the College is based on a mixed

model of central and devolved responsibilities. (Portfolio, p.5)

The organizational charts provided clearly reflected the management structure in place. The

“devolved responsibilities” are channeled through the establishment of a number of committees.

Recommendations proceed from committees to the Dean and the BoT for approval. The Panel

noted that there were a comparatively large number of committees considering the relatively

small number of staff which had potential implications for staff workloads. This suggested that there was extensive overlap in committee membership, which may have an impact on the

effectiveness of the management of the College. This also may have implications for the

transparency of decision-making and possible conflicts of interest. OCMT needs to review the

role of committees and establish mechanisms to review their effectiveness.

The Dean has a pivotal role in the management of the College but the Panel found no formal

system in place to evaluate his performance or an apparent system for the evaluation of the

effectiveness of the committees. This is an area the College needs to address (see

Recommendation 2).

In the process of the Audit, the Panel found sections of the Portfolio and a number of key

documents (such as the Strategic Plan, Operational Plan and sections of the handbook of the Code

of Practice) had been taken directly from other sources (see Appendix B). Not only does this lead

to non-alignment and inconsistencies in OCMT practices (as evidenced in the planning

documents), it undermines the College’s values (see Section 1.1). The College management is

strongly encouraged to take responsibility for implementing process and document control

measures and ensuring that plagiarism is avoided at all costs.



Recommendation 3


College of Management and Technology ensure that all College documents

are reviewed to ensure that they are free from plagiarism, appropriately

contextualised and all reference sources have been acknowledged.

1.4 Institutional Affiliations for Programs and Quality Assurance

YU ratifies all programs, study plans and examination results. Graduation certificates are co-

signed by the President of YU and the Dean of OCMT (Portfolio, p.5). YU is responsible for

approving the appointments of faculty members and staff from YU visit twice a year to evaluate

the teaching and academic performance, resulting in visit reports. The Panel was informed that

YU was a founding shareholder of OCMT, with representation on the BoT. YU has raised its

shareholding from 10% to 20% as a sign of its commitment to the College. The College is

encouraged to clearly delineate YU’s role as an investor and as the overseer for quality assurance

in order to ensure there are no conflicts of interest.

The Panel noted the important role YU has to play in the academic management and quality

assurance processes at OCMT. However, these processes need to be more consistently managed,

as the Panel noted variations in the current approach, for example in how HoDs contact their

counterparts in YU. OCMT needs to address the issues in this area, for example, by identifying

specific people at YU responsible for liaising with faculty members at OCMT; ensuring access to

learning support resources and materials at YU; contextualizing the YU curriculum to the Omani

context; developing regular quality assurance processes at individual department level: as well as

adopting and adapting relevant regulations from YU which apply to the programs offered at

OCMT.

Recommendation 4


College of Management and Technology regularly review its own academic

quality assurance management systems, in collaboration with its affiliate, in

order to ensure that they support an effective learning and teaching

environment.

OCMT claims to have signed a number of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with other

universities such as Philadelphia and Petra Universities in Jordan, the Alexandria University and

Future University in Egypt and Ajman University in the UAE (Portfolio, p.5). The College states

that the main purpose of signing these MoUs is for the exchange of faculty members and

students. It is not clear how the effectiveness of these MoUs is reviewed and the College will

need to consider how issues of multiple partnerships will be addressed if these agreements are

intended to continue.

1.5 Strategic Plan

OCMT’s original Strategic Plan was for the period 2005-2015 but it was later decided that the

Plan was too ambitious and unrealistic (Strategic Plan, p.9). A revised Strategic Plan 2009-2014

was developed on the basis of a SWOT analysis under the following headings: administrative

aspects; technical aspects; the commitment of the College; and communication planning and

appropriate media coverage. However, a review of the Strategic Plan 2009-2014 submitted to the

Panel revealed that the Plan (and the corresponding section in the Portfolio, p.6) was very closely

based on the Strategic Plan for the University of Victoria, Canada with no reference made to this

source (see Appendix B). This undermined the Panel’s confidence in the College’s planning

processes and the extent to which stakeholders are involved in ensuring that plans are appropriate

for the College in its specific context Recommendation 3).



The College needs to review its approach to strategic and operational planning in order to

underpin OCMT’s its own activities with a sound, inclusive planning process. OCMT also needs

to consider the most effective means of communicating its Strategic Plan to all relevant

stakeholders, such as staff, students and representatives from industry and the community.

Recommendation 5


College of Management and Technology review and revise its approach to

planning in order that strategic, operational and action plans are developed,

aligned and integrated with relevant KPIs, targets, benchmarks and

timescales and that all relevant stakeholders are involved in the process.

1.6 Operational Planning

According to OCMT, the College Council and the Committee for Strategic Planning and Risk

Management (CSPRM) are responsible for translating the Strategic Plan into Operational Plans

(Portfolio, p.6). An overall Operational Plan has been included with the Strategic Plan 2009-

2014. However, there are instances of misalignment of objectives between the two: for example,

the Strategic Plan includes an objective:

To recruit and retain large numbers of students from diverse regions, and to

remove all barriers to admission and retention other than academic potential.

(Strategic Plan, p.10).

Whereas the Operational Plan includes a goal to:

Attract and enrol students with stronger academic qualifications to help

strengthen all academic programs (Operational Plan, p.3)

On closer analysis, the Panel found that elements of the Operational Plan had been heavily reliant

on the Strategic Plan of the University of West Michigan, USA, which had not been

acknowledged (see Appendix B and Recommendation 3). The Panel was informed that, at

department level, operational plans were being revised at the time of the audit and were not

available for consideration. In interviews with staff, the Panel found a lack of awareness of the

planning process either at a strategic or operational level and there was no evidence to suggest

that the College is employing an inclusive planning process. This needs to be considered as the

College reviews its current approach to strategic and operational planning (see Recommendation

5).

1.7 Financial Management

According to the College:

OCMT links planning decisions with resource allocations. It tries to optimize the

efficient use of resources in the achievement of the strategic and operational

plans of the College; and to maximize the resources available, mainly from

students’ fees and college investments. (Portfolio, p.7)

OCMT financial management is monitored through monthly management account reports and

annual financial statements on investment management and performance. Annual results are

presented to the BoD and the BoT. The College states that it has revenue from investment

income and “has come to be a self-reliant college through investment in real estate and the stock-

market” (Portfolio, p.8).



Financial plans and budgets are developed at departmental level, consolidated and discussed and

approved by the BoD. The Panel was informed that the College intends to re-invest all profits for

the next four years to support the development of the new campus. As OCMT reviews its

planning framework (see Recommendation 5), it needs to ensure that a consistent and

documented process for resource allocation is included.

1.8 Risk Management

OCMT has developed a risk management framework, overseen by the CSPRM (Portfolio, p.8).

The Panel considered a sample of minutes from CSPRM meetings and found these focused on

separate and routine issues such as H1N1, exam copying, IT backup and safety precautions.

There was a lack of action planning and no follow up from one meeting to the next. A number of

risk surveys and questionnaires have been carried out (Portfolio, p.9) but the College needs to

keep a record of what action has been taken as a result of these or whether or not they have had

impact on the work of the CSPRM. It is clear that OCMT is taking steps to develop a risk

management culture but its approach needs to be handled more consistently in order for it to have

a positive impact.

Affirmation 1

The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with Oman College of

Management and Technology that it needs to establish a risk management

framework and supports its efforts in this area.

1.9 Policy Management

The Bylaws and regulations of the College are made available in the Council’s Constitution and

Terms of Reference. These cover areas such as academic and administrative activities,

recruitment procedures and finance. The College states that the dissemination of policies is

facilitated via the internet (through the College website) and by the College Centre of Quality

Assurance (CCQA) and that it has “repeatedly updated the constitutions and regulations adopted

to cope with the ever changing requirements of work” (Portfolio, p.9). However, there needs to

be a formal process in place to support the development and review of policies along with

instruments introduced to measure the extent to which stakeholders are aware of relevant policies,

especially in areas such as risk management (see Section 1.8) and health and safety (see Section

1.12).

Recommendation 6


College of Management and Technology develop and implement a

systematic process for the development and regular review of policies which

is coherent, fully contextualized and communicated to all stakeholders in an

effective way.

1.10 Entity and Activity Review Systems

The College states that it has established both internal and external mechanisms to monitor the

quality of its activities (Portfolio, p.12). The internal review process is managed through the

quality assurance infrastructure (for example, through the College Centre for Quality Assurance,

the Quality Assurance Committee), feedback on the teaching and learning infrastructure, peer

evaluation reports and student feedback. The external review processes include regular visits

from YU and Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) (Portfolio, p.12).

In terms of external review approaches, the Panel considered the action plans that the College had

developed in response to reports from YU. OCMT now needs to ensure that these action plans



are included as part of a continuous review and improvement cycle. The Panel also noted that

some review reports are provided in English and some in Arabic. The College needs to ensure

that relevant documentation is available to members of its community where necessary, whether

English or Arabic speaking (see Section 9.3).

The Panel noted that OCMT has identified the need to improve its external and internal reviews

(Portfolio, p.15) and supports its efforts in this area. The College has developed a Handbook of

Code of Practice which is a promising start. While OCMT has listed source references in the

introduction of the Handbook, it needs to ensure that the references are accurate and that policies

used from other institutions are contextualized (see Appendix B and Recommendation 3).

Overall, the Panel sensed that OCMT is moving to formalize its quality assurance systems but

needs to ensure that a culture of quality is embedded in all aspects of its activities.

Affirmation 2


Management and Technology that it needs to improve its internal review

system, such as regularly developing action plans in response to affiliate

reports, and supports its efforts in this area.

The College claims that feedback from students is one of the components of its quality assurance

review (Portfolio, p.11). The Panel considered the evidence in this area and found that there was

little comprehensive analysis of survey and questionnaire results and no feedback given to the

parties involved on the changes that had been made as a result of their feedback. This is an area

the College needs to address to ensure the effectiveness of its internal review mechanisms.

Recommendation 7


College of Management and Technology develop and implement

mechanisms for analysing feedback from key stakeholder groups and that

improvement opportunities are consistently acted upon.

1.11 Student Grievance Process

This section of the Portfolio (pp.12-13) and the description of the Complaints and Academic

Appeals procedure in the Handbook of Code of Practice were found by the Panel to be taken from

another source without acknowledgement (see Appendix B and Recommendation 3).

OCMT needs to develop and implement a student grievance process tailored to the needs of its

students and its own academic context. The College also needs to consider differentiating

between academic appeals as opposed to a student grievance or complaint and ensure that it has

policies and procedures in place to address all aspects of the student grievance process.

Recommendation 8


College of Management and Technology develop and implement separate

academic appeals and student grievance systems which are clearly

communicated to all stakeholders and monitored for their effectiveness.

1.12 Health and Safety

According to OCMT, risk management procedures adopted cover areas of health and safety. The

College also states that its premises and student accommodation comply with the General Safety

and Civil Defence regulations (Portfolio, p.14). Although there is a section on health and safety

in the Student Handbook, the Panel found no evidence of a comprehensive health and safety



policy or procedures which have been clearly communicated to the College community. This is

an area that needs to be addressed, for example through the nomination of a member of staff

responsible for health and safety and provision of training for staff and students where

appropriate.

Recommendation 9


College of Management and Technology develop and implement a health

and safety policy and procedures, with the allocation of specific

responsibilities to designated parties and the provision of relevant training

for staff.

1.13 Oversight of Associated Entities (e.g. owned companies)

The College had established the Oman Institute for Human Resource Development which

includes the Al-Shua’a Centre for Higher Education and is financed jointly by the College and

Al-Zahra College for Women. This was not an area investigated by the Panel.



2 STUDE�T LEAR�I�G BY COURSEWORK PROGRAMS

OCMT’s approach to teaching and learning is articulated in its Mission Statement:

…to provide the community with a well-trained workforce capable of

contributing to the prosperity of the Omani society and to the development of

Oman’s economy. (Portfolio, p.1).

The College emphasizes that the above will be achieved through a “student-centered education”

(Portfolio, p.1). This Chapter considers areas in relation to student learning by coursework

programs, including graduate attributes; student entry standards; curriculum; teaching quality and

student placements.

2.1 Graduate Attributes and Student Learning Objectives

OCMT has presented a list of extensive values and objectives that relate to a desired graduate

profile. The values relate to the Mission and Vision of the College, but the evidence on how these

are going to be achieved is not clear. The College acknowledges that its educational objectives,

which are derived from those of the University of Western Michigan, USA, are generic in

character (Portfolio, pp.1-2), yet it is unclear how these fit into an Omani environment and how

they are contextualized to support the College’s own graduate Vision and Mission

OCMT would benefit from developing its graduate characteristics outlined in its objectives

(Portfolio, p.2) into specific generic graduate attributes in consultation with relevant stakeholders

which are clearly communicated to the stakeholders within the College and the community at

large. Although OCMT claims that the graduate attributes presented in the Portfolio have been

translated into objectives for each program, the Panel found a lack of awareness of OCMT’s

graduate attributes during interviews with faculty members and students. In the material

presented to the Panel, there was no clear evidence of how individual module assessment tasks

were linked to the measurement of attaining the graduate profile.

In order to achieve the goal of ‘work-ready’ students who are capable of contributing to the well

being of the Omani society in general and the economy in particular, the College could consider

involving industry and professions in supporting OCMT in the development of its graduate

attributes and in program learning objectives.

Recommendation 10


College of Management and Technology develop and implement generic

graduate attributes in consultation with industry and employers; ensure that

these attributes are reflected in program learning outcomes; and develop

mechanisms to measure the attainment of these attributes.

2.2 Curriculum

OCMT currently offers programs at Diploma and Bachelor degree levels in Business

Administration, Accounting, Banking and Financial Sciences, Marketing and Electronic

Commerce, Computer Science and Interior Design. The content of the programs and modules for

diplomas and degrees are based on materials provided by Yarmouk University (YU) in Jordan, in

line with its affiliation agreement. The College submitted a Handbook of Curriculum Design to

the Panel for consideration. An Internet comparability check showed that this document was

heavily dependent on material from Philadelphia University in Jordan but this is not referenced

(see Appendix B). While the Panel recognizes the usefulness of referring to materials in use in



other higher education institutions, the College needs to ensure that academic integrity is

respected in all its documents and ensures that these are appropriately contextualized for the

programs that are being run in Oman (see Recommendation 3).

During interviews with management and staff from OCMT and YU, the Panel heard conflicting

views as to what extent OCMT was allowed and in fact does modify content to YU modules in

order to reflect the Omani environment and to adapt it to the needs of local students. The Panel

believes that faculty members from OCMT should be actively involved in contextualizing YU

curriculum, and would benefit from the support of YU faculty members. Academic quality

assurance mechanisms need to be included in agreements with OCMT’s affiliates to ensure that

there are clear systems in place, particularly in terms of consistent moderation and monitoring of

program changes and approval processes (see Recommendation 4). A regular review of

programs also needs to be scheduled in order to ensure that the curriculum remains current and

relevant to the needs of the Omani context.

Recommendation 11


College of Management and Technology develop a consistent process for the

contextualisation of imported curricula for Oman and establish mechanisms

for the regular review of programs.

YU makes course materials including lecture notes and assessments available to OCMT staff.

Faculty members informed the Panel that teaching and learning materials can be downloaded

from the YU website but at times there is a delay in being able to access the materials. The Panel

found varying levels of support given to academic staff at the College by their counterparts in

Jordan, with not all academic staff having a designated point of contact at YU (see Section 1.4).

The College should ensure that all faculty members receive the necessary support from YU in

matters pertaining to course materials, course delivery and assessment.

OCMT points out that the curricula adopted from YU have been used since the establishment of

the College and there is a need to improve and update the curricula in order to better meet the

needs of the local environment (Portfolio, p.30). OCMT informed the Panel that it intends to

commit the necessary resources to properly research the market and then review the curricula in

order to achieve the desired outcomes to explore the new trends in the market. The Panel

supports the College’s intention in this area.

2.3 Student Entry Standards

OCMT has set clear entry requirements for its programs which require students to have passed

their General Secondary Diploma (Portfolio, p.18). In addition to the generic entry requirements,

OCMT has put in place a standardized Placement Test developed by YU. The Placement Test

considers students’ proficiency in Mathematics, Computer Skills, and Study Skills as well as their

English language skills. The majority of students enter the General Foundation Program (GFP)

(see Section 2.4) prior to commencing their diploma or degree studies.

Following its SWOT analysis presented in the Strategic Plan 2009-2014 (p.6), the College has

recognised the need to attract and enroll students with stronger academic qualifications in order to

strengthen all academic programs. A number of initiatives have been outlined to support this

objective. OCMT has recognized the importance of ensuring that the students completing the

GFP have the appropriate level of skills to complete their mainstream studies (Portfolio, p.48).

The College has begun sending students for IELTS testing in order to internationally benchmark

the level of their students. This initiative is a positive step forward.



Affirmation 3


Management and Technology that it needs to review student entry

standards of students entering its main programs and supports its efforts to

benchmark student achievement after completing the General Foundation

Program.

2.4 Foundation Program

The College provides a GFP, which includes English, Maths, Computing and Study Skills. The

establishment of the GFP aims to enhance students’ chances of succeeding at diploma and degree

study levels (Foundation Program Handbook, pp.6-9).

The College has identified a priority to improve first-year students’ experiences by strengthening

the GFP and ensuring that it provides preparation in methods of research and improving the

students English language skills (Portfolio, p.48). The Panel considered documents relating to the

College’s revised GFP and found that efforts had been made to align the program with the

national GFP standards. The Panel supports these efforts.

Affirmation 4


Management and Technology that it needs to review its Foundation

Program and supports its efforts to align it with Oman’s �ational General

Foundation Program Standards.

2.5 Teaching Quality

The College’s Vision states:

OCMT aspires to be a scholarly community dedicated to excellence through

student-centered education. (Portfolio, p.1)

OCMT claims that student-centered interactive and problem-based teaching and learning

environment is supported (Portfolio, p.22). However, having considered a sample of the teaching

materials and spoken to staff and students, the Panel found that there was little evidence that

OCMT promotes a student-centered teaching and learning environment and faculty members

seemed to have mixed views on what “student-centered” teaching meant. Although there seems

to be a significant amount of support given to developing the research profile of faculty members

at OCMT, there is little evidence that similar efforts are made to improve the teaching quality.

The Panel concluded that there is no consistent approach to evaluating teaching quality within the

College and each Department has its own system in place. There is a need for a common, shared

philosophy for a pedagogical framework to support student-centred learning. This needs to be

supported by an extensive professional development program.

Recommendation 12


College of Management and Technology develop a College-wide pedagogical

framework which is supported by a professional development program in

order to promote an environment of student-centred learning in line with its

Mission.

OCMT acknowledges that peer review is useful to support teaching quality (Portfolio, p.20).

While the introduction of a peer review process is commendable, the College notes that it needs



to do more in order to exploit the internal peer review system (Portfolio, p.31) and the Panel

agrees that this could have a positive impact on improving teaching quality. OCMT must now

make sure that this is actually going to be implemented and does not remain an intention. Once

implemented, the College will need to review the effectiveness of its peer review process in order

to monitor the impact it has on teaching quality.

2.6 Plagiarism

Plagiarism is considered by the College to be an academic offence and OCMT guidelines on

plagiarism have been included in the Student Handbook 2008-2009 (pp.43-44). OCMT has

outlined the procedures for breaches of academic integrity in the Handbook of Code of Practice

(Portfolio, p.22). On further scrutiny, the plagiarism guidelines in this Handbook were found to

have been taken directly from another source without any acknowledgement (see Appendix B and

Recommendation 3).

While there is no question that breaches of academic integrity need to be acted upon, there should

be a clear framework in place to educate students about plagiarism. Interviews with students

clearly showed that there was a lack of awareness and understanding of plagiarism. This would

indicate that students are not given the necessary training with regard to techniques and strategies

to avoid plagiarism.

As has been previously mentioned in this Report, a number of OCMT key documents considered

by the Panel were found to have been plagiarised or heavily dependent on other sources without

recourse to appropriate academic references. The College needs to urgently review its current

approach to promoting a culture of academic integrity in order to ensure that staff and students

have a full understanding of plagiarism and its implications, and have an awareness of how to

avoid it.

Recommendation 13


College of Management and Technology, as a matter of priority, introduce a

College-wide culture of academic integrity for all staff and students and

includes mechanisms for supporting staff and students in avoiding

plagiarism.

2.7 Student Placements

OCMT Diploma students require On the Job Training (OJT) during the course of their studies in

order to graduate. OCMT implemented OJT for its students in relevant sectors of business and

industry (Portfolio, p.22). The concept of OJT in itself is a valuable asset to any program;

however, in practice there are a number of issues that need addressing, in order for OJT to be

beneficial to students and businesses.

The College is currently developing its own system for OJT, in order to give students the

opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge acquired through their studies in a practical

environment. The Panel was informed that it is often left to students, however, to find their own

placement (with little or no support from the College), which appears to be a difficult undertaking

for students as there are few job opportunities within close proximity of the College. There is no

evidence of appropriate supervision and support for students during OJT by faculty members or

formalized procedures in place for obtaining feedback from employers.

OCMT acknowledges that the OJT Handbook has been taken from the Colleges of Technology in

Oman (Portfolio, p.20) but needs to acknowledge this source in the document (see

Recommendation 3). It was not clear from the documentation presented to the Panel nor through

the interviews what is done with students who are unable to find a placement to fulfill the



graduation requirements for the Diploma studies. OCMT must actively support students in

finding such industry placements in order for them to fulfill the graduation requirements.

Recommendation 14


College of Management and Technology implement a consistent approach to

student placements across all Departments, which includes support for

students in finding industry placements; clear criteria for academic

supervision; and a consistently implemented mechanism to elicit feedback

from employers involved in placements to improve the placement process.

2.8 Assessment Methods, Standards and Moderation

OCMT has adopted the assessment framework from YU. The assessment schedule consists of

mid-term tests, final examination along with a 10% allocation for coursework, projects and essays

(Portfolio, p.23). Having reviewed a sample of the assessment tasks, the Panel found that it was

not always overtly obvious how these tasks aligned with learning outcomes and/or module aims.

From the documentation available and from evidence gathered from talking to faculty members,

the Panel noted that assessment tasks and examinations were developed at the College and sent to

YU for consideration. OCMT states that Academic Departments are encouraged to regularly

review assessment practices and procedures, although the section on review of assessment

practices (Portfolio, p.24 and in section in Handbook of Code of Practice, p.15) was found to be

plagiarised (see Appendix B and Recommendation 3).

OCMT claims that there is some form of external moderation of final exams taking place at the

College (Portfolio, p.12). However, there is no evidence that such a system is in place yet, nor is

there evidence that any guidelines have been drawn up to implement such as system. The Panel

urges the College to review its current assessment practices and establish a robust moderation

system.

Recommendation 15


College of Management and Technology develop and implement robust

mechanisms for internal and external moderation of assessments.

2.9 Academic Security and Invigilation

OCMT states that the primary responsibility for academic security lies with the faculty members

who ensure that exam papers are securely stored and their computers are password-secured

(Portfolio, p.25). OCMT does not have a mechanism in place to identify potential risk within its

approach to academic security and no means for measuring the effectiveness of its current

system. The College needs to review the implementation of its academic security and invigilation

procedures to ensure that there is a consistent, rigorous approach throughout all academic

departments.

Recommendation 16


College of Management and Technology review its current approach to

monitoring academic security and invigilation in order to ensure that this is

handled consistently and rigorously throughout the College.



2.10 Student Retention and Progression

The Panel reviewed data provided by OCMT regarding its student retention and progression

(Portfolio, pp.26-28). According to OCMT, high attrition rates have been a matter of concern

but data was presented in the Portfolio (p.28) to show that attrition rates have been decreasing.

The College also presented data on reasons for students leaving, showing that the majority have

left over the years to join work or due to work circumstances (Appendices, Portfolio, p.78).

Student progression is another concern at all levels. Interviews with students revealed that they

are taking substantially longer to complete their qualification than they expected. Some students

at Diploma level took four years and Degree students took up to six or seven years. OCMT

management did not acknowledge that students are taking longer than expected to pass at each

level and need to develop concrete plans on how to tackle this area. There were limited summary

statistics available to accurately assess student progression at the College and there were no

measures in place to monitor students in order to ensure that they complete their studies in a

reasonable time. This is an area OCMT needs to address.

Recommendation 17


College of Management and Technology investigate the reasons for lengthy

completion times and develop and implement a monitoring process to ensure

that students complete their program requirements within specified

timeframes.

2.11 Graduate Destinations and Employability

OCMT is starting to track its graduates. There is little data available as yet, as the contact with

alumni is just starting to gather momentum. In interviews, there was anecdotal evidence about

students’ success in securing a job after graduating from OCMT.

In order to have a better idea of the employability of its students, OCMT needs to follow up on its

graduates; collect and analyse statistics in relation to employability; and develop and implement a

mechanism to elicit feedback from employers and industry on the quality of its graduates.

Employers’ feedback will need to be used in the review and development of future programs and

learning outcomes to ensure that these programs are fit for purpose.

Recommendation 18


College of Management and Technology collect and analyse data on

employability of its graduates and feedback from employers on their

satisfaction with graduates in order to inform program review and

development.



3 STUDE�T LEAR�I�G BY RESEARCH PROGRAMS

OCMT does not offer student learning by research programs, so this area has not been included in

the Report.



4 STAFF RESEARCH A�D CO�SULTA�CY

The Vision of the College states:

OCMT aspires to be a scholarly community dedicated to excellence through

student-centered education and research emphasizing cutting-edge professional

practice in the fields of study offered. (Portfolio, p.1).

According to the Requirements of Oman’s System for Quality Assurance (ROSQA), there is only

a limited expectation that Colleges will undertake research activities. The main focus of these

research activities is to ensure that academic staff maintain currency within their academic fields

and in order share expertise with professional groups and local communities. Although OCMT

has included research in its Strategic Plan, this section of the Plan was found by the Panel to have

been plagiarised (see Appendix B and Recommendation 3).

4.1 Research Planning and Management

The College has stated that it seeks “excellence through placing students in a rich learning

community” (Portfolio, p.33). There should be well defined strategies in place to achieve this

objective. Improving research outcomes has been identified as an opportunity for improvement

identified by the College (Portfolio, p.36). In its interviews with faculty members, the Panel

obtained feedback that research activities did not appear to be a crucial element in the career

progression of faculty members although the College claims that “such research is considered the

basis of academic promotion as per the performance evaluation forms of the faculty” (ibid). The

Panel is of the view that it would be helpful for individual research plans to be consolidated in a

College-wide plan in order to be meaningful. Research could also be a key performance indicator

used in the performance reviews for the College’s faculty members.

The research culture and infrastructure at OCMT relies primarily on the initiative of individual

faculty members who are interested in maintaining their research profile. The Panel noted that the

College provides support to faculty members who wish to attend conferences or present research

papers. The College would benefit from developing and implementing an organised system to

promote research activities and initiatives such as regular research seminars, research funding

support, and research development workshops for faculty members. Promoting a research culture

at OCMT needs to take into consideration the faculty members’ workloads in relation to their

teaching and administrative responsibilities.

Recommendation 19


College of Management and Technology support its emergent research

culture through the development and implementation of a clear research

plan and supporting infrastructure to reflect the College’s Vision and

Mission.

4.2 Research Performance

The College has identified improving research outcomes as a major opportunity for improvement

(Portfolio, pp.36-37) but has made limited efforts to develop its research capabilities. Although

the Panel noted that academic staff were encouraged to participate in conferences, there did not

seem to be evidence of the College faculty members having utilized research as a tool for

professional development. As there is need to develop research expertise, and given that there is

a constraint of workload, which is perceived by the College as “obstacle to research” (Portfolio,

p.38), OCMT should focus on exploring measures to involve more members of the faculty in



research pursuits and even consider inviting visiting research scholars. The relationship with YU

could be used to advantage in this regard.

4.3 Research Funding Schemes

The College states that approximately 5% of the annual budget is set aside for research funding

(Portfolio, p.33), which the Panel was able to confirm during the Audit Visit. The research

funding process is defined in the College Council Constitution and Terms of Reference. The

Panel found limited activity at the College in relation to utilizing research funds for the purposes

of research projects and similar knowledge-building activities. Furthermore, there are no review

processes in place to determine whether the funding has been utilized successfully for the benefit

of research in line with its Mission. This is an area the College needs to consider as it develops

its research culture (see Recommendation 19).

4.4 Consultancy Activities

OCMT has equated consultancy with faculty members participating in seminars and training

(Portfolio, p.33). The College notes that “in 2008, (the best researcher award) was given to a

faculty member on grounds of being highly demanded by universities and institutions to speak on

financial subjects” (Portfolio, p.36). While these efforts are recognized, the College itself

acknowledges that consultancy activities are in their early stages. The Panel is of the view, in

light of current research activities, that this area might need some more time to develop.

4.5 Ethics and Biosafety

According to OCMT, the Handbook of Code of Practice delineates all regulations regarding

research activities and intellectual property practices at the College (Portfolio, p.34). On further

consideration of this document following the audit visit, the Panel found that the section on

‘Responsible Conduct of Research’ was taken directly from another institution’s document (see

Appendix B). This shows a significant lack of academic integrity on behalf of the College and

undermines its attempts to set up a viable approach to its research activities (see

Recommendation 3).

4.6 Intellectual Property

The College’s Handbook of Code of Practice incorporates the guidelines to be followed in regard

to intellectual honesty in a section entitled “Code of Practice: General Standards of Professional

Ethics” (p.34). After an Internet comparability search this section was found to be directly taken

from another source without acknowledgement (see Appendix B and Recommendation 3).

OCMT now needs to make a clear commitment to nurturing a culture of academic and intellectual

honesty throughout the College, which includes developing and implementing a clear policy on

intellectual property. This has to be widely disseminated and clearly understood by all

researchers, whether members of faculty or students.

4.7 Professional Development for Research

The College states that appropriate Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are used to monitor

research performance (Portfolio, p.34). However, the Panel did not find any evidence of these as

there is no Operational Plan for research at OCMT. The Panel viewed documents that showed

professional development activities undertaken by faculty members although these were not

related to developing research skills per se. The Panel was informed that the heavy teaching

workload at times prevented faculty members from pursuing a research path. The College claims

that there is an incentive for participation in conferences (Portfolio, p.36) but overall the



responsibility for professional development rests largely on the member of faculty. This is an area

the College needs to address as it develops its research plan.

4.8 Research Commercialisation

Commercialisation of research is an area that will need to be considered as OCMT develops its

research profile.

4.9 Research – Teaching ;exus

In this section of the Portfolio, OCMT focuses on the relationship between research and

developing students’ research skills (Portfolio, p.35). Despite claims that research is integral to

the students’ education at OCMT (ibid), the Panel found no evidence to indicate how students’

research skills are developed or assessed. As the College develops its research profile, it needs to

consider the connection between staff research and teaching in order to ensure that academic staff

keep up to date with developments in their fields and enrich the student learning experience.



5 I�DUSTRY A�D COMMU�ITY E�GAGEME�T

OCMT is aware that engagement with both industry and the community is an important part of its

Mission and the College states that it works hard to formalise its collaboration in these areas. The

Panel found examples of existing mechanisms for collaboration such as active engagement in the

immediate community, fund raising support for local schools and provision of courses for

industry and the community at large. Interviews with stakeholders confirmed that collaboration

was appreciated by industry and the local community and it was felt that senior management has

a good relationship with the community and is well respected in the region.

Currently, it is often left to faculty members to establish relationships with industry, professions

and the community. This of course impacts on the workload of academic and administrative staff.

OCMT could build on its positive initiatives to ensure that this area is consistently developed

throughout the institution.

5.1 Industry and Community Engagement Planning and Management

Whilst some of the faculty members are considered as specialists in their field of expertise and

are quoted and consulted at times, OCMT has no centralised plan for industry and community

engagement as stated in the Portfolio (p.39). OCMT is aware that it must redefine its community

service strategies (Portfolio, p.41) but now needs to take action. This initiative is supported by

the Panel as it was found that activities are organised in isolation and there is no linked College-

wide approach. The Panel is of the view that OCMT needs to involve stakeholders from different

Departments to play a role in planning industry and community engagement. OCMT also needs

to establish mechanisms to measure its effectiveness in this area. The development of a planning

framework (see Recommendation 5) would benefit OCMT in this regard.

5.2 Relationships with Industry and Employers

Representatives from industry and employers have been involved with OCMT through

membership of the Board of Trustees (BoT), the Board of Directors (BoD) and through the

establishment of the On The Job Training (OJT) scheme. The OJT scheme is an example of

positive industry collaboration and OCMT should take more advantage of exploiting such

relationships for the good of its students, staff and the community in general. As mentioned in

Section 5.1, there is no centralised or centrally coordinated mechanism or plan in place to

formalise such relationships. The development of these relationships will support curriculum

review and development (see Section 2.2) and underpin feedback systems on graduate

employability (see Section 2.11).

Recommendation 20


College of Management and Technology establish formal mechanisms to

interact with industry and employers to support its activities and to monitor

the effectiveness of these mechanisms.

5.3 Relationships with Professions

OCMT is a member of the Arab Network of Open and Distance Learning (Portfolio, p.40). Apart

from this, OCMT informed the Panel that it has access to professional bodies through its

affiliation with Yarmouk University (YU). The only local interaction with professions in Oman is

through its OJT program. This is an area in which the College needs to develop.



5.4 Relationships with Other Education Providers

As has been mentioned, OCMT benefits from its affiliation with YU in this aspect. OCMT also

claims it has good relationships with other tertiary institutions (Portfolio, p.40). It is hard to

determine whether these relationships are of a formal nature or are maintained through faculty

members on a more informal basis. The College advised that there is some collaborative work

taking place between OCMT and Al-Zahra College and the Oman Institute of Human Resource

Development. In order for OCMT to benefit from these relationships, a more formalized process

should be in place and clear records of inter-institutional engagements should be kept to evaluate

these relationships and monitor their effectiveness.

5.5 Relationships with Alumni

OCMT recognizes the importance of its relationships with alumni and there was evidence that it

intends to strengthen ties with them. OCMT has appointed a staff member within the Marketing

Unit to look after alumni affairs and to communicate with alumni through newsletters and other

means of direct contact. The College is in the process of developing an alumni database as well as

collecting data on its graduates, which could enhance OCMT’s efforts in this area (see Section

2.11). The Panel supports OCMT’s efforts in creating links with its alumni and developing

means to measure the effectiveness of these.

Affirmation 5


Management and Technology that it needs to develop its relationship with

alumni through a variety of approaches, and supports its efforts in this

area.

5.6 Relationships with the Community at Large

OCMT is fully aware of the importance of having a good relationship with its community. The

College is active in local schools and supports fundraising activities and is also involved in

charity work. The offering of community education courses is further evidence of OCMT’s active

involvement in its community. There was good evidence from community leaders and

community representatives that the College is doing a good job in establishing strong

relationships with the community. The College seems to be well respected in the area.

Commendation 1

The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority commends Oman College of

Management and Technology for its community outreach activities.



6 ACADEMIC SUPPORT SERVICES

6.1 Academic Support Services Planning and Management

OCMT claims that it tries to use “all information and communication technologies available to

demonstrate high standards in teaching, learning research and administration” (Portfolio, p.43).

The area of academic support services is included in the OCMT Strategic Plan but the plan was

found by the Panel to have been plagiarised (see Appendix B and Recommendation 3).

The Panel was informed that each Head of Department develops an ‘action plan’ for their

departments; those action plans considered by the Panel consisted mainly of an academic

calendar for students and academic staff. The College claims that “academic and administrative

departments, boards and councils […] perform the operations needed to accomplish the intended

aims” (Portfolio, p.43) but the Panel found no evidence of this taking place on a planned basis.

Without an operational planning framework, it is unclear how this is done. As mentioned

previously, (see Recommendation 5), there is a clear need for a planning policy to address these

gaps.

6.2 Registry (Enrolment and Student Records)

Procedures related to student registrations, enrolment and records are managed electronically by

the Admission and Registration Department. The student records and data are replicated at

Yarmouk University (YU) in Jordan as a backup. Students are provided with a guide specifying

the registration requirements. This is currently done manually. Results from the most recent

Student Evaluation Survey (Spring 2009-2010) indicate a lower satisfaction rate with the clarity

of the admissions and registration process than in the previous academic year (2008-2009). As a

result of weaknesses in the registration process identified by OCMT (Portfolio, p.48), an online

registration facility is currently being introduced.

Affirmation 6


Management and Technology that it needs to improve its registration

services and supports its efforts to implement an online registration system.

Although the College states that “the applied electronic system provides a handy tool for

reporting and aggregating data” (Portfolio, p.43), the Panel did not find evidence of any

systematic processes in place for student data collection and analysis, which could be used to

inform planning, decision making and evaluation at the College. Data collection is done on an ad

hoc basis, as the need arises, and there are no continuous reporting structures in place which can

be used to monitor performance and analyse trends over periods of time. Most of the information

provided as part of the Portfolio submission and to the Panel at the time of the Audit Visit was

recent and appeared to have been compiled primarily for the purposes of the audit. Furthermore,

there was no evidence of the data being analysed and used to identify areas for improvement.

Recommendation 21


College of Management and Technology improve data collection and

analysis to inform its planning and review processes.



6.3 Library

OCMT has identified “small library space” as one of the College’s weaknesses in their SWOT

analysis included with its Strategic Plan 2009-2014 (p.6). The OCMT Library reportedly

contained 6,500 books at the time of the Portfolio being published, with a further 1,500 purchased

prior to the Panel’s visit. During a visit to the Library, the Panel noted that faculty members and

students have access to online resources provided by YU and an inter-library arrangement with

Al Zahra College which was confirmed during the Panel’s visit to the College. The Library does

not have an operational plan and the Panel was informed that most procurement was dependent

on approval from the Dean.

The effectiveness of the services offered by the Library is measured using one statement in the

Student Evaluation Survey which refers to the “adequacy of library services”. According to the

survey results viewed by the Panel, student satisfaction increased in 2009/2010, although only on

a small scale. Although staff interviewed by the Panel seemed satisfied with the provision of the

library services at OCMT, students indicated that the Library was too small and that there was a

lack of study space. OCMT has recently developed a Library Risk Survey, which was considered

by the Panel; however, the survey had not been administered to staff or students.

As a key provider of learning resources and support materials, the Library services need to be

evaluated and improvements made accordingly on a regular basis. The Panel suggests that the

above mentioned survey be administered as soon as possible, in order to gauge staff and student

satisfaction with Library services.

Recommendation 22


College of Management and Technology develop and implement an

operational plan for its provision of library services, which is clearly linked

to resources and supports the teaching and learning needs of the College.

6.4 Information and Learning Technology Services

In its Portfolio, OCMT lists a range of information and learning technology services offered

(p.44). The Panel did not find any evidence of an Operational Plan for information technology

(IT) services to demonstrate the alignment of the IT services with academic requirements. The

management of IT services at the College is the responsibility of the Head of the Computer

Centre, who is supported by lab technicians.

The Panel visited a range of general access and specialized computer labs with modern computer

equipment. No data is being collected to enable monitoring of software and hardware utilization

for planning purposes. A list of software and teaching platforms was also provided to the Panel.

However, there is no formal asset register used to track software and licensing (which is being

done regularly). All staff and students have e-mail accounts provided through a Google supported

system. The College’s website is hosted on a web server at YU. Data backups of servers were

performed on a regular basis; however, there are no formal (written) back up procedures. The

College does not have an IT replacement/upgrade or maintenance plan and procedure.

OCMT has identified improving “the capabilities of the Internet facilities, the size and number of

machines, and the connectivity strength” as a priority area (Portfolio p.48) following on from

recommendations made during visits by YU representatives, as well as data from Student

Evaluation Surveys (one question related to the “utilization of labs”). Steps have already been

made in this direction with improvements to the bandwidth, as well as additional computer labs.

The Panel supports the College’s efforts in this area.



Affirmation 7


Management and Technology that it needs to improve its internet access and

supports its efforts to upgrade its computer laboratories and software.

There is a need to provide mechanisms to evaluate the performance of staff at the Computer

Centre and the services provided to students and staff. The Panel makes comments on the issue of

performance management in Section 8.6. Panel members were assured this will be done in the

near future.

The Computer Centre is an authorised International Computer Driving License (ICDL) training

centre and provides ICDL courses to staff, the local community, and members of the public.

Although one survey has been carried out to measure the effectiveness of these training programs,

the College would benefit from carrying these surveys out on a regular basis. The limited number

of feedback mechanisms at OCMT has already been raised as an area for improvement above (see

Recommendation 7).

6.5 Academic Advising

The Academic Board Constitution and Terms of Reference document provides a description of

the “Academic Counseling and Monitoring Student Performance” process (pp.69-70). The

process relies on each student being assigned to a faculty member (Personal Tutor) who serves as

his/her advisor and guide on academic matters. Students and their Personal Tutors are required to

meet at least once each term. OCMT states that there is a need to revise and improve the current

system (Portfolio, p.48) and “mentoring and academic counseling by faculty due to much

workload [sic]” has been identified as a weakness in the SWOT analysis provided in the Strategic

Plan 2009-2014 (p.6). There was limited evidence of the system described in the Academic Board

Constitution and Terms of Reference document being implemented in practice. The College

would benefit from providing faculty members with relevant training in academic advising. The

Panel found an imbalance in the workload expected from faculty members in relation to academic

advising, considering their other commitments (teaching, office hours and committee

participation).

The academic advising system is particularly relevant due to the high attrition rates at the College

(reported in Appendix 9.10 of the Portfolio). An effective academic advising system will enable

OCMT to identify “at risk” students and provide them with adequate learning support, thus

reducing student attrition. Although the College has identified this an area of improvement, the

Panel found that actions still need to be taken to address the issues raised. OCMT would also

benefit from developing College-wide mechanisms to measure the effectiveness of its academic

advising system in supporting underperforming students.

Recommendation 23


College of Management and Technology improve its system for academic

advising, especially in identifying and supporting ‘at risk’ students; ensuring

workload allows teaching staff time to engage with the process; and

monitoring and reviewing the system on a regular basis.

6.6 Student Learning Support

The College refers to arrangements made for students to “discuss topics” or “overcome learning

problems”;however, these are ad hoc in nature (Portfolio, pp.46-47). Support for learning is

intended to be provided through the advising process described in (Section 6.5). According to

OCMT, tutorials in some courses are available for students who might need additional support



and advisors are there to help “struggling” students (Portfolio, p.46) but the Panel found no

formalised system for student learning support. The Panel is of the view that this type of ad hoc

intervention and support by faculty members, Heads of Department and the Dean as the main

means of providing support for weak and failing students, is inadequate and a clearly

communicated and consistent system for supporting student learning is needed. The Panel

strongly suggests that student learning support be provided on a more formal basis.

6.7 Teaching Resources

Different teaching resources are provided by relevant Departments (Computer Centre, Library,

etc.). The Services and Supplies Department is responsible for classroom furniture and fittings.

There is no central unit or committee that ensures the College has adequate teaching resources.

The Panel was informed that classrooms were equipped with standard teaching resources that

fulfill basic teaching needs. The Panel heard that there is support for developing teaching

resources at the College by allocating funds in the annual budget towards this purpose. YU has

donated a video conferencing facility to OCMT which will be used to teach courses.

The Student Evaluation Survey measures students’ ratings of the “adequacy of classroom

equipment” and shows that students were fairly satisfied with these teaching resources. The Panel

found that, in general, academic staff interviewed were happy with the resources that were at their

disposal in class. The Panel believes it would be useful for OCMT to formally measure the level

of staff satisfaction with resources as part of an overall feedback system at the College (see

Recommendation 7) and ensure that feedback system loops are closed.



7 STUDE�TS A�D STUDE�T SUPPORT SERVICES

Student and student support services are the responsibility of Department of Student Affairs

(DSA). These services are intended to complement academic learning. This Chapter comments

on the range of student support services on offer at OCMT, including career and employment

services, accommodation, medical and counselling services.

7.1 Students and Student Support Services Planning and Management

The DSA is responsible for planning all student activities on campus and supports them

financially (Portfolio, p.49). These plans need to have specific operational goals and clear

objectives for their implementation. The College is encouraged to involve the student body, for

example, through the Student Council, when setting up and developing these plans in order to

ensure both male and female-oriented activities are equally developed and implemented.

Planning in this area needs to be considered within the overall approach to planning at OCMT

(see Recommendation 5).

7.2 Student Profile

The total number of enrolled students at OCMT was 662 students in the academic year

2009/2010; 49% males and 51% females. About 79% are enrolled in Diploma programs and 21%

are enrolled in Bachelor programs (Portfolio, pp.49-50). Almost all students are Omanis. The

full-time student population is 87%, with part-time students making up the remaining 13%. About

65 of the student body is self-supporting and about 35% are either on full or partial scholarship.

The Panel found a lack of a systematic approach to data collection and analysis in relation to the

students profile; this is an area the College needs to address in order to support planning and

anticipate the future needs of OCMT (see Recommendation 21).

7.3 Student Satisfaction and Climate

OCMT values the relationship with its students. Students are represented on a number of

committees including the College Council, where they are able to express their views (Portfolio,

p.51). The Panel heard from students that these arrangements gave them a voice in College

matters. The College has formalised student representation through the Student Council which is

managed by the DSA. Students interviewed by the Panel agreed that the Student Council played

an important role, especially as the first place to go if they have a complaint or issue. Providing

opportunities for student representation and opportunities for the student voice to be heard is a

positive step forward for the College and is encouraged by the Panel.

Commendation 2

The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority commends Oman College of

Management and Technology for establishing a Student Council and wider

representation in other bodies in order to ensure that students’ voice is

heard.

While a number of surveys have been conducted to determine the students’ satisfaction, the Panel

felt that the student survey data and feedback could be analysed and used more effectively for

planning purposes, as well as making changes to student services (see Recommendation 7).

7.4 Student Behaviour

OCMT produces a Student Handbook which contains a Student Code of Practice (Portfolio,

p.51). Each student is given a copy of the Student Handbook, which the Panel was informed that



they have to sign for during the orientation period. The Panel found that there were discrepancies

in the information provided in the Arabic and English versions of the handbook. The College

needs to ensure that the information given to students is clear and consistent so that they have a

clear understanding of OCMT’s expectations in relation to their behaviour.

7.5 Career and Employment Services

OCMT states that its alumni office:

…tracks all graduates to ensure that they are all in employment. If they need

rehabilitation, the College provides them with training in areas deemed

necessary. (Portfolio, p.51)

The Panel found that there were unclear plans and actions in this field, and it encourages the

College to develop a systematic approach to career and employment services that will prepare

students for the market. The Panel was presented with evidence and informed by student services

staff that workshops on CV writing and job interview techniques were offered to students.

However, not all students were aware of these activities and the College would benefit from

promoting their availability more proactively. Students felt that they received little support in

identifying possible career opportunities and options. They generally relied on their own sources

to secure employment after graduation.

Recommendation 24


College of Management and Technology develop a proactive approach to its

career and employment services for students.

7.6 Student Finances

According to the Portfolio, OCMT provides financial assistance to a number of students such as

discounts for top high school graduates and students with good academic performance. The

College also provides scholarships for the needy students and has a deferred tuition fees payment

system (Portfolio, pp.51-52).The Panel did not investigate this area in detail.

7.7 Accommodation, Catering and Transport

OCMT provides accommodation, transport and catering. The College outsources the catering

facilities on its campus as well as its transportation of its students who commute from the Muscat

Governorate and the South Batinah Region. The College provides free transportation for students

who live in the College dormitories (Portfolio, p.52). The Panel was informed that a number of

students who live in dormitories were dissatisfied with the accommodation and transportation

from the dormitories. They indicated that the dorms are not well equipped and there are no

reading rooms or recreation facilities. The Panel urges OCMT to monitor student satisfaction in

these areas and act on the feedback collected in order to make improvements (see

Recommendation 7).

7.8 Medical and Counselling Facilities

OCMT has identified the need to have a clinic on campus to provide health services to students

and staff (Portfolio p.55). The College recently appointed a nurse, who can deal with minor

health problems. The more serious cases are transported to a local health centre. The College has

a full-time counselor who deals with students’ social and psychological problems. The Panel

recognizes that OCMT has made progress in this area through appropriate staff appointments and

the establishment of a clinic.



Affirmation 8


Management and Technology that it needs to upgrade the provision of

medical services to students and supports its efforts to improve in this area.

7.9 International Student Services

Almost all students enrolled in the College are Omani with few non-Omanis. The non-Omani

students at OCMT are already living in Oman with their families. This area was not explored by

the Panel.

7.10 Social and Recreational Services and Facilities

In the College’s SWOT analysis, included with the Strategic Plan 2009-2014, OCMT states that

there are “abundant extra-curricular activities” (Strategic Plan, p.5). OCMT states that a

committee within the DSA sets a semester plan for students’ activities, which is sent to the Dean

and discussed at the College Council. These extra-curricular activities relate to the areas of sport,

culture, and community services (Portfolio, p.55).

The Panel notes that the majority of the social and recreational activities listed in the OCMT

Annual Report 2008-2009 cater to the male students at the College, rather than female. This was

confirmed in interviews with students. The College needs to ensure that all members of the

student community are taken into consideration when social and recreational services are being

developed and implemented.

Recommendation 25


College of Management and Technology review its current provision of

social and recreational services in order to ensure that all students are

catered for.



8 STAFF A�D STAFF SUPPORT SERVICES

During the audit of OCMT, the Panel examined the approach used by the College to manage

Human Resources (HR), as well as the implementation of this approach, and subsequent results

and improvements made. This section describes the findings of the Panel related to staff and staff

support services at OCMT.

8.1 Human Resources Planning and Management

The College states that “Priority is given to recruit and retain the highest quality staff and faculty-

members, as well as to develop their related competencies through training and professional

support” (Portfolio, p.55). HR planning is primarily the responsibility of the Dean.

OCMT has also implemented several ad hoc initiatives and established committees to achieve its

objectives related to HR planning and management. However, the College does not have an HR

plan in place that operationalises and integrates these initiatives strategically, or that enables the

College to undertake a review of its HR planning and management approach to meet its long term

growth needs. The Panel urges OCMT to develop and implement a comprehensive and consistent

system for human resource management which covers staff recruitment; induction; professional

development; promotion and staff retention.

Recommendation 26


College of Management and Technology develop a human resource

management system (covering areas such as staff induction, promotion,

severance and staff grievances) which is transparently and consistently

implemented.

8.2 Staff Profile

OCMT’s Vision refers to “student-centred education” and the provision of “high quality

education in the country and the region” (Portfolio, p.1). To support the achievement of this

vision, OCMT needs to develop its staff profile so that it is optimally aligned with its capability

requirements. According to OCMT, the faculty members have relevant terminal qualifications

and “teaching experience ranging from 5 year [sic] to 25 years” (Portfolio, p.56). Apart from the

information provided in the Portfolio, the Panel found no evidence of a needs-based approach to

the development of OCMT’s staff profile. This is related to the lack of strategic HR planning at

the College (see Section 8.1) and has resulted in imbalances in specific areas, including gender

with only 2 full time female faculty members in 2009/2010 compared to 23 male faculty

members.

8.3 Recruitment and Selection

The College states that it aims to recruit staff using a “fair, transparent, and unbiased process”

(Portfolio, p.57) and describes the recruitment process. The College also states that “Sometimes

recruitment is conducted through personal relations” (ibid).

During the audit visit, the Panel heard that staff positions were advertised through relevant

channels and potential candidates were discussed at College Council meetings. However, in

interviews with staff, the Panel found that the recruitment process was applied inconsistently with

no clear recruitment criteria or procedures. While some candidates were required to perform a

teaching demonstration as part of their interview, others were not. A number of staff members

were recruited through personal relationships and contacts, while other staff members came from



Yarmouk University (YU). The Dean of OCMT is primarily responsible for selecting and

recruiting new staff members, although there is an Appointment and Promotion Committee

responsible for determining the “need of the college for teaching staff in accordance with

applicable criteria” and developing a “plan to attract skillful and experienced staff” (OCMT Job

Description, p.8). The Panel did not find any evidence of the activities of this committee or their

involvement in the recruitment and selection of staff members. In line with Recommendation 26,

the College needs to review its current approach in this area.

The recruitment and selection process at OCMT is implemented on an opportunistic basis, rather

than following a clear, consistent and transparent approach. This has resulted in a degree of

inconsistency in the skills, abilities and teaching experience of academic staff at OCMT,

including variable levels of English language proficiency. This has also been recognized in

reports by YU representatives during their visits in 2009 and is an area the College needs to

address.

Recommendation 27


College of Management and Technology ensure it recruits staff with the

desired skills and abilities, including proficiency in English and teaching

skills, in order to be able to successfully carry out their duties.

8.4 Induction

As part of the staff induction process, new staff members are provided with copies of the Student

Handbook, Academic Board Constitution and Terms of Reference, and Handbook of Code of

Practice (Portfolio, p.57). Additional information for staff is provided through the OCMT

website. The College also plans to develop a new faculty member orientation program (Portfolio,

p.62). No concrete actions had been taken in this direction at the time of the Audit Visit.

The Panel heard that staff induction was conducted primarily through an initial meeting with the

Dean. There were no other organized induction activities or programs in place. The lack of a

consistent approach in this area is evident from staff members’ lack of understanding of the

College’s values and divergent views on academic and administrative practices. The College

needs to review and improve its current approach to induction (see Recommendation 26).

8.5 Professional Development

Professional development at OCMT consists of one-hour seminars for academic staff conducted

every Saturday during each semester on a range of teaching and administrative issues (Portfolio,

p.58). The College has identified the need to implement a “faculty development program”

(Portfolio, p.62) and evidence considered by the Panel showed that there were 18 workshops

(seminars) held in the first semester 2009-2010, and 12 planned for the second semester in 2010.

The Computer Centre also provided 25 training sessions in 2008/2009. The College also stated

that faculty members are “encouraged to attend conferences and workshops” (Portfolio, p.58).

The Panel views these initiatives as positive steps in the professional development of staff.

Affirmation 9


Management and Technology that it needs to implement a faculty

development program and supports its efforts to do so.

A survey titled “Evaluation of the professional development program” was carried out at the end

of March 2010, just prior to the Audit Visit, and consisted of 13 questions covering the full range

of seminars and workshops conducted at OCMT. The analysis of the results of this survey had



not been completed by the time of the Audit Visit. The effectiveness of the current professional

development activities (i.e. weekly one hour seminars) need to be reviewed on a regular basis in

order for the outcomes of these activities to be measured and relate to staff performance.

The Panel heard that the College was generally supportive of academic staff who wished to attend

local conferences and workshops although this approach relies on individual staff members

identifying their own professional development needs without aligning them with organizational

goals and objectives. The Panel also heard from faculty members that they update their skills and

expertise in their field by searching websites of different universities. OCMT needs to ensure

that there is a clear link between the performance management of staff and the provision of

professional development (see Recommendation 28). While the Panel supports the efforts already

being made in this area, OCMT would benefit from developing a more systematic approach in

order to align professional development efforts with its strategic and operational objectives.

8.6 Performance Planning and Review

The Performance Planning and Review process is described in OCMT’s Portfolio (pp.58-59).

However, this section of the Portfolio does not relate to staff performance management but rather

relates to overall performance evaluation of the College. As part of their performance evaluation,

faculty members complete a performance evaluation form and the Panel was informed that

teaching performance was assessed through ad hoc peer observations and during annual visits by

YU representatives. Students also provide feedback on teaching through surveys. A teaching

prize is awarded at the graduation ceremony to “outstanding staff” (Portfolio, p.59), it is not clear

how the recipient of this prize is decided upon given that OCMT does not conduct individual

performance appraisals. However, the Panel did not find evidence of consistently implemented,

systematic staff performance management at the College.

The lack of performance planning and review at OCMT has a direct impact on the professional

development of staff, as well as staff promotion and remuneration. Without a consistently

implemented performance management system, OCMT will not be in a position to achieve its

strategic goals and objectives related to human constituencies.

Recommendation 28


College of Management and Technology ensure that its performance

planning and review system is consistently implemented and has a clear link

to professional development for all academic and administrative staff.

8.7 Promotion and Other Incentives

The College states that the promotions process is identical to that of YU (Portfolio, p.59). This

process is described in the Academic Board Constitution and Terms of Reference document. It

relies heavily on research outcomes and performance as the basis for promotion. The

Appointment and Promotion Committee is described as being responsible for “revision of the

applications for promotion” (OCMT Job Description, p.8). The Panel heard that only one

application for promotion was submitted in 2006 and it was unsuccessful.

The lack of a link between performance management and professional development has created

limited opportunities for staff promotion. While YU’s procedures have been adopted for faculty

promotion (albeit inappropriate due to their emphasis on research outcomes), there are no

promotion policies or procedures for administrative staff. The Panel found limited awareness

amongst staff about promotion, in general, which is indicative of the lack of a systematic

approach to human resource management at OCMT (see Recommendation 26).



8.8 Severance

The conditions related to staff severance are described in the Portfolio (p.59). However, the Panel

did not find evidence of a formal termination process supported by standard HR practices, such as

a system of warnings for staff who do not perform satisfactorily and consistently carrying out exit

interviews. This is an area that needs to be reviewed in line with Recommendation 26.

8.9 Staff Organisational Climate and Retention

OCMT states that “retention amongst staff is not ensured” (Portfolio, p.60). Despite this, OCMT

has not demonstrated a proactive approach to staff retention, apart from raising staff salaries on

an ad hoc basis. There is no staff satisfaction survey in place at the College which would enable

OCMT to measure the staff organizational climate and develop appropriate retention

mechanisms. In particular, the Panel heard about heavy workloads related to teaching and

administration and sighted documents showing that some faculty members had 21 hours of face

to face teaching per week, in addition to their administrative/committee-based responsibilities.

Staff turnover data from OCMT shows that the staff turnover increased from 8.3% in 2004/2005

to 45.5% in 2008/2009. Evidence considered by the Panel showed that a total of 32.3% of the

staff turnover rate is due to staff leaving for better opportunities at other institutions, suggesting

that salary and employment conditions at OCMT need to be reviewed.

Recommendation 29


College of Management and Technology establish a regular mechanism for

monitoring staff satisfaction in order to support its efforts to improve staff

retention rates.

OCMT does not have a formal staff grievance system in place. Depending on the type of

grievance, the Panel was informed that staff either approach their Head of Department, or the

Assistant Dean, or the Dean. However, there is no formal process regarding grievances,

documenting them, resolving them and providing staff members with feedback. This is an area

the College needs to address.

8.10 Omanisation

OCMT supports Omanisation through its efforts to recruit Omani staff at the College. While this

has been successful in the administrative areas, there has been a lower rate of success in the

teaching areas with only one full time Omani faculty member in post at the time of the audit. The

Panel urges the College to review the effectiveness of its Omanisation strategy, target setting and

develop strategies in order to increase the number of Omani teaching faculty in line with national

objectives.



9 GE�ERAL SUPPORT SERVICES A�D FACILITIES

General support services and facilities play an important role in the provision of a quality learning

experience for students, as well as an appropriate working environment for staff. During its visit

to OCMT, the Panel examined the approach used by the College to manage general support

services and facilities, as well as the implementation of this approach, and subsequent results and

improvements made. This Chapter describes the findings of the Panel related to general services

and facilities at OCMT.

9.1 General Support Services and Facilities Planning and Management

The College states that “a yearly operational plan outlines specific actions regarding the planning

and management of general services” (Portfolio, p.65). The Panel did not find evidence of this

plan. OCMT’s approach to managing general support services and facilities seems to be ad hoc

and reactive, with decisions being made and actions being implemented in response to issues that

are raised by students and staff. The College would benefit from developing a proactive

approach and plan to support the development of general support services and facilities in the

long term.

OCMT has identified the lack of space as a major concern (ibid) and has taken steps in this

direction to acquire land from the Ministry of Housing, and build a new campus nearby in

Halban. In the meantime, a new building has been rented at Al Haram, a few kilometers from the

main campus building, to temporarily alleviate the pressure on the current facilities available.

Affirmation 10


Management and Technology that it needs to develop its facilities and

supports its efforts to acquire land on which to develop a new campus and in

the meantime to rent new building space.

9.2 Public Relations and Marketing

OCMT describes concerted efforts it has made to promote the College in the local community

(Portfolio, p.65). The Panel was provided with copies of marketing materials, including

brochures, flyers and newspaper advertisements in English and Arabic. A formal Marketing Plan

has been developed recently to enable the marketing and public relations activities to be

implemented in a structured and systematic manner, thus creating a better awareness about the

College in the community it serves. This is important because the Panel heard from current and

former students that their knowledge about OCMT (and its affiliate, Yarmouk University) prior to

joining the College was very limited.

Affirmation 11


Management and Technology that it needs to develop its approach to

marketing and supports its efforts for example in the development of a

marketing plan.

In viewing the marketing materials, the Panel noted that brochures and other documentation made

references to OCMT being a “University College”. The same term was used in the Strategic Plan

2009-2014 and the Portfolio (p.iii). In the licensing agreement with the Ministry of Higher

Education, OCMT is designated as a “College” and not a “University College”. The Panel



recommends that the College abide by the agreement with immediate effect by removing all

references to “University College” on all College materials and documents.

Recommendation 30


College of Management and Technology cease to use the term ‘University

College’ in any materials until such time its use is formally authorized by the

Ministry of Higher Education.

9.3 Communication Services

Communication at OCMT is enabled through face-to-face, electronic means and through a variety

of channels (Portfolio, p.61). All staff and students have e-mail accounts using a Google

supported system. In addition to e-mail, memos, screens and notice-boards are used for

communication within the College.

On further investigation, the Panel found that most of the communication was top-down and one-

way. Staff meetings were not held regularly. Furthermore, a number of documents at the College

are only available in Arabic, and no translations are provided for staff members who do not speak

Arabic. The Panel also heard from students and staff that, although the language of instruction is

English, some instruction is conducted in Arabic to assist the students with understanding the

learning materials. OCMT needs to review its communication policy in order to ensure that all

staff are able to access information.

Recommendation 31


College of Management and Technology review its approach to

communication within the College in order to ensure that its communication

channels are fully effective.

9.4 Facilities Management

OCMT does not have a plan in place for managing the facilities at the College (see Section 9.1).

As a result, the management of facilities is carried out on an ad hoc, reactive basis. Data is not

collected about facilities utilisation, and limited information is available about student satisfaction

with the facilities. Information on facilities utilisation needs to be enhanced along with student

feedback processes on satisfaction with facilities (see Recommendation 7). OCMT would

benefit from adopting a more strategic approach to facilities management in order to make the

best use of its limited campus space.



APPE�DIX A. AUDIT PA�EL

Dr Lejla Vrazalic (Panel Chairperson)

Campus Program Coordinator,

Business and Computing

Middlesex University, Dubai

UAE

Dr Jayaram Nayar

Director of Post Graduate Studies and Research

College of Banking and Finance

Sultanate of Oman

Dr Taher Ba-Omar

Associate Professor

College of Science

Sultan Qaboos University

Sultanate of Oman

Dr Jurg Bronnimann

Manager Curriculum Development Unit

Bahrain Polytechnic

Kingdom of Bahrain

Mr Mike Pupius

Visiting Fellow

Sheffield Hallam University

UK

Tess Goodliffe (Executive Officer)

Oman Academic Accreditation Authority



APPE�DIX B. EVIDE�CE OF PLAGIARISM I� THE OCMT MATERIALS

# OCMT Materials Evidence Conclusion

1 Section 1.5

“Strategic Plan”

(Portfolio, pp.6-7)

University of Victoria, Canada

Extracts taken from “Strategic Plan”, p.13 and p.40

(sourced from

http://web.uvic.ca/strategicplan/pdf/strategicplan.pdf, last accessed

10/10/10)

Elements of this

section are

clearly

plagiarised

2 Section 1.11

“Student Grievance

Processes”

(Portfolio, pp.12-13)

and OCMT

Handbook of Code of

Practice, p.13

(SM019)

Birkbeck College, University of London

“Complaints and Academic Appeals”

(sourced from

http://www.bbk.ac.uk/qev/strategies/collegeqaecodeofpractice/com

plaints, last accessed 10/10/10)

Clear plagiarism

3 Section 2.7.5

“Review of

Assessment

Practices”

(Portfolio, pp.24-25)

and OCMT

Handbook of Code of

Practice, p.15

(SM019)

Birkbeck College, University of London

“Assessment”

(sourced from

http://www.bbk.ac.uk/qev/strategies/collegeqaecodeofpractice/asse

ssment , last accessed 10/10/10)

Clear plagiarism

4 OCMT Strategic

Plan, pp.9-22

(SM003)

University of Victoria, Canada


(sourced from

http://web.uvic.ca/strategicplan/pdf/strategicplan.pdf, last accessed

10/10/10)

Heavy

dependence on

original source

with some

sections clearly

plagiarised

5 OCMT Operational

Plan

(SM003)

Western Michigan University, USA


(sourced from:

http://www.wmich.edu/provost/pdf/StratPlan.pdf,last accessed

5/10/10)

Heavy

dependence on

original source

with some

sections clearly

plagiarised

6 OCMT Handbook of

Code of Practice

“The Responsible

Conduct of

Research”, pp.28-33

Penn State University, USA

“Architectural Engineering Graduate Student Handbook”

(sourced from:

http://www.engr.psu.edu/ae/degree_programs/GraduateHandbook.p

Clear plagiarism*



(SM019) df, last accessed 10/10/10)

*NB OCMT refers to various sources in the introduction in the

Handbook and states that “Certain areas are found to be

comprehensive and are wholly adopted without any alteration”

(p.2); there is no further specific reference to sources within the

text. This is not acceptable academic practice (see OAAA Policy

on Plagiarism:

http://www.oac.gov.om/files/policies/microsoft_word_-

_plagiarism_policy_v1-2.pdf).

7 OCMT Handbook of

Code of Practice

“Guidelines on

Plagiarism”, p.26

(SM019)

Philadelphia University, Jordan

“Computer Science Student Handbook”

(sourced from:

http://www.philadelphia.edu.jo/it/cs/handbook2009.pdf , last

accessed 10/10/10).

Clear plagiarism

8 OCMT Handbook of

Code of Practice

“The Responsible

Conduct of

Research”, pp.28-33

(SM019)

Australian Universities Quality Agency

“Audit Manual v6”

(sourced from:

www.auqa.edu.au/files/auditmanuals/audit_manual_v6.0_final.pdf.

, last accessed 10/10/10)

Clear plagiarism*

9 OCMT Handbook of

Code of Practice

“Code of Practice:

General Standards of

Professional Ethics”,

p.34.

(SM019)

Penn State University, Department of Food Science

“Graduate Program Handbook”

(sourced from:

http://foodscience.psu.edu/graduatestudents/2010graduatehandbook

.pdf/, last accessed 10/10/10)

Clear plagiarism*

10 OCMT Handbook of

Curriculum Design

(SM018)

Philadelphia University, Jordan

“Quality Assurance Handbook”

(sourced from: www.philadelphia.edu.jo/it/qa/cs-specifications.pdf,

last accessed 5/10/10).

Clear plagiarism

11 OCMT Handbook

for On the Job

Training

(SM020)

Colleges of Technology, Ministry of Manpower, Oman

“On the Job Training Booklet” (hard copy)

**NB OCMT refers to the “colleges of technology” document in

the benchmarking section of its Portfolio (p.20), however there is

no reference to sources within the OCMT Handbook itself. This is

not acceptable academic practice (see OAAA Policy on Plagiarism:

http://www.oac.gov.om/files/policies/microsoft_word_-

_plagiarism_policy_v1-2.pdf).

**Clear

plagiarism



APPE�DIX C. ABBREVIATIO�S, ACRO�YMS A�D TERMS

The following abbreviations, acronyms and terms are used in this Report. As necessary, they are

explained in context. In some cases, URLs are provided to facilitate further enquiries about these

acronyms and terms.

ADRI ............................................. A four step, cyclical model for analysing a topic, comprising:

Approach → Deployment → Results → Improvement.

Approach ....................................... The first dimension of the ADRI cycle, which focuses on evaluating

what a HEI aims to achieve for a given topic and how it proposes to

achieve it.

BoD................................................ Board of Directors

BoT ................................................ Board of Trustees

Call Back Interview ....................... An interview conducted by the Audit Panel towards the end of the

Audit Visit for which it has invited specific people, usually at short

notice, to respond to particular issues on which the Panel will require

assistance.

CCQA ............................................ College Centre for Quality Assurance

CSPRM.......................................... Committee for Strategic Planning and Risk Management

DAR............................................... Department of Admission and Registration

Deployment ................................... The second dimension of the ADRI cycle, which focuses on whether a

HEI’s plans for a given topic are being followed in practice, and if not,

why not.

DSA ............................................... Department of Student Affairs

Executive Officer........................... An OAAA staff member assigned to an Audit Panel to provide

professional guidance and support.

External Reviewer ......................... A Member of the OAAA Register of External Reviewers; a person

approved by the OAAA Board to participate as a member of the

OAAA’s various external review panels.

GFP................................................ General Foundation Program

HEI................................................. Higher Education Institution (also known as HEP – Higher Education

Provider)

HoD ............................................... Head of Department

HR.................................................. Human Resources

IELTS............................................. International English Language Testing System

Improvement.................................. The fourth dimension of the ADRI cycle, which focuses on how

effectively an organisation is improving its approach and deployment

for any given topic in order to achieve better results.

MoHE ............................................ Ministry of Higher Education (www.mohe.gov.om)

MoU............................................... Memorandum of Understanding

OAAA............................................ Oman Academic Accreditation Authority (www.oac.gov.om)

OAAA Board ................................ The governing body of the Oman Academic Accreditation Authority

OCMT............................................ Oman College of Management and Technology

OFI................................................. Opportunity for improvement.

OJT ................................................ On the Job Training

OQF ............................................... Oman Qualifications Framework.



Panel Chairperson .......................... The Chairperson of the Audit Panel.

Panel Member ................................ An OAAA External Reviewer who is a member of an Audit Panel.

Portfolio ......................................... see Quality Audit Portfolio.

Quality Assurance .......................... The combination of policies and processes for ensuring that stated

intentions are met.

Quality Audit................................. An independent evaluation of the effectiveness of the system and

processes by which a HEI sets, pursues and achieves its mission and

vision.

Quality Audit Portfolio .................. The report produced as the result of a self study. Also forms the main

submission made to the OAAA by the HEI being audited.

Quality Audit Report...................... A public report published by the OAAA which presents the findings

and conclusions of the Audit Panel’s External Review of a HEI.

Quality Enhancement..................... The combination of policies and processes for improving upon

existing approach, deployment and results.

Random Interview.......................... An interview conducted in situ by individual Panel Members during

the Audit but separately from the main interview sessions.

Results............................................ The third dimension of the ADRI cycle, which focuses on the

evidence of the outputs and outcomes of a topic’s approach and

deployment.

ROSQA.......................................... Requirements of Oman’s System for Quality Assurance (published

2004)

SWOT analysis .............................. Marketing-based analysis focusing on an organization’s strengths,

weaknesses, opportunities and threats

System............................................ In this Report, system refers to plans, policies, processes and results

that are integrated towards the fulfilment of a common purpose.

TOEFL........................................... Test of English as a Foreign Language

YU.................................................. Yarmouk University, Jordan



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