Oman Academic Accreditation Authority Report of an Audit ... College Report final to print.pdf ·...

Oman Academic

Accreditation Authority

Report of an Audit of

Bayan College

August 2013

HEI Quality Audit Report Bayan College

© Oman Academic Accreditation Authority

Audit Report Number 35

©2013 Oman Academic Accreditation Authority

P.O. Box 1255

P.C. 133

Al-Khuwair

Sultanate of Oman

Ph +968 2412 1600

Fax +968 2412 1231

http://www.oaaa.gov.om

Bayan College HEI Quality Audit Report

Page 1 of 48 © Oman Academic Accreditation Authority

CO�TE�TS

Overview of the Quality Audit Process..................................................................................................... 3

How to Read This Report........................................................................................................................... 4

Conclusions.................................................................................................................................................. 5

Executive Summary of Findings ............................................................................................................. 5

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

Summary of Affirmations........................................................................................................................ 7

1 Governance and Management............................................................................................................ 10

1.1 Mission, Vision and Values ........................................................................................................ 10

1.2 Governance................................................................................................................................. 11

1.3 Management ............................................................................................................................... 12

1.4 Institutional Affiliations for Programs and Quality Assurance................................................... 13

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

1.6 Operational Planning.................................................................................................................. 14

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) ......................................................... 17

2 Student Learning by Coursework Programs.................................................................................... 18

2.1 Graduate Attributes and Student Learning Objectives ............................................................... 18

2.2 Curriculum ................................................................................................................................. 18

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

2.4 Foundation Program................................................................................................................... 20

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

2.6 Plagiarism................................................................................................................................... 21

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

2.8 Assessment Methods, Standards and Moderation ...................................................................... 22

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

2.10 Student Retention and Progression............................................................................................. 23

2.11 Graduate Destinations and Employability.................................................................................. 23

3 Student Learning by Research Programs ......................................................................................... 24

4 Staff Research and Consultancy ........................................................................................................ 25

5 Industry and Community Engagement ............................................................................................. 26

5.1 Industry and Community Engagement Planning & Management.............................................. 26

5.2 Relationships with Industry and Employers............................................................................... 27

5.3 Relationships with Professions................................................................................................... 27

5.4 Relationships with Other Education Providers........................................................................... 27

5.5 Relationships with Alumni ......................................................................................................... 27

5.6 Relationships with the Community at Large .............................................................................. 28

6 Academic Support Services ................................................................................................................ 29


© Oman Academic Accreditation Authority Page 2 of 48

6.1 Academic Support Services Planning & Management............................................................... 29

6.2 Registry (Enrolment and Student Records) ................................................................................ 29

6.3 Library ........................................................................................................................................ 30

6.4 Information and Learning Technology Services......................................................................... 31

6.5 Academic Advising .................................................................................................................... 31

6.6 Student Learning Support ........................................................................................................... 32

6.7 Teaching Resources .................................................................................................................... 32

7 Students and Student Support Services............................................................................................. 33

7.1 Students and Student Support Services Planning & Management ............................................. 33

7.2 Student Profile ............................................................................................................................ 33

7.3 Student Satisfaction and Climate................................................................................................ 34

7.4 Student Behaviour ...................................................................................................................... 34

7.5 Career and Employment Services............................................................................................... 34

7.6 Student Finances......................................................................................................................... 35

7.7 Accommodation, Catering and Transport................................................................................... 35

7.8 Medical and Counselling Facilities ............................................................................................ 35

7.9 International Student Services .................................................................................................... 36

7.10 Social and Recreational Services and Facilities ......................................................................... 36

8 Staff and Staff Support Services......................................................................................................... 37

8.1 Human Resources Planning & Management.............................................................................. 37

8.2 Staff Profile................................................................................................................................. 37

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

8.4 Induction..................................................................................................................................... 38

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

8.6 Performance Planning and Review............................................................................................. 39

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

8.8 Severance.................................................................................................................................... 40

8.9 Staff Organisational Climate and Retention ............................................................................... 40

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Appendix B. Abbreviations, Acronyms and Terms............................................................................ 45



OVERVIEW OF THE QUALITY AUDIT PROCESS

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

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

College. It comments on Bayan College’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 Bayan College’s activities, and constructive feedback to Bayan College to assist with its

ongoing improvement efforts.

The Quality Audit commenced with Bayan College undertaking a self study of its Mission, Vision and

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

was submitted to the OAAA by the due date of 23 October 2012.

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 18 December 2012 to consider

Bayan College’s Portfolio. Following this, the Audit Panel Chairperson’s representative and the

Executive Officer undertook a planning visit on behalf of the Panel to Bayan College on 5 January 2013

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 Bayan College’s

activities. Three submissions were received and considered.

The audit visit took place over 17-20 February 2013. During this time, the Panel spoke with 75 people,

including representatives of the governing authorities, staff, students and external stakeholders. It also

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

No information provided after 20 February 2013 (being the last day of the audit visit) was taken into

consideration for the purposes of this audit, other than 13 pre-existing items specifically requested by the

Panel in advance.

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

practices have been confirmed, affirmations where Bayan College’s ongoing quality improvement efforts

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

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

on every system in place at Bayan College.

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 29 August 2013.

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.oaaa.gov.om). Full

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

http://www.oaaa.gov.om/Institution.aspx#Inst_Quality).



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. This stage, which

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

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

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

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

www.oaaa.gov.om.

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

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

not in the public domain.



CO�CLUSIO�S

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

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

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

mentioned throughout the text of the Report.

Executive Summary of Findings

Established in 2006, Bayan College (BC) was the first private higher education institution to offer Media

Studies in Oman. It is affiliated with Purdue University Calumet (PUC), USA and is supervised by the

Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE). The College is governed by a Board of Directors (BoD) and a

Board of Trustees (BoT). It is headed by a Dean who is supported by an Assistant Dean and a Head of

Department (HoD) for each academic and non-academic department. Offering Diplomas and Bachelor

degrees, the College hosts three main academic units: the Foundation Program, the Media Studies

Department and English Studies Department. The Media Studies Department offers majors in Journalism,

Broadcasting, Public Relations and Advertising, and the English Department offers English Literature and

English Professional Writing. Due to low enrollment rates in Advertising, it is being merged with Public

Relations into a new major called Business Communication, and there are plans to replace English

Professional Writing with Translation. The Foundation Program teaches English, Math, and Computing to

students requiring tuition in these areas before enrolling on their higher education programs. The

language of instruction is English for all courses. As of Fall 2011, there were 346 students enrolled at the

College, with over 75% females. The Media Studies Department has the highest number of enrollees

followed by the Foundation Program and then the English Studies Department. There are seven non-

academic departments including Admission and Registration; Student Affairs; Finance; Human

Resources; Quality Assurance Unit; Learning Resources; and Marketing and Public Relations. Whilst the

HoDs of all academic and non-academic departments are members of the College Council, only HoDs of

academic departments have membership in the Academic Council (along with the Quality Assurance

head). The Dean and Assistant Dean are members of both Councils. .

In the Portfolio, the College asserted that the preparation of the self-study was a collaborative, inclusive

and transparent process, which started in 2010/2011. In 2010, Bayan College undertook a comprehensive

review taking into consideration its own policies, and the MoHE and PUC reports. Significant changes

took place in 2010, including hiring new management and staff, shifting to a new campus, writing a new

Strategic Plan and establishing a Quality Assurance Unit. The College also devised a new Mission and

core values statement but kept the original Vision and goals and objectives. While the Portfolio provided

an overview of BC’s activities, the Panel found it that it lacked detail in some areas and that specific data

was missing (for example, the number of students or faculty members who took part in a survey). The

use of different terminology in referring to the College’s activities and lack of editing and proofreading of

its Portfolio undermined the College’s attempts to provide evidence of a comprehensive self-review.

BC’s Vision is to “make a major contribution” to human capital in Oman by providing “skilled, trained

and responsible graduates” in specialized programs. Despite a clear Vision and Mission statement, with

related values, the College needs to find ways to align and translate its strategic aims into practice more

effectively. The governance structure at the College, consisting of a BoD and BoT, can provide support

for this, although filling the current vacancies on the Boards is a matter of priority. It is also important for

BC to review the effectiveness of governance and management structures in order to clarify roles and

responsibilities. The relationship with PUC is long standing, crucial and defined by an affiliation

agreement between the two institutions. However, BC and PUC need to clarify their mutual expectations

and obligations and ensure that where the responsibility for assuring academic standards lies is made

clear.



Planning at the College also requires attention through the proper implementation of the Strategic Plan

using operational plans and key performance indicators. Financial planning and management at the

College also requires attention through the development of budgeting mechanisms and the mitigation

against financial risk. Other risks at BC need to be identified as part of deploying the College’s risk

management strategy. Although the College has a number of relevant policies, the Panel found a lack

awareness of these amongst staff and students and urges the College to communicate these to the

community, ensuring that they are applied consistently and regularly reviewed to monitor effectiveness.

The College is urged to fully implement its entity review and quality assurance system in order to ensure

that quality loops are closed and that a systematic approach to continuous quality improvement is

supported. This quality cycle includes developing and implementing action plans in response to issues

raised in the reports from PUC.

PUC provides the curricula for the courses taught at BC and the academic programs are based on those

delivered at PUC. The College has recognized the need to contextualize the PUC curricula to Oman and

the Panel supports its efforts in this regard. The curricula also needs to be reviewed on a regular basis,

with input from PUC as well as other stakeholders, including industry and employers, and more practical

elements needs to be introduced considering the specialized nature of Media programs. The College has

introduced a comprehensive system for maintain course files that has created a repository of teaching

materials. However, the College does not have a full set of graduate attributes that are integrated into the

curricula. These need to be established. One of the ways in which BC promotes teaching quality is

through peer lesson observations, which provides a useful tool for staff teaching evaluation and reflection.

One area which is still lacking, however, is moderation of student achievement. The College is urged to

fully implement its moderation policy and put mechanisms in place, such as external input from PUC or

the use of external examiners, in order to ensure that academic standards are being met.

The College has included a research objective in its Strategic Plan. While the Panel recognises the

importance of research, BC is urged to reconsider the appropriateness of having a research objective at

this stage of its development; if the research objective is retained then related plans and policies will need

to be developed in support of this.

Despite its central location and specialized programs, BC has not yet implemented a strategy for

managing industry and community engagement and partnerships. This impinges on the provision of

internship and placement opportunities for students, as well as more general interaction with industry

within the scope of the programs, and requires action. BC provides a range of academic support services

to students, albeit in an ad hoc manner. A more coordinated, planned approach is required so that

students have access to relevant services and resources. The College has already identified the need to

improve its registry services and is working on deploying an integrated student registration system. The

Panel supports its efforts in this area. In terms of academic support services, BC is urged to review its

current Library and IT provision to ensure that the student learning environment is fully supported and

needs of students and staff are met. Several student support services are available to students at BC,

although a coordinated approach to managing these is lacking. The College survey shows that students

have expressed dissatisfaction with several different support services, and this needs to be acted on by

BC. The Panel also urges the College to take proactive steps to engage with employers in order to provide

input into curriculum development, explore job opportunities for graduates and assist students with

developing their job search skills.

The Panel found it commendable that the students at the College were producing the Bayan Post, an

entirely student-driven publication which is distributed internally and externally. As such, the Bayan Post

is a useful communication tool used to keep a range of stakeholders informed about events and activities

at the College.

The College is relatively small in terms of staff numbers and over the past few years it has experienced a

significant staff turnover. The College is encouraged to investigate the reasons for this. One of the causes

may be a lack of a comprehensive human resources strategy, supported by professional development

opportunities and a formal performance management system. BC needs to address these important issues



urgently to increase staff retention and satisfaction. Although BC is actively working on developing a

purpose-built campus, there have been delays and progress has been slow. The College needs to take

proactive steps to ensure that the current buildings are well maintained and kept fit for purpose until the

new campus is ready. A purpose-built campus may also lead to higher student enrollments, although the

College requires a marketing plan with recruitment targets to ensure future growth and financial

sustainability.

This Report recognizes College practices that are commendable, acknowledges positive change in

response to BC’s recognition of areas where improvement is needed and provides Recommendations in

areas that need to be improved. The Recommendations indicate areas that BC needs to address as part of

its development; however, it is the College’s responsibility to find ways to implement changes in these

areas.

Summary of Commendations

A formal Commendation recognises an instance of particularly good practice.

1. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority commends Bayan College for producing the

Bayan Post, which has resulted in a successful student-driven in-house publication. ..................... 43

Summary of Affirmations

A formal Affirmation recognizes an instance in which Bayan College has accurately identified a

significant opportunity for improvement and has demonstrated appropriate commitment to addressing the

matter.

1. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees that Bayan College needs improve its

registry services and supports its effort to do this through the development and deployment

of an integrated student registration system. .................................................................................... 30

Summary of Recommendations

A Recommendation draws attention to a significant opportunity for improvement that Bayan College has

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

1. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that Bayan College devise and

implement a systematic, inclusive and comprehensive process for aligning its Vision, Mission

and Core Values with practice. ............................................................................................................ 11

2. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that Bayan College review its

governance structure in order to ensure its effectiveness and fill the vacant positions on the

Board of Trustees as a matter of priority.............................................................................................. 12


management structure and ensure that roles and responsibilities are clarified. ................................... 13

4. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that Bayan College, in conjunction

with its affiliate Purdue University Calumet, review the affiliation agreement to include clear

performance expectations and mutual obligations and clarify where the responsibility for

assuring academic standards lies.......................................................................................................... 14

5. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that Bayan College ensure effective

implementation of its Strategic Plan through comprehensive operational planning in all

departments, and monitor the achievement of strategic and operational objectives against key

performance indicators......................................................................................................................... 15



6. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that Bayan College develop and

implement an effective and transparent system of financial planning, budgeting and

management. ........................................................................................................................................ 15

7. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that Bayan College implement its

risk management policy to ensure that potential risks are identified, managed and monitored

effectively............................................................................................................................................. 16

8. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that Bayan College ensure

widespread communication, consistent application as well as systematic and regular review of

its policies and policy management system.......................................................................................... 16

9. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that Bayan College ensure that its

activity and entity review cycles are fully implemented, such as taking action in response to

issues raised in affiliate reports, in order to support continuous quality improvement. ....................... 17


formal approach to the student grievance process is fully implemented, communicated to all

stakeholders and its effectiveness reviewed. ........................................................................................ 17

11. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that Bayan College review and

refine its graduate attributes, and ensure that they are understood by staff and students;

integrated into the curriculum and the achievement of them is assessed. ............................................ 18


implement a consistent approach to the contextualization and localization of its curriculum as

well as a mechanism to evaluate the effectiveness of its approach. ..................................................... 19


implement a formal, clear and consistent process for the regular review and revision of the

curricula across all its academic programs which incorporates feedback from its academic

affiliate, Purdue University Calumet, as well as from students, employers and other relevant

stakeholders, in order to ensure that the curriculum remains current, and relevant to the labour

market and is delivered consistently. ................................................................................................... 20


current entry standards to ensure that they align with level stipulated in the affiliation

agreement with Purdue University Calumet......................................................................................... 20

15. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that Bayan College maximize

placement opportunities for students to gain practical training experience and improve

students’ learning experience. .............................................................................................................. 22


moderation policy is implemented and that there are mechanisms in place to assure academic

standards, such as through external review from its affiliate. .............................................................. 23


strategic approach to developing its research profile either through reconsidering the

appropriateness of having a research objective at this stage in the College’s development or

through the development and implementation of related plans and policies to support the

achievement of this objective. .............................................................................................................. 25


implement a strategy for effectively coordinating, expanding and managing industry and

community engagement, which includes relevant key performance indicators to measure its

success.................................................................................................................................................. 26



19. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that Bayan College improve and

upgrade the Library provision as a matter of priority to ensure that it meets the needs of the

students, and staff and supports the academic programs...................................................................... 30


current IT provision to ensure that it fully supports the student learning environment and

implements a robust IT back-up system............................................................................................... 31


implement a system to regularly collect and monitor student satisfaction with services; analyse

results and develop action plans to deal with issues raised; and inform students of changes

made in response to their feedback. ..................................................................................................... 34

22. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that Bayan College actively engage

with employers to maximize opportunities for employment and formally provide students with

relevant job search skills. ..................................................................................................................... 35

23. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that Bayan College adopt a

comprehensive, fully-resourced, long term approach to the planning, recruitment and retention

of staff. ................................................................................................................................................. 37

24. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that Bayan College provide

systematic professional development opportunities for staff, linked to enhancing performance. ....... 39


implement a formal performance management system for teaching and administrative staff

which is linked to professional development opportunities. ................................................................ 40

26. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that Bayan College regularly and

systematically monitor staff satisfaction; respond to issues that are identified; and inform staff

of changes made in response to their feedback. ................................................................................... 41

27. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that Bayan College ensure there is

a transition strategy in place to keep the current buildings and maintenance of facilities fit for

purpose while the plans for the new site are being developed. ............................................................ 42


implement a marketing plan to support the strategic goals of the College in this area. ....................... 43



1 GOVER�A�CE A�D MA�AGEME�T

Bayan College (BC) is a private higher education institution in Muscat which was established in

2006. It is formally classified as a “College” by the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE),

through which it is licensed to operate. It is the first College in Oman to specialize in Media

Studies. The College is affiliated with Purdue University Calumet (PUC) in the USA.

This Chapter reports on the Panel’s findings in relation to overall governance and management at

the College and specifically covers the following topics: Mission, Vision and Values;

governance; management; institutional affiliations for programs and quality assurance; strategic

plan; operational planning; financial management; risk management; policy management; entity

and activity review systems; and student grievance processes.

1.1 Mission, Vision and Values

The College states its Vision as follows:

To be a key part of the higher education infrastructure in Oman and to make a

major contribution to the development of human resources in the Sultanate and

the region. We aim to create students who are renowned for their ability to think,

achieve and excel. (Portfolio, p.9)

The Vision is reflected in the following Mission statement:

• To create an academic environment highly conducive to quality education and the

pursuit of excellence.

• To provide skilled, trained and responsible graduates.

• To integrate with and serve the local community. (Portfolio, p.10)

The Core Values of the College are:

• Excellence in Teaching, Learning & Facilities: Delivering excellent teaching and

learning experience coupled with modern facilities to ensure that graduates are well

prepared for the world of work.

• Loyalty: Dedicated to meeting our commitments and obligations.

• Social responsibility: Dedicated to improving the lives of others through professional and

community services

• Accountability & Transparency: We assume and demonstrate responsibility for our

decisions & actions. (Portfolio, p.10)

The Vision, Mission and Values have been embedded into the College’s Strategic Plan (pp.4-5).

While the Vision and Mission stated in the Portfolio are the same as those stated in BC’s

Strategic Plan, the College’s website and on display at the College, the Mission statement differs

from the Mission of the College in the College Bylaws. This indicates an inconsistency related to

document management and updates. The College states that the Vision, Mission and Values are

“frequently revisited” (Portfolio, p.11) and there is evidence of changes being made to the

Mission and Values since they were initially developed by a consultant prior to 2006. During a

comprehensive review in 2010, modifications were made to the Mission statement and the

College’s Values; however the Vision remained unchanged (Portfolio, p.9). Furthermore, the

Strategic Plan includes an additional statement on the Core Values that addresses the College’s

work with partners.



While the Panel acknowledges the College’s efforts to review and update its Vision, Mission and

Values, it stresses the importance of a systematic and comprehensive approach so that all

pertaining documents are consistent, updated and fit for purpose. Furthermore, the

implementation of the College’s Core Values with regards to excellence in teaching and learning;

the skills of its graduates; the integration with the local community; and accountability and

transparency were not evident to the Panel during the audit visit. There was no evidence to show

that the College monitors whether or not these Values are applied systematically in practice

through policies and processes on a systematic basis. Examples of this mismatch between what is

stated in documents in relation to the Vision, Mission and Values and what is practiced at BC can

be found in subsequent sections of this report and related recommendations. The College needs to

ensure a more adequate integration of its aspirations with its practices in order to achieve its

goals.

Recommendation 1

The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that Bayan

College devise and implement a systematic, inclusive and comprehensive

process for aligning its Vision, Mission and Core Values with practice.

1.2 Governance

The College states that it is governed by the Board of Directors (BoD), the Board of Trustees

(BoT), and the Executive Committee (EC) (Portfolio, p.12). The BoD consists of the investors,

and has full authority to oversee the management of the College in fulfillment of BC’s objectives,

including the establishment of the Vision and the Mission, the review and approval of the annual

budget, the appointment of the Dean and other key personnel, and the power to establish

operational, financial and administrative policies (Portfolio, p.12).

The BoT is an entity of seven members representing the owners of the College, the Dean, one

delegate of the College faculty, as well as “social dignitaries” who are experts in the fields

offered in the College programs (Portfolio, p.13). The responsibilities of the BoT include the

identification and assessment of strategic aims and educational policies, the appointment,

appraisal and dismissal of the Dean, the approval of College policies and regulations, the

identification of admission requirements, tuition fees, academic programs, and the

recommendation of annual revenue and expenditure estimates (Portfolio, p.13). The BoT

Chairman is chosen by the College Council (see Section 1.3). The EC is a sub-committee of the

BoT which consists of selected BoD members and monitors the College’s financial and academic

performance; selects key executives; reviews and recommends the budget; monitors income and

expenditures against the budget; and reviews staff appeals (Portfolio, p.13). The EC is chaired by

a Managing Director, selected by the BoD to support its work.

The Bylaws of the College consist of a number of separate documents, and are supplemented

with “Revisions and Continuous Upgrades to Policies and Bylaws”. The Panel noted that the

practice of changing and adding Bylaws does not conform to the Bylaws’ own stipulations on

how they can be changed. This may be one of the causes for what the Panel found to be a lack of

clarity concerning the overall governance of the College. Furthermore, the Panel identified a

number of overlaps in the duties between governing bodies as both the BoD and the BoT have

responsibilities to appoint or dismiss the Dean, or to approve College policies and regulations.

The Panel also noticed variations across a number of documents, both in the definition of

responsibilities of entities and in the terminology used that may have an impact on the College’s

goal achievement. This is an area the College is urged to review.

In its review of the current governance and management structures, the Panel was concerned

about the governing bodies’ ability to fulfill their responsibilities. The College highlights the

importance of communication through meetings and their minutes (Portfolio, p.13), and the



Bylaws stipulate that the BoD should meet at least four times per year. The supporting evidence

and the Panel’s observations suggest infrequent and unstructured communication, mainly reliant

on personal ad hoc communication between the Dean and the Managing Director, who then

communicates with individual members of the BoD and BoT. The Panel heard that the EC had

not met in two years. Furthermore, the Panel was informed of changes in both the BoD and BoT

composition resulting in significant vacancies on these governing boards, particularly on the BoT.

Because of these changes, the Panel has concerns that the core governing bodies of the College

may be impaired in their ability to provide effective direction and support at the strategic level.

The College is urged to review the structure, performance and relationships between its

governing bodies to ensure their effectiveness.

Recommendation 2


College review its governance structure in order to ensure its effectiveness

and fill the vacant positions on the Board of Trustees as a matter of priority.

1.3 Management

The College states that the Dean has a core function (Portfolio, p.14). He is accountable to the EC

and the BoD, and he is responsible for the overall day-to-day management of the College

(Portfolio, p.14). The Dean receives support from the College Council (CC), consisting of the

Dean, the Assistant Dean, and the Heads of Department (HoDs) for both academic and non-

academic departments, and the Academic Council (AC), which consists of the Dean, the

Assistant Dean, and the HoDs of the academic departments and the QA Officer (Portfolio, p.17).

The CC, meets once per week, manages day-to-day operations together with the AC (Portfolio,

p.7), and it is tasked with monitoring the implementation of operational plans of departments

(Portfolio, p. 20). The Assistant Dean who also serves as the HoD for the English Department,

according to the Portfolio (p.17), has the function of a Deputy Dean (i.e. to fulfill the Dean’s

function in his absence). The HoDs manage their own departments based on the College’s

policies and regulations, to some extent in consultation with departmental members during

department meetings. Furthermore, the College has established a number of committees including

the Examination Committee, the Academic Advising Committee, the Textbook and References

Committee, the Purchase Committee, the Disciplinary Committee, the Quality Assurance

Committee, the Curriculum Development Committee, and the Health and Safety Committee,

amongst others. The College states that staff and senior management are monitored and assessed

systematically (Portfolio, pp.17-18).

The Panel acknowledges that the College has set up an organizational structure in which it can

deploy all necessary management activities. At the same time, the Panel noted that the large

number of committees is disproportionate to the number of staff and has a significant impact on

their workload. For instance, by virtue of his position, the Assistant Dean is a member of at least

eight committees in addition to his function on the CC and AC.

In relation to the management structure, the Panel noted in interviews with staff members that

there was a lack of clarity concerning staff members’ roles and responsibilities with many staff

members holding multiple roles within the organization, resulting in significant workloads. This

further raises questions about the management of different roles and responsibilities to ensure that

they are being executed effectively. The Panel found little evidence of a systematic assessment of

the performance of individual staff members or a mechanism to evaluate the effectiveness of the

management structure thus impeding the College’s ability to monitor and improve management

processes. This is an area that needs to be addressed.



Recommendation 3


College review its management structure and ensure that roles and

responsibilities are clarified.

The Panel received positive feedback about the responsiveness of the Dean in regard to staff

requests and staff members often approach the Dean directly. However, the Panel has concerns in

relation to the Dean’s centrality in many operational aspects of the College’s management. While

convenient for students and employees, the Panel is of the opinion that the level of his personal

involvement is not in line with good management practices. An approach to the Dean’s

delegation of authority needs to be developed and implemented.

1.4 Institutional Affiliations for Programs and Quality Assurance

The College is affiliated with PUC, USA. The relationship is governed by an International

Affiliation Agreement that was first signed in 2005, renewed as an Academic Consultation

Agreement in 2010, and supplemented by an Articulation Agreement in 2011. In the preamble to

the 2010 Agreement, PUC commits to enhance its contributions to the College’s growth and

academic quality. In detail, this agreement outlines PUC’s responsibilities including biannual site

visits, five-year program review visits, sharing of course materials (course descriptions, course

syllabi, sample examinations), criteria for faculty hiring, review of BC materials including

student examinations and the signing of awards. The Panel reviewed the 2010 and 2011 annual

site visit reports. There was no 2012 report available at the time of the visit. While the College

states that it takes the annual reports seriously and it forwards them to the Ministry of Higher

Education (MoHE) (Portfolio, p.18), the Panel did not find any evidence to indicate that the

College responds to the issues raised in the site visit reports as part of a continuous improvement

process.(see Recommendation 9). Although the affiliation agreement indicates that there will be

interaction between the libraries at BC and PUC, there was no evidence in support of this (see

Section 6.3).

The Panel acknowledges the nature of the affiliation with PUC and the existence of a valid

agreement and annual site visit reports. However, the Panel observed that there is no shared

understanding between PUC and the College on some key details of the agreement, both in terms

of the type and the depth of the affiliates’ responsibilities. For instance, the 2010 Agreement does

not clarify how communication between the two institutions is structured operationally, such as

between BC and PUC staff members for the purpose of delivering courses and quality assurance

processes. Furthermore, after the review of information from PUC and the College, the Panel

concluded that both institutions are unclear of PUC’s role in the localization and

contextualization of courses and programs. The Panel was unable to find evidence to show that

PUC is monitoring entry standards of BC students, moderating exams, or monitoring learning

outcomes. BC awards state that the degree is conferred “according to the Curriculum established

under the guidance and recognition of Department of Communication and Creative Arts Purdue

University Calumet”. The degree certificate issued to students is signed by a representative of

PUC, who could be the Head of the relevant department, the Dean of the School, or the Vice

Chancellor of PUC. The Panel noted that there was a lack of clarity amongst internal and external

stakeholders as to who awards the qualifications and some interviewees understood that the

award was equivalent to PUC’s own undergraduate degree. PUC’s position was that the

statement on the award simply acknowledges the affiliation between the two institutions, and that

the degree is a guarantee of completion, but not necessarily of equivalency. This needs to be

clarified for all stakeholders.

The College is urged to review its affiliation agreement with PUC in order to ensure that both

institutions have a shared understanding of their responsibilities and that these are implemented



and reviewed on a regular basis. This will need to include clarity on who is responsible for

assuring academic standards and how this is managed.

Recommendation 4


College, in conjunction with its affiliate Purdue University Calumet, review

the affiliation agreement to include clear performance expectations and

mutual obligations and clarify where the responsibility for assuring

academic standards lies.

1.5 Strategic Plan

The College states that its 2011-2015 Strategic Plan was developed by a committee and approved

by the BoT in 2010. It is based on the College’s Vision, Mission and Values. The College states

that the Strategic Plan was emailed to all faculty members and HoDs of non-academic

departments (Portfolio, p.19). BC also states that all departments are responsible for monitoring

their own progress in line with the Strategic Plan. Overall monitoring is the responsibility of the

CC, under the QA Officer, who is expected to regularly submit reports on the progress in meeting

the targets of the Strategic Plan (Portfolio, p.19). The College also has a Quality Monitoring Plan,

which consists of a list of monitoring activities designed to record and review performance (see

also Section 1.10) but this does not align with the Strategic Plan.

The Panel found the Strategic Plan to be comprehensive although some of the targets are

expressed in qualitative terms and are vague. The College is encouraged to additionally refine

these targets. Despite the BoT having the mandate to develop the Strategic Plan, the Panel heard

that the responsibility for strategic planning lies primarily with the Dean. The Panel was informed

that the College management was satisfied with strategic goal achievement, although there is no

evidence of the continuous and systematic monitoring of the Strategic Plan. For instance, while

the College states that most actions of the Strategic Plan Area no. 1 have been completed

(Portfolio, p.19), the Panel found no evidence of this. The Panel considers that better

communication of the Strategic Plan is necessary to ensure the full support of staff members in

the achievement of its goals. This may be achieved through effective operational planning (see

Section 1.6).

1.6 Operational Planning

Objective 5.1 of the Strategic Plan states that the College aims to “develop a culture of planning

and evaluation”. In detail, it stipulates the creation of action plans, the development of

benchmarking indicators, and faculty and staff evaluations. The College states that all

departments are required to write their Operational Plans in alignment with the Strategic Plan

(Portfolio, p.20). The Panel reviewed a number of department Operational Plans and found that

while some plans align with the Strategic Plan and outline measurable objectives, the plans for

other departments show no apparent links with the Strategic Plan and are less comprehensive.

Other than those stated in the Portfolio (p.20), there are no clearly defined and consistently

monitored key performance indicators (KPIs) for any of the operational goals, and the timelines

and resources needed for the various plans are only very broadly defined.

The Quality Monitoring Plan outlines certain documentation and reporting activities, but it is

unclear how they relate to, or bridge between, strategic and operational planning. The Panel noted

that the awareness of the value of operational planning in general and the level of depth in

particular need to be improved. Of particular concern to the Panel was the fact that several of the

non-academic departments, including Marketing, Human Resources, Learning Resources, and the

Career Guidance Centre had no formal Operational Plans. As a result there is no systematic



monitoring of operational objectives or KPIs. The Panel considers this lack of comprehensive

operational planning to be a barrier to the College reaching its strategic objectives.

Recommendation 5


College ensure effective implementation of its Strategic Plan through

comprehensive operational planning in all departments, and monitor the

achievement of strategic and operational objectives against key performance

indicators.

1.7 Financial Management

The College depends entirely on tuition fee revenue for its operational budget. Achieving

financial stability is, therefore, an important goal for the College in its Strategic Plan. The

Strategic Plan calls for training of HoDs in financial matters, the establishment of departmental

budgets, and the exploration of new funding opportunities. As indicated in the Portfolio (p. 20),

the finances of the College are managed by the Financial Department, which reports to the Dean

who must also approve all spending requests. The review and approval of the annual budget is the

responsibility of the BoD while the EC monitors financial performance and tracks income and

expenditures against the budget. However, as the EC has not met in two years (see Section 1.2),

the Panel found no evidence to show that the financial performance is monitored by this body.

The College states that the income from tuition fees does not meet budget expectations (Portfolio,

p.20) although during the audit visit, the Panel was informed that the level of student enrollment

was satisfactory. Notwithstanding the College’s satisfaction with enrollment goal achievement,

the Panel was concerned to learn that the Marketing Department of the College did not have clear

enrollment targets to support financial planning at the College. The Panel also received

conflicting information as to the availability of funds to make purchases including information

technology and learning resources such as textbooks. While some staff members claimed that

they have all necessary resources, others mentioned lack of adequate resources.

The Panel also did not receive any clear evidence that the College’s finances are adequately

monitored. For instance, the College states that weekly and monthly statements are prepared for

risk management purposes (Portfolio, p.20), but this was not supported by documentation

submitted to the Panel. The Panel concluded that the College must engage in longer term

planning and more frequent and detailed short-term reporting in order to mitigate financial risks

and ensure that adequate resources are provided in order to support the College’s strategic

objectives.

Recommendation 6


College develop and implement an effective and transparent system of

financial planning, budgeting and management.

1.8 Risk Management

The College has adopted a formal Risk Management Policy that identifies the CC and the HoDs

as bearing the responsibility for the College’s risk management. The College also states that it has

taken out insurance for the mitigation of “almost all” physical risks (Portfolio, p.21). Despite the

College’s statement that the maintenance of a risk-free environment is a top priority (Portfolio,

p.22), the Panel found little evidence for the implementation of BC’s Risk Management Policy.

For instance, the policy requires the College to have a system of risk management controls that

include the identification and monitoring of key risk indicators and an annual review of the risk

management system, neither of which were available. Furthermore, the Panel had concerns about



how the results of existing internal and external reports are used so that proper management of

the College’s risks is assured. Based on the Panel’s observation, several areas are of particular

concern as potential risks including campus facilities (see Recommendation 27); the addition of

new programs; vacancies in the governance structure (see Recommendation 2); marketing and

student recruitment targets (see Recommendation 28); finance (see Recommendation 6); Human

Resources (see Recommendation 23); IT; and admissions and registration. The College reported

“instability due to financial difficulties and vagueness of recruitment policy” as weaknesses in its

SWOT in the Strategic Plan and in regard to exploring new sources of funding has set this as a

strategic goal.

Recommendation 7


College implement its risk management policy to ensure that potential risks

are identified, managed and monitored effectively.

1.9 Policy Management

The College states that it has various materials, including student handbooks in Arabic and

English and staff handbooks, which include all policies and related processes at the College and

that these are provided to new students and employees (Portfolio, p.22). Furthermore, the College

states that its policies are based on the principles of transparency, fairness, partnership, and

agreement with national policies and regulations, and that it continuously upgrades its policies

(Portfolio, p.22).

The Panel acknowledges the large number of existing policies the College has in place. Many

policies have only been formally included in the College’s governing documents in the second

half of 2012 and consequently, staff awareness of certain policies is still low with little evidence

of their complete implementation. For instance, although there is a Performance Evaluation Form,

employees are generally not aware of how their performance is evaluated. Furthermore, there is

little evidence of the consistent application of a systematic process for reviewing and changing

policies. The Panel found a low level of ownership of College policies, possibly because they

were written by an external consultant. The Panel feels that the College would benefit from a

thorough review of its policy development and management system, followed by an adaptation of

relevant practices, where necessary, which are clearly communicated to the College community.

Recommendation 8


College ensure widespread communication, consistent application as well as

systematic and regular review of its policies and policy management system.

1.10 Entity and Activity Review Systems

Objective 5.1 of the Strategic Plan states that the College aims to “develop a culture of planning

and evaluation” and to “enhance a continuous evaluation culture”. The College also states that

committees and departments are empowered to review, monitor, and propose changes to policies

or the curriculum (Portfolio, p.22). It further states that data reviews are based on the Strategic

Plan and department Operational Plans. The Panel acknowledges that a number of important

elements of a review system exist, including the Affiliation Agreement with PUC; the Curriculum

Development Committee; the Quality Monitoring Plan and a Quality Officer function; an

Employer Satisfaction Form; a Student Satisfaction Survey; and Annual Department Reports, as

well as regular – required and voluntary – reports to the MoHE.

In its review of the College activities in this area, the Panel found that many of the elements of

the review system had only been implemented recently or inconsistently, with the relevant



stakeholders indicating that they had not been involved in the development of the stated

processes. The Panel also noted a lack of systematic integration of these elements into the

practices at the College. For instance, the Quality Monitoring Plan only outlines the times at

which certain data are collected, but does not always outline the process of analyzing, interpreting

and using these elements in improving practices. Most importantly, the potential for high quality

reviews stated in the Affiliation Agreement with PUC is only realized in a rudimentary manner.

As outlined in Section 1.4 above, there is no comprehensive or detailed understanding between

the College and PUC about their respective roles and responsibilities with regard to the provision

of different types and formats of data and other information, or about how site reports are utilized

and follow-up activities are monitored.

Although there are ad hoc initiatives carried out at BC to review specific activities, the Panel

concluded that the College has not yet developed a quality culture in which review activities are

carefully planned, implemented, results are obtained and analyzed, and, most importantly,

improvements are systematically identified and integrated. BC has identified the lack of staff as

an impediment to an effective review system (Portfolio, p.23), but no concrete actions have been

taken to address this gap.

Recommendation 9


College ensure that its activity and entity review cycles are fully

implemented, such as taking action in response to issues raised in affiliate

reports, in order to support continuous quality improvement.

1.11 Student Grievance Process

The College claims that it considers student complaints as an element in confidence-building and

in students’ participation in the life of the College (Portfolio, p.23). It has implemented a formal

Student Grievance Process for academic or non-academic student complaints and, in addition,

provides suggestion boxes. In its review of this area, the Panel learned that students frequently

bypass the formal grievance process by approaching the Dean, Assistant Dean or HoDs directly,

which suggests that the College’s formal approach is not being implemented. The College itself

recognizes this (Portfolio, p.23) but nothing has been done to address it yet.

Recommendation 10


College ensure that its formal approach to the student grievance process is

fully implemented, communicated to all stakeholders and its effectiveness

reviewed.

1.12 Health and Safety

The College states that it has formed a College Safety and Security Committee and that it carries

out a number of health and safety-related activities (Portfolio, p.23). The Panel was pleased to

note that the Committee was formally instituted in 2012. The College is now encouraged to

develop this initiative further in order to ensure that a consistent approach to addressing the area

of health and safety is implemented.

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

The College states that it neither owns nor controls any company or entity (Portfolio, p.24).



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

Bayan College (BC) offers five Diploma and Bachelor programs housed in two departments,

namely Media Studies (Journalism, Broadcasting and Public Relations) and English Studies

(English Literature and English Professional Writing). There are plans to introduce a degree in

Translation, but this has not yet been implemented. BC’s programs are developed in affiliation

with Purdue University Calumet (PUC) (Portfolio, p.5).

This Chapter considers key areas in relation to student learning by coursework, including

graduate attributes; curriculum; student entry standards; the foundation program; teaching

quality; plagiarism; student placements; assessment methods and moderation; academic security

and invigilation; student retention and progression; and graduate employability.

2.1 Graduate Attributes and Student Learning Objectives

The College has identified graduate attributes, under the categories of generic and discipline-

specific attributes (the latter are also referred to as “graduate professional attributes”) (Portfolio,

p.25). Objective 1.3 in the College’s Strategic Plan is to ensure that these graduate attributes are

linked to the labour market. Some examples of generic attributes are given in the Portfolio, as

well as lists of discipline-specific attributes for each academic department (p.25). The latter are

quite specific in nature and resemble course or program objectives rather than graduate attributes.

While the College states that teachers have been asked to align their plans to the graduate

attributes (Portfolio, p.11), during the audit visit the Panel found that academic staff were unclear

as to what the graduate attributes were. The course outlines considered by the Panel indicated

course objectives but made no mention of graduate attributes. The College described the

mechanisms for assessing student achievement of graduate attributes, including course grades,

rubrics, coursework and surveys (Portfolio, p.25). Sample data are quoted from course

evaluations and the graduate satisfaction survey (Portfolio, pp.25-26). However, the learning

outcomes referred to in these data are not well- aligned with the graduate attributes. Taking these

factors into account and based on views heard during the audit visit, the Panel established that

assessment is focused on course objectives rather than on broader graduate attributes. The Panel

concluded that the graduate attributes at BC have not yet been clearly defined or communicated

to academic staff and are not clearly considered as part of the assessment process.

Recommendation 11


College review and refine its graduate attributes, and ensure that they are

understood by staff and students; integrated into the curriculum and the

achievement of them is assessed.

2.2 Curriculum

According to the College, its curriculum is based upon the curriculum of its affiliate, PUC, with

modifications approved by PUC “to suit local conditions” (Portfolio, p.26). BC further states that

courses are reviewed at College, department and committee levels using feedback from course

appraisals by teachers and from student surveys (Portfolio, p.27). The Strategic Plan includes

objectives of ensuring that curricula prepare students for the labour market and that all

courses/programs are competency-based.

BC has implemented a system for maintaining ‘Course Files’, to keep syllabi and materials, and

‘Semester Files’ which also include appraisals and modifications by teachers. The Panel was

informed that these files provide information that can be stored about the courses that have been



taught, which is especially important bearing in mind BC’s high turnover of staff (see

Recommendation 23). Evidence considered by the Panel indicated that instructors were

maintaining the system of Course and Semester Files. The files are reviewed by the Head of

Department and made available to all teaching staff. The Panel recognises the development of the

Course File system as a positive development in the College as it provides a comprehensive

repository of course information and teaching materials.

The Panel encourages the College to maximize the benefits from the Course and Semester Files

in the future by, for example, using feedback from instructors to inform course development and

improve teaching quality.

BC states that it has made some efforts to modify its curriculum to the Omani context (Portfolio

p.26). This has included cultural localization (for example with the provision of the course

History and Society of Oman and reviewing the content of courses for culturally inappropriate

topics) and linguistic localization (for example the Arabic Language course requirement, and

input on Arabic scriptwriting in one semester). BC has also made efforts to provide locally

relevant professional topics such as Audio Production. Nevertheless, the Panel saw no evidence

of efforts to evaluate or review these changes, or to gather data to inform further improvement in

this area. The Panel urges the College to adopt a systematic approach to the process for

contextualizing the curriculum from PUC and ensure that learning objectives are locally relevant.

Recommendation 12


College develop and implement a consistent approach to the

contextualization and localization of its curriculum as well as a mechanism

to evaluate the effectiveness of its approach.

The College has a Curriculum Development Committee, whose tasks include “discussion/

analysis of all surveys conducted by the College” and “using data from college surveys to

improve existing courses” (Portfolio, p.27). The College presented data gathered from a student

survey just before the formation of this Committee, which indicated that less than half of students

were satisfied that “the content of the courses in my major is valuable” or that “instructors help to

set goals toward my career” (Portfolio, p.28). The Panel saw evidence of such survey results

being made available to academic departments and urges the College to make use of the findings

to inform decisions by the departments and the Curriculum Development Committee.

During the audit visit, the Panel heard that students had been affected by changes in course

availability due to low staff retention (see Recommendation 23) as well as by changes in study

plans for majors. As a result, some students had taken a number of electives but not been able to

fulfill the requirements for their program. Also relevant to the area of course review and

development is feedback from employers; the Panel saw limited evidence of this feedback being

gathered in a systematic way. Partially completed employer feedback forms about graduates

were submitted to the Panel for consideration, but the Panel found no evidence of completion of

the survey by the employers interviewed or action based on review of this data.

Decisions to change majors offered at the College were mentioned in evidence of BC discussions

with PUC in 2010 and in other documentation (including a comparison of existing and projected

majors). However, the Panel found no evidence of these changes being based upon feedback

from students, employers or other stakeholders. Overall, although some actions have been made

to collect data about the extent to which College curricula are reaching their goals, this has not to

date been conducted consistently or systematically, and the College has not yet engaged with the

data collected in a way likely to achieve its objectives of improving the long-term quality of the

curricula.



Recommendation 13


College develop and implement a formal, clear and consistent process for

the regular review and revision of the curricula across all its academic

programs which incorporates feedback from its academic affiliate, Purdue

University Calumet, as well as from students, employers and other relevant

stakeholders, in order to ensure that the curriculum remains current, and

relevant to the labour market and is delivered consistently.

2.3 Student Entry Standards

Entry requirements to the College include achievement of the Oman General Education Diploma.

The College uses an Open Source placement test as the basis for placing students into levels of

the Foundation Program or directly into their major (Portfolio, p.28). Entry requirements are

communicated to students with College publicity materials, and applied strictly to entrants. A

system for credit transfer is in place. During the audit visit, the Panel found that students and

staff were familiar with the entry requirements.

The Panel notes a discrepancy between the English entry requirements in the College’s agreement

with PUC (550 TOEFL or 6.5 IELTS) and the entry requirements in the Student Handbook (500

TOEFL or 5 IELTS); during the audit visit, the Panel found that this discrepancy was highlighted

by concerned parties, and considers that this should be addressed in collaboration with PUC.

Furthermore, while the College states that the placement test is “adequate and […] reliable”

(Portfolio (p.29), the Panel could not find evidence to show how the effectiveness of the

placement test is evaluated. The Panel advises BC to review its placement test and ensure that

entry standards as per the agreement with PUC are being applied.

Recommendation 14


College review its current entry standards to ensure that they align with

level stipulated in the affiliation agreement with Purdue University Calumet.

2.4 Foundation Program

The College’s Foundation Program comprises three levels: beginner, low intermediate and high

intermediate. Each level may be completed in one 16 week semester or in an 8-week intensive

summer program (Portfolio, p.5). The College states that the Foundation curriculum is aligned

with the Oman Academic Standards for General Foundation Programs, and includes grammar,

writing, listening and oral skills, as well as IT, Math and Study Skills (Portfolio, p.28). The Panel

considered documentation to show that Foundation students’ progress is monitored with the

intention of comparing successive cohorts.

The Panel was informed that the standard of English competence was improving but students still

need to develop their skills in their major. For entry into the major programs, the College is

encouraged to consider supplementing the grammar and sentence-reading based placement test

with a proficiency test of skills to make it more comparable to the IELTS or TOEFL, as well as

ensuring its alignment with Oman’s Academic Standards for General Foundation Programs.

Among other advantages, this would enable the College to review the entry standards for its

majors in line with those required by affiliate institution, PUC. This issue has been raised by PUC

in their visit reports (see Recommendation 14).



2.5 Teaching Quality

The College states that it selects teaching staff according to academic qualifications and

experience as outlined in its recruitment policy (Portfolio, p.29). The College aims to encourage

teaching practices such as active learning and prompt feedback, and to support new teaching staff

through orientation and mentoring during their three-month probationary period. Lesson

observation has been introduced on a regular basis (Portfolio, p.30), with the target of a formal

observation of each teacher by the Head of Department (HoD) and a teaching colleague once per

semester. Student evaluation surveys include feedback on the quality of teaching; the College

also hopes to deal effectively with specific student grievances (Portfolio, p.30). The Panel was

informed that teachers sometimes attend external events related to teaching development.

The Panel was informed that some teachers are promoting active learning and class participation

by students, as well as discussion and critical thinking. Lesson and course plans provided in

semester files indicated that learning objectives are referred to in the planning process

A peer observation system has been instituted in the College, including a regular observation of

each teaching staff member by their HoD with a teaching colleague. An appropriate feedback

form is used for this purpose, and both affirmative and critical comments are provided on various

areas of teaching. The Panel encourages the College to maximize the benefits from this system in

the future by ensuring that comments are provided for each section of the lesson observation

report and linking this to a performance monitoring system (see Recommendation 25). The

College may wish to consider the possibility of separating developmental peer observation of, or

by a teaching colleague (for example during the probation period) from the observation by the

HoD which is considered a performance evaluation (Portfolio, p.29).

Data already gathered in student evaluations of courses is also potentially useful for stimulating

and guiding improvements in teaching; although the College has not yet engaged with this data

by following up on student feedback to check that improvements in teaching occur. The College

has a problem with retention of suitably qualified and experienced staff (see Recommendation

23), which may have an unfavorable impact on teaching quality.

2.6 Plagiarism

The College has policies on plagiarism for students and staff, which are summarized in the

relevant handbooks. Students receive input on this as part of the Foundation Study Skills

program, and are encouraged to refer to the work of others with proper acknowledgement.

Relevant information is included in course outlines, combining information about plagiarism with

information about citing sources to help avoid plagiarism (Portfolio, p.31). Penalties for

plagiarism and repeated plagiarism are specified, with a five-step process for escalating such

cases.

During the audit visit, the Panel found that faculty and students were reasonably informed about

the nature of plagiarism, and that faculty felt capable of detecting and dealing with cases of

plagiarism. The Panel also noted that the College keeps copies of plagiarized work for future

reference. The procedure for responding to plagiarism has been implemented in particular cases,

although escalation of any case through all five steps had not been required by the time of the

audit.

The College states that it has assigned a teacher to develop a college-wide approach for

referencing, presented in a booklet (Portfolio, p.32). The College is encouraged to review whether

plagiarism is being detected and penalized according to its policies; this could be aided by using

online submission tools which detect possible plagiarism (such as Turnitin or SafeAssign).



2.7 Student Placements

BC claims that it emphasizes the importance of practical experience and skills for graduates, and

the link between these and employability (Portfolio, p.32). BC also highlights learning outcomes

and existing courses of relevance to this area (Portfolio, p.34). The College’s Internship and

Training Policy (ITP) lays out the requirements and responsibilities involved in internships, as

well as the potential benefits of the internship. Extracurricular activities, as well as courses with

practical potential such as Interpersonal Skills and Script Writing, are also highlighted as

contributing to the practical element of the curriculum (Portfolio, p.34). The potential benefits of

these activities include students applying practical skills in a realistic context, and becoming

familiar with aspects of their future career (see Section 2.11).

The Panel was informed that students who take internships benefit from this experience, and the

College has a system to gather feedback from both employer and student on the internship

process. The Panel found that these internship opportunities are not at present realized for a

significant number of students. Internships are limited in number and restricted to students with a

GPA of 2.7 or higher. According to the College (Portfolio, p.43), around 25% of graduates (year

unspecified) have taken an internship, even though the ITP states that “an internship is an integral

part of a student's total program of study”. During the audit visit, the Panel was informed that

the practical elements of courses are often de-emphasized, because of a combination of factors

including the teaching approaches adopted (focusing on theory rather than practice), a shortage of

suitably skilled staff (to teach courses such as Audio Production or to handle equipment such as

cameras) and a lack of equipment.

The College is encouraged to review, evaluate and develop the practical element in its

curriculum, including supporting students more effectively in contacting employers for

internships (at present the ITP states that this responsibility is the student) and by providing more

systematic training and debriefing. The Career Guidance Centre may be an avenue to provide this

training in the future, and the College’s location in Muscat, near key media employers, may be

leveraged to facilitate wider availability of placements and internships.

Recommendation 15


College maximize placement opportunities for students to gain practical

training experience and improve students’ learning experience.

2.8 Assessment Methods, Standards and Moderation

The College states that it uses a range of assessment methods including written assignments,

group presentations, class participation, attendance, homework and exams (Portfolio, p.34). BC

aims to moderate all assessment, based on its moderation policy. This policy sets out the

College’s expectations that assessments will be learning outcome based, valid and reliable. The

policy includes procedures and specifications for pre-exam moderation of content and format, as

well as measures such as double marking to support reliability in certain circumstances (Portfolio,

p.35). Post-exam moderation is outlined, involving review of overall grade patterns as well as of

sample individual papers (Portfolio, p.35).

The Panel considered evidence of pre-exam moderation in terms of validity and fairness of the

exam questions. However, there was no evidence of systematic moderation during or post-

assessment for non-exam assessment elements; and evidence of post-assessment moderation in

general was lacking. In order to monitor and maintain the standard of academic work and to

“know that students have learned what we teach them” (Portfolio, p.34), the College is urged to

ensure that the assessment tasks are of a consistent and appropriate level, and review the level of

students’ responses to these tasks. The College’s existing moderation policy could be more

systematically implemented in terms of second marking and providing evidence of moderation in



course files. In addition, the College is encouraged to consider monitoring the trends in student

performance over different semesters, and benchmarking this work against external standards, for

example involving expertise from the College’s affiliate, PUC, or other external input.

Recommendation 16


College ensure that its moderation policy is implemented and that there are

mechanisms in place to assure academic standards, such as through external

review from its affiliate.

2.9 Academic Security and Invigilation

The College aims for a clear well-conducted final exam process, with instructions circulated to

staff and students; and exams prepared in good time and kept securely at all times (Portfolio,

p.36). Invigilation procedures are included in exam instructions and are kept as secure as

possible, including checking of students’ identity and a process for recording incidents. During

the audit visit, the Panel found that staff members were well-informed of security and invigilation

procedures. The College is encouraged to monitor the implementation of its policy of employing

students on campus in order to ensure that it does not compromise the security of academic

information such as student records or exams.

2.10 Student Retention and Progression

The College emphasizes the importance of student retention and progression in relation to its

Mission, Vision and Strategic Plan (Portfolio, p.37), and aims in its Strategic Plan to improve

retention of students. Students with a GPA of less than 2.0 are placed on probation, and academic

advisors aim to inform and facilitate students’ academic decisions and progress. The number of

students on probation has decreased over the last two years, and the College has recently

proposed a Success Program for at-risk students, comprising special tutoring and study skills

training in addition to an active advisor role (see Section 6.5).

2.11 Graduate Destinations and Employability

The College expresses its commitment to preparing students for the labour market (Portfolio,

p.38). Teachers are advised to run extracurricular activities to promote this aim, and the newly

established Careers Guidance Centre and Alumni Association are intended to facilitate it. The

College is also trying to develop relationships with employers to facilitate placement of students

and graduates. The Panel considered evidence that indicated that approximately 40% of BC’s

graduates are now in employment. The College is urged to develop and implement a formal

mechanism to seek feedback from employers on the performance of its graduates (see Section

5.2).

During the audit visit, the Panel found that some existing relationships between the College and

employers have the potential for enhancing the employability of graduates. Despite this, there is

no system in place for exploiting this potential and the Panel found that the onus is on students to

approach employers directly for employment opportunities. The development of the practical

elements of the College curriculum (see Recommendation 13) may contribute to the

employability of future graduates. The College is encouraged to formalise its relationships with

employers (see Recommendation 22).



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

At the time of the quality audit, Bayan College did not offer any research programs per se so this

section is not addressed in this Report.



4 STAFF RESEARCH A�D CO�SULTA�CY

Bayan College, though not required by OAAA’s Requirements of Oman’s System of Quality

Assurance (ROSQA) to carry out research activity, recognizes the connection between research

and teaching as well as academic excellence. The College's Strategic Plan, under Strategic Goal 2

(Work for academic excellence), Objective 2.3 states "develop research and consultancy

activities”, and under this objective, Strategy 2.3.1 calls upon the College to "encourage research

in fields related to college interests”.

The BC Annual Report for 2010-2011 states:

As it is believed that research and teaching are strongly woven to produce high

quality programs, the college is focusing attention on the area of research and

consultancy. Research usually strengthens the programs, provides resources to

support students, and improves the effectiveness of teaching. (Annual Report,

p.3)

Despite BC’s claims in its Annual Report, the Panel found no evidence of widespread research

activity or research production at the College. The Panel noted that the faculty members have a

teaching load of 18 to 23 teaching hours per week while also being responsible for many other

activities, including membership of multiple committees, in addition to their daily preparation for

classes (Portfolio, p.63). Therefore, the amount of time that could be devoted to research and

scholarly activities is minimal. Only a couple of faculty members engage in research based on

their own personal initiative. The Panel heard about plans to host an international conference on

digital media and society, but these did not materialize due to funding restrictions.

The fact that the College's ties with other higher education institutions and professional bodies are

limited further jeopardizes opportunities for collaborative research with external academics. The

inadequacy of the Library which does not carry journals that could support research and is under-

stocked in terms of books and references, is an additional impediment to the achievement of

Objective 2.3 in the Strategic Plan. Since the College has explicitly stated a research objective in

its Strategic Plan, the Panel urges the College to develop related initiatives and policies to achieve

this objective and promote research activities by staff which can be used to support teaching and

learning.

Recommendation 17


College review its strategic approach to developing its research profile either

through reconsidering the appropriateness of having a research objective at

this stage in the College’s development or through the development and

implementation of related plans and policies to support the achievement of

this objective.



5 I�DUSTRY A�D COMMU�ITY E�GAGEME�T

The importance placed on industry and community engagement at Bayan College (BC) emanates

from its Vision to "cultivate students who are renowned for their ability to think, achieve and

excel, thereby contribute [sic] to the development of human resources in the region" (Portfolio,

p.40).

This Chapter reports on the Panel’s findings in relation to BC’s planning and management of its

engagement with industry and the community; and comments specifically on the College’s

relationships with industry and employers, the professions, other education providers, alumni and

the community at large.

5.1 Industry and Community Engagement Planning & Management

Strategic Goal 3 of the College's Strategic Plan calls for strengthening of partnerships with the

community. BC states that the College Council (CC) and all College departments and units are

engaged in planning and managing this very important activity (Portfolio, p.40). It adds that the

CC suggests plans "to develop partnerships with public and private sectors, develop student

career skills, develop communication with outside stakeholders and higher education provider

[sic]" (Portfolio, p.40), and that it is the responsibility of departments and units to translate the

plans into action. While the Panel concurs that it is important everyone in the College

understands the importance of taking part in industry and community outreach, it believes the

College’s efforts in this area need to be more systematically planned and coordinated. The Panel

found some evidence of community involvement, especially by Media Department staff

members, but the objectives for such activities were not clearly stated nor what has or has not

been achieved. The activities mainly involve inviting guest lecturers or reporters, going on field

trips and taking part in various community-based activities. Moreover, it is the teachers who are

asked to monitor events that take place in Muscat and to integrate these in their teaching plans at

the beginning of every semester. There is no overall plan for such activities. Inadequate planning

and coordination can limit the value and achievement of these activities.

There is also little evidence of how industry and community stakeholders are recognized in

appreciation for their services to the College. This is important to ensure continuity of their

collaboration with the College. Although there is evidence that some feedback is sought from

stakeholders on some of the training sessions provided by the College, there is little evidence that

this is done consistently and systematically. Hence, the College’s statement "feedback is regularly

collected from different stakeholders to assess how well our services are received" (Portfolio,

p.40) could not be verified. In addition, little evidence exists to show that industry and

community stakeholders play a role in informing or improving the curriculum (see Section 2.2).

The Career Guidance Centre and the Alumni Association are given the task of bridging the gap

between the College graduates and industry in general. While the Panel found that the two

entities have involved students and graduates in some events, workshops and activities, these are

limited. In addition, these activities, again, lack effective planning and coordination. The

Marketing and Public Relations Department, while involved in touring schools, ministries and

other agencies, does this without clear plans and objectives.

Recommendation 18


College develop and implement a strategy for effectively coordinating,

expanding and managing industry and community engagement, which

includes relevant key performance indicators to measure its success.



5.2 Relationships with Industry and Employers

BC states that it aims to identify the skills most required by the industry and employers and there

is a realization that the College's relationship with industry and employers needs to be developed

and enhanced to offer "real world experience" to students (Portfolio, p.40). This view is

supported by key external stakeholders and stated in the Strategic Plan as Objective 3.2 Develop

Communication with Outside Stakeholders. The College states that the Board of Trustees (BoT)

is carefully chosen to enhance this relationship (Portfolio, p.39); however, the Panel found no

evidence that this Board is functioning at the time of the audit (see Recommendation 2). Hence,

the role of the BoT in supporting the interface with industry, employers and the general public

was not evident during the audit.

The Panel noted the College's efforts in inviting speakers and trainers from the industry and its

participation in some exhibitions and fairs, but it was not evident to the Panel that these are well-

planned and coordinated efforts due to the absence of a body responsible for such activities. The

College's relationship with industry and employers remains limited and in need of expansion with

proactive, effective planning and coordination (see Recommendation 18).

While the College has developed an employer survey to seek feedback on its graduates, the Panel

noted that this survey had been primarily used to evaluate students who were placed in

internships. The Panel found no evidence of a mechanism in place to evaluate BC’s relationship

with employers or industry, despite the specialized nature of the courses offered at the College.

This is, once again, a reflection of the need for proactive and reflective system of continuous

quality improvement by ensuring that data and feedback are collected, analysed and used to make

enhancements at the College (see Recommendation 9), including the curriculum (see

Recommendation 11). The need to formalise relationships with employers is addressed in

Recommendation 22.

5.3 Relationships with Professions

While the College states that it understands the value of having a connection with professional

bodies (Portfolio, p.42), it currently does not have relationships with any of them. One of the

strategies in the Strategic Plan involves developing relations with higher education providers and

bodies. The Research and Studies Committee is given the task to establish these relationships, but

the Panel found no evidence that this committee has taken any steps in this matter. Considering

the media programs offered by BC, the Panel believes that relationships with professional bodies,

such as the Oman Journalists Association, are important and needs to be pursued.

5.4 Relationships with Other Education Providers

Bayan College's relationships with other education providers are quite limited. The College

mentions (Portfolio, p.42) relationships with Mazoon College (which had previously been based

on its holding 25% of the College's shares), Purdue University Calumet and AMIDEAST. The

College states that "[it] explores the possibilities for further coordination and collaboration with

other higher education providers within and outside the Sultanate" (Portfolio, p.43). There is no

evidence that there is a plan in place to pursue and manage relationships with higher education

providers inside or outside Oman.

5.5 Relationships with Alumni

BC realizes that its graduates "are the college's ambassadors to the society" (Portfolio, p.43) and

is keen to develop links with its alumni. Hence, it has established an Alumni Association which

aims to link the College with its graduates and to help them find employment. The Association

has taken initial steps to make contact with graduates and involve them in College events. There

is also an Alumni page on the BC website. While the Panel notes these activities, there is no

evidence that they are planned, coordinated or supported by relevant documents. The College



mentions a graduate survey (Portfolio, p.43) that is "regularly conducted to assess relations with

them and also to further develop services provided to these graduates". The Panel found no

evidence to support the claim of "regular" data collection from alumni. BC acknowledges that

alumni activities “have to be more organized and documented” (Portfolio, p.43) and the Panel

urges the College to take practical steps in this regard.

5.6 Relationships with the Community at Large

BC's 2010-2011 Annual Report states that "The College is seeking a better and more organized

form of community service through well-planned activities aimed at providing the community

with productive services" (Annual Report, p.3). One of the strengths that the College has

identified in its Strategic Plan SWOT analysis is “social responsibility and service to the

community”. While the Panel noted that the College invited a number of guest speakers from the

community to speak about such important topics as traffic safety and drug awareness, organized

blood donation campaigns, and offered a few training courses to the community, the opportunities

for engagement with the community at large on a broader scale are limited. In addition, the Panel

found no evidence that the services offered by the College to the community were planned and

managed systematically.

While the College mentions that it has "kept strong ties with several non-government

organisations (NGOs) like Omani Women Association" (Portfolio, p.43), Tawasal, Dar al-Atta

and Rakaz, there is no evidence that these ties serve any objectives related to the curriculum

offered or the broader objectives of engaging with the community. It was not clear to the Panel

what skills the students practice and how they benefited from their participation in the activities

organized by those NGOs. The College's plan to link graduation with community service

(Portfolio, p.44) has not yet been realized and the Panel encourages the College to pursue this

initiative as it develops plans in this area (see Recommendation 18).



6 ACADEMIC SUPPORT SERVICES

Academic support services are intended to provide “academic support, special advising and

related services to all students enrolled in the College” (Portfolio, p.45). These services are

provided at BC by a number of different departments and committees.

This Chapter reports on the Panel’s findings on BC’s academic support services overall and on

the following specific areas: planning and management of academic support services; the

registry; the Library; information and learning technology services; academic advising; student

learning support; and teaching resources.

6.1 Academic Support Services Planning & Management

Academic support services are provided by the Admission and Registration Department (ARD),

the Learning Resource Department (LRD), the Career Guidance Centre (CGC), the Student

Affairs Department (SAD) and Academic Advising Committee (AAC). According to the College,

“coordination and cooperation are constantly enhanced among departments and units involved in

the academic support services to achieve better consistency” (Portfolio, p.46).

The College’s 2011-2015 Strategic Plan includes an objective related to providing a student-

centred learning environment and associated strategies for achieving this, such as periodically

evaluating the quality of services provided to students and benchmarking these locally and

internationally in order to ensure that all services meet the needs of students. This objective is

reiterated in the College’s 2010-2011 Operational Plan. The Panel also reviewed the operational

plans for the Language Resources Centre (LRC) and the ARD, which restate the objective and

strategies from the Strategic Plan, but do not contain any specific information about the

achievement of these.

Although the College states that it “continuously upgrades and develops its academic services

provided to the students depending on the feedback from them” (Portfolio, p.46), the Panel did

not find evidence that this was being carried out using a planned, systematic approach. While a

survey has been used to collect satisfaction data, the data has not been used to review and

enhance the provision of academic support services or to systematically inform planning in this

area (see Recommendation 21). Action in this regard is by individual departments on a day-to-

day basis and largely reactive without co-ordination and collaboration. The results of this ad hoc

approach are evident in the levels of satisfaction heard by the Panel in interviews and reported by

the College (Portfolio, p.47). The Panel urges BC to adopt a coordinated, proactive and long

term planned approach to the provision of academic support services (see Recommendation 5).

6.2 Registry (Enrolment and Student Records)

The College reports that ARD works with faculty and other academic administrators on

developing, explaining and enforcing academic polices (Portfolio, p.47). ARD is responsible for

students’ records, enrollment and registration, progression data, student transcripts and

graduation. There is an online registration system, which is not currently available for academic

advising purposes (Portfolio, p.47). Academic advisors must approach ARD staff in order to

access students’ records.

Student satisfaction with ARD services is low (Portfolio, p.48), with only 30% of students

reporting that they are satisfied or very satisfied with the ease of registration processes. This

result is a reflection of the lack of coordinated planning in the provision of ARD services. Despite

claims that the ARD functions effectively (Portfolio, p.47), there was no evidence forthcoming to

substantiate this and the Panel found that the department carries out day-to-day operations in a



reactive manner. There was no support provided in the form of a comprehensive plan for

managing and monitoring goals and related processes, policies and activities. Furthermore, while

the Panel heard that student data is stored using password protected software and access is limited

to ARD staff.

The College states that it seeks to “improve [ARD] services through developing its registry

system” (Portfolio, p.48). To this end, the College signed an agreement with a software

development company to build a system that would “automate the College’s internal work of the

registration and financial department” (Portfolio, p.21 and p.47). This agreement includes a back-

up plan for securing admission and registration data. At the time of the audit visit, the system had

not been implemented and it was learned that the original agreement had been superseded by a

new one with a different company. However, the Panel is pleased to see concrete efforts being

taken to make improvements in this area.

Affirmation 1

The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees that Bayan College

needs improve its registry services and supports its effort to do this through

the development and deployment of an integrated student registration

system.

6.3 Library

According to the College (Portfolio, p.49), the Library has a policy covering its activities, and

caters to the needs of the students with a diverse collection of books. The Library Policy viewed

by the Panel consisted of the library rules and regulations. The PUC report from 2011 indicates

that the Library is “inadequate and requires urgent attention” and that “funds must be found for

major investment”. This view is also supported in a report by the Ministry of Higher Education

(MoHE) for the academic year 2011/2012 which states that the Library does not offer sufficient

books to students and that students rely on Wikipedia as a resource. The Panel also heard that

books for the Library are mainly sourced from book fairs and that students are expected to

recommend books for the Library to purchase. All acquisitions have to be approved by the Dean.

The LRC plan considered by the Panel did not contain specific goals, related strategies or KPIs to

develop the Library facilities. Furthermore, the agreement with PUC stipulates that the Library is

one of the areas in which PUC faculty and staff will offer their services to BC but this has not

been implemented. The Panel found no evidence of a connection or interaction between the BC

and PUC libraries.

During the audit visit, the Panel found the Library space to be small and not located in an easily

accessible area of the campus conducive to frequent use. The provision of books is very limited

and the Panel heard from students that it did not meet their needs and requirements. There is also

a lack of online journals and databases. None of the staff employed at the Library have formal

qualifications in Library Sciences, nor do they receive any professional development. BC states

in its Portfolio that “library services are always under development, responding to remarks from

students” (p.46). Indeed, the Panel confirmed that the satisfaction levels with the Library amongst

the students are low (Portfolio, p.73). There was no evidence of any improvements in response to

these low ratings and the College’s claim that the Library is “well managed” (Portfolio, p.49)

could not be verified by the Panel in the absence of a proper plan, and related policies and

procedures to support the development of the Library.

Recommendation 19


College improve and upgrade the Library provision as a matter of priority



to ensure that it meets the needs of the students, and staff and supports the

academic programs.

6.4 Information and Learning Technology Services

The College claims that the LRD “provides students and staff with all the necessary IT services

and resources that facilitates [sic] the teaching and learning process” (Portfolio, p.49). These

services are outlined by the Strategic Plan - Strategy 1.2.2 “Modern technology to facilitate

student learning” and supported by an LRD plan, which is limited in scope and content. The

Panel heard that staff members inform the IT staff about their software needs before classes begin

and the IT staff do their best to make these available.

There are three labs at the College and all staff members have access to a computer. During the

audit visit, the Panel found that the computer labs are often fully booked for classes, rendering

them almost inaccessible to students for general study purposes. Feedback on student satisfaction

data indicated that nearly a third of students considered "access to computer labs" to be poor

(Portfolio, p.73). Students expressed dissatisfaction with the speed of the network and internet

access, as well as the maintenance of computers and printers. Survey results presented by the

College indicated that nearly 40% of students found email and internet provision either poor or

very poor; nearly 40% of students found that access to IT facilities to be poor or very poor

(Portfolio, p.50). The College states that it has a “well-managed backup system of all records”

and a “five level back up plan” (Portfolio, p.50). The Panel did not find evidence of such a plan.

Back-ups are stored on a portable hard disk and on two PCs. The Panel is concerned by the lack

of a robust back-up plan and system at the College, including off-site storage. Despite claims that

“computer services was [...] being developed” (Portfolio, p.46), the IT facilities at the College

require proper planning and management, supported by appropriate polices, tools and documents.

Recommendation 20


College review its current IT provision to ensure that it fully supports the

student learning environment and implements a robust IT back-up system.

6.5 Academic Advising

According to the College, “academic advising at BC aspires to be a dynamic network that leads

the college in high quality teaching and learning experience and collaborative commitment to

student success” (Portfolio, p.51). There is an Academic Advising Committee and policy, which

spells out the responsibilities of advisors and students. “Strengthening academic advising” is

listed as a strategy in BC’s Strategic Plan.

When they join BC, students are initially advised by the ARD or the Head of Department (HoD)

of the Foundation Program in their first semester. At the end of the first semester, they are

assigned to an academic advisor, who is also a faculty member. The Panel found that each faculty

member usually has between 20 and 35 students to advise. Students are required to meet their

academic advisor before registering for courses, and at least once each semester. The College also

holds an Academic Advising Day each semester. Although current faculty members received

some guidance in relation to the academic advising process during an Advising Day held in

October 2012, the Panel found no evidence of a regular formal training program in place or a

mechanism for monitoring of the effectiveness of training in this area. According to the College,

special attention is paid to “at risk students” and a proposal for a “Success Program” for these

students has been put forward by the College (Portfolio, p.52) but it had not yet been

implemented at the time of the audit visit.

Student satisfaction with the academic advising system is generally good. This is supported by

the results of student surveys (Portfolio, p.52) and interviews with students during the audit visit.



However, no formal reviews of academic advising have been carried out by the College to

determine its effectiveness and success with student retention and “at-risk students”.

6.6 Student Learning Support

BC indicates that it is “keen on the advancement of student learning” (Portfolio, p.52) and

believes that it achieves this through the provision of orientation, office hours, reviewing learning

resources, and other activities. Although the College indicates that it has held a number of

workshops (Portfolio, p.53), none of these relate to learning support. It was not clear to the Panel

who is responsible for the planning and provision of learning support services or how these are

consistently provided to students who require assistance with their learning. The Panel believes

that this needs to be addressed and resourced appropriately, in line with other academic support

services (see Recommendation 19).

6.7 Teaching Resources

BC states that it has various teaching resources for “efficient and effective learning and teaching”,

including specialized media studios and equipment, multimedia and English labs, as well as

general teaching resources in classrooms (Portfolio, p.53). The Panel reviewed the media studios

and equipment and heard that while specialized resources were available to staff and students,

they were considered to be insufficient and inadequate to meet their needs. The Panel was

informed that on some occasions, students and staff brought their own equipment (such as

cameras) as it was better suited to their purposes than the equipment provided at the College.

General teaching equipment and resources (such as whiteboards and overhead projectors) are

readily available to staff. The College states that it plans to introduce e-learning (Portfolio, p.53)

and the Panel supports this plan, provided that appropriate actions are taken to upgrade the

relevant IT equipment and services (see Recommendation 20) and develop an appropriate e-

learning pedagogical framework. The Panel found no formal evaluation of the adequacy of

teaching resources and students’ satisfaction with them. This is an area that needs to be addressed

(see Recommendation 21).



7 STUDE�TS A�D STUDE�T SUPPORT SERVICES

Student support services are under the remit of the Admission and Registration Department

(ARD), the Career Guidance Centre (CGC) and the Student Affairs Department (SAD) at Bayan

College (BC), in addition to individual departments.

This Chapter reports on the general planning and management of student support services at BC

and specifically comments on the following: student profile; student satisfaction and climate;

student behaviour; career and employment services; student finances; accommodation catering

and transport; medical and counselling facilities; international student services; and social and

recreational services and facilities.

7.1 Students and Student Support Services Planning & Management

The College’s Strategic Plan includes a goal to “support students so that they achieve their

educational goals, plan their careers, and provide leadership to the community”. According to the

College, student input comes from the SAD through the Student Council (Portfolio, p.54). The

Panel heard that the Student Council initiated several activities and events for students, and

received the support of the SAD and the Dean for these.

While a number of activities for students are organized on a regular basis (College Annual

Report), these are not the result of a planned and coordinated approach, nor are they evaluated

and reviewed for the purposes of feedback and improvement. The Panel also found that

participation in the activities was sporadic and at times, low. As BC develops and grows, this area

needs to be considered. The development of an operational plan for student support services,

based on long term strategic goals, is necessary to ensure that students’ needs are met (see

Recommendation 5).

7.2 Student Profile

Information about students is maintained by the ARD and it is used by the College for planning

purposes (Portfolio, p.54) although the Panel did not find any formal planning processes in place

to support this claim. Being the first private college in Oman to offer media programs, Bayan

College aims to attract students who intend to pursue careers in journalism, Public Relations (PR)

and Broadcasting, amongst others. The College had 346 students as of September 2011

(Portfolio, p.54), with this number increasing to about 400 in September 2012, according to

interviews conducted by the Panel. Almost 40% of the students are in the Foundation Program.

Of the remaining 60%, the majority of students (almost 40%) are studying PR and Broadcasting,

with only small numbers (less than 5%) enrolled in Journalism. Enrollments at the College are

relatively small reflecting its specialised programs and the fact it was recently established in

2006. Due to the low enrollment in Advertising and Professional Writing programs, the Panel

was informed that BC is planning to merge PR and Advertising into a Business Communication

degree and replace Professional Writing with a Translation course. These proposals were with

MoHE awaiting approval at the time of the audit.

The majority of students at the College are female (more than 75%) which has been taken into

account in allocating campus facilities and resources (for example, providing more female

restrooms). The Panel encourages the College to conduct a more detailed and in depth analysis of

its student profile and related needs, which would be helpful in enrollment management, the

provision of better support for students, and evaluating student support services.



7.3 Student Satisfaction and Climate

The College claims to be “pro-active” in the area of student satisfaction by using a number of

approaches, including surveys, a suggestion box, and direct interaction with academic advisors,

HoDs and the Dean in order to “disseminate culture of constructive criticism” (Portfolio, p.56).

The Panel viewed several surveys related to student and graduates’ satisfaction and data from

these were reported throughout the Portfolio. However, most of the data on student satisfaction

was from the academic year 2010/2011, while other data from previous years and the most recent

one (2011/2012) were not available. This suggests that students are not surveyed on a regular

basis and there are no longitudinal data available to support planning and improvements to

quality. Furthermore, there is no formal process in place which is used to administer surveys and

analyse the data collected so that it can be used in planning and monitoring.

Staff members are informed by e-mail when data are available in a shared folder and asked to

review it. No systematic follow up is carried out afterwards to ensure that the data collected is

used to make changes and students are not informed about the actions taken. During interviews,

the Panel found that the level of awareness amongst staff members about student satisfaction

surveys and data was low, and that they relied mainly on verbal complaints to address issues.

Although students reported that staff members were approachable and willing to help, the lack of

formal mechanisms to measure students’ satisfaction and climate is an area of concern that

requires urgent attention.

Recommendation 21


College develop and implement a system to regularly collect and monitor

student satisfaction with services; analyse results and develop action plans to

deal with issues raised; and inform students of changes made in response to

their feedback.

7.4 Student Behaviour

The College states that it has a Code of Conduct which is in line with MoHE requirements and

that it is communicated to students using a range of channels, including the Student Handbook,

orientation, and in meetings with academic advisors (Portfolio, p.57). The Student Handbook

contains brief information about the expected behavior of students, while the Academic Affairs

Policy document from 2006 has more detailed information about the expected social conduct of

students. The Panel also considered documents showing how disciplinary cases are handled at the

College. This is the remit of the Disciplinary Committee which dealt with 13 cases in 2011/2012

(Portfolio, p.58). The Disciplinary Committee is also responsible for reviewing the Student Code

of Conduct, but the Panel found no evidence of this taking place. The College states that it

should conduct surveys to determine the levels of awareness amongst students about the rules and

regulations (Portfolio, p.57). The Panel shares this view and also encourages the College to

extend this further to include a review of the Code of Conduct, as required.

7.5 Career and Employment Services

There is a Career Guidance Centre (CGC) at the College which was recently established with the

aim to “maximise the employment opportunities available to BC’s graduates” (Portfolio, p.58).

The CGC is supported by a policy which outlines its role and responsibilities. The responsibility

for alumni also lies with the CGC (Portfolio, p.32). The CGC is staffed by an acting head who

has multiple roles at the College, including quality assurance and teaching responsibilities. The

CGC has held some workshops for students on an ad hoc basis and students are also “exposed to

career advice in general as part of their classroom lectures” (Portfolio, p.58). The Panel viewed

evidence that showed 40% of students were now in employment.



The exact role of the CGC in supporting students with internship and work placement

opportunities is unclear (see Section 2.7). In addition, due to the limited industry engagement

initiatives by the College (see Recommendation 18), students do not have sufficient access or

exposure to prospective employers, in spite of the College’s location near media employers in

Muscat.

Setting up the CGC is an important step in developing graduates’ employability skills and career

prospects; however, significant additional steps are required to develop a planned approach to

employer engagement in order to maximize career opportunities, and to create a comprehensive

training program that will provide students with the right skills to secure jobs.

Recommendation 22


College actively engage with employers to maximize opportunities for

employment and formally provide students with relevant job search skills.

7.6 Student Finances

BC has a scheme in place for providing financial assistance to students (Portfolio, p.58). The

Panel viewed requests by students to the Dean for financial assistance, based on academic

performance. The College stated that 40% of the students at the College received some form of

financial assistance in 2011/2012 (Portfolio, p.59). This is in addition to scholarships given to

students directly by the MoHE. Scholarships were also offered to students via letters sent by BC

to embassies and other external entities (Portfolio, p.59), although these are not part of a regular

formal scholarship program at the College, but ad hoc initiatives to attract students.

The Panel did not explore this area in detail, but nevertheless appreciates the College’s intent to

expand support for students with financial difficulties through means including the establishment

of a student aid fund for needy students, additional scholarship sponsors for outstanding students

and the provision of paid work placement opportunities for low income students (Portfolio, p.58).

7.7 Accommodation, Catering and Transport

The College maintains two hostels: one for male and one for female students (Portfolio, p.59).

The former is managed by BC, while the management of the latter has been outsourced to a

private company. Transport is provided between the hostels and the College. There is a cafeteria

on campus, privately owned and managed, but a Cafeteria Committee set up by BC acts as a

liaison between the College and the cafeteria management.

The Panel heard that the female hostels are inadequate due to overcrowding, lack of facilities,

supervision and poor maintenance. This needs to be looked into by the College. Satisfaction with

the cafeteria is also low, with more than a third of students dissatisfied with the services

(Portfolio, p.59 and p.73). The Panel urges the College to review the catering services provided

on campus to improve student satisfaction (see Recommendation 21).

7.8 Medical and Counselling Facilities

BC does not provide on campus medical or counselling facilities, although first aid kits are

available and local clinics/hospitals are in close proximity to the College (Portfolio, p.60).

Counselling is provided to students on an informal basis by teachers and academic advisors but

this is of concern since there is no proper training provided to staff members to develop

counselling skills. The College states that it is considering providing First Aid training to students

and staff (Portfolio, p.60) and the Panel supports this initiative, and urges BC to also look into

ways in which it can provide professional counselling support and services to students.



7.9 International Student Services

BC has only 14 international students representing 4% of the total student population (Portfolio,

p.60). There are no special services provided to these students since they are all from expatriate

families based in Oman. The students have opportunities to engage in cultural activities during

Open Day celebrations at the campus. Should BC pursue a strategy to attract more students from

outside Oman in the future, this area will need to be developed.

7.10 Social and Recreational Services and Facilities

The SAD is responsible for providing social and recreational facilities on campus, together with

the Student Council (Portfolio, p.60). A number of ad hoc activities have been organised for

students according to the Annual Report, including field trips and events such as National Day

celebrations. However, there is limited space on the current campus to offer a full range of social

and recreational activities. The Panel heard that additional activities are needed, especially those

that are relevant to the programs offered at BC. The Panel believes that BC could benefit from

gathering students’ feedback about the social and recreational activities which enable the College

to plan the provision of these services accordingly (see Recommendation 5).



8 STAFF A�D STAFF SUPPORT SERVICES

Human Resources Department (HR) is part of the Finance and Administration Department at

Bayan College (BC). The function is performed by the HR Officer mainly consists of staff

recruitment.

This Chapter considers the planning and management of HR at BC and reports on the Panel’s

findings in areas such as: HR planning; staff profiles; recruitment and selection; induction;

professional development and training; performance planning and review; promotion and other

incentives; staff organizational climate and retention; severance and Omanisation.

8.1 Human Resources Planning & Management

One of the College’s strategic goals is to “Recruit and retain competent faculty and staff”, which

is the responsibility of the HR Department (Portfolio, p.61). The College has a staff recruitment

policy, Personal [sic] Policy, which aims to attract “the best available talent”, and gives

“preference for employment to suitably qualified Omanis” (Strategic Plan 2011-2015). The

policy itself is a comprehensive staff manual which includes all the information an employee

requires. The sections include such matters as recruitment, employment contract, code of

conduct, salaries and benefits, working hours, leave, performance appraisal and complaints

handling. This policy document provides a sound basis for staff management but this has not

been used effectively. The teaching staff requirements are identified by the Heads of Department

(HoDs) and are linked to student demand and course offerings. This is frequently just in time for

the semester commencement and there is no formal long term needs analysis.

Whilst BC has made strong efforts to find suitably qualified teaching staff, it states that the low

retention rate has “not affected the functioning of the College” (Portfolio, p.68). However, at the

time of the audit, the Panel was informed that the HoD of Media Department, who also teaches

courses, was leaving BC. This will result in a new staff member needing to be recruited mid-

semester. The Panel was informed that there have been cases where courses have been cancelled

with students directed to take an “equivalent” course if a suitable replacement could not be found.

This is of concern as it may have a negative impact on the ability of students to complete a major

satisfactorily, as well as affect the teaching quality and continuity of the courses (see Section 2.5).

There has been some attempt to identify the reasons for the loss of staff, and these have been

identified as including external factors such as competition from other institutions in Oman and

internally, low salary levels, heavy workloads, including committee commitments, and lack of

opportunity to engage in research. As part of an HR strategy, the College needs to find ways to

address these reasons and take steps to ensure the long term stability of staffing through effective

HR planning and management, which has not been achieved as yet. Furthermore, since the Dean

has a key role in almost all of the College’s activities, it is important that attention be given to

succession planning as a means of risk mitigation.

Recommendation 23


College adopt a comprehensive, fully-resourced, long term approach to the

planning, recruitment and retention of staff.

8.2 Staff Profile

The College reported that there are 13 academic staff and 17 administrative staff members

(Portfolio, p.62). However, in the updated list of staff which includes appointment dates, the

ongoing staff members include just 10 academic staff and 12 administrative staff. An analysis of



the length of time each former staff member spent at BC reveals that 45% served one year or less,

further demonstrating the problem of staff retention. The majority worked at BC for between one

and a half and two years. Of the ongoing staff, the longest serving member has been at BC for six

years, the next longest is four years. Whilst this is of concern to the Panel, it is worth mentioning

that the majority of the ongoing staff members were appointed in 2010 or 2011 following BC’s

comprehensive review in 2010 (see Section 1.1).

The College states that BC employs a number of teaching staff who are well-qualified to teach at

Foundation and Bachelor level, but that it has proven difficult to find suitably qualified Omanis

(Portfolio, p.62). While there is a good balance of male and female staff across the staff profile in

general, the majority of senior personnel are male. There are four faculty members with doctoral

qualifications and the teaching experience of the faculty members ranges from five years to 34

years. The Panel was informed that some staff may be teaching in areas in which they are not

expert, which, along with issues of staff retention, may further affect the quality of teaching at the

College.

8.3 Recruitment and Selection

The recruitment and selection process is managed by the HR Department (Portfolio, p.64) and is

guided by the Personal [sic] Policy (see Section 8.1). The College states that attention is given to

ensuring appropriate personnel approvals, including those by the Ministry of Higher Education

(Portfolio, p.64). The Panel found that the HR Department is very small and has a role limited to

placing the advertisements for staff. BC also maintains a CV database to assist with filling

vacancies and the Panel heard that this is often required when staff leave mid-semester.

According to the terms of the Purdue University Calumet (PUC) Affiliation Agreement, PUC will

provide criteria for the recruitment of staff, but ultimately it is the responsibility of the College to

find suitable faculty. The Panel found no monitoring system in place to ensure that qualified and

experienced faculty members are recruited for teaching positions.

The inability to identify and appoint appropriate staff is a concern which BC has identified and

which the Panel confirmed during interviews. The Strategic Plan refers to “instability due to

financial difficulties and vagueness of recruitment policy” (p.6) as a weakness. Subsequently,

developing “an effective plan for recruitment” has been identified as a strategy in the Strategic

Plan. Based on the evidence viewed, the Panel did not find that the College had “well designed

procedures…in place for recruitment” (Portfolio, p.61). This opportunity for improvement needs

to be addressed as a matter of urgency by developing and implementing the recruitment plan,

especially in light of the high staff turnover at the College (see Recommendation 23).

8.4 Induction

The College states that appropriate induction is required in order to ensure that staff members are

acquainted with expectations of their performance at BC (Portfolio, p.65). All staff members

receive formal and informal induction (Portfolio, p.65). The Employee Handbook includes

information such as BC expectations of staff, information on working in Oman and at BC,

including values, a code of conduct, employment conditions, college structure and committees.

Staff members reported to the Panel that they were given adequate induction, both through a

personal welcome from the Dean and a more specific induction from the HoD. Information is

also provided via the College’s website. BC encourages a friendly atmosphere (Portfolio, p.65)

and much informal assistance is available from peers. New staff members are also given a copy

of the Student Handbook. There is continuous attention to communication and responsiveness.

The Course and Semester Files are made available to teaching staff, and these provide

information required for delivery, such as course outlines, teaching materials, sample assignments

and assessment details (see Section 2.2). Although BC has conducted an employee satisfaction

survey, there are no questions about staff induction. However, 75% agreed or strongly agreed

with the survey item (4) “I am kept well informed of matters relevant to faculty/staff.”



Staff induction at the College appears to be working well due to the small size of the College,

enabling new staff members to integrate quickly and easily, with support from their peers and the

College management. Despite this, a more formal process for providing, monitoring and

reviewing staff induction would be appropriate in order to ensure its continued success.

8.5 Professional Development

BC has identified the importance of professional development in the Strategic Plan, including the

need for a plan and allocation of a budget. There is no target or time frame indicated and this goal

has not been achieved. Although the College states that it is committed to providing professional

development, the actual number of opportunities for staff in 2011/2012 is low and provided on an

ad hoc basis, including through learning from others and on the job learning (Portfolio, p.66).

According to the College, only 13 activities were supported by BC (Portfolio, p.67). The Panel

heard that English classes are made available to some administrative staff. The College

acknowledges the need to provide more opportunities for professional development (Portfolio,

p.66), but it will require careful allocation of budget and time release to enable this to occur.

Furthermore, the Panel found no evidence of reviewing of professional development at BC and

for improving professional development opportunities, despite low staff satisfaction in this area

indicated in the staff survey – only 45% of staff said BC supports their career development and

39% said opportunities for advancement are adequate.

In order for the professional development to be of maximum benefit to the College, the students

and staff, opportunities need to be linked to staff performance. This is acknowledged as an area

for improvement (Portfolio, p.67). Provision of professional development opportunities is an

important matter which requires attention. In order to ensure that course content is relevant and

current, and pedagogy is well-informed, teaching staff should have opportunities to maintain

contact with external professional colleagues and current discipline research findings through

meetings and conferences. Similarly, administrative staff members need the chance to meet with

peers from other institutions, to broaden their understandings. This is particularly important in a

small college with a small number of staff in each area.

A good example of the need for professional development is BC’s intention to move to blended

or online learning (Portfolio, p.53). Teaching staff will need to understand instructional design,

the way students learn online and how to manage student expectations. Technical staff members

need to understand the infrastructure required, provision of access and the ongoing support which

will be needed, and Library staff will need to develop and manage online resources to support

learning. The affiliation with PUC may also offer opportunities for two way exchange

arrangements. To ensure well-targeted strategies and relevant professional development, it is also

important to link the opportunities with staff performance management.

Recommendation 24


College provide systematic professional development opportunities for staff,

linked to enhancing performance.

8.6 Performance Planning and Review

In its Strategic Plan, BC states that it intends to develop an effective performance evaluation

system. The target date was September 2011, but this has not yet been achieved. Staff reported

that they have frequent interaction with their line manager and faculty members have periodic

peer reviews. These reviews consist of two staff members observing a class at a pre-arranged

time, followed by discussion with the staff member and a report to the Dean. However, there was

little evidence of a more formal system of evaluation against an agreed plan and systematic



feedback. To be effective, performance planning and review need to be linked to opportunities for

targeted professional development (see Recommendation 24).

The performance management process needs to be more formal than is presently the case at BC.

For example, a performance management system could be developed which requires staff to

reflect on their achievements, challenges and professional development needs. It may also be

helpful to include a formal report to the staff member, clearly stating the outcomes, including

affirmation of good performance. BC has stated that there is a “need to study the possibility of

connecting staff performance with professional development” (Portfolio, p.67). The Panel urges

BC to act on this as a matter of urgency.

Recommendation 25


College develop and implement a formal performance management system

for teaching and administrative staff which is linked to professional

development opportunities.

8.7 Promotion and Other Incentives

BC states that “promotions and incentives are clearly stated” and that they are given on the basis

of “quality and period of service” (Portfolio, p.67). The Panel heard that there are small annual

increments paid to all staff, based on their qualification level. This is not linked to performance

and is not seen as promotion. In a survey of staff satisfaction, only 40% of staff said they were

satisfied with their pay (Portfolio, p.67). The Panel confirmed this low satisfaction in interviews

with staff members. In order for a promotion policy to work, staff would need to be at the

College for a longer period of time than is the case at present (see Section 8.2). BC has

acknowledged that it “plans to introduce promotions in order to encourage staff performance”

(Portfolio, p.67). BC is urged to reflect on the overall satisfaction of staff and explore promotion

and other incentives which might assist in a better retention rate.

8.8 Severance

Staff members are appointed initially with a three-month probation period, during which time

their performance is observed. This provides the opportunity for BC to discontinue employment

if performance is not satisfactory. The Panel heard that this policy had been applied in at least

one case. Only 40% of staff members felt that their job was safe (Portfolio, p.68). A number of

staff members have left BC since its inception, but there have been no formal exit interviews to

ascertain reasons for leaving. It is suggested that BC introduce exit interviews as a way of

determining the cause(s) for the high turnover of staff, thus providing a risk mitigation

opportunity.

8.9 Staff Organisational Climate and Retention

According to its Strategic Plan, BC aims to “provide a stimulating work environment for faculty

and staff”. It states that it has consciously worked to develop a collegial and friendly atmosphere

which was reiterated to the Panel in interviews with staff. This was also evident in staff

satisfaction surveys, with 80% of staff stating that they trust people they work with and 75%

saying the environment was cooperative and productive (Portfolio, p.68). Despite these results,

the rate of staff retention at the College is low. Furthermore, some of the survey results were

quite concerning. For example, over 36% of staff would not recommend BC to a friend. The

Panel found no triggers for flagging such a result for remedial action. BC needs to address every

possible reason for staff loss (see also Section 8.1), as staff instability means, not only an

interruption to operations, but also a loss of institutional memory. Staff satisfaction also needs to

be monitored regularly on a range of issues to ensure that any issues are addressed and action is

taken to meet the needs of staff members.



Recommendation 26


College regularly and systematically monitor staff satisfaction; respond to

issues that are identified; and inform staff of changes made in response to

their feedback.

8.10 Omanisation

BC is committed to recruiting Omani staff but this is limited by the availability of suitably

qualified applicants for academic positions (Portfolio, p.69). While more than half of the

administrative staff members are Omanis, only one academic staff member is an Omani national

(Portfolio, p.69). The College attributes the low rate of Omanisation to a lack of Omanis working

in the areas of Media and English literature.

There is clearly an intention to employ more Omani staff but there are no strategies in place to

improve the current situation. The Panel recognises the difficulty in recruiting suitable Omani

academic staff, but the College is urged to continue to explore additional strategies to increase the

proportion of Omani faculty.



9 GE�ERAL SUPPORT SERVICES A�D FACILITIES

The provision of general support services and facilities is important in order to ensure a suitable

learning environment for students and work environment for staff.

This Chapter reports on the Panel’s findings in relation to general services and facilities planning

and management; public relations and marketing; communications services; and facilities

management.

9.1 General Support Services and Facilities Planning & Management

Bayan College (BC) is committed to the provision of high quality facilities (Strategic Plan,

Objective 6.1) through the provision of an attractive new campus. At present, there is no

dedicated unit responsible for achieving this objective. Instead, the planning and management of

general support services and facilities is carried out by the Human Resources (HR) and Finance

Departments, with support from other departments (Portfolio, p.70).

BC moved from its original site to its present location to “meet the increased number of students

and also to provide a better environment for students and faculty” (Portfolio, p.70). The College

operates from a set of rented residential villas (Portfolio, p.70). This is an interim arrangement, as

BC has plans to build on a new site. Although the Portfolio states that construction is underway,

this was not the case at the time of the audit visit as there have been delays in proceeding with

building plans. This situation has placed restrictions on expenditure on the existing buildings but

BC informed the Panel that it has strived to maintain a range of on-campus services and facilities.

There is little space on campus for recreational activities.

Although a number of those interviewed expressed their desire to move to better facilities, the

Panel was informed that there are adequate classrooms and specialty areas at the present campus

for the current and projected student numbers. The available space is well-used, although some

areas require maintenance and renovation. Given the delays in the completion of the new

campus, the need to continue to maintain the existing buildings and facilities in good order is

essential to the quality of the student and faculty experience. It was also evident to the Panel that

there is no master plan in place for the current and on-going management of general support

services and facilities. The current campus is quite small, and while the provision of general

maintenance and facilities is manageable, it is still done in a reactive manner and requires the co-

ordination of multiple departments. This situation needs to be reviewed, particularly in relation to

the development of the proposed purpose-built campus.

Recommendation 27


College ensure there is a transition strategy in place to keep the current

buildings and maintenance of facilities fit for purpose while the plans for the

new site are being developed.

9.2 Public Relations and Marketing

BC “feels that its marketing activities are reasonable and effective” (Portfolio, p.71). The Panel

viewed a comprehensive list of marketing and public relations activities which included

marketing and student recruitment initiatives, events to raise the College’s profile in the

community, scholarships and sponsorships, and media coverage. There is a marketing plan

which is written in Arabic and consists of proposed advertising channels and marketing activities.

The Panel saw no clear targets for student intake by numbers, quality or award. Some financial

statements indicate the expenditure on promotional activities.



BC has enrolled a modest number of students at present but will need to ensure that the plans and

targets are developed to recruit higher student numbers in order to mitigate financial risk (see

Section 1.7) and achieve the strategic goals of the College.

The Panel also found no evidence of systematic evaluation of its public relations and marketing

efforts and although the College has identified this as an opportunity for improvement, no

tangible steps have been taken as yet. The College would benefit from developing a marketing

plan to include medium and long-term projection, strategies to achieve these and measures to

gauge success. These projections should include overall targets, and targets for specific programs.

Recommendation 28


College develop and implement a marketing plan to support the strategic

goals of the College in this area.

9.3 Communication Services

According to Strategic Goal 5, BC is committed to providing effective communication among

stakeholders in the interests of maintaining transparency and accountability. The College has in

place a number of means of communicating with the students and faculty. These include regular

staff meetings at College and department level, a range of committees, notice boards and TV

screens, and the Bayan Post. All faculty members are provided with a computer with internet

connection and SMS is used to keep students informed. The Panel heard that occasionally these

messages are in Arabic and not all students can read this. The Panel found that staff and students

were satisfied with the level of communication within the College. In particular, the ease of

access to the Dean was frequently mentioned.

The Bayan Post is an ambitious and successful project. It is currently an in-house publication, run

entirely by students, mostly from the Journalism program. The Head of Media Department

appoints an editorial committee and the students take responsibility for the masthead, design, logo

and articles. This is not a formal part of the program, and provides, not only communication

within the College, but is also a valuable learning experience.

Commendation 1

The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority commends Bayan College for

producing the Bayan Post, which has resulted in a successful student-driven

in-house publication.

9.4 Facilities Management

Facilities management is provided by Finance and HR Departments. Most services are provided

in-house, but cleaning has been outsourced. There is accommodation available for students off

campus, but this is a private operation (see Section 7.7). Given that the College will be on the

current campus, possibly for several more years, it is important to ensure that the facilities are

maintained at the highest possible level. This will involve maintaining the building in a good

state, but also ensuring that laboratories and studios are kept at an appropriate level (see

Recommendation 27). The College has surveyed graduates on their satisfaction with facilities

(Portfolio, p.73). Almost half the respondents were not satisfied with the quality of the facilities,

but this survey was dated 2010/2011 and the Panel was informed that some improvements have

occurred since then. It is important that the College remains responsive to staff and student

satisfaction with facilities throughout the transition period to ensure the quality of the learning

environment is maintained.



APPE�DIX A. AUDIT PA�EL

Dr Rahma Al Mahrooqi (Panel Chairperson)

Assistant Professor

College of Arts and Sciences

SQU

Dr Bilal Al Omari

Deputy Dean

Gulf College

Oman

Professor Barbara van Ernst

Education Consultant

Professor Emeritus, Swinburne University of Technology

Australia

Dr David Palfreyman

Associate Professor

Zayed University

Dubai, UAE

Dr Gerhard Apfelthaler

Professor, School of Business

California Lutheran University

USA

Dr Lejla Vrazalic (Executive Officer)



APPE�DIX B. ABBREVIATIO�S, ACRO�YMS A�D TERMS

The following abbreviations, acronyms and terms are used in this Report. As necessary, they are

explained in context. In some cases, URLs are provided to facilitate further enquiries about these

acronyms and terms.

AAC............................................... Academic Advising Committee

ADRI ............................................. A four step, cyclical model for analysing a topic, comprising:

Approach → Deployment → Results → Improvement.

Approach ....................................... The first dimension of the ADRI cycle, which focuses on evaluating

what a HEI aims to achieve for a given topic and how it proposes to

achieve it.

ARD............................................... Admission and Registration Department

BC.................................................. Bayan College http://www.bayancollege.edu.om/

BoD................................................ Board of Directors

BoT ................................................ Board of Trustees

CC.................................................. College Council

CGC............................................... Career Guidance Centre

CV.................................................. Curriculum Vitae

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.

EC .................................................. Executive Committee; a subcommittee of the BoD

Executive Officer........................... An professional appointed by the OAAA 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.

GPA................................................ Grade Point Average

HEI................................................. Higher Education Institution (also known as HEP – Higher Education

Provider)

HoD ............................................... Head of Department

HR.................................................. Human Resources

IELTS............................................. International English Language Testing System

Improvement.................................. The fourth dimension of the ADRI cycle, which focuses on how

effectively an organisation is improving its approach and deployment

for any given topic in order to achieve better results.

ITP ................................................. Internship and Training Policy

KPI................................................. Key Performance Indicator

LRD ............................................... Learning Resource Department

MoHE ............................................ Ministry of Higher Education (www.mohe.gov.om)

NGO............................................... Non-government organisation

OAAA............................................ Oman Academic Accreditation Authority (www.oaaa.gov.om)

OAAA Board ................................. The governing body of the Oman Academic Accreditation Authority

OAC............................................... Oman Accreditation Council (became OAAA in 2010)



OFI................................................. Opportunity for improvement.

OQF ............................................... Oman Qualifications Framework.

Panel Chairperson .......................... The Chairperson of the Audit Panel.

Panel Member ................................ An OAAA External Reviewer who is a member of an Audit Panel.

Portfolio ......................................... see Quality Audit Portfolio.

PUC................................................ Purdue University Calumet http://www.purduecal.edu/

QA.................................................. Quality Assurance

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.

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.

SAD ............................................... Student Affairs Department

sic ................................................... Quoted as in the original text

SWOT analysis .............................. Analysis of an organisation’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities

and Threats

System............................................ In this Report, system refers to plans, policies, processes and results

that are integrated towards the fulfilment of a common purpose.



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Date post:	13-Sep-2019
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Oman Academic Accreditation Authority Report of an Audit ... College Report final to print.pdf ·...

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