oman academic accreditation authority · caledonian college of engineering (cce) is in its 13 th...

Oman Academic

Accreditation Authority

Report of an Audit of

Caledonian College of

Engineering

(A University College in Oman)

April 2011

HEI Quality Audit Report Caledonian College of Engineering

© Oman Academic Accreditation Authority

Audit Report Number 019

©2011 Oman Academic Accreditation Authority

P.O. Box 1255

P.C. 133

Al-Khuwair

Sultanate of Oman

Ph +968 24614361/2

Fax +968 2461 4364

http://www.oac.gov.om

Caledonian College of Engineering HEI Quality Audit Report

Page 1 of 57 © Oman Academic Accreditation Authority

CONTENTS

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

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

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

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

Summary of Commendations...................................................................................................................8

Summary of Affirmations ........................................................................................................................9

Summary of Recommendations .............................................................................................................10

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

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

1.2 Governance .................................................................................................................................12

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

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

1.5 Strategic Plan ..............................................................................................................................15

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

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

1.8 Risk Management .......................................................................................................................15

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 Programmes................................................................................19

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

2.2 Curriculum ..................................................................................................................................20

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

2.4 Foundation Programme...............................................................................................................21

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

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

2.7 Student Placements .....................................................................................................................23

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

2.9 Academic Security and Invigilation............................................................................................24

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

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

3 Student Learning by Research Programmes.....................................................................................26

3.1 Research Programme Design ......................................................................................................26

3.2 Project Supervision .....................................................................................................................27

3.3 Postgraduate Supervision............................................................................................................27

3.4 Student Research Support ...........................................................................................................27

3.5 Thesis Examination.....................................................................................................................28

3.6 Retention, Graduate Destinations and Employability .................................................................28

4 Staff Research and Consultancy .........................................................................................................30

4.1 Research Planning & Management.............................................................................................30

4.2 Research Performance.................................................................................................................30


© Oman Academic Accreditation Authority Page 2 of 57

4.3 Research Funding Schemes.........................................................................................................31

4.4 Consultancy Activities ................................................................................................................31

4.5 Ethics and Biosafety....................................................................................................................31

4.6 Intellectual Property ....................................................................................................................32

4.7 Professional Development for Research .....................................................................................32

4.8 Research Commercialisation.......................................................................................................32

4.9 Research – Teaching Nexus ........................................................................................................32

5 Industry and Community Engagement ..............................................................................................33

5.1 Industry and Community Engagement Planning & Management...............................................33

5.2 Relationships with Industry and Employers................................................................................33

5.3 Relationships with Professions....................................................................................................34

5.4 Relationships with Other Education Providers ...........................................................................34

5.5 Relationships with Alumni ..........................................................................................................35

5.6 Relationships with the Community at Large...............................................................................35

6 Academic Support Services .................................................................................................................36

6.1 Academic Support Services Planning & Management ...............................................................36

6.2 Registry (Enrolment and Student Records).................................................................................36

6.3 Library.........................................................................................................................................37

6.4 Information and Learning Technology Services .........................................................................38

6.5 Academic Advising .....................................................................................................................38

6.6 Student Learning Support............................................................................................................39

6.7 Teaching Resources.....................................................................................................................39

7 Students and Student Support Services .............................................................................................41

7.1 Students and Student Support Services Planning & Management ..............................................41

7.2 Student Profile.............................................................................................................................41

7.3 Student Satisfaction and Climate ................................................................................................42

7.4 Student Behaviour .......................................................................................................................42

7.5 Career and Employment Services ...............................................................................................43

7.6 Student Finances .........................................................................................................................43

7.7 Accommodation, Catering and Transport ...................................................................................43

7.8 Medical and Counselling Facilities .............................................................................................44

7.9 International Student Services.....................................................................................................44

7.10 Social and Recreational Services and Facilities ..........................................................................45

8 Staff and Staff Support Services .........................................................................................................46

8.1 Human Resources Planning & Management...............................................................................46

8.2 Staff Profile .................................................................................................................................46

8.3 Recruitment and Selection ..........................................................................................................46

8.4 Staff Induction.............................................................................................................................47

8.5 Professional Development and Training .....................................................................................47

8.6 Performance Planning and Review .............................................................................................48

8.7 Promotion and Other Incentives..................................................................................................48

8.8 Severance ....................................................................................................................................48

8.9 Staff Organisational Climate and Retention................................................................................49

8.10 Omanisation ................................................................................................................................49

9 General Support Services and Facilities.............................................................................................50



9.1 General Support Services and Facilities Planning and Management..........................................50

9.2 Campus Planning, Infrastructure and Facilities Development and Maintenance .......................50

9.3 Public Relations and Marketing..................................................................................................51

9.4 Communication Services ............................................................................................................51

9.5 Facilities Management ................................................................................................................52

Appendix A. Audit Panel ......................................................................................................................53

Appendix B. Abbreviations, Acronyms and Terms ............................................................................54



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) of Caledonian College of Engineering (CCE). It comments

on CCE’s Mission and Vision, and the appropriateness and effectiveness of its 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 CCE’s activities, and

constructive feedback to CCE to assist with its ongoing improvement efforts.

The quality audit commenced with CCE 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 30 December 2009.

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 15 February 2010 to consider

CCE’s Portfolio. Following this, a Panel Member acting on behalf of the Audit Panel Chairperson and

the Executive Officer undertook a planning visit on behalf of the Panel to CCE on 2 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 CCE’s

activities. Three valid submissions were received and considered.

The audit visit took place over 28-30 March 2010. During this time, the Panel spoke with approximately

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

selection of venues and examined additional documents.

No documents created after 30 March (being the last day of the audit visit) were taken into consideration

for the purposes of this audit.

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

practices have been confirmed, Affirmations where CCE’s ongoing quality improvement efforts merit

support, and Recommendations where there are significant opportunities for improvement not yet being

adequately addressed. The Report provides a balanced set of observations, but does not comment on

every system in place at CCE.

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 25 April 2011.

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

Its responsibilities include conducting quality audits of higher education institutions (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 and 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. Unlike the Quality

Audit, 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 programmes, 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.



CONCLUSIONS

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.

Executive Summary of Findings

Caledonian College of Engineering (CCE) is in its 13th year of operation as a private college in Muscat.

In 2002 it was granted University College status. The College was established in association with

Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU, Scotland, UK) and this university remains its main academic

affiliate. The College runs a suite of undergraduate programmes in Engineering and technological

subjects for which GCU is the awarding body and in 2007 it offered its first two Masters degrees, also

leading to GCU awards. In 2008 the College entered into a second academic affiliation agreement with

Vellore Institute of Technology University (VITU, India). The College currently offers one Bachelors

degree and one Masters degree that lead to VITU awards. In 2008-2009, around 2,400 students were

enrolled in the College, of which around 420 (approximately 17%) were enrolled in the Foundation

Programme. The College’s 2009-2014 Strategic Plan states the College’s intent to undergo significant

expansion and to transition to a status whereby it awards its own degrees.

CCE submitted a Portfolio representing a self-study based on the ADRI approach (see Appendix B).

Engagement of College staff in the preparation of this and an overall effort to embrace quality were

evident to the Panel. However, there appeared to have been an excessive level of coaching of

interviewees in preparation for interview sessions held during the audit visit.

The focus of CCE’s Vision is to serve the community through the development of human resources. The

College’s Vision, Mission and values are clearly articulated throughout its documentation although

aspects of these have yet to be fully embedded in its culture and operations. In terms of governance, the

role of College’s Governing Council (which serves as the Board of Trustees) is at present compromised

by its lack of independence from the Board of Directors, as the College Chairman is the Chair of both

groups. Management of the College, which is strongly led by the Dean, is well-served by the culture of

team work of the College Executive. At the time of the audit visit, the Executive comprised the Dean,

two Deputy Deans and three Associate Deans. The College has a well-established history of strategic

planning. Development of the current (2009-2014) Strategic Plan has taken into account the status of an

initiative to form a new university in Muscat and as such provides sufficient flexibility for the College to

become an independent entity or part of a larger entity should circumstances make this possible. There

has been limited engagement of the College community in the development of this plan and operational

planning to support it remains underdeveloped.

The College has well established and rigorous systems in place relating to the development, monitoring

and review of its full-time undergraduate programmes. Many of these systems are derived from GCU and

represent recognised good practice in higher education. The College has revised its Foundation

Programme to align with the national standards. Development of this programme has also been informed

by feedback from various stakeholders, including employers. A number of significant initiatives have

been implemented at the Foundation level to address areas identified as requiring attention such as

academic integrity, English Language proficiency and general transferable/employability skills.

However, the College has an increasing number of ‘direct entry’ students who are enrolled directly into

academic programmes and the College needs to ensure that these students are adequately prepared for and

supported in their studies in areas not directly addressed by the entry tests taken by these students.



The College has identified the need to provide strong leadership in the area of learning and teaching and

to implement institutional-wide initiatives to embed a culture and methodologies that are appropriate for

higher education and which embrace modern technologies. These initiatives need to target development

of student-centred teaching approaches and support enhanced practical laboratory and field-based

learning. There is a need for comprehensive evaluation of the intensive mode of delivery used on Masters

programmes and for delivery of undergraduate programmes to ‘special part-time’ students (see Appendix

B). Enhanced evaluation of the College’s increasing use of e-learning methodologies is also required.

The College monitors student retention and progression conscientiously. However, its systems for

following up on graduate destinations and employability need to be enhanced to allow comprehensive

evaluation of its success in this strategically critical area and to inform review of activities the College has

in place to assist students in finding jobs.

The College has ambitious strategic intent in relation to research, particularly in the area of renewable

energy and sustainable technologies. It is currently working to develop research capacity and capability.

With the introduction of the first Masters programmes in 2007, postgraduate provision and, specifically,

dealing with programme research components at this level, is a relatively new area of activity for the

College. GCU is currently providing an enhanced level of support in this area. This includes intensive

delivery of Masters programme modules by visiting GCU staff and provision of targeted staff

development sessions. It is important for CCE to ensure that it establishes comprehensive evaluation

mechanisms for its Masters level provision. The College has embarked on a major initiative to support

staff in gaining PhD qualifications and is beginning to develop a research culture within the College.

Detailed strategic and operational planning in the area of staff research and consultancy is now required

to ensure that the College’s efforts are aligned, supported and evaluated against its highest level research-

related strategic goals.

Effective engagement with industry is fundamental to CCE’s Mission and Vision and the College has

established a number of formal mechanisms to support this. These include industry representation on the

Governing Council and Programme Boards and operation of a Corporate Training and Continuing

Education Division as well as an Industrial Interaction Group. An overarching industry and community

engagement plan that includes targets, resources and review mechanisms needs to be developed.

CCE provides a wide range of academic support services which in a number of cases are monitored

through evaluation against key performance indicators using data derived from different feedback

mechanisms. However, student representation and input into decision making concerning non-academic

student support services is limited. There is a general requirement for an improved system of survey

management in the College and most surveys conducted in relation to student support services are new,

and the number of respondents in many has been relatively small. Accurate and reliable data that informs

change and allows trends to be monitored is required in these areas. CCE is planning to implement a

more coordinated approach to managing both its academic and student support services. The College has

also developed its own comprehensive electronic data management system which supports these areas.

There is a newly formed Student Council which should assist the College in enhancing student

representation. The College offers a creditable range of extracurricular activities for students and is

working hard to increase participation in these.

The College has recognised that it needs to review the effectiveness of its Omanisation strategy. The

recent appointment of the Omani Senior Deputy Dean is a good step towards authentic Omanisation

across all strata of the College. CCE academic programmes are predominantly staffed by academics from

the Indian sub-continent. The College has identified the need to diversify the staffing profile. The Panel

concurs with this need to ensure that a diversity of perspectives contributes to the development of the

College and to ensure the staffing profile reflects the intended student profile more closely. For new and

existing staff, there is evidence of increasing support. Specifically, the College inducts new staff

effectively and provide a range of professional development opportunities. The College has recently

introduced a merit-based professorial promotion system. The College is encouraged in its efforts to

develop clear and transparent grading scales and promotions criteria for all College staffing levels.



The College is currently engaged in major local and remote campus and infrastructure developments

aligned with the requirements of its 2009-2014 Strategic Plan. CCE’s existing campus and facilities are

managed efficiently and effectively by the College’s Department of Central Services although current

provision of parking and indoor rest/recreational space for students remain pressing issues for the existing

College community. HSE (Health, Safety and the Environment) is well attended to in the College.

CCE has benefited from its UK roots and has many systems in place to maintain quality and standards.

The College’s future plans, which include its intent to gain independence as an awarding institution, are

nevertheless ambitious and the major challenge for the College will be to maintain a rigorous approach to

quality as it engages with these.

It is acknowledged that over a year has elapsed since the audit visit in March 2010. The College may

have already responded to several of the Recommendations and Affirmations listed below. A summary

of Commendations, Affirmations and Recommendations follows. As has already been mentioned, these

are not prioritised by the Panel. Rather, they are listed in the order in which they appear in the Report.

Summary of Commendations

A formal Commendation recognises an instance of particularly good practice.

1. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority commends Caledonian College of Engineering

for establishing a culture of team work at Executive level that impacts positively on the

management of the College...............................................................................................................14


for developing an ongoing sustainable relationship with its main academic affiliate to

establish institutional processes and standards that should enable it to progress its ambition to

award its own degrees. ......................................................................................................................14


for having established health, safety and environment measures through the development and

implementation of effective policies and procedures that are well understood, embraced

throughout the organization and subject to review............................................................................18


for having established robust programme development and review systems which provide

assurance on the standards of its undergraduate programmes...........................................................20


for having successfully developed and implemented a comprehensive ‘Enterprise Resource

Planning System’ which provides information for a range of stakeholders and data which

informs strategic planning and decision making. ..............................................................................36


for having established a comprehensive staff induction programme which is systematically

delivered and well-received. .............................................................................................................47


for its establishment of a College wide professional development programme that is in line

with its strategic objectives and responsive to feedback from staff. ................................................48



Summary of Affirmations

A formal Affirmation recognizes an instance in which CCE 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 Caledonian College of

Engineering that its strategic planning would be strengthened by effective consideration and

integration of strategic risk management and supports the College’s efforts to implement

this.....................................................................................................................................................16


Engineering that its policy management system needs to be enhanced and supports its plans

to develop a more comprehensive system that includes timely review. ...........................................16


Engineering that the general employability skills of its graduates need to be enhanced and, as

a matter of priority, encourages it to progress and build on the strategies it has implemented

to address this....................................................................................................................................20


Engineering that it needs to continue to develop strategies that ensure the implementation of

appropriate and effective teaching approaches on higher education programmes............................21

5. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority supports the efforts of Caledonian College of

Engineering to further develop and implement feedback mechanisms to evaluate and

improve its support of students engaged in research.........................................................................28


Engineering that enhancement of its Library resources and their effective use is required and

supports its efforts towards improving user satisfaction. ..................................................................38


Engineering that its facilities and resources that support self-directed learning need to be

comprehensively evaluated in terms of how they impact on academic performance in order

to inform improvement strategies. ....................................................................................................39


Engineering that feedback on student support services needs to be systematically collected,

analysed and acted upon and supports the steps taken by the College towards ensuring this. .........42

9. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority supports Caledonian College of Engineering

in its efforts towards providing clear and transparent grading scales for both academic and

non-academic staff. ...........................................................................................................................48


Engineering that it needs to review its Omanisation strategy and the implementation of this

towards ensuring an appropriate level of Omani representation across all levels of the

organization in line with its Omanisation targets..............................................................................49


Engineering that further development of its campus and infrastructure is essential in order for

it to achieve its strategic goals and appreciates and supports its ongoing efforts to achieve

this.....................................................................................................................................................50



Summary of Recommendations

A Recommendation draws attention to a significant opportunity for improvement that CCE has either not

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

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

Engineering ensure that both the theme of ‘innovation’ that is articulated through its

Mission, Vision and values and its value of ‘ethics’ are fully understood by the College

community and genuinely embedded in its organisational culture and operations...........................12


Engineering review and revise the structure and operation of the Governing Council to

ensure that it can fulfill its role independently and effectively. ........................................................13


Engineering take steps to ensure effective engagement of all stakeholders in institutional

level planning. ...................................................................................................................................15


Engineering develop an improved system of survey management, which includes effective

development, administration, analysis and feedback to relevant stakeholders on action taken. .......17


Engineering establish means to enhance practical laboratory and field-based learning. ..................22


Engineering comprehensively evaluate the delivery arrangements for Masters and ‘special

part-time’ students to ensure that student learning, mentoring, general academic support and

the overall student experience is not compromised...........................................................................22


Engineering consolidate its approach to plagiarism practiced in different parts of the College

in a single policy to help ensure consistency of application. ............................................................23


Engineering develop a clear policy and procedures relating to student placements. ........................23


Engineering review and enhance its systems for monitoring and supporting employment of

graduates. ..........................................................................................................................................25


Engineering develop and implement comprehensive mechanisms to monitor and review

student research and overall provision of postgraduate programmes in relation to its strategic

intent..................................................................................................................................................27


Engineering develop detailed operational plans which support its strategic planning in the

area of research and consultancy against which it can evaluate its performance..............................30


Engineering develop an overarching industry and community engagement plan that includes

targets, Key Performance Indicators, sufficient resources and review mechanisms.........................33


Engineering develop and implement an overall alumni engagement plan that ensures

coordination of its activities in this area and evaluation of these in relation to goals and

targets. ...............................................................................................................................................35




Engineering comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness of its academic advising system,

particularly in relation to its increasing population of part-time and special part-time

students..............................................................................................................................................39


Engineering develop and implement a system to ensure that its Staff Handbook is kept up to

date. ...................................................................................................................................................46


Engineering give urgent consideration to strategies that diversify the profile of its academic

staff. ..................................................................................................................................................46



1 GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Caledonian College of Engineering (CCE) is in its 13th year of operation as a private college in

Muscat. In 2002 it was granted University College status. This chapter reports on the Panel’s

findings in relation to CCE’s Mission, Vision and values; governance and management;

institutional affiliations for programmes and quality assurance; strategic and operational

planning; financial, risk and policy management; entity and activity review systems; student

grievances; and health and safety.

1.1 Mission, Vision and Values

CCE’s current Mission, Vision and values, as articulated in the Portfolio (p.11), were endorsed by

the Governing Council in 2009. The Mission is:

To provide an innovative, creative and environmentally-aware learning

experience for those who seek technological education.

The College’s Vision is:

To be the premier institute in the region for human resource development

through innovation, research and technological advancement so as to serve the

community.

The values are: Quality, Integrity, Leadership, Innovation, Social Responsibility and Ethics. The

Panel noted the theme relating to ‘innovation’ articulated through these statements and

investigated the extent to which the value of innovation and the Mission of providing an

innovative and creative learning experience were developed across the College. The Panel also

explored how the value of ‘ethics’ was developed at CCE. However, the Panel found only a

rudimentary appreciation of these elements as guiding statements to College operations and very

limited identification of how the College actively developed these elements. While the College’s

Mission, Vision and value statements are prominent in College documentation, and visible in

signage, the Panel had concerns that there had been insufficient thought given as to how the

College might achieve the desired outcomes relating to innovation and also ethics included within

these statements and how it would know whether it had been successful or not.

Recommendation 1

The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that Caledonian

College of Engineering ensure that both the theme of ‘innovation’ that is

articulated through its Mission, Vision and values and its value of ‘ethics’

are fully understood by the College community and genuinely embedded in

its organisational culture and operations.

The Panel noted that the College Quality Assurance Manual had not been updated since 2004 and

that an earlier Mission statement was included in this document. The College needs to address

this (also see Affirmation 2).

1.2 Governance

The College governance structure includes the Board of Directors (BoD), the Governing Council,

the Academic Council and the Dean. The College is a limited liability company owned by three

shareholding groups, each represented on the BoD (Portfolio, p.11). The BoD devolves certain

responsibilities to the Governing Council which includes membership from the BoD and external

members from industry, academia and government. The focus of the BoD is the overall strategic



direction and development of the College, the monitoring and approval of budgets, annual reports

and capital projects. The College reports that the Governing Council has the ultimate

responsibility for the affairs of the College with the exception of the legal and financial matters

(managed at the BoD level), and academic standards (delegated to the Academic Council)

(Portfolio, p.12). Governance is therefore primarily vested in the Governing Council and

academic governance is devolved to the Academic Council and the Dean.

The Dean chairs the Academic Council, which has responsibility for quality and standards. The

Academic Council has several subcommittees: Programme Boards; Assessment Board; Learning

and Teaching Committee; Research Development Committee; Industry Interaction Group; Staff

Student Consultative Group; and the Quality Committee.

The Panel noted that the College Chairman is the Chair of both the BoD and the Governing

Council. The Governing Council, which assumes the role of a Board of Trustees, meets

infrequently; it has only met six times since it was established in 2005. The Council views its

role as advisory (to both the BoD and the Dean) and also ambassadorial/ceremonial in nature.

The Panel was advised that divergence of opinions had not occurred between the BoD and the

Governing Council.

The Panel was concerned that the College risks conflict of interest between the BoD and the

Governing Council. As the College Chairman is the chair of both, the Panel had significant

concerns regarding the ability of the Governing Council to discharge its responsibilities both

effectively and independently of the BoD.

Recommendation 2


College of Engineering review and revise the structure and operation of the

Governing Council to ensure that it can fulfill its role independently and

effectively.

The Panel learned that the College Chairman meets regularly with the Dean to discuss both

operational and strategic issues affecting the College. The Panel was concerned that the extent of

this interaction may put at risk clarity around governance and management and risk exclusion of

individuals and diversity of opinions in decision making processes. The Panel was, however,

pleased to note that the College has identified the need to revise the scheduling of meetings of the

BoD, the Governing Council and the Academic Council to facilitate information exchange,

communication and formal decision making processes (Portfolio, p.14).

1.3 Management

Management at CCE is devolved from the BoD and the Governing Council to the College

Executive (Portfolio, p.14). At the time that the Portfolio was submitted, the Executive

comprised the Dean together with the Deputy Dean and three Associate Deans. By the time of

the audit visit, an Omani Senior Deputy Dean had been appointed by CCE and had joined the

Executive. The Panel noted that the Executive holds weekly meetings which aim to provide a

forum for members to seek input, comment and advice from fellow members on areas of specific

responsibility that they hold as individuals. From these meetings, strategies are operationalised

through heads and managers. The Panel was pleased to see evidence of a culture of team work at

Executive level that impacts positively on its operations but ensures all decisions are owned and

implemented in a consistent way across the campus.



Commendation 1

The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority commends Caledonian

College of Engineering for establishing a culture of team work at Executive

level that impacts positively on the management of the College.

The Panel considers the recent Senior Deputy Dean appointment to be a strong step forward by

the College (also see Section 8.10) and encourages the College to ensure that the current work to

clarify responsibilities and authority at Executive level extends to this new position.

1.4 Institutional Affiliations for Programmes and Quality Assurance

CCE is affiliated with two institutions. The College was founded on an affiliate relationship with

Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) and GCU has, until recently, been the sole partner

institution for CCE. GCU is the awarding institution for the majority of awards at CCE.

Academic quality assurance arrangements at CCE are primarily based on those at GCU and the

affiliation has provided such features as liaison officers at each institution, joint assessment

boards and systems of annual reporting and periodic review (Portfolio, p.18). CCE advises that

examples of good practice in international cooperation characterise its affiliation with GCU as

evidenced by GCU reviews and audits, a UK Quality Assurance Agency audit of the affiliation in

2005 and the external validation and review of programmes (ibid).

The second affiliation, established in 2008, is with Vellore Institution of Technology University

(VITU) in India. The College asserts that this affiliation has been established in programme areas

not available through GCU (Portfolio, p.18).

Following consideration of the relevant documentation and interviews with representatives of

CCE’s affiliates, the Panel concluded that a sound, extensive relationship has been developed.

The College has benefited by adopting many GCU processes and, moreover, a climate of genuine

learning and partnership has been fostered between CCE and its affiliates.

One of four strategic goals in CCE’s 2009-2014 Strategic Plan is:

CCE, in its current form and future role, will be an institution with an expanded

portfolio of programmes, developed from existing provision, with the added

dimension of self-awarding degrees according to the Oman Qualifications

Framework; the portfolio will include diversified multidisciplinary areas

integrating business, economics, and environmental and social impact.

Whilst the intention to award its own degrees implies that CCE may become increasingly

independent from the GCU and VITU, the College advises that “The involvement of affiliates in

this development is essential, leading to partnership agreements, awards of CCE and, as

appropriate, joint awards” (Portfolio, p.19). The Panel considers CCE’s ambition in this area

worthy and notes that it will require CCE to pay due attention to strategies to ensure external

benchmarking of standards and quality assurance (see Section 1.10).

Commendation 2


College of Engineering for developing an ongoing sustainable relationship

with its main academic affiliate to establish institutional processes and

standards that should enable it to progress its ambition to award its own

degrees.



1.5 Strategic Plan

The Panel confirmed that the College has developed and implemented a sequence of strategic

plans over its history. The Panel was informed that the development of strategic plans

commences with the Executive team and is followed by consultation with faculty members and

support staff. The Panel nevertheless formed the view that to date there had been little

involvement of the College community in the development of strategic plans although the

College did engage faculty members and support staff in an authentic and comprehensive SWOT

analysis (see Appendix B) which informed revision of the current strategic plan. The College

advises that during the life of the 2006-2010 Strategic Plan, the implementation process was not

as consistent as desirable due to an intervening proposal by CCE to form a new university in

Muscat (Portfolio, p.19). This initiative was still underway at the time of the audit. The Panel

established that the 2009-2014 Strategic Plan had been revised during 2009 in response to the

status of this initiative in order to establish strategic direction for the College as an independent

entity but to provide sufficient flexibility for it to have the option of becoming part of a larger

entity should circumstances make this possible. The Panel supports CCE’s ongoing strategic

planning and review activities, but considers further effort is required to ensure effective

stakeholder involvement.

Recommendation 3


College of Engineering take steps to ensure effective engagement of all

stakeholders in institutional level planning.

1.6 Operational Planning

CCE’s strategic plans cascade into a sequence of business plans with Key Results Areas (KRAs)

(Portfolio, p.19). However, the Panel found limited explicit connection between strategic plans

and the allocation of resources and responsibilities within business plans. As noted above in

relation to strategic planning, the Panel formed the view that further development of the

operational planning processes is required to ensure the effective engagement of all stakeholders.

The Panel noted in positive terms that the College has identified the development of a devolved

budget system as a way to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of its operational planning

(Portfolio, p.20).

1.7 Financial Management

The Panel confirmed that a yearly operational budgetary planning process is managed through the

College Finance Department. The budget is refined by the Dean and Deputy Dean and

subsequently approved by the BoD. The BoD receives quarterly reports on operational

expenditure.

As indicated in Section 1.2, the Governing Council does not have responsibility for financial

arrangements, and all approvals and monitoring of both capital budgets and operational budgets

are managed between the Executive team and the BoD. As noted in Section 1.2, for the

Governing Council to be able to discharge its duties effectively, it is important that roles and

responsibilities are clarified and that it is provided with an appropriate level of financial data.

1.8 Risk Management

The College approaches risk management by examining likelihood and consequence of risks and

their mitigation (Portfolio, p.22). Risks are then prioritised and a risk register is submitted to the

Governing Council and BoD. The College advises that “risk management is embedded in many

of the practices and procedures of the planning, organisational, committee and operational

structures, and audit and review processes” (ibid). The Panel tested this statement but found a



varied understanding of risk management and strategic risk within the institution. There was

some evidence that the link between the Strategic Plan and operational risk management was

understood at senior levels although this was not evidenced throughout the College as a whole.

The Panel was informed that risk management was a relatively new concept in Oman and that the

intention of the College was to ensure that its new risk management strategy would inform

strategic planning and implementation processes across all levels of the College. The Panel

supports this intention but, further, advises that there is a need for the College to better articulate

strategic risk alongside operational risk.

Affirmation 1

The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with Caledonian

College of Engineering that its strategic planning would be strengthened by

effective consideration and integration of strategic risk management and

supports the College’s efforts to implement this.

1.9 Policy Management

CCE reports that an integrated policy framework established at the College has been based on

practices at GCU (Portfolio, p.23). The Quality Office incorporates policies approved by various

College bodies in a database. The College advises that effectiveness of policies is monitored

through the various Academic Council committees and by the Executive team (Portfolio, p.24).

The Panel considered the policy framework to be strong. A comprehensive list of policies has

been developed and a policy handbook was developed at the end of 2009. However, the Panel

noted that some policies are still in draft form and that policy review needs to be more systematic.

The College has identified this and has made progress towards its stated intention of

strengthening its process of policy making and monitoring. The Panel agrees with CCE that there

is a need to improve the capacity of the organisation to update polices as well as to inform and

educate faculty and staff on these changes (ibid). Further, the Panel considers that there is also a

need to ensure sufficient development of organisational culture to enable active engagement with

policy.

Affirmation 2


College of Engineering that its policy management system needs to be

enhanced and supports its plans to develop a more comprehensive system

that includes timely review.

1.10 Entity and Activity Review Systems

The College states that the Quality Management System aims to integrate quality and standards

with planning and operations (Portfolio, p.24). Various internal and external review mechanisms

operate in relation to this. These primarily comprise internal quality audits conducted according

to an annual schedule and reviews conducted by GCU in relation to the academic programmes for

which it is the awarding body (Portfolio, pp.25-26).

The College expresses the view that it demonstrates good management in part through the

thoroughness of institutional and programme reviews involving panels external to the College

(Portfolio, p.15). After examination of review documentation, the Panel agreed with CCE that

there was a long standing culture of reviews at the College. The Panel noted in particular the way

that CCE has adopted advice from GCU to ensure that systems and policies relating to academic

programmes are effectively developed (also see Commendation 2).



The Panel was pleased to learn that CCE is also preparing for external professional body review

and accreditation of a number of its Engineering programmes (Portfolio, p.73) and the Panel

strongly supports this international benchmarking initiative.

The Panel noted that the College has used surveys as a tool to collect feedback on different areas

of activity from a variety of stakeholders. Examples include: alumni and employer surveys;

surveys to determine satisfaction with the Library; and surveys to determine student views on the

College’s corporate social responsibility activities. However, examination of methodology used

during the development and administration of these surveys identified issues of concern for the

Panel: there was no clear overarching survey plan; survey development was not always rigorous;

and surveys were not always administered in a way that would generate reliable data. Finally, it

was not clear that data was always analysed in a sufficiently comprehensive manner that took into

account available benchmarks. The Panel concluded that there is a need to develop an improved

system of survey management to ensure validity and reliability (also see Section 7.3). While

some of the surveys were adequate to allow for some conclusions to be drawn, and others (such

as staff surveys) were robust, the quality overall was variable. It was felt that surveys should be

conducted in an overarching framework to ensure more consistency, validity and strategic value.

This framework should include a schedule of surveys; effective design, piloting and

administration of surveys; and comprehensive analysis and critical interpretation of results and

actions taken. In addition, the overall system of survey management needs to include effective

communication back to participants.

Recommendation 4


College of Engineering develop an improved system of survey management,

which includes effective development, administration, analysis and feedback

to relevant stakeholders on action taken.

1.11 Student Grievance Process

The College advises that it has a formal and informal grievance process for students who wish to

make complaints (Portfolio, p.26). The Panel confirmed that these processes are clearly detailed

in relevant College documentation. Although the College notes that occasionally grievances form

the basis of direct communication by students with the Ministry of Higher Education (Portfolio,

p.27), the Panel found students to be aware of the opportunity to lodge a grievance and the

College-based process that this involved. The Panel supports the College’s efforts towards

training staff to ensure effective investigation, conciliation and mediation of student grievances

(ibid).

1.12 Health and Safety

The College states that “Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) is given paramount importance

at CCE and is considered as an integral part in achieving corporate College goals and

objectives” (Portfolio, p.27). Further, the College advises that it works to ensure that all

management levels are responsible for health, safety and the environment (ibid). A policy and a

comprehensive manual of procedures were developed in 2004 and have been targeted for review.

The Panel was pleased to find a strong culture and awareness of health and safety issues around

the College and that staff and students appeared fully engaged with compliance on policy and

process. It was clear that the planned approach to HSE was being deployed and that awareness

was comprehensive. At the time of the audit visit, the results of a performance review for HSE

planned for December 2009 were not available. However, interviews and observations by the

Panel provided evidence of a preventative culture and widespread ownership of HSE issues.



Commendation 3


College of Engineering for having established health, safety and

environment measures through the development and implementation of

effective policies and procedures that are well understood, embraced

throughout the organization and subject to review.

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

CCE has no associated entities.



2 STUDENT LEARNING BY COURSEWORK PROGRAMMES

CCE offers a range of four-year BSc (Honours) degree programmes in Engineering and

technological subjects that lead to GCU awards. It also offers a BSc degree in Chemical

Engineering awarded by VITU. CCE reports that at the time of Portfolio submission it provided

55% of the Engineering student study places in private HEIs in Oman (Portfolio, p.8). The

College plans to expand and diversify its provision of academic programmes and also to

transition to awarding its own degrees (2009-2014 Strategic Plan).

This chapter reports on the Panel’s findings concerning CCE’s provision of undergraduate

programmes. The Panel’s view of CCE’s Foundation Programme is also included.

2.1 Graduate Attributes and Student Learning Objectives

CCE presents a list of 30 ‘Graduate Attributes for Engineering’ (Portfolio, p.32). The College

advises that these align with recommendations of the Engineering Council UK benchmark

statements and are cross-mapped and applied to all Engineering programmes in the College

(ibid). This list mirrors the programme-specific learning outcomes in that it is divided into:

knowledge and understanding; intellectual abilities; practical skills; and general transferable

skills. On examining sample Programme Specification documents, the Panel observed

considerable overlap between the programme-specific learning outcomes and the graduate

attribute list, particularly with respect to the general transferable skills lists. When the College

surveyed employers for feedback on graduate attributes in 2009, the questionnaire included focus

on a number of general transferable skills but did not align exactly with the list of graduate

attributes presented in the Portfolio. The Panel suggests that the College may be better served to

develop, with the input of all relevant stakeholders, a discrete set of graduate attributes that can

be applied across all CCE’s current and planned undergraduate programmes (particularly as it

follows through on its plans to diversify its portfolio of programmes). This would allow more

systematic monitoring and analysis of performance and achievement across the different

academic departments and programmes.

The College states: “The mission, vision and values of CCE are those of a college that regards

employability of graduates as a top priority” (Portfolio, p.48) and it has sought feedback on its

graduates from employers and through the Industrial Interaction Group (IIG) (see Section 5.1).

Although the Panel noted that only 12 employers responded to the survey conducted in March

2009, CCE has been thorough in its analysis of the feedback it has received. This has identified a

number of areas where there is scope for improvement. These primarily relate to practical and

transferable skills rather than technical know-how and include: practical and laboratory skills;

interfacing with workplace culture; problem solving, and communication skills (Portfolio, p.33).

With respect to communication skills, the poor language skills of some graduates was also raised

as an area of concern to the Panel during the audit visit.

CCE advises that in response to the feedback it has received, it has initiated institutional wide

strategies for improvement (ibid). These include curriculum changes, particularly at Foundation

level, the offering of supplementary courses to students and the introduction of a ‘Graduate

Orientation Programme’. It has also revised the Professional Development modules that are

embedded in all the undergraduate programmes which aim to develop independent learning skills,

language skills and a variety of other generic skills. The Panel acknowledges these efforts but

remains concerned over the current work-readiness of graduates and believes that still more work

is required to ensure that the development of specific soft/transferable skills is addressed

effectively, particularly beyond the Foundation Programme.



Affirmation 3


College of Engineering that the general employability skills of its graduates

need to be enhanced and, as a matter of priority, encourages it to progress

and build on the strategies it has implemented to address this.

2.2 Curriculum

The majority of CCE’s academic programmes lead to GCU awards. The Panel noted that the

development, validation/approval, monitoring, review and minor/major change processes that are

applied to these programmes (Portfolio, pp.123-128) mirror those in place at GCU and reflect

what is widely recognized as good practice in higher education. The Panel found evidence that

similar processes are applied to the two more recently approved programmes that lead to VITU

awards (BSc Chemical Engineering and MSc Process Engineering).

The majority of CCE’s programmes are adapted from programmes that run at the respective

affiliates and share common modules with these programmes. However, the Panel was pleased to

learn, for example, that the College’s BSc (Hons) Process Operations and Maintenance and BSc

Electrical Power Engineering have been developed specifically in response to local needs (and

are not offered by GCU itself). The Panel confirmed that, as a requirement of the quality

assurance processes applied to CCE’s programmes, learning outcomes are explicitly identified

and benchmarked. In addition, cross-mapping of these is carried out to identify where and how

they are covered in the curriculum and where and how they are assessed. This is verified during

the quality assurance processes applied to assessment (see Section 2.8). The College will need to

ensure the rigour of these processes is maintained as it transitions to a self-awarding institution.

Commendation 4


College of Engineering for having established robust programme

development and review systems which provide assurance on the standards

of its undergraduate programmes.

These processes have ensured that the programmes are in line with the Oman Qualifications

Framework. Nevertheless, the Panel observed that whilst the 4-year GCU Honours degree

programmes includes exit awards at Level 2 (Diploma) and Level 3 (BSc degree without

honours), exit awards at these levels on the VITU-linked Chemical Engineering have been

discontinued. The Panel was concerned that this may cause confusion and inequitable treatment

of students but found no evidence of this being the case. The Panel was advised by VITU that its

regulations do not permit it to make these awards and that this has been communicated to the

students. This may be an area that the College chooses to review in its plans to make its own

awards.

2.3 Student Entry Standards

CCE advises that its process for admissions to its Foundation and undergraduate programmes

involves an entry and placement test that covers English, Maths, Science and IT and also includes

an interview (Portfolio, p.38).

The College states that the English language entry and placement test is benchmarked against

IELTS (Portfolio, p.38) and the Panel confirmed that samples of Foundation level students are

sent periodically for IELTS tests for benchmarking purposes. An explicit IELTS level or

equivalent was not specified in the undergraduate Programme Specification documents examined

by the Panel; rather, the documents state that a satisfactory performance in all the sections of the

College entrance examination is required. The Panel was, however, told that an IELTS



equivalent level of 5.0 is required for students to progress from the Foundation level to an

undergraduate programme and that progression decisions are made at formal Assessment Boards

attended by Foundation Programme external examiners. The Panel found the process for

admitting students from the Foundation Programme to the academic programmes to be

comprehensive and well-established, although the Panel noted that not all students go through the

Foundation Programme; Annual Programme Analysis (APA) reports show that over recent years

both the number and the percentage of students being admitted directly to a number of academic

programmes has increased.

2.4 Foundation Programme

CCE advises that it has revised its Foundation Programme to conform to the National Standards

for Foundation Programmes (Portfolio, p.33). The College states that this initiative was also

informed by feedback from employers and the IIG on the need for CCE graduates to have

enhanced skills in different areas including communication. The College states that the

programme now encompasses enhanced critical thinking skills, academic writing skills, soft skills

and IT skills and also that the Mathematics and Science subjects have been strengthened

(Portfolio, p.39). The College believes that the new programme will impact positively on

undergraduate programme entry standards (ibid). The Panel welcomes CCE’s efforts to better

prepare its student for degree level work and subsequent development of graduate attributes by

beginning to address identified areas of weakness. The Panel, however, urges the College to

develop strategies to ensure that its significant population of ‘direct entry’ students (evidenced in

APA reports) are also adequately prepared for their studies.

2.5 Teaching Quality

The College states that the quality of teaching and learning is fundamental to the College’s

Mission (Portfolio, p.39) and identifies “review of learning and teaching strategies with focus on

technology and electronic content” as an intended measure of achievement in relation to its

strategic goals (2009-2014 Strategic Plan). The Panel confirmed that the CCE has in place well-

embedded systems to support the quality of teaching. These include module delivery details

given in module handbooks, teaching by visiting faculty from affiliates, staff professional

development activities and feedback systems that include systematic administration of module

evaluation questionnaires. The College is also making increased use of computer based

technology tools such as ‘Blackboard’ to support student learning (see Section 6). CCE has held

a number of workshops focusing on learning and teaching but, after speaking to a range of

stakeholders, the Panel nevertheless formed the view that classroom teaching of technical

subjects in academic programmes needs to be more student-centered. The Panel was therefore

pleased to note that CCE has identified further staff development in teaching methodologies as an

opportunity for improvement (Portfolio, p.50).

How effective CCE’s systems relating to teaching quality are in actually achieving desired results

is an area that the College recognizes as requiring ongoing attention. Towards this, the College

advises that its Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy, which dates from 2002, is being

updated and also that a Teaching and Learning Committee has been established. The Panel

viewed the comprehensive framework that has been developed to guide the work of this

committee which has membership from across the College and includes a student representative.

The College anticipates that this committee will play an important role in transforming teaching

and learning strategies in the College (ibid) and in ensuring the systems achieve the desired

effectiveness and outcomes. The Panel supports this initiative.

Affirmation 4


College of Engineering that it needs to continue to develop strategies that



ensure the implementation of appropriate and effective teaching approaches

on higher education programmes.

The College notes that feedback from students through Staff Student Consultative Groups

indicates that more hands-on experience is required (Portfolio, p.40) and has identified

enhancement of work experience within programmes as an opportunity for improvement

(Portfolio, p.78). The Panel also came to the conclusion that there is a general need for the

College to examine ways to enhance field-based work completed by students and, in particular,

student engagement in carrying out practical laboratory work. The Panel found limited evidence

of plans in place to address these in the immediate future but believes that both the IIG and the

newly established Learning and Teaching Committee are well placed to support the College’s

efforts in these areas.

Recommendation 5


College of Engineering establish means to enhance practical laboratory and

field-based learning.

The Panel confirmed that the undergraduate programmes for ‘special part-time’ students follow a

block/intensive delivery model. The College’s Policy on Special Part-time Programmes advises

that this mode of study is aimed at professional employees with work commitments in the interior

regions of Oman, which allow a maximum of only 15 contact days a month with the College (and

that 12 semesters (6 years) is required to complete a BSc Honors Degree in Engineering via this

mode). A block/intensive delivery model is also employed for delivery of CCE’s Masters

programmes (see Chapter 3). The Panel remained concerned that this mode of delivery has yet to

be comprehensively evaluated within CCE’s specific context and considers that CCE needs to

give consideration to elements such as the impact of the scheduling and delivery mode on student

learning and students’ capacity to utilize the mentoring system and general academic support

services (also see Recommendation 14). The College will need to give due consideration to the

comparability of the student experience and outcomes between the special part-time students and

other students as part of that comprehensive evaluation.

Recommendation 6


College of Engineering comprehensively evaluate the delivery arrangements

for Masters and ‘special part-time’ students to ensure that student learning,

mentoring, general academic support and the overall student experience is

not compromised.

2.6 Plagiarism

The College reports on a comprehensive approach to addressing plagiarism in the School of

Foundation Studies and within the Educational and Professional Development Department which

runs the Professional Development modules that are included on all degree programmes. The

College suggests that the newly formed Learning and Teaching Committee will facilitate

continued institutional initiatives to address plagiarism (Portfolio, pp.41-42). There is some

indication that attention to this area has been informed by discussion with external assessors:

APA reports viewed by the Panel indicate that in 2007-2008 these assessors perceived plagiarism

to be a widespread issue and it was suggested that implementation of a uniform approach across

all departments was required. External assessor reports from 2008-2009 reiterate these

observations.

The Panel considers that the College’s efforts to address plagiarism need to be supported by

consistently articulated rules and regulations regarding plagiarism and a single clear procedure



for dealing with plagiarism incidents that is communicated and implemented across the College.

The Panel is aware that the relevant regulations from the academic affiliates apply to CCE

students and acknowledges that these are referred to in Student Handbooks, but greater

consistency and clarity is required. Further, the College needs to ensure that its significant

population of direct entry students, who will not benefit from the initiatives to promote good

academic conduct on the Foundation Programme, are adequately prepared and supported in this

respect.

Recommendation 7


College of Engineering consolidate its approach to plagiarism practiced in

different parts of the College in a single policy to help ensure consistency of

application.

2.7 Student Placements

CCE states that “work experience or placement is regarded as a very valuable component of

student learning at degree level” (Portfolio, p.42) and further affirms that it regards placements

as “fundamental to the attainment of prescribed graduate attributes” (Portfolio, p.96). The

College advises that it has designated departmental Placement Officers who liaise with the

Caledonian Student Support Services to secure placements for students who apply for them. The

Panel also spoke to some students who secured placements themselves. However, the College

reports that in 2008-2009, 343 students applied for training but only 144 of them received

training and states that this low conversion resulted from students not taking up placements

offered to them (Portfolio, p.95). It is significant that work placements at present are not a

compulsory or credit bearing component of CCE’s academic programmes and the College

confirms that “placement is therefore not assessed, monitored or reviewed in a formal way”

(ibid). The College states that “the Executive is actively seeking ways to introduce assessed work

experience into programmes, while providing for those who cannot or do not wish to engage in

placement” (Portfolio, p.43). The Panel supports this and recognizes the College’s efforts to date

in this area. However, the Panel considers it important for the College to establish a clear

position on student placements such that its efforts are better aligned and evaluated.

Recommendation 8


College of Engineering develop a clear policy and procedures relating to

student placements.

The Panel considers that procedures relating to student placements should ensure that placements

undertaken are structured, supervised, monitored and evaluated effectively.

2.8 Assessment Methods, Standards and Moderation

CCE advises that it operates an assessment regime that is closely allied to that used in the UK

(Portfolio, p.43). The Panel confirmed that in relation to the GCU programmes in particular,

assessment practices that mirror those of the affiliate are well embedded at CCE. This includes

verification of examination papers by the affiliates, double blind marking, and use of external

examiners who have an extensive remit which includes the review students’ work (particularly in

relation to relevant benchmarks), meeting students and staff, attending formal assessment boards

and formally reporting on their findings. The College reports that in its Engineering courses there

was a drop in progression rates at Levels 1-3 in 2008-2009 in comparison to the preceding year

which it attributes to ‘tighter marking and assessment criteria’ (Portfolio, p.47). The Panel

encourages the College to continue its efforts to ensure that the systems in place are implemented

effectively such that academic standards are maintained in this way. The Panel learned that GCU



has, over time, devolved responsibilities (such as setting examinations for all undergraduate

levels) to CCE as the College has matured. At present, all students on GCU Masters programmes

sit GCU examinations. The Panel was advised that approaches to assessment on the Foundation

Programme align with those used on the academic programmes.

The Panel was pleased to note the College’s awareness of the need to monitor and address

students’ tendency to be driven by assessment marks rather than learning per se (Portfolio, p.45).

Further the Panel strongly supports the College’s stated intention to conduct a detailed audit to

determine how assessment methods, standards and moderation will be approached should the

College progress to awarding its own degrees as at present the role of the affiliates is integral to

this function at the College.

2.9 Academic Security and Invigilation

CCE states that it has established a clear policy and procedure for examinations (Portfolio, p.46)

and the Panel confirmed that CCE has newly developed College Examination Policy and

Procedure documents (dating from 2009) for both its GCU and VITU academic programmes and

also the Foundation Programme. These three sets of procedures clearly detail activities and

responsibilities starting with the development of examination papers and following through to the

confirmation of marks following the assessment boards. The procedures for the academic

programmes are closely aligned with those of the relevant academic affiliates and reflect practices

that appear well embedded in the College. However, these documents do not include a detailed

procedure for how the actual invigilation of examinations is conducted at CCE which aligns with,

for example, the detailed ‘Scheme of Invigilation’ given in GCU assessment regulations.

Although CCE indicates that the GCU scheme is followed in the College, development of the

College’s own scheme would support its efforts in this area.

CCE states that it wishes to specifically reduce the number of academic malpractice incidents in

examinations (these showed an increase in the 2008-2009) by changing the attitude of students

from studying for examinations to concentrating on learning (Portfolio, p.47). The College

indicates that it is considering both teaching methodologies and assessment regimes in relation to

this. The Panel suggests that formal evaluation of the trends and reasons behind recorded

numbers of cases inform this initiative.

2.10 Student Retention and Progression

The College maintains student retention and progression data on its ‘Enterprise Resource

Planning System’(ERPS) and, for its GCU programmes, uses its APA reports as a vehicle for

reporting, analysing and acting on student retention and progression for particular courses

(Portfolio, pp.47-48). The Panel confirmed that the APA reports are particularly comprehensive

and critically evaluative and that they include annual programme improvement plans. The

College’s ERPS provides for effective data management (see Commendation 5) and with the

support of this, the College is well-placed to monitor student retention and progression. The

Panel found no evidence of institutional level targets or analysis in this area but noted the

College’s intention to conduct analyses of this data in relation to enhancing teaching and

assessment strategies across the institution (Portfolio, p.48). The Panel encourages the College to

maximise use of ERPS data relevant to student retention and progression to inform decision

making.

2.11 Graduate Destinations and Employability

CCE indicates that it regards employability of graduates as a top priority and states that it is

essential that effort is made to follow graduate success as one means of verifying achievement of

its Mission (Portfolio, p.48). This aligns with the College’s 2009-2014 Strategic Plan which

identifies ‘enhancement of the employability of CCE graduates’ as a measure of success with



respect to it provision of academic programmes. Whilst the College indicates that Caledonian

Student Support Services follow up on graduates employment status as a matter of course, the

2007-2008 APA reports indicate consistently high percentages of students whose status is

‘unknown’ and identify alumni follow up as a key issue to be addressed. The Panel urges the

College to monitor this function closely.

CCE has sought feedback from both employers and from graduates themselves concerning their

employability. To date, employers have identified limited general transferable skills among

graduates as problematic and the College has embarked on a number of initiatives to address this,

including the introduction in 2009 of a Graduate Orientation Programme. Nevertheless,

following review of relevant documents and discussion with employers and other stakeholders,

the Panel formed the view that the existing feedback systems are limited and have yet to be well

embedded. The Panel concluded that more work is needed in this area.

Recommendation 9


College of Engineering review and enhance its systems for monitoring and

supporting employment of graduates.

Improvements to systems to enhance the monitoring and support of graduate employability need

to be informed by comprehensive analysis of appropriately extensive data and monitored for

effectiveness in contributing to achievement of strategic goals.



3 STUDENT LEARNING BY RESEARCH PROGRAMMES

The College advises that the final year project of its undergraduate honours degree programmes

and the dissertation component of its Masters programmes both involve substantial research

(Portfolio, p.51). CCE currently runs three Masters programmes: MSc Management of

Information Systems awarded by GCU; MSc Maintenance Management awarded by GCU; and

MSc Process Engineering awarded by VITU. The GCU programmes commenced in 2006-2007

and the VITU programme commenced in 2008-2009. The College reports that in June 2009, a

total of 38 students were enrolled on these programmes (ibid). CCE does not run any PhD

programmes for its students. The College states that “The institutional quality mechanism of

students learning by research includes a supervisory system, external assessors, internal review,

co-ordination and student-staff meetings” (ibid). Within this context, this chapter reports on the

Panel’s findings in the following areas: research programme design; project supervision;

postgraduate supervision; student research project; thesis examination; retention, graduate rate

and employability.

In the section of the Portfolio relating to Student Learning by Research Programmes, the College

also reported on faculty members undertaking part time PhD studies; however, the Panel’s

findings in relation to this are given in Chapters 4 and 8 of this Report.

3.1 Research Programme Design

One of CCE’s four current strategic goals in its 2009-2014 Strategic Plan relates specifically to

research:

CCE will be a gateway to industry in terms of innovative, strategic and applied

research and development, consultancy and corporate training, encompassing a

Centre of Excellence in renewable energy and sustainable technologies.

Stated measures for achievement of this goal include extended provision of postgraduate

programmes and development of a Masters programme in renewable energy resources and allied

areas. Given the strategic importance to CCE of developing its provision at postgraduate level,

the Panel found the extent of critical evaluation of its current provision in this area to be limited;

the Panel found a number of areas that appear to warrant careful evaluation such as programme

demand, delivery mode and entry requirements.

The College advises that it has approval for four programmes at Masters level, of which three are

running (Portfolio, p51). Documentation provided by the College indicates that a further two

Masters programmes were formally approved in 2007 by VITU to run at CCE. Examination of

relevant documentation revealed that enrolment on, for example, the MSc Process Engineering

has been lower than anticipated. All students currently enrolled on Masters programmes study

part-time and the Panel noted that the College identified its flexible study modes as a strength in

the SWOT analysis that informed its current Strategic Plan. At present, intensive blocks of

tuition are delivered by GCU/VITU staff and this is supported by local tutors and web support

materials. The Panel found that entry criteria for the Process Engineering programme in

particular appeared to be a grey area and noted that this issue has been a subject of discussion

between the College, VITU and the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE).

Although some review of the College’s postgraduate provision has taken place, in terms of

overall planning and management the Panel found a current lack of comprehensive evaluation of

the College’s work in this area.



Recommendation 10


College of Engineering develop and implement comprehensive mechanisms

to monitor and review student research and overall provision of

postgraduate programmes in relation to its strategic intent.

3.2 Project Supervision

In relation to undergraduate honours level research projects, CCE advises that “An effective

supervision system is in place to follow project activities and monitor progress” (Portfolio, p.53).

The Panel learned that the system involves direct supervison by academic staff members (and

possible supervision from industry where appropriate) supported by departmental project

coordinators and an honours project handbook based on a similar handbook in use at GCU. The

project handbook details the role and responsibilities of the project supervisors and coordinators.

A weekly formal meeting between students and their supervisor is scheduled in the timetable.

CCE states that faculty have been supported by regular teaching visits and workshops organised

by senior faculty members from GCU (ibid), and GCU confirmed to the Panel that it believes it

has been successful in impacting postively on CCE’s abilty to supervise projects.

The College’s has a well-established external examiner system (see Section 2.8) and the Panel

viewed contructive feedback from external examiners on the project component of CCE’s

undergraduate progammes. Nevertheless, delays in commencement of projects by students and

student time-management during their honours year have been identified as an issue (Portfolio,

pp.52-53). The College and GCU are aware that there are general issues about student

engagement and independent learning that remain a challenge, particularly in relation to project

work, and that continued effort is required to address this.

The Panel did not find evidence of a system in place to evaluate student research supervisors. The

College may wish to consider measures to address this.

3.3 Postgraduate Supervision

MSc students are required to complete a major project/ dissertation under the guidance of both

the affiliate-based supervisor and the CCE-based supervisor, or if necessary, an external

supervisor (Portfolio, p.54). The College currently follows guidelines on supervision practiced

by its affiliates. Therefore the Collge has two sets of guidelines from the two different affiliates,

GCU and VITU. These are reflected in the student project handbooks which are provided to

students on the GCU and the VITU Masters programmes. The College advises that staff

development training is provided for new supervisors although it has also identified the need for

further staff development in order to provide better understanding of the role of supervisors of

Master’s level work. The College indicates that it intends to recruit senior research faculty to

support this (ibid).

At the time of the audit visit only a relatively small number of MSc students had completed their

major projects / disserations and so CCE had not been in a position to conduct a comprehensive

ADRI analysis of its supervision of these. However, the Panel encourages the College to monitor

this important area of activity closely.

3.4 Student Research Support

CCE advises that students engaged in undergraduate and Masters level research are supported in

a number of ways including provision of the following: appropriate orientation/induction; a

personal tutor/mentor; a student guide/project handbook; access to e-journals and library

resources; targeted workshops and lectures; and engagement with specific Student Staff

Consultative Groups (Portfolio, p.55). The Panel confirmed that both GCU and VITU are



actively engaged with supporting CCE and its students in this area. In addition to leading

workshops, the Panel viewed, for example, the minutes of VITU Programme Board meetings that

recorded decisions taken in response to issues raised at Student Staff Consultative Group

meetings such as the request for MSc Process Engineering students to have a permanent

classroom and a concise guide to assessment regulations. MSc students interviewed by the Panel

indicated that they found the intensive module delivery mode challenging (see Recommendation

6) and also that library resources were very limited for these new programmes.

The Panel found the mechanisms at CCE for evaluating its support of students engaged in

research to be limited and believes that these should be enhanced to inform the College’s efforts

and future plans. The College states that a pilot survey relating to MSc programme module

evaluation has been carried out (Portfolio, p.55) and the Panel supports this initiative.

Affirmation 5

The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority supports the efforts of

Caledonian College of Engineering to further develop and implement

feedback mechanisms to evaluate and improve its support of students

engaged in research.

The College advises that “A dedicated space for research administration and support is beign

provided in the new campus plan” (ibid) and the Panel was pleased to see documented plans to

establish a Centre for Research and Graduate Studies.

3.5 Thesis Examination

The College states: “CCE follows a well-established system for the examination of technical

projects and Master dissertations. This includes internal scrutiny and assessment systems,

scrutiny by external examiners plus moderation and marking by affiliates” (Portfolio, p.56).

Whilst the Panel was able to verify that this is the case with respect to undergraduate project

modules run in association with GCU, it is premature for the College to assert this in the case of

Masters dissertations; at the time of the Portfolio submission, only the first cohort of students on

the GCU MSc Management of Information Systems students had submitted their dissertation for

assessment (13 students in total – ibid). The College offered no detailed evaluation of the

examination of the dissertation or the results of this programme in the Portfolio but did state that

“the marks awarded by the CCE marker are comparable with those given by the GCU

supervisor” (ibid).

The assessment system that has been established with the honours level projects is well

documented and involves an internal double marking process and scrutiny of samples by GCU

and external examiners. Evaluation of this area has led GCU to reduce its earlier requirement to

examine all project reports (rather than just the sample that it scrutinises now) and led CCE to

conclude that the execution of project work has improved. The Panel notes that the College is

aware that continued benchmarking is required to ensure that marking is not too generous and

that academic standards are maintained (Portfolio, p.56) and urges the College to maintain its

efforts in this area. As the number of students engaging with and completing Masters

dissertations increases, the College and respective affiliates need to ensure that a high level of

rigour is applied to the implementation of its dissertation assessment process, and subsequent

evaluation of results.

3.6 Retention, Graduate Destinations and Employability

CCE advises that at the time of writing the Portfolio, only ten students had graduated from CCE

with Masters degrees (Portfolio, p.57); all were graduates of the GCU MSc Management of

Information Systems programme. From this first cohort, one student graduated with a

Postgraduate Diploma; two students graduated with Postgraduate Certificates; and two students



had a resit in the dissertation module. Further, the College reports that all students initially

enrolled on the GCU MSc Maintenance Management programme were completing their

programme and that one student on the VITU MSc Process Engineering had dropped out.

In terms of employability, at the time of writing the Portfolio, all the current MSc students were

already employed and studying on a part-time basis. However, the College states that it expects

these students to enhance their career prospects by successfully completing their studies, and that

it will evaluate this in due course (ibid). At the time of the audit visit, retention of Masters

students appeared good. In due course, the Panel recommends the College conduct a more

thorough evaluation of its Masters programmes (see Recommendation 10).



4 STAFF RESEARCH AND CONSULTANCY

This chapter reports on the planning and management of staff research at CCE and then details

the Panel’s findings with respect to: research performance; research funding schemes;

consultancy activities; ethics and bio-safety; intellectual property; professional development for

research; research commercialisation; and the link between research and teaching at CCE.

4.1 Research Planning & Management

Research does not feature explicitly in CCE’s Mission but the College’s Vision (see Section 1.1)

identifies research as a key element. Further, one of CCE’s four strategic goals identified in its

2009-2014 Strategic Plan focuses directly on research. This goal states:

CCE will be a gateway to industry in terms of innovative, strategic and applied

research and development, consultancy and corporate training, encompassing a

Centre of Excellence in renewable energy and sustainable technologies.

The College has identified fifteen indicators of achievement of this goal to guide its development

in this area. In 2009, the College appointed an Associate Dean for Post Graduate Studies and

Research who heads a reformed Research Committee. Broad terms of reference and an extensive

list of activities have been identified to guide the work of this committee which reports to the

Academic Council. The Panel noted that a draft Research Strategic Plan has been developed but

is of the view that this is insufficiently detailed at present to support the College well in

progressing towards its ambitious goals in this area. The Panel recognises that the College is

actively building a research capacity by encouraging staff to undertake higher degrees (see

Section 4.7) and beginning to form a research culture across the College. Nevertheless, the Panel

formed the view that more rigorous operational planning in the area of research is required to

ensure that the College’s efforts in this area are effectively directed and coordinated.

Recommendation 11


College of Engineering develop detailed operational plans which support its

strategic planning in the area of research and consultancy against which it

can evaluate its performance.

4.2 Research Performance

The College reports an ongoing overall improvement in research performance as measured by

indicators which include research publications and conference and workshop attendance by staff

supported by the College (Portfolio, pp. 61-62). The Panel noted that the College has been

successful in establishing research collaboration teams with members from other higher education

institutions both within Oman and overseas and also that the College has been awarded four

research projects funded by external organisations. External stakeholders associated with CCE’s

research initiatives interviewed by the Panel expressed enthusiasm and support for the College’s

efforts in this area.

The Panel confirmed that CCE has established its Caledonian Journal of Engineering as an ISSN

recognised peer reviewed international journal. The Panel recognises this significant

achievement. Further, the College now produces an in-house bi-annual research bulletin.



The Panel considers that the College now needs to engage in greater and more systematic

ongoing critical evaluation of its research performance and achievements in relation to its goals

(see Recommendation 11).

4.3 Research Funding Schemes

It was clear to the Panel that College funding to support staff to undertake PhD studies is

currently a high profile initiative within the College (see Section 4.7). The research budget

covers this staff development initiative and other research related costs. The College indicates

that attention is to be given to encouraging research groups to make use of internal research

grants (Portfolio, p.63). The College advises that the Research Committee provides assistance to

staff to apply for external grants and the College reports some success in this area (Portfolio,

p.62.).

The Panel encourages the College to engage in ongoing evaluation of its research funding model

in line with the development of research within the College and progress towards achievement of

goals (see Recommendation 11).

4.4 Consultancy Activities

CCE has undertaken three formal consultancy projects with industry to date, most recently in

2006 (Portfolio, p.64). The College has a number of established elements that have the potential

to support an enhanced consultancy function. For example, the Panel confirmed that the College

is in the process of expanding the number of industrial organisations with which it has formal

collaborative agreements. Further, core research groups have been set up within departments

(Portfolio, p.59) that are represented on the Research Committee. The Panel was informed that

there is a formal process through which the Research Committee considers research and

consultancy proposals.

CCE also has a Corporate Training and Continuing Education Division that was established in

2006 (Portfolio, p.63), and which appeared to the Panel to be active and successful in running a

range of short courses for external stakeholders. The Panel confirmed that the Division interacts

with industry and is well-placed to support the College in identifying opportunities for research

and consultancy. In its 2009-2010 Business Plan, the Division states that to ‘seek out research

opportunities’ is an area that could be strengthened.

CCE has clear strategic intent to excel in its interaction with industry and has identified

consultancy as integral to this (see Section 4.1). In view of this, the Panel considers it important

for the College to review and build on the elements that it has in place to establish a

comprehensive framework and associated systems which cover the planning, management and

evaluation of its consultancy function (also see Recommendation 11.)

4.5 Ethics and Biosafety

The College states that it “advises its research staff to follow the principles of human research

ethics to develop and conduct research in a safe and responsible manner” (Portfolio, p.64).

Further, the College states that it is considering conducting staff development training and

workshops in this area in order to evolve a policy on ethics (ibid). In support of the College

developing its research and consultancy function, the Panel encourages the College to follow

through on this. The College has health and safety systems in place and is well-placed to develop

policies in this area as required in relation to the types of research it chooses to engage in.



4.6 Intellectual Property

The Panel confirmed that CCE’s academic affiliation agreements contain articles relating to

confidentiality and intellectual property rights. The College states that “The Research Committee

provides clear guidelines and advice to staff members in this respect as cooperation with industry

necessitates regulations on data protection, property rights and confidentiality” (Portfolio, p.65).

However, the Panel encourages the College to consider developing its own intellectual property

policy. The College advises that it recognizes the importance of conducting more awareness

seminars on intellectual property rights amongst staff and students (ibid). The Panel suggests that

such activities would support effective implementation of a College policy once this is developed.

4.7 Professional Development for Research

CCE states that it is striving to improve its research capacity and capability (Portfolio, p.65). One

strategy in place is College support of staff to attain PhD qualifications. The Panel was informed

that at the time of the audit visit more than 20 staff were enrolled in PhD programmes. The

College advises that its budget provision for supporting PhD candidates covers up to 80% of

travel, accommodation and subsistence costs (Portfolio, p.63). The Panel confirmed that another

strategy involves workshops and seminars led by visiting experts. The Panel noted that GCU

staff in particular have conducted a number of professional development activities including

sessions devoted to research supervision (in relation to the project supervision of students on

GCU masters programmes). The Panel supports the College’s efforts in this area and encourages

it to refine its evaluation of these in relation to its strategic goals.

4.8 Research Commercialisation

CCE advises that it has established a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Public

Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE), established to facilitate technology incubation

(Portfolio, p.69). The Panel considers that to support initiatives such as this it is important for the

College to include the area of research commercialisation in its Strategic Plan and to develop a

formal research commercialisation policy.

4.9 Research – Teaching Nexus

CCE states that “learning processes are aligned to enable students to benefit from ongoing

research projects both at UG and at PG levels” (Portfolio, p.66). The College advises that

mechanisms to achieve this include student projects being linked to research investigations and

curricula delivery and review being informed by research outcomes (ibid). The Panel formed the

view that these initiatives are starting to take hold but have yet to impact significantly and

consistently across all programmes. The Panel is of the view that focussed effort informed by

systematic evaluation is required to sustain development of this area of activity.



5 INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

CCE’s Mission and Vision reflect the importance of industry and community engagement to the

College. The College advises that the Associate Dean for Postgraduate Studies and Research has

responsibility in this area in relation to academic matters and that the Associate Dean for

Professional Development has responsibility in relation to professional and personal development

and industrial and community relationships (Portfolio, p.68). This chapter reports on CCE’s

planning and management of its engagement with industry and the community and comments

specifically on the College’s relationships with the following: industry and employers;

professions; other education providers; alumni; and the community at large.

5.1 Industry and Community Engagement Planning & Management

The College sees industry and community engagement as essential for innovative Engineering

education. It also aims at serving the community through this engagement. This is reflected in

one of the College’s strategic objectives reviewed in 2009 (Portfolio, p.68):

… to promote interaction between industry, commerce and the college for

fostering innovative and creative engineering education so as to serve the

community.

In support of this, the College developed its Industrial Advisory Group in 1999 which it reformed

in 2009 as the Industrial Interaction Group (IIG) (Portfolio, p.68). CCE has also signed

Memoranda of Understanding with educational and industrial organizations to support interaction

and has ensured industrial representation on the College’s Governing Council. The Panel found

that engagement with the industry and the community is evidenced by many activities but found

little evidence that this is supported by comprehensive planning.

CCE advises that it regularly tests its relationship with industry and the community through

means such as needs analysis, questionnaires and formal and informal discussions (Portfolio,

p.69). The College reports that that feedback from industry informed a major revision of

curricula within the School of Foundation Studies and Educational and Professional Development

and led to consideration of changes to degree programmes (ibid). The College needs to ensure

that such feedback is collected systematically and that subsequent analysis informs change that

contributes effectively to quality improvement.

The Panel concluded that the College needs to develop a comprehensive and overarching industry

and community engagement plan that is explicitly linked to institutional goals and which provides

for effective feedback from all relevant stakeholders. This will support implementation of a full

quality cycle (such as ADRI) that can lead to continuous improvement.

Recommendation 12


College of Engineering develop an overarching industry and community

engagement plan that includes targets, Key Performance Indicators,

sufficient resources and review mechanisms.

5.2 Relationships with Industry and Employers

CCE has several mechanisms for interacting with industry which include: having industry

representation on the Governing Council and on Programme Boards; students undertaking work

placements in industry and industry based projects; industry led guest lectures and industrial



visits for students; and establishment of a Corporate Training and Continuing Education Division

(Portfolio, p.70).

Two other mechanisms are the IIG and a survey to gain feedback from employers on CCE

graduates. Members of the IIG interviewed by the Panel were enthusiastic about their role as a

‘bridge’ between the College and industry and who confirmed that feedback that had been given

by their group in their first meeting had been acted on. The Panel recognizes the potential of this

group to impact positively on CCE’s efforts in this area and supports the College’s plans for this

group to meet twice a year rather than yearly. The first survey of employers was conducted in

2009 and is to become an annual activity (Portfolio, p.71). Further, the College states that a

mechanism will be designed to ensure that the results of this survey are systematically

considered. The Panel supports this initiative as one component of a comprehensive approach to

addressing this area (see Recommendation 12).

CCE organizes industrial visits for its students and reports that the number of industrial visits has

increased over recent years. The Panel recognizes that this aligns with a commitment to more

industry collaboration but noted that during the audit visit some students expressed dissatisfaction

with the number of visits they participated in. The College also reports that the number of CCE

students undertaking work placements has increased, from about 130 in 2007 to about 150 in

2008, and that it “continues to encourage and source industry placements for students”

(Portfolio, pp.71-72). The small increase in the number of students undertaking placements

between 2007 and 2008 indicates however that the College faces challenges in this area. The

Panel considers it important for the College to establish a clear policy on student placements to

guide its efforts (see Recommendation 8).

5.3 Relationships with Professions

CCE seeks international recognition of its Engineering programmes (Portfolio, p.72). This is

supported by the involvement and contribution of internal and external panels to the review of

learning outcomes and curricula (also see Commendation 4). Currently, CCE has plans to obtain

accreditation of seven of its Engineering programmes from the Institution of Engineering and

Technology (IET), a UK-based professional accreditation body (Portfolio, p.73). The Panel

supports this initiative.

The Panel observed that CCE encourages its staff and students to associate with professional

bodies and confirmed that it has established student chapters of professional organizations. The

College has recorded an increase in both staff and student professional body membership and the

Panel noted that the College supports these memberships financially. The College states that it

will develop a policy and associated mechanisms to encourage more students and staff to become

members of professional bodies (Portfolio, p.73). The Panel suggests that in addition CCE

conduct relevant reviews which determine the extent to which students and staff value and benefit

from their memberships and which inform future action.

5.4 Relationships with Other Education Providers

CCE states that “In order to achieve the College’s vision to be the premier institute in the region

for human resource development, CCE has to maintain close and mutually supportive

relationships with other HEIs” (Portfolio, p.73). In addition to the College’s relationships with

its overseas academic affiliates, the Panel confirmed that CCE has established some relationships

with other higher education providers in Oman; examples include joint research projects such as a

project on signal processing with Sultan Qaboos University and also staff from CCE working for

other higher education institutions as external assessors and vice-versa. The Panel supports

CCE’s initiatives in this area.



5.5 Relationships with Alumni

CCE advises that it considers feedback from its alumni as invaluable to the development of

programmes and professional development activities within the College (Portfolio, p.74). To

encourage more interaction with its alumni, CCE has developed an alumni database which is

accessible through the College website. CCE advises that alumni have free access to the College

Library, that communication between GCU and CCE alumni is being facilitated and that an

alumni mentoring scheme has been launched (ibid).

The Panel believes that CCE understands the importance of the College alumni and notes that the

College identified its growing alumni as a strength in its most recent SWOT analysis. The

College has implemented a number of new initiatives to strengthen the link between the College

and its graduates. The Panel acknowledges that the College interacts with its alumni through an

increasing range of mechanisms and activities. However, the Panel spoke to a number of the

College’s alumni and formed the overall view that the extent to which the College’s alumni

systematically engage with the College and provide feedback is nevertheless still limited. The

Panel considers it important for the College to develop a specific plan for engagement with its

alumni in order to coordinate and evaluate its efforts in this area in relation to its strategic intent.

This planning should align with an overarching plan concerning the College’s external

stakeholders (see Recommendation 12).

Recommendation 13


College of Engineering develop and implement an overall alumni

engagement plan that ensures coordination of its activities in this area and

evaluation of these in relation to goals and targets.

5.6 Relationships with the Community at Large

CCE organises various social, cultural, sporting and recreational activities to increase interaction

of the student body with the community. Examples of these activities include an annual College

National Day Celebration, poetry recitation, religious talks, general knowledge quizzes, blood

donation campaigns, and charity events (Portfolio, p.75). The College encourages its students to

assist in organising these activities and reports that it is has developed a culture of Corporate

Social Responsibility amongst its students (Portfolio, p.76). The College also advises that

various groups from the community make use of College facilities, particularly the College

Assembly Hall and the sports facilities.

However, despite the many activities that take place, the Panel did not find evidence of clear

goals or a comprehensive plan for extracurricular activities and community involvement.

Interviews with students revealed that some students did not know about the extracurricular

activities whilst others thought they were not important. The Panel acknowledges that the

College has identified both a need to provide a more systematic approach towards extracurricular

activities and a need for a much higher percentage of students to be involved with community

engagement activities (Portfolio, p.77). Further, the College advises that it has introduced a

number of initiatives since 2009 to address these areas. The Panel encourages the College’s to

align these efforts as part of a comprehensive plan and quality cycle (see Recommendation 12).



6 ACADEMIC SUPPORT SERVICES

This chapter reports on the Panel’s findings on the overall planning and management of academic

support services at CCE and on the following specific areas: the registry; the Library; information

and learning technology services; academic advising; student learning support; and teaching

resources.

6.1 Academic Support Services Planning & Management

CCE provides a wide range of academic support services, including services related to registry,

library, information and learning technology, academic advising, student learning support and

teaching resources. These services fall under the areas of responsibility of the Deputy Dean and

Registrar (Departments of Admissions, Registry and Marketing; Examinations and Records; IT

Services) and Associate Dean Professional Development (Library and Learning Resources

Centre; Caledonian Student Support Services).

The planning for these support services is determined by the College’s 2009-2014 Strategic Plan,

which is supplemented by annually defined ‘Key Result Areas’. In addition to this, most

departments have developed a Handbook that lists Mission, Objectives, Target and Actions Plans

as well as Key Performance Indicators for the department. While the Panel considers that

alignment of College-wide Key Result Areas, departmental Targets and Action Plans, and

departmental Key Performance Indicators could be improved, the departmental Handbooks

provide evidence of a helpful planning framework.

The College advises that management of the academics support services is through delegation

from the Executive to senior staff in each department (Portfolio, p.79). Where departmental

Handbooks are available, the roles and responsibilities of each staff member are clearly defined.

Although different types of feedback tools are implemented to assess the effectiveness of the

services offered (e.g. surveys, staff-student consultative groups), the College has identified that

there remains room for improvement in the coordination between academic departments and

departments providing academic support services. The Panel agrees with this and was pleased to

note that this area has been targeted for review by the College (Portfolio, p.79).

6.2 Registry (Enrolment and Student Records)

The College’s Admissions and Registry Section together with the Examination and Records

Section are responsible for activities ranging from marketing of programmes, admissions of

students, examinations, through to fulfilling internal and external reporting requirements. CCE

has developed its own Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERPS) which allows for these tasks

to be managed with efficiency and accuracy. In the context of this, the Panel was particularly

pleased to see the effectiveness of the College ERPS system to manage data in a way that

provides useful information for strategic planning and decision making, particularly concerning

human and physical resource management in relation to student enrolments. The ERPS holds a

high level of acceptance among users (both staff and students), although additional effort seems

to be required to encourage students to make use of the system’s online registration facility.

Commendation 5


College of Engineering for having successfully developed and implemented a

comprehensive ‘Enterprise Resource Planning System’ which provides

information for a range of stakeholders and data which informs strategic

planning and decision making.



The Panel was pleased to see that that the Admission and Registry Section has identified KPIs to

evaluate its performance. However, the Panel was concerned about seeing the target ‘Admissions

Achieved’ exceeded by 24% in the academic year 2008-2009 (target: 750; achieved: 928;

Portfolio p. 81). This is in contradiction with the perception of staff in relevant Sections of the

College, who claimed to the Panel that the admissions are capped every year and that these

projections are used for infrastructure and human resources planning. It also lends weight to the

concerns expressed by students about class sizes being too large. The College advises that the

Admissions and Registry Section is responsible for admitting students and conducts the

admissions process in cooperation with the School of Foundation Studies (Portfolio, p.38). On

the College Organisational Structure, this Section is shown as Admissions, Registry and

Marketing and its departmental Handbook shows a strong marketing focus. For example, the

first departmental objective stated is: “to increase the number of enquiries, application,

registration and admission to achieve the targets set in the business plan of the College through

marketing, advertising, school visits, open days, careers fair and through participation in

industrial advisory group and working in line with the marketing plan [sic].” The Handbook,

which dates from 2009, gives the target number of students for 2014 as 5000 rather than the 3,500

stated in the Strategic Plan. The Panel has some reservations concerning the embedding of the

College’s marketing function within the Admissions and Registry Section and urges CCE to take

steps to ensure that admission numbers are effectively embedded in the College’s planning

framework.

6.3 Library

The operations of the CCE Library are guided by a five year plan (2009-2014) focussing on four

goals, followed by relevant actions, milestones and KPIs. The plan recognises the need to

support the teaching, learning and research activities within the College.

Over the past years, the Library has grown to offer a range of titles, books, e-journals and e-

books. CCE’s plans to increase both student numbers and research-oriented activities will require

further growth of its Library. This has been recognised in the plan for the Library.

CCE’s Library is encouraging the use of its facilities through induction programmes and various

support services (Portfolio, p.82). It seeks feedback from its users through surveys and also by

embedding one of its staff members in the College’s Foundation Programme.

Based on survey results and interviews, there is still need for improvement with respect to the

satisfaction of Library users and the College has recognised some of these areas. In particular,

there is a need to address the fact that the Library is currently used as a social gathering place,

due to a lack of alternative space. In view of this, the Panel was pleased to note the inclusion of

social spaces in CCE’s campus development plans (see Affirmation 11).

Another area that requires CCE’s attention is the opening hours of the Library. For instance, in

the morning, the Library opens one hour after the arrival of the first buses on campus. Also, part-

time and special part-time students who attend classes in the late afternoons and evenings have

limited access to the Library.

An area of concern for the Panel is the limited usage reported for both books (approximately one

book borrowed per student per year in 2008/09, Portfolio, p. 83) as well as the significant

reduction of the usage of the Ebrary (an online digital library) from 2007/08 to 2008/09. This

concern was reinforced by the fact that, in a survey carried out in 2007, 48% of Engineering

students felt that the journals in the library were not relevant to their subjects. CCE’s Library

plan has identified the need to train students to use the library more effectively as one of its goals

in the coming years. CCE might wish to consider embedding the library usage of students into its

Teaching and Learning Plan to support its efforts in this area.



Affirmation 6


College of Engineering that enhancement of its Library resources and their

effective use is required and supports its efforts towards improving user

satisfaction.

6.4 Information and Learning Technology Services

The Information Technology Support Centre (ITSC) at CCE plans, deploys and reviews the

College’s increasing IT requirements, in the context of increasing student numbers and the

College’s shift towards blended learning. The Centre provides support with “network systems

and information security, network infrastructure management, central storage and backup

protection and validation evaluations” (Portfolio p.84). In addition, ITSC provides support with

software, multimedia and e-learning services (e.g. Blackboard) and has developed dedicated

software such as the College’s ERPS and the College Portal. The Panel considers the ADRI

approach used by the Centre to be strong and evidence based.

The Panel found both staff and students at CCE to be very supportive of the College’s shift to

online resources and activities and the resulting increased usage of electronic platforms in their

daily work. The requirement for CCE to enhance its formal evaluation of these in terms of

learning is discussed in Section 6.6. Students the Panel spoke to confirmed that they routinely

use either Blackboard or the College’s Portal. CCE is aware of the need to provide increased

computer access to its students and staff. The College is also aware of the need to increase

internet bandwidth.

The College states that it aims at providing a personal desktop to all its academic staff (Portfolio,

p.86) and the Panel considers that this should be given high priority. The Panel learned that

approximately 500 students have registered their private laptops on the College’s wireless

network. While the Panel welcomes this increased availability of online learning opportunities, it

is also concerned about the potentially negative impact this might have on students who cannot

afford their own laptop. CCE is aware of this problem and is providing computer access on-

campus both in the Library and in selected laboratories. The Panel was informed that CCE has

also attempted a scheme to facilitate the purchase of laptops. The success of the scheme is being

evaluated prior to introducing it across the entire College. The Panel encourages CCE in its effort

to provide reliable, fast and comprehensive computer, internet and intranet access to all its staff

and students.

The Panel noted that important data is backed up on a daily basis and one set of backup files is

stored off-site. Further, maintenance of hardware and software is scheduled regularly and, in the

case of software, is combined with an audit of licenses. Service requests are resolved promptly,

although CCE has identified this as an area where further improvement is possible.

6.5 Academic Advising

The academic advice provided by CCE to its students ranges from pre-admission guidance on

course selection, through to registration, and performance monitoring combined with mentoring

(Portfolio, p.86). This function makes use of the College’s Student Performance Monitoring

System (SPMS). This is a software tool linked to College’s ERPS which supports a

comprehensive and systematic approach to the mentoring of its students.

The Panel learned that each student is allocated a mentor during registration. Students meet their

mentor during their induction days and are thereafter expected to meet with their mentor at least

twice per semester (ibid). Students must collect their grade reports (mid-term and end-of-term)

from their mentors and this helps to ensure that at least two meetings per semester take place.



The Panel was advised that all academic staff are mentors and they typically mentor between 20

and 40 students. Staff confirmed that they receive training through workshops and keep a record

a mentor-mentee meeting on SPSM. This systematic documentation allows the College to

identify potential issues and problems at an early stage and prepare remedial measures, including

referrals to the Caledonian Student Support Services for counseling on non-academic matters. It

also ensures continuity of mentorship, in case a staff member leaves the College.

The College has yet to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of its academic

advising system, but indicates that it appears to be working well for full-time students (Portfolio,

p.87). However, the College acknowledges that the system still requires improvement for part-

time and special-part time students (ibid) and given the relatively large number of students that

these groups represent (together making up approximately 30% of the student population in 2008-

2009), the Panel considers it important for this to be addressed. The Panel also noted that in a

Student Satisfaction Questionnaire only 67.7% responded that they ‘strongly agree’ or ‘agree’

with the statement “I know the name of my mentor and his responsibilities”.

Recommendation 14


College of Engineering comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness of its

academic advising system, particularly in relation to its increasing

population of part-time and special part-time students.

6.6 Student Learning Support

The initiatives that CCE lists under Student Learning Support include a Mathematics Learning

Support Centre (MLSC), the Learning Resources Centre (LRC), the availability of online

materials through the College’s Wi-Fi network, and a range of industrial and site visits as well as

guest lectures. By providing this support, the College aims at making students more independent

as learners (Portfolio p. 87).

The Panel found no indication that students are progressively taught to use the available Learning

Support in a self-directed manner and consider that it is important for the impact of the existing

learning support facilities on student performance to be evaluated. CCE acknowledges that

current utilization of its learning support facilities by part-time students is low. The College

recognizes that the correlation between facilities, utilization and performance now needs to be

formally studied to inform improvement strategies (Portfolio, p.88), and the Panel supports the

College in undertaking this exercise.

Affirmation 7


College of Engineering that its facilities and resources that support self-

directed learning need to be comprehensively evaluated in terms of how they

impact on academic performance in order to inform improvement

strategies.

6.7 Teaching Resources

The Panel formed the view that the College engages in ongoing development and maintenance of

its physical teaching resources, although students commented to the Panel about the occasional

large number of students in a classroom. Over the last couple of years, CCE has complemented

its physical resources with the access to the electronic learning platform Blackboard (Portfolio,

p.88).



The Panel learned that increasing numbers of staff are adopting new teaching technologies such

as Blackboard, Smartboards and computer-assisted learning. The College advises that this has

resulted in an improvement in the availability and access to lecture notes and presentations, which

is of advantage to students, in particular special part-time students (Portfolio, p.89).

The introduction of new teaching technologies also carries certain risks. As mentioned earlier

(Section 6.4), CCE needs to address the fact that students who do not own a laptop have a limited

access to Blackboard and other online tools. Also, the Panel learned of an apparent ‘over-

reliance’ on Blackbaord among some students interviewed during the audit visit; these students

felt that there was no need to search for literature in the Library because all important papers

where uploaded by the lecturer onto Blackboard. This highlights a potential challenge to the

College’s efforts to educate self-directed learners.



7 STUDENTS AND STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

This chapter reports on the general planning and management of student support services at CCE

and specifically comments on the following: career and employment services student finances;

accommodation catering and transport; medical and counselling facilities; international student

services; and social and recreational services and facilities. This chapter also comments on the

Panel’s findings in relation to the profile of students at CCE, student behaviour and student

satisfaction and climate.

7.1 Students and Student Support Services Planning & Management

CCE established the Caledonian Student Support Services (CSSS) Department in 2001 (Portfolio,

p.91). Its Mission is “to enhance the academic, personal and overall development of the students

and equip them with the skills required for professional and social life” (ibid). The College

advises that the department provides different student services at pre-entry, during student life

and after graduation. At pre-entry, the services are focused around counseling whilst during

study time they include social and recreational activities and work placement support. The

services after graduation include career guidance and alumni interaction. The College

acknowledges that many of the student support services have previously been carried out without

proper planning or budgeting but that it is now endeavoring to provide a more coordinated

approach to its work in this area (ibid).

The College lists a number of initiatives introduced in 2009 to improve its student support and

indicates its intention to formally evaluate these (Portfolio, p.94). The initiatives include

developing an annual calendar of events; synchronizing extracurricular activities; involving staff

from other departments; establishing a Student Council; and identification of students’ non-

academic competencies and interests. The Panel supports these initiatives and agrees with CCE

that the evaluation of these is an important element in supporting improvement. The Panel noted

that the College has conducted surveys to determine student satisfaction of it support services;

however, as discussed earlier in this Report, the Panel believes that there is a need for CCE to

adopt an enhanced system of survey management (see Recommendation 4).

7.2 Student Profile

In the academic year 2008-2009 the College had approximately 2,400 students. Whilst most

students were Omani (approximately 93% in 2008-2009), 26 other nationalities were also

represented (Portfolio, p.99).

CCE has a system for storage and backup of student profile data and the Panel examined a

number of reports generated by this system. The majority (approximately 79%) of CCE’s

students are male. College records also show a steady increase in both male and female, part-

time, special part-time and sponsored students.

At the time of the audit visit in March 2010, CCE’s student population had increased to

approximately 2700. The target student population for 2015 is 3,500 and towards this the College

is marketing its programmes in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as well as Oman

(Portfolio, p.99). The Panel did not explore the College’s future planning with respect to other

aspects of its student profile, but noted that CCE’s comprehensive student profile data collection

allows for effective critical analysis.



7.3 Student Satisfaction and Climate

CCE reports that it conducts ad-hoc surveys to assess the level of satisfaction of students

(Portfolio, p.93). The Panel scrutinised the details of some of these surveys. These included: a

survey of the canteen with 65 participants; a survey of the Library with 354 participants; a student

satisfaction survey with 36 participants; Module Evaluation Questionnaires with the number of

participants varying between 4 and 321 depending on the module being evaluated; a survey on

counselling services involving 65 students; and a survey on medical facilities involving 65

students.

CCE summarised the responses to the last two of these surveys and the Panel noted some

inconsistency and inaccuracy when comparing the items/questions presented in the summary

table and those of the survey itself. Further, the Panel noted that some of the survey items did not

assess student satisfaction. Rather, they investigated awareness of the existence of certain

services or facilities. Examples of statements that students were asked to agree or disagree with

include “the accommodation has facilities for sports and recreation” and “the college provides

parking area for students”.

The Panel found that survey results were presented briefly and inconsistently. It was also noted

that most of the surveys were recent and had been conducted for the first time. The Panel has

concerns that some of the surveys cannot be used to represent the student population as the

number of participants was very small. Also, the way the surveys were conducted and analysed

differed from one survey to another.

The Panel members conducted several interviews with students. These included arranged

interviews and random interviews. Most students in the random interviews showed low

satisfaction with the services provided to them. Also, they expressed dissatisfaction with the

facilities available in laboratories and workshops. It is necessary for CCE to enhance its

evaluation systems in order to gain a valid measure of student satisfaction and to act on area

identified as requiring improvement.

CCE is planning to conduct a student satisfaction survey on an annual basis and the College also

notes that it expects the newly formed Student Council to facilitate systematic feedback from

students (Portfolio, p.93). The College’s efforts in this area need to be supported by development

and implementation of a system for conducting comprehensive and robust surveys that provide

feedback from the student body on all non-academic matters and generate valid data that can feed

into planned improvements (also see Recommendation 4).

Affirmation 8


College of Engineering that feedback on student support services needs to be

systematically collected, analysed and acted upon and supports the steps

taken by the College towards ensuring this.

7.4 Student Behaviour

CCE publicises its rules and regulations relating to student behaviour on the College intranet

(Portfolio, p.94) and in the Student Guide. Some of these are further explained during the

compulsory student induction programme. The College advises that all College staff take

responsibility for monitoring and maintaining appropriate standards of student behaviour and

cases of inappropriate behaviour are logged. Issues that may need disciplinary action are

forwarded to the Head of Department or the Disciplinary Committee depending on the degree of

the offence. The Panel suggests that records of disciplinary cases are formally analysed to best

target preventative strategies.



Based on a survey conducted in January 2009, the students’ induction programme was reviewed.

The new induction programme includes a self-guided campus tour, a freshers’ fair, workshops on

self-motivation and confidence building and a presentation and workshop on rules and

regulations (Portfolio, p.94). A report of a survey covering 410 students who attended the new

induction programme in September 2009 was examined by the Panel and shows increased student

satisfaction.

The Panel appreciates the review and apparent improvement of the induction process and

supports the College’s plans of further improvements which include the addition of a specific

induction for international students. Similarly, the Panel was pleased to note that CCE intends to

revise its Student Guide having identified that it lacks clarity in some areas.

7.5 Career and Employment Services

The College states that “The mission, vision and values of CCE are those of a College that

regards employability of graduates as a top priority” and that in support of this the CSSS

Department provides placement services and acts as a conduit for graduate employment

(Portfolio, pp.48-49). The CSSS Department, together with the EPD Department, conduct various

activities to support students in developing, for example, interview and CV writing skills

(Portfolio, p.95). The Panel considers that enhanced evaluation and coordination of these

activities would support these efforts.

As discussed earlier in this Report, student placements are currently not compulsory or credit

bearing and are not formally monitored or evaluated (see Section 2.7). There is a need for the

College to develop a clear policy to guide initiatives in this area (see Recommendation 8).

In order to increase students’ chances of getting jobs, CCE conducts an Annual Career Fair. The

Panel learned that this is a well-established event which is also open to other Colleges. CCE

indicates that maintaining the participation of companies is becoming a challenge as the number

of careers fairs being held within the sector increases (Portfolio, p.95). The need for enhanced

follow up of graduate employment is discussed in Section 2.11 (also see Recommendation 9).

The College identifies “Facilitation of career development through placement, training

programmes, employment opportunities and the annual Careers Fair” as an area of strength

(Portfolio, p.103). However, the Panel formed the overall view that more work is needed in this

area.

7.6 Student Finances

Student finances are dealt with by the Finance and Accounts Department. The department

implements strict policies on the payment of study fees and also provides guidance to students on

receiving educational loans from banks and sponsorship from employers (Portfolio, p. 96).

Relevant information on student finances is set out clearly and in detail in the Student Guide and

there is supportive information on the College intranet (ibid). The Panel learned that the number

of students receiving some form of sponsorship has increased over the years; this includes

students sponsored by the government, students sponsored by their employers and students who

benefit from full or partial sponsorship by the College. The Panel is supportive of the College’s

stated intention to formalise its scholarship and hardship schemes which, according to CCE,

assisted around 470 students in 2008-2009 (ibid).

7.7 Accommodation, Catering and Transport

CCE provides accommodation for male and female full-time and international students in

furnished, self-catering hostels rented by the College. Individual and shared rooms are available.

Transport between the hostels and the College is provided and additional provision for female



hostel residents includes transportation for scheduled shopping trips, an on-call driver and an

emergency vehicle available at all times and also full-time hostel wardens (Portfolio, p.97).

The Student Guide states that hostels are managed by the Accommodation and Transport

Coordinator and the hostel wardens. A Hostel Committee has also been appointed to monitor and

manage the hostels. The College states that this committee takes feedback from wardens and

students and suggests recommendations to the Executive (Portfolio, p.97). The College states

that it aims to provide within its hostels “a comfortable and healthy environment for

accommodation and study”; however, the Panel was concerned to find no evidence of a formal

mechanism in place for collecting feedback from students about their satisfaction with the hostel

accommodation; the relevant commentary in the Portfolio is based on “informal feedback from

hostel students and one-to-one interviews” (ibid). The Panel urges the College to develop and

implement an effective evaluation mechanism that will also support management of the new

female hostel accommodation the College has plans to build (see Chapter 9).

The College conducted a ‘canteen survey’ in 2009 and reports general satisfaction with the

service provided (Portfolio, p.97). The Panel noted that a total of 65 students participated in the

survey showing low representation of the population and the survey summary report shows low

satisfaction with the canteen services. The Student Guide states that the cafeteria is run by an

external authority and that it operation is keenly monitored by the Estates and Maintenance

Department but the Panel did not find evidence of systematic mechanisms in place to capture

student feedback.

The Panel considers that in relation to both the cafeteria and to the provision of hostel

accommodation, it is important for CCE to ensure that student feedback is systematically

collected and considered (see Affirmation 8).

7.8 Medical and Counselling Facilities

CCE has a health policy (Portfolio, p.98). This is contained in a detailed Health, Safety and

Environmental (HSE) Protection Manual which is supported by a series of procedures for dealing

with specific events such as fire and incidents requiring first aid. The Panel noted that all these

documents were dated 2004 (also see Section 1.12.). The College claims to be proactive in taking

measures to reduce work-related health risks and absenteeism (ibid) and the Panel noted that

relevant information from the Quality and HSE Office is given in the Student Guide. The

College has a first aid room, a nurse and staff who are trained as first aiders. CCE also provides

personal, financial and academic counselling services to students. In 2009, CCE conducted a

survey about its health and safety and counselling services. The results from the 65 students who

took part in the survey showed that not all students were well informed about the existence,

availability and use of services available and the College concluded that better communication of

these was required. The College states that this has been addressed in part through the new

induction programme (also see Section 7.4) although no specific evaluation of this has taken

place. The Panel encourages the College to continue to evaluate its medical and counselling

facilities so that a specific and effective quality cycle is established in this area.

7.9 International Student Services

The number of non-Omani students at CCE has increased steadily since it was established. The

College reports that in 2008/2009 it had 171 foreign national students in total representing 26

countries with the strongest representation being from the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Republic

of Iraq (Portfolio p. 99). The College is pursuing an international marketing strategy in line with

its aim to increase its student population to 3,500 by 2014.

CCE indicates that it provides a variety of support services foreign national students that include

assisting non-resident non-Omani students with visas, travel and accommodation (Portfolio,



p.99). Although to date CCE has not formally assessed the needs or satisfaction of international

students specifically, the Panel was pleased to note its stated intentions to implement a number of

initiatives in this regard. These include: a needs analysis survey; regular meetings with

international students; a specific induction for international students; and the development of an

international student guide (Portfolio, p.99). Data collected from these activities needs to be

analysed and fed to the quality cycle related to this area.

7.10 Social and Recreational Services and Facilities

CCE advises that it supports social, recreational and extracurricular services and facilities as part

of its Strategic Plan to equip graduates with leadership and entrepreneurship skills (Portfolio,

p.99). In March 2009, CCE introduced a mechanism called Themed Occasion Society for

College Activities (TOSCA). Its aim is to provide synchronized cultural and social activities

within the College through establishing an annual theme for the College and then facilitating a

number of activities to explore the theme through staff and student interaction. TOSCA has

resulted in the establishment of fifteen clubs and societies (Portfolio, pp.101-102).

CCE organises a variety of social and sports activities within the College and in participation with

other institutions. The College has a grass football ground, a multipurpose volleyball/basketball

court and table-tennis and badminton facilities. The Panel was pleased to learn that the College

also has plans to provide more sports facilities at the new campus at Airport Heights which will

include more facilities for female students and a full-length swimming pool (Portfolio, p.102).

The College reports that informal feedback from students indicates high satisfaction and general

increased levels of participation. However, the College also indicates that despite increasing

general levels of participation, finding students willing to participate in non-academic activities

remains a challenge. Students’ opinions expressed to the Panel aligned with these observations.

The Panel was pleased to note that in support of its efforts to increase participation, the College

now also records non-academic competencies and interests of new students during registration.

CCE clearly provides a range of social, recreational and other extracurricular services and

facilities as part of a system through which students have the opportunity to apply transferable

skills which are developed through their formal studies. The Panel encourages the College to

formalise its evaluation of this encouraging area.

The College currently lacks indoor areas where students can meet (see Section 6.3), although

provision for social/recreational space is included in the development of the existing campus that

is currently underway (see Affirmation 11).



8 STAFF AND STAFF SUPPORT SERVICES

This chapter considers the planning and management of human resources at CCE and reports on

the Panel’s findings in areas such as recruitment and selection; professional development and

training; performance planning review; staff organizational climate and retention; and

Omanisation.

8.1 Human Resources Planning & Management

The College Executive is responsible for Human Resources planning and management. CCE’s

2009-2014 Strategic Plan identifies several Human Resources measures required to achieve its

Strategic Goals. These include staff development; internationalisation and Omanisation; staff

planning and recruitment in new disciplines; as well as measures aimed at enhancing the research

capacity at CCE. Requirements in terms of academic and non-academic staff are linked to the

institution’s planned growth in strategic areas.

Relevant policies and procedures related to Human Resources are documented in CCE’s Staff

Handbook. The Panel noted that new policies and procedures are communicated to staff through

memos, department meetings and also made available on the College’s intranet.

Although the Staff Handbook examined by the Panel is comprehensive in scope, it dates from

2004 and requires updating in most of the sections covered.

Recommendation 15


College of Engineering develop and implement a system to ensure that its

Staff Handbook is kept up to date.

8.2 Staff Profile

The College advises that its staff members (270 in 2008/2009) represent 17 different nationalities

(Portfolio, p.106). However, the Panel observed that the overwhelming majority of academic

staff are from the Indian sub-continent. To ensure that the regional focus of CCE’s vision is able

to be achieved, the College should give urgent consideration to strategies that diversify the profile

of the academic staff to include staff from a wider range of nationalities. Although CCE has

recognised this as an area for improvement for reasons which include increasing diversity with

respect to experience of different teaching practices (ibid), the Panel did not find convincing

evidence that efforts to diversify the staff profile have been initiated.

Recommendation 16


College of Engineering give urgent consideration to strategies that diversify

the profile of its academic staff.

The increase, both in absolute and relative terms, of academic staff with PhDs is a positive

development at CCE, and shows alignment with the institution’s goal of increasing its research

profile.

8.3 Recruitment and Selection

Staff recruitment processes at CCE appear solid and well documented. Job descriptions are

available for most positions. Where departmental handbooks are available, they include detailed



job descriptions and responsibilities for each position. Job descriptions for academic positions

are also available and issued to staff during Staff Induction (Portfolio, p.107).

As mentioned in Section 8.2, an area for improvement in the recruitment and selection process is

related to the diversification of origin of newly recruited staff. CCE should consider addressing

this at all stages of the recruitment process, including advertisement of vacancies, short-listing

and interviewing.

The Panel learned that CVs of all academic staff teaching GCU programmes are reviewed by

GCU and only staff meeting GCU’s criteria for GCU Associate Lecturers are allowed to teach in

the respective programmes.

CCE has identified the timeline for recruitment, and in particular the timeline for labour

clearance, as an area for improvement and is therefore planning to allocate more time for this

(Portfolio, p.107).

8.4 Staff Induction

The Panel confirmed that staff induction is conducted by the College Executive twice a year.

This is supplemented by departmental induction carried out within each department. The Panel

found CCE’s staff induction programme to be comprehensive, systematically delivered and well

received.

The College states that the aim of the staff induction programme is to “welcome new staff and

introduce them to important aspects of college culture such as mission, vision and values”

(Portfolio, p.107). It also focuses on introducing academic quality systems, academic policies

used at CCE and information on regional educational climate and culture (although the College

advises that this last point is to be given more emphasis in future) (ibid).

Staff satisfaction with the induction programme is evaluated on a regular basis and this feedback

has been used to improve its structure by shifting from a “presentation-based format to an

activity-based workshop” (ibid). The new format was well received by new staff, as indicated in

feedback from surveys and interviews conducted by the Panel. The Panel considers that the

transformation of CCE’s staff induction programme provides an example of effective use of the

ADRI approach to improve quality.

Commendation 6


College of Engineering for having established a comprehensive staff

induction programme which is systematically delivered and well-received.

8.5 Professional Development and Training

CCE’s Staff Development Policy, which is set out in the Staff Handbook encourages staff to

upgrade their expertise and qualifications. The Panel confirmed that CCE has developed an

annual calendar of in-house staff development workshops, which relate to the training needs of

academic, administrative and support staff. The Panel considers that these, together with the

College’s Guidelines for Faculty Development, provide the approach and subsequent framework

for the College’s Professional Development and Training activities. The Panel confirmed that in

addition to in-house workshops, CCE also supports participation in professional conferences.

Participation in staff development activities was evident, and CCE uses feedback obtained from

the annual Staff Satisfaction Survey to inform assessment of training needs.



Commendation 7


College of Engineering for its establishment of a College wide professional

development programme that is in line with its strategic objectives and

responsive to feedback from staff.

CCE is also encouraging academic staff to complete their PhD studies with GCU, as described in

Section 4 of this Report.

8.6 Performance Planning and Review

CCE’s advises that its performance management system is based on an annual self-appraisal

followed by an evaluation by the respective line manager (Portfolio, p109). The Panel was told

that academic staff are also encouraged to develop teaching portfolios to document their work

and achievements. The Panel found the performance management process to be well documented

and confirmed that CCE has published ‘Guidelines for Effective Performance Management’

which provide guidance to both appraisers and appraisees.

Performance planning and review appears to the Panel to be carried out in a systematic way

across the institution. In some cases, a lack of comprehensive job descriptions has hindered the

process, but CCE has recently addressed this issue (see also Section 8.2).

8.7 Promotion and Other Incentives

The College advises that it is in the process of refining its employee position/grading scales for

both academic and non-academic staff to ensure greater clarity and transparency (Portfolio,

p.110). The Panel agrees that this is required to support the College’s efforts to encourage staff

in their career development.

Affirmation 9

The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority supports Caledonian College

of Engineering in its efforts towards providing clear and transparent

grading scales for both academic and non-academic staff.

CCE implemented a merit-based professorial system in January 2009 (Portfolio, p.110). The

Panel welcomes this step as it encourages outcomes that are aligned with the institution’s Mission

and consistent with CCE not applying longevity-based promotion.

The framework for the award of merit-based professorial titles is described in the College’s

‘Professorial Titles’ document. This document and its appendix explain in detail the application

process for the award of a professorial title yet remains vague on the outcomes that an applicant

needs to demonstrate in order to be considered for promotion. CCE needs to introduce

benchmarked criteria about what, for example, constitutes ‘excellence’ leading to a professorial

title. The College states that it is considering introducing merit-based promotion at the level of

associate professors (Portfolio, p.110); the Panel supports consideration of this and notes that

clear benchmarked criteria and transparent procedures would be required to implement this

promotion scheme effectively.

8.8 Severance

The College advises that severance of staff is either through completion of the contract period,

staff resignation, or staff termination based reasons stated in the staff contract or the Omani

Labour Law (Portfolio, p.110).



CCE’s Staff Handbook addresses ‘Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Matters’ but fails to

describe the process followed by CCE in case of misconduct (verbal warning, written warning,

Disciplinary Committee, appeals) as explained in the Portfolio (p.111). The Staff Handbook also

fails to list what the College considers to be ‘misconduct’ and ‘serious misconduct’ in the context

of Omani Labour Law. As noted earlier (see Recommendation 15) there is a requirement for

CCE to update its Staff Handbook.

While CCE conducts exit interviews, they appear not be carried out systematically across all

departments and the College has identified this as an area for improvement (ibid).

8.9 Staff Organisational Climate and Retention

During its visit to CCE, the Panel witnessed a high level of staff commitment, enthusiasm, pride

and loyalty to the College. More comprehensive information on Staff Organisational Climate

was made available through a detailed staff satisfaction survey, carried out in March 2009 as a

preparation for the College’s self-assessment.

The Panel examined the outcomes of the survey which was completed by approximately half the

staff members. Overall 58% of respondents described their overall job satisfaction as good or

excellent, while 29% expressed indifference and 12% expressed dissatisfaction. In its analysis,

CCE identifies that the polarisation in job satisfaction correlates with departmental categories; the

Panel considers that this could represent a first step in addressing job dissatisfaction issues.

Evidence examined by the Panel indicates that important factors that seem to affect staff

satisfaction across the College include the lack of opportunities for promotion and the lack of

transparency in the current remuneration system. The College is taking steps to address these

(see Affirmation 9). The College also expects its calendar of staff development workshops and

enhanced induction process to impact positively on staff satisfaction and climate (Portfolio,

p.112). CCE states that the attrition rate for staff is below 10% but that because of the contractual

nature of employment in the country, the turnover is perceived to be higher (Portfolio, p.104).

The Panel noted that staff morale is described as low in the SWOT analysis included in the

Strategic Plan and urges the College to continue to monitor this area closely. Regular data

collection (for example from continued use of surveys) will assist the College to monitor trends

over time.

8.10 Omanisation

CCE has progressed steadily towards achieving its Omanisation targets and a significant step in

achieving an increased Omani engagement in the College management is the recent appointment

of CCE’s Senior Deputy Dean (see Section 1.3). Despite this, it has yet to achieve its targets,

and the Panel was concerned by the apparent lack of Omani representation across the levels of the

organisation. There is a need to review the effectiveness of CCE’s current Omanisation strategy,

a fact that has been recognised by CCE (Portfolio, p.115).

The Panel is of the opinion that a comprehensive operational plan for Omanisation is required to

support the College’s efforts in this area.

Affirmation 10


College of Engineering that it needs to review its Omanisation strategy and

the implementation of this towards ensuring an appropriate level of Omani

representation across all levels of the organization in line with its

Omanisation targets.



9 GENERAL SUPPORT SERVICES AND FACILITIES

This chapter reports on CCE’s planning and management of its general support services, and

comments specifically on the following: campus planning, infrastructure and facilities

development and maintenance; public relations and marketing; and communication services.

9.1 General Support Services and Facilities Planning and Management

Campus planning and infrastructure management at CCE is carried out through the Executive

with responsibility for general support services delegated to the Deputy Dean and Registrar who

oversees the Department of Central Services. This department provides planning and

management support in the areas of estates and maintenance, purchase and marketing, stores and

reprography (Portfolio, p.116). The Panel noted that the department works from a comprehensive

up-to-date departmental handbook (see Section 9.2).

Development of the College campus and infrastructure is a major feature of CCE’s 2009-2014

Strategic Plan; one of its four strategic goals states that by 2014 the College will be “A larger

physical entity with an infrastructure and facilities development plan, integrated with realistic

business plans and financial feasibility, to achieve the overall mission ……..”. This goal aligns

with the College’s planned increase in student numbers (up to 3500 in 2014-2015) and its other

three strategic goals which relate to enhanced and expanded provision of technological education

and engagement with industry. The Panel viewed plans that include further development of the

original campus in Al Hail (Campus I), development of the Campus II which is directly adjacent

to this and development of its new site, granted by the government to form Campus III. This new

site is at Airport Heights, some 15 minutes drive from the existing campus. Campus III is

planned to include teaching facilities, a female hostel, indoor sports and recreation amenities, and

a conference hall.

The Panel recognizes that a great deal of effort has already gone into this major development and

was reassured by the College’s awareness of the need “for reinforcement and synchronization of

the infrastructure plan to be interfaced more closely with the five-year strategic plan” (Portfolio,

p.117). The Panel found most staff and students they interviewed to be aware of, and enthusiastic

about, the College’s campus development plans, although the Panel is of the view that input from

the wider College community has been limited to date. The Panel therefore welcomes the

College’s stated intention to elicit more feedback from staff and students in this area (ibid).

Affirmation 11


College of Engineering that further development of its campus and

infrastructure is essential in order for it to achieve its strategic goals and

appreciates and supports its ongoing efforts to achieve this.

The Panel considers the College’s systems for planning and managing its general support services

and facilities to be appropriate and also adequately set to deal with the challenges that the

expanded campus will present. However, the College needs to be mindful of ensuring effective

engagement of all stakeholders in this broad area.

9.2 Campus Planning, Infrastructure and Facilities Development and Maintenance

The Panel noted that CCE has a comprehensive infrastructure development plan that aligns with

its 2009-2014 Strategic Plan. The College advises that it also utilizes a Space Planning System

which provides the basis for the budgeting allocation of facilities (Portfolio, p.117). The new

campus development activities are in addition to the development of facilities (including



classrooms, laboratories and sports facilities) that have taken place to date to cater for the College

community of approximately 2,700 students and 260 staff at the time of the audit visit.

The Department of Central Services is made up of a number of sections: Estates Division;

Maintenance Department; Store; Purchase Section; and Reprography and Photocopy Office. The

comprehensive departmental handbook viewed by the Panel provides a clear framework for the

work of all these units in alignment with the Strategic Plan.

During the audit visit the Panel formed the view that the way CCE has approached infrastructure

planning and maintenance is a very positive aspect of College life. The Panel formed the

impression that the maintenance systems in place work effectively and noted that information

technology is used to increase the operational efficiency of support services. The Panel also

learned that full service maintenance agreements are in place for much of the electronic and

laboratory equipment. In addition, the College now has a computerized Asset Register System.

The Panel believes that the College’s efforts in this area need to be enhanced by targeted formal

feedback from staff and students on their satisfaction with the specific services provided.

It was clear to the Panel that car parking is an issue for CCE. The College advises that it has

provided more parking spaces in recent years but that it is restricted by the space available. The

College has itself identified this as an area of concern (Portfolio, p.118) and the Panel urges the

College to give priority to considering strategies to address the concern of all stakeholders in this

area.

9.3 Public Relations and Marketing

CCE states that it operates a targeted and focused marketing and public relations campaign

designed to recruit both high quality students and staff, and to interact and communicate with

ministries, staff, alumni and other interested parties (Portfolio, p.119). Achievement of

recruitment targets (particularly of students) and media coverage targets are reported as indicators

of success in this area. The Panel believes that the location of the marketing function within the

Department of Admissions and Registration needs to be reconsidered (see Section 6.2).

The Panel found high regard for the ‘CCE brand’ amongst a range of stakeholders interviewed

during the audit visit. The College advises that its marketing plans are reviewed and revised on a

regular basis and it has identified a number of planned promotional activities (Portfolio, p.120).

The Panel acknowledges the College’s efforts in this area but found no evidence of strategies

having yet been developed to help the College revise its corporate identity; the College advises

through the Portfolio (p.117) and its current Strategic Plan that it is reviewing its corporate

identity in line with its strategic intentions for the College to have an established identity as a

‘gateway to industry’ and ‘a centre for strategic and applied research’. The Panel is of the view

that the College should give consideration to broaden its concept of marketing as the College

develops.

9.4 Communication Services

CCE indicates that it considers effective communication to be essential for the operation of the

College (Portfolio, p.120). The College advises that this communication is primarily dependent

on various electronic mechanisms (including the College intranet and Portal). The College also

has a number of its own publications which include a quarterly staff newsletter (ibid).

The College has a document entitled ‘Procedure for Internal and External Communications’,

although the Panel found no evidence of this being reviewed and revised on a regular basis as

indicated in the Portfolio (p.121); rather it appeared to be a document in draft form. This needs to

be addressed. The Panel was pleased, however, to find a section in the 2009 staff satisfaction

survey devoted to communication. The results indicate a broad level of staff satisfaction in this



area. Moreover, the survey report made available to all staff shows evidence of the College

acting on feedback; the College has plans to develop an ‘ideas database’ as a mechanism to allow

staff to put forward suggestions more easily.

9.5 Facilities Management

As described earlier in this chapter, CCE is currently engaged with a major infrastructure

development project. This includes the development of a new campus at a nearby location. The

Colleges Department of Central Services is playing a key role in this development in addition to

its management of the existing College facilities.

The Panel found evidence of facilities management being a well developed function at CCE with

conscientious planning, effective implementation, and critical review of activities well

established. The Panel would like to see the College’s facilities management efforts enhanced by

greater involvement of the wider College community through systematic consultative and

feedback mechanisms.



APPENDIX A. AUDIT PANEL

Professor Jan Thomas (Panel Chairperson)

Former Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic)

Murdoch University

Australia

Professor Hassan Diab

Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Vice President for Regional External Programs

American University of Beirut

Lebanon

Professor Mehmet A Hastaoglu

Vice Dean

Department of Chemical Engineering

Gebze Institute of Technology, Kocaeli,

Turkey

Professor Barbara Stäuble

Deputy Rector for Academic Affairs

German University of Technology in Oman, Muscat

Oman

Dr Ahmed Al Ghassani

Dean

Higher College of Technology, Oman

Former Dean, Nizwa College of Technology

Oman

Dr. Ali R. Al-Hassnawi (Observer)

Oman Academic Accreditation Authority

Susan Trevor-Roper (Executive Officer)

Oman Academic Accreditation Authority



APPENDIX B. ABBREVIATIONS, ACRONYMS AND 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.

APA …………………………….. Annual Programme Analysis

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

CCE …………………………….. Caledonian College of Engineering

College Executive……………… A CCE group comprising the Dean, Deputy and Associate Deans

CSSS ……………………………. Caledonian Student Support Services

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.

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.

GCC …………………………… Gulf Cooperation Council

GCU …………………………….. Glasgow Caledonian University (Scotland, UK)

HEI .................................................Higher Education Institution (also known as HEP – Higher Education

Provider)

HSE …………………………….. Health, Safety and the Environment

Ibid ……………………………… indicates the reference cited immediately before

IELTS …………………………… International English Language Testing System

IET ………………………………. Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), a UK-based

accreditation body

IIG ………………………………. Industrial Advisory Group

ITSC …………………………….. Information Technology Support Centre

ERPS …………………………….. Enterprise Resource Planning System, a data management system

developed by CCE

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.

KRAs …………………………… Key Result Areas

LRC ………………………………Learning Resources Centre

MLSC ............................................ Mathematics Learning Support Centre

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

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.

PEIE …………………………….. Public Establishment for Industrial Estates

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.

Special Part-time Student…………A student following a mode of study aimed at professional employees

with work commitments in the interior regions of Oman which allow a

maximum of only 15 contact days a month with the College. Twelve

semesters (6 years) is required to complete a BSc Honors Degree in

Engineering via this mode.

SPMS ……………………………. Student Performance Monitoring System

SWOT Analysis ………………… A strategic planning tool used to evaluate 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.

TOSCA .......................................... Themed Occasion Society for College Activities

VITU .............................................Vellore Institute of Technology University (India)



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