scholarly journals Optimal Standards to Measure the Quality of Higher Education Institutions in Oman: Stakeholders’ Perception

SAGE Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 215824402094744
Author(s):  
Amal Said Al-Amri ◽  
Priya Mathew ◽  
Yong Zulina Zubairi ◽  
Rohana Jani

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly being held accountable for maintaining quality in their activities by governments, industry, students, and the community as a whole. Accreditation agencies formulate assessment criteria covering the entire range of HEI activities so that the quality of HEI activities can be measured. However, as the perceptions of stakeholders varies of what makes a good HEI, it is crucial to investigate their opinions about the standards set by these agencies. This study uses focus group discussions involving Omani HEI stakeholders, including students, HEI staff, and employers, to gain insights into their perceptions on the most significant standards set by Oman Academic Accreditation Authority (OAAA) in measuring the quality of HEIs. It was found that stakeholders’ views of the key standards that measure HEI quality varies. Students were in favor of the standards related to the quality of teaching and learning. Students also show a good level of awareness about employers’ priorities. Employers were more concerned about the research skills of graduates and their industry and community involvement. There was also some agreement between staff and employers on the importance of governance and management. This study provides HEIs, OAAA, and partner universities insights into stakeholder priorities and concerns.

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 70-75
Author(s):  
Ruth Massey ◽  
Anneri Pretorius

Although the quality of teaching and learning of geography in many schools is worrying, another more basic problem is that of teachers lacking basic resources to use in their classrooms. Higher education institutions are expected to engage with and be of service to society and its needs. The Green Box Project is reported on as a practical and sustainable solution to address the resource constraints that many teachers of geography contend with; a way of improving the quality of teaching and learning in schools; and a model to be used by higher education institutions for community engagement.


Author(s):  
Denise Chalmers

There is greater focus on the quality of higher education teaching and how we reward and recognize excellent teaching. There are questions from governments about the quality of teaching and a desire to identify excellence. In Australia and beyond, higher education institutions have been working towards clarifying their criteria and expectations of what constitutes excellent teaching. They are reviewing their policies and practices to enable their excellent teachers to access development and support so they might be rewarded through promotion. An inceasing number of universities and higher education institutions are now promoting their excellent teachers through to professor level. This is important not just for the academics and teachers themselves, but for the quality of education that students receive.


Author(s):  
Volodymyr Lugovyi ◽  
Olena Slyusarenko ◽  
Zhanna Talanova

The article, based on the information essence and mission purpose of higher education, substantiates the key criterion of the quality of the latter one – the contemporality and supercontemporality of the information being taught and studied and leads to the formation of competencies (qualifications). The sign «contemporaneous» and «supercontemporaneous» is interpreted as the relevance of information for the present and the future. According to the duration of the relevance of the information its characteristic is proposed - "shelf life", as well as the negative influence of inappropriate for consumption (non-contemporaneous) information - the concept of "negative value added" in the formation of human capital. It is proved that contemporaneous and supercontemporaneous information can be supplied from the past, present and future. Information on the future state of the subject of teaching and study is provided by research prognosis and prediction and on this basis, the innovative design (creation) of the future. It is argued that university leaders and leadership training at universities are based on contemporaneous and especially supercontemporaneous information. The system of measures for consolidation and concentration of shredded and dispersed higher education institutions of Ukraine was outlined with the aim of achieving their competitive potential, the ability to provide high-quality (contemporaneous and supercontemporaneous) higher education, to be leaders and to form leaders of progress. That system developed on the base of analysis of the parameters of the 31 extra-class universities, which rank at 1-30 places by the Shanghai Rating (ARWU) in 2018 and serve as an exemplary future for Ukrainian universities. These measures include the following. First, the introduction of a national university ranking of general and sectoral versions to identify the best, medium and backward higher education institutions, their further optimization (priority strengthening of the first, improvement of second, removal or rehabilitation of the third), as well as the formation of a culture of competitive leadership. Secondly, the creation of a leadership Association of Ukrainian Universities, such as the Association of American Universities, in order to determine the strategy and policy of modernizing the national university network, supporting the formation and further development of universities on the basis of leadership. Thirdly, the consolidation of institutions of higher education in order to create the necessary educational, research and innovative organizational, personnel, resource, infrastructure capacity, the ability to produce and offer contemporaneous and supercontemporaneous information for teaching and learning, the formation of appropriate competencies (qualifications) for its consumers (competitors). Fourthly, the consolidation and concentration of higher education institutions by combining them with the most experienced time-tested universities, while reviving the profile adequacy of the facilities available to them in their competitive professional capacities. Fifthly, the maintenance of the modernization of institutions of higher education through their consolidation and concentration by the obligatory creation of conditions for the implementation of the dual teaching and research function of teachers by reducing the training load, increasing wages, developing educational and research infrastructure, resource support.


Pedagogika ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 127 (3) ◽  
pp. 205-218
Author(s):  
Inga Juknytė-Petreikienė ◽  
Vilma Žydžiūnaitė

The paper discusses the considerations on qualitative indicators regarding the quality of the teaching and learning in joint degree studies. Method used for data collection was focus group discussions with students of joint degree programs implemented by seven European universities. Findings revealed that general dimensions on the quality of internationalization are focused on students and academic staff. Following the examination of student experience within joint degree studies in Lithuania, the key challenges faced by joint degree consortiums are highlighted.


2021 ◽  
pp. 5-19
Author(s):  
Yurii Skyba ◽  
Hanna Lebedynets

Ensuring and improving the quality of teaching and learning, in particular the academics’ potential development, is reflected in strategic European and domestic documents, namely in the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union, the Paris Communiqué, the Strategy for Higher Education in Ukraine for 2021-2031 and others. The expediency for academics’ potential development is confirmed by the results of a national survey on the needs for the development of Ukrainian universities in the process of reforming higher education in the context of European integration. The article highlights the problems of academics’ potential development. Based on foreign and domestic experience, the theoretical bases for academics’ potential development, in particular the conceptual and terminological apparatus and structural components of teaching metacompetence are substantiated. The concept «potential of an academic» is defined as a set of intellectual, intangible resources, conditions and opportunities created for the production and accumulation of new knowledge, ideas, technologies, competencies and other productive properties at the university, which combines two levels of connections functioning in unity. The first level of connections are resources that are the result of past and present, and the second – opportunities, i.e. those abilities and connections that are future-oriented, constantly changing, evolving, forming new abilities, characteristics, including elements of the future development. The following components are distinguished in the structure of teaching metacompetence: prognostic; design; objective; innovative; pedagogical partnership; organizational; information and digital; reflexive; linguistic and communicative; inclusive; motivational; health-preserving; emotional-ethical and evaluative-analytical. The development of the above components of teaching metacompetence will help ensure the quality of higher education and increase the competitiveness of the university in the educational services market.


2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Agoeng Koerniawan SA

The purpose of this study was to determine the role of academic information systems in improving the quality of higher education implementation in PGRI STKIP Bangkalan, and the extent to which the policies of implementing higher education before and after the use of information systems and how satisfaction is felt by students towards academic information systems at STKIP PGRI Bangkalan, named STKIP PGRI Bangkalan’s Siakad.The study was conducted by conducting a survey of users of the internet-based academic information system (Siakad STKIP PGRI Bangkalan), namely lecturers, students and employees with the method of observation and conducting in-depth interviews to obtain as much information as possible from all respondents/informants. The number of informants was 5 people consisting of the chairman of STKIP PGRI Bangkalan, Vice Chairman I, Head of BAAK and two students who had experience in their respective fields of work, knew deeply and had many roles in the process of using information systems.Based on the results of the study, it was shown that with the use of the information system/ STKIP PGRI Bangkalan’s Siakad which is one of the facilities for the smooth activities of the teaching and learning process, it proved to provide convenience, many benefits and benefits that greatly support the duties of serving lecturers, students and outsiders requiring. This is evidenced by the support of the support of lecturers and students, capacity, namely the ability of employees to process data and value, namely the benefits felt by lecturers, employees and students as well as outside parties in need.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-203
Author(s):  
Iu. O. Pavlova ◽  
◽  
K. A. Tymruk-Skoropad ◽  
L. M. Tsizh

The problem of ensuring the quality of higher education and the formation of a culture of quality causes a significant interest. That determines the practice of collecting, analyzing, and taking into account information about the academic environment, requires identifying and constantly monitoring of factors that affect the effectiveness of curricula, and determines student success. To better monitor the effectiveness of the proposed approaches, keep up with emerging challenges, and adjust decisions, it is necessary to develop special tools to study participants’ opinions of the educational process. Such tools should have sufficient validity and meet current trends and approaches. The purpose of the study was to check the internal structure and validate the Ukrainian version of the content part “Experiences of teaching and learning” of the ETLQ tool. Materials and methods. The study involved students (n = 632, 59.81 % were women; age (M±SE) – 21.5±0.2 years old) of Ivan Boberskyj Lviv State University of Physical Culture, who studied in the specialty 227 “Physical therapy, occupational therapy”. Data collection was conducted during the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 academic years upon completing mandatory special subjects. The convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity of the “Experiences of teaching and learning” part of the ETLQ tool were evaluated. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used in the research; α-Cronbach values, composite reliability coefficient, and average extracted variance were calculated. Results and discussion. Based on the results of the work, a modified version of the questionnaire was proposed, which contained 29 questions and had a sufficient level of validity. The final model consisted of four factors, which explained 51.353% of the total variance (the first factor – 39.339 %, the second – 5.224 %, the third – 4.281 %, the fourth – 2.509 %). The model was characterized by satisfactory indices: χ² / df (920/344) = 2.67, CFI = 0.923, TLI = 0.935, RMSEA = 0.055, SRMR = 0.058. Based on the validation results, a modified Ukrainian version of the questionnaire “Experiences of teaching and learning” was proposed, which is one of the content parts of the ETLQ tool. It consists of separate scales “Organization and structure,” “Teaching, learning, assessments and other set work”, “Teachers’ enthusiasm and responsiveness to students”, “Climate and support from peers”. The proposed questionnaire has sufficient validity to assess the quality of the academic environment, the effectiveness of specialists’ educational process in physical therapy, occupational therapy, and physical culture and sports


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (32) ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
Miriam Janet Cervantes López ◽  
Arturo Llanes Castillo ◽  
Alma Alicia Peña Maldonado ◽  
Jaime Cruz Casados

Higher education institutions face the challenge that their graduates have the competences that allows them to quickly enter to the labor market and obtain an adequate economic remuneration. us graduate satisfaction is a key element in the assessment of the quality of institutions, since it allows us to know their perception regarding the quality received in their professional training. e objective is study the quality of higher education institutions and the satisfaction of the graduate in the Autonomous University of Tamaulipas. e methodology is descriptive and transversal  based on graduates information and satisfaction. As a result, Students are satisfied with their professional training received and their expectations were met since the academic level of the institution is good. It is concluded that studies on student satisfaction are useful for higher education institutions to identify educational and administrative priorities about the service they provide.


2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-155
Author(s):  
Diana-Crina Marin ◽  
Mușata Bocoș

"In the context in which the teaching, learning, and assessment processes take place in the online environment, the question arises whether the currently organized learning situations are as effective as the learning situations carried out in the classroom, before the beginning of the pandemic. One of the disadvantages of online learning is related to the teacher’s low control over students’ activity. Factors such as initiative, creativity, efficient time management, intrinsic motivation, responsibility, and intellectual curiosity play an important role in students’ success in learning activities. Attendance at courses should not be formal and superficial and should be a process that involves the active and interactive participation of the students in the learning process. Providing high-quality educational opportunities to all students is a goal that is increasingly difficult to achieve in the context of the absence of face-to-face interactions. Also, applying a curriculum focused on the needs of the learner is becoming hard to achieve. Through this research, we aim to investigate issues related to how online learning takes place and to establish ways in which we can increase the efficiency of current teaching and learning processes. The study revealed that in the opinion of most of the students, the current epidemiological context has influenced in a negative way the quality of teaching and the student-teacher educational relationship. Keywords: Interactive learning, eLearning, independence in learning, higher education, efficient strategies "


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