Abstract
Since the turn of the 21st century, various institutions of higher education have been established in the Gulf Cooperation Council region, several of which are branches of universities from North America, Europe, Australia, and other regions. Quality education is currently a required component in the models of collaboration between Universities; yet the literature suggests that challenges remain in how the quality education will be practiced in a region that lacked for long time private universities. In this paper, we present an exploratory investigation to determine what could be learned by studying the practicalities of collaboration and accreditation of a newly established institution in Oman, namely, Dhofar University. The case study focuses on the practicalities of DU’s external collaboration, national accreditation, and good practices University-wide and within the College of Engineering in particular. The paper aims to present and analyze challenges, good practices, faculty and staff experiences, and solutions that could be a useful pattern for similar institutions. The investigation builds on an internal University-wide self-study and an external review by an accreditation council.
Highlights
Countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have made significant progress in reforming and consolidating educational systems at all levels including higher education (World Bank, 2008)
Other universities were established with technical assistance from experienced regional or other international academic institutions; one example of such collaboration is the support of the American University of Beirut (AUB) in the establishment and running of Dhofar University in the Sultanate of Oman (AUB, 2013a)
We present an exploratory investigation to learn from studying the practicalities of collaboration and accreditation in a newly established institution in Oman, namely Dhofar University (DU)
Summary
Countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have made significant progress in reforming and consolidating educational systems at all levels including higher education (World Bank, 2008). Over the last two decades, the GCC region has witnessed the emergence of many universities with a focus on engineering programs (American University of Sharjah, 2013; Dhofar University [DU], 2013a; King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, 2013; American University of Kuwait, 2013). The establishment of these new universities in the GCC has taken many forms. AUB practices in education have been recognized amongst the most established and successful in the region, and can offer valuable lessons to private higher education in the region (Bertelsen, 2009).
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