Oman Academic
Accreditation Authority
Report of an Audit of
International College of
Engineering and Management
August 2012
HEI Quality Audit Report International College of Engineering and Management
Audit Report Number 27
©2012 Oman Academic Accreditation Authority
P.O. Box 1255
P.C. 133
Al-Khuwair
Sultanate of Oman
Ph +968 2461 4361/2
Fax +968 2461 4364
http://www.oaaa.gov.om
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 .................................................................................................................. 6
Summary of Affirmations........................................................................................................................ 7
Summary of Recommendations............................................................................................................... 7
1 Governance and Management............................................................................................................ 11
1.1 Mission, Vision and Values......................................................................................................... 11
1.2 Governance................................................................................................................................. 12
1.3 Management ............................................................................................................................... 13
1.4 Institutional Affiliations for Programmes 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 ......................................................................................................... 16
1.12 Health and Safety ....................................................................................................................... 17
1.13 Oversight of Associated Entities (e.g. owned companies) ......................................................... 17
2 Student Learning by Coursework Programmes ............................................................................... 18
2.1 Graduate Attributes and Student Learning Objectives ............................................................... 18
2.2 Curriculum.................................................................................................................................. 18
2.3 Student Entry Standards ............................................................................................................. 19
2.4 Foundation Programme .............................................................................................................. 19
2.5 Teaching Quality ........................................................................................................................ 20
2.6 Plagiarism................................................................................................................................... 21
2.7 Student Placements..................................................................................................................... 21
2.8 Assessment Methods, Standards and Moderation ...................................................................... 22
2.9 Academic Security and Invigilation ........................................................................................... 22
2.10 Student Retention and Progression............................................................................................. 23
2.11 Graduate Destinations and Employability.................................................................................. 23
3 Student Learning by Research Programmes .................................................................................... 25
4 Staff Research and Consultancy......................................................................................................... 26
5 Industry and Community Engagement ............................................................................................. 27
5.1 Industry and Community Engagement Planning & Management .............................................. 27
5.2 Relationships with Industry and Employers ............................................................................... 27
5.3 Relationships with Professions................................................................................................... 28
5.4 Relationships with Other Education Providers........................................................................... 29
5.5 Relationships with Alumni ......................................................................................................... 29
5.6 Relationships with the Community at Large .............................................................................. 30
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6 Academic Support Services ................................................................................................................ 31
6.1 Academic Support Services Planning & Management............................................................... 31
6.2 Registry (Enrolment and Student Records) ................................................................................ 31
6.3 Library ........................................................................................................................................ 32
6.4 Information and Learning Technology Services......................................................................... 33
6.5 Academic Advising .................................................................................................................... 33
6.6 Student Learning Support........................................................................................................... 34
6.7 Teaching Resources .................................................................................................................... 34
7 Students and Student Support Services............................................................................................. 36
7.1 Students and Student Support Services Planning and Management........................................... 36
7.2 Student Profile ............................................................................................................................ 37
7.3 Student Satisfaction and Climate................................................................................................ 37
7.4 Student Behaviour ...................................................................................................................... 38
7.5 Career and Employment Services .............................................................................................. 38
7.6 Student Finances......................................................................................................................... 39
7.7 Accommodation, Catering and Transport................................................................................... 39
7.8 Medical and Counseling Facilities ............................................................................................. 40
7.9 International Student Services .................................................................................................... 40
7.10 Social and Recreational Services and Facilities ......................................................................... 41
8 Staff and Staff Support Services ........................................................................................................ 42
8.1 Human Resources Planning and Management ........................................................................... 42
8.2 Staff Profile................................................................................................................................. 43
8.3 Recruitment and Selection.......................................................................................................... 43
8.4 Induction..................................................................................................................................... 43
8.5 Professional Development.......................................................................................................... 44
8.6 Performance Planning and Review............................................................................................. 44
8.7 Promotion and Other Incentives................................................................................................. 45
8.8 Severance.................................................................................................................................... 45
8.9 Staff Organisational Climate and Retention ............................................................................... 45
8.10 Omanisation................................................................................................................................ 45
9 General Support Services and Facilities............................................................................................ 47
9.1 General Support Services and Facilities Planning and Management ......................................... 47
9.2 Public Relations and Marketing ................................................................................................. 47
9.3 Communication Services............................................................................................................ 47
9.4 Facilities Management................................................................................................................ 48
Appendix A. Audit Panel...................................................................................................................... 49
Appendix B. Abbreviations, Acronyms and Terms............................................................................ 50
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OVERVIEW OF THE QUALITY AUDIT PROCESS
This Quality Audit Report (the ‘Report’) documents the findings of a Quality Audit by the Oman
Academic Accreditation Authority (OAAA – formerly the Oman Accreditation Council) of the
International College of Engineering and Management (ICEM). It comments on ICEM’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 ICEM’s activities and constructive feedback to ICEM
to assist with its ongoing improvement efforts.
The Quality Audit commenced with ICEM undertaking a self study of its Mission, Vision and systems.
The results were summarised in their Quality Audit Portfolio (the ‘Portfolio’). This document was
submitted to the OAAA 17 days after the due date of 30 September 2011.
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 14 November 2011 to consider
ICEM’s Portfolio. Following this, the Audit Panel Chairperson’s representative and the Executive
Officer undertook a planning visit on behalf of the Panel to ICEM on 7 December 2011 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 ICEM’s
activities. Two submissions were received and considered.
The audit visit took place over 8 – 11 January 2012. During this time, the Panel spoke with over 100
people, including representatives of the governing body, staff, students and external stakeholders. It also
visited a selection of venues and reviewed a range of additional materials.
No information provided after 11 January 2012 (being the last day of the audit visit) was taken into
consideration for the purposes of this audit, other than pre-existing items specifically requested by the
Panel in advance.
The Report contains a summary of the Panel’s findings, together with formal Commendations where good
practices have been confirmed, Affirmations where ICEM’s ongoing quality improvement efforts merit
support, and Recommendations where there are significant opportunities for improvement not yet being
adequately addressed. The Report provides a balanced set of observations, but does not comment on
every system in place at ICEM.
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 6 August 2012.
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).
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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 programmes, 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.
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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
The International College of Engineering and Management (ICEM or ‘the College’) was founded in 1997
in Muscat with a Vision to serve the training needs of the Sultanate of Oman. It formerly had a
vocational provision but now provides a second higher education (HE) division. Since the OAAA
concerns itself with the accreditation of higher education institutions in Oman, the Portfolio submitted
focused on the HE division of the ICEM provision. ICEM offers five four-year Honours degree
programmes, which are: BSc (Hons) Health, Safety & Environmental Management; BSc (Hons) Fire
Safety (Engineering); BSc (Hons) Fire Safety (Management); BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering
(Well Engineering); and BSc (Hons) Facilities Management. Since 1999, ICEM has been affiliated with
the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), UK which awards the degrees, supervises quality
assurance, contributes to course offerings, supports external examiners and conducts workshops for staff
development purposes. Students enrolled on ICEM programmes complete the fourth year of their
Honours degree at UCLan in the UK. At the time of the audit, the College had around 1000 students
from Oman, the GCC and elsewhere enrolled in its HE division. Around a quarter of the students were
female.
The Quality Audit Portfolio prepared by the College was a product of an 18-month self study process,
based on ADRI (see Appendix B), involving staff and students at all levels. According to ICEM, this
process has resulted in acknowledgement of a number of deficiencies that exist in the College, and
inspired a new 2011-2018 Strategic Plan that will guide the operation of the College over the next seven
years. The Panel noted, however, that as the Strategic Plan was a very recent development and had not
been signed off by the Board of Directors at the time of the audit, it was difficult to assess the extent of its
potential impact.
ICEM has developed and been delivering programmes within a niche market which, according to external
stakeholders, generally meet the demand of a specialised sector of industry. In terms of governance and
management, the College acknowledges that historically the mechanisms in place for decision-making
have been informal and that reporting lines within the hierarchy of its organisational structure have not
always been clear. The College is encouraged to develop clearly delineated responsibilities within its
governance and management structures and ensure that these are formalised, documented and their
effectiveness is reviewed. The formation of the Board of Trustees needs to be implemented as a priority.
The affiliation with UCLan has been a strength within the College. However, as ICEM pursues its
intention to revise its HE and vocational structures, UCLan’s support will be needed and the
responsibility for monitoring the effectiveness of this relationship at UCLan should be clearly identified
and acknowledged. As mentioned above, the Strategic Plan is a new initiative and the College would
benefit from ensuring that its implementation is clearly supported at the highest level and resources are
aligned with the overall objectives. In the light of the new Strategic Plan, the College’s approach to
operational planning needs to be reviewed in all areas of its activities. Staff in all these areas need to be
supported in playing an active part in the development and implementation of operational plans. The
College has a number of entity and activity review systems in place; however, an integrated approach to
data collection and management will need to be developed in order to inform review activities. ICEM
also needs to carry out an urgent review of the adequacy of its existing health and safety provision to
ensure that this area is properly maintained and resourced.
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The College has developed a number of graduate attributes which align with the overall learning
outcomes of its programmes. As with a number of its activities, the College needs to formalise its liaison
with employers and industry to ensure that these graduate attributes are relevant to the needs of the
workplace. Formal and consistent external stakeholder input could also be sought to inform the
curriculum across all fields, to support the provision of opportunities for students to enrol in the Industrial
Placement Module and to monitor graduate destinations. External stakeholders were keen to support the
College in its endeavours and ICEM needs to harness this goodwill through systematic channels. The
efforts that the College has made to enhance student learning through the development of the Teaching
and Learning Committee should be acknowledged, although the impact of this Committee’s activities has
yet to be ascertained. With regard to issues concerning student attrition and retention, the College is
urged to review its entry standards. High staff turnover and a stringent adherence to the staff student ratio
has at times led to academic staff teaching at the margins of their specialisation; the College needs to
address this. ICEM acknowledges that its focus has been on teaching rather than research. However, as
the College makes reference to applied research in its Vision and has a goal regarding research in its
Strategic Plan, it needs to develop an operational plan to meet its objectives in this area.
A number of the HE programmes at ICEM have professional body accreditation which has proved to be
an important feature of its success, especially in the fields of fire safety engineering and management. In
terms of academic support services, the College has recently centralised its HE administrative support
section. Registration services have faced a number of challenges with some data being input manually,
some documentation being stored at UCLan and a registration system that is over seven years old. The
College is urged to review the effectiveness of its current management information system to ensure that
it meets the needs of all stakeholders. ICEM also needs to review its teaching resources in terms of
Library and IT provision and the fitness of purpose of the current teaching facilities. Although there is a
Campus Development Plan to support medium term plans, the College needs to act to ensure that its
current teaching and learning environment meets the immediate requirements of staff and students.
ICEM has an elected Student Council which has in the past played a role in ensuring that the student
voice is heard. The College now needs to evaluate the effectiveness of the Student Council in performing
this role and ensure that it has the support and resources to continue its efforts. The College would also
benefit from developing and implementing a systematic approach to the collection and analysis of student
feedback and ensure that students are informed of changes made in response to their feedback. In the area
of staff and staff support, the Panel heard that ICEM is in the process of developing comprehensive
human resource (HR) systems and the documentation to support these. Alongside this, the College needs
to develop an overarching HR plan in order to meet its strategic intentions and to address the existing
issues which undermine staff retention. The College should also continue the positive steps it has made
in the area of Omanisation.
While the issues regarding the ownership of the land on which the College is currently located are
recognised as being an impediment to future growth, ICEM needs to review the planning and
management of its current facilities. The College needs to ensure that these facilities meet the needs of
the College community, especially in light of the strategic objective to increase student numbers over the
next few years.
Summary of Commendations
A formal Commendation recognises an instance of particularly good practice.
1. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority commends the International College of
Engineering and Management for its planned provision of niche programmes which meet
specific industry needs. .................................................................................................................... 12
2. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority commends the International College of
Engineering and Management for establishing a robust internal examination moderation and
external examiner system. ................................................................................................................ 22
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3. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority commends the International College of
Engineering and Management for seeking programme recognition and maintaining good
relationships with a number of professional bodies in the field of fire safety engineering and
management which supports the credibility of its qualifications. .................................................... 29
4. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority commends the International College of
Engineering and Management for providing financial support for high achieving students to
continue their studies. ....................................................................................................................... 39
Summary of Affirmations
A formal Affirmation recognises an instance in which ICEM has accurately identified a significant
opportunity for improvement and has demonstrated appropriate commitment to addressing the matter.
1. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International College of
Engineering and Management that it needs to review its approach to disseminating policies
and supports its efforts in this area. .................................................................................................. 16
2. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International College of
Engineering and Management that it needs to develop and implement formal mechanisms to
incorporate employer and industry input in curriculum design, and supports the College’s
efforts in formalising such mechanisms. .......................................................................................... 19
3. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International College of
Engineering and Management that it needs to support and enhance teaching and learning,
and recognises its efforts to do so through the establishment of the Teaching and Learning
Committee. ....................................................................................................................................... 20
4. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International College of
Engineering and Management that it needs to develop and implement a formal mechanism
for dealing with plagiarism, and supports its efforts to do so through the introduction of a
regular review of student assignments for plagiarism detection....................................................... 21
5. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International College of
Engineering and Management that it needs to formalise mechanisms to improve its
relationship with industry and employers, and supports its efforts in this area................................ 28
6. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International College of
Engineering and Management that it needs to continue to address the needs late-registering
students, and supports it efforts to do so, for example through the introduction of remedial
teaching sessions. ............................................................................................................................. 34
7. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International College of
Engineering and Management that it needs to upgrade its medical provision for students, and
supports its efforts in this area.......................................................................................................... 40
8. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International College of
Engineering and Management that it needs to review its human resources policies and
practices, and supports its efforts to do so, such as through the development of job
descriptions for all staff. ................................................................................................................... 43
Summary of Recommendations
A Recommendation draws attention to a significant opportunity for improvement that ICEM has either
not yet accurately identified or to which it is not yet adequately attending.
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1. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management, as a matter of urgency, review its current governance and
management structures in order to ensure that there are clearly delineated responsibilities for
operational and academic decision-making and that formal, transparent and documented
processes are in place to support these structures............................................................................. 12
2. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management establish a Board of Trustees as a matter of priority with clear
terms of reference for its remit and its working relationship with the College’s governance
and management structures. ............................................................................................................. 13
3. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management develop and implement a system to regularly monitor the
effectiveness of its academic management in order to support the College in meeting its
strategic objectives. .......................................................................................................................... 13
4. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management develop and implement a robust mechanism to resource the
implementation of the Strategic Plan along with a clear indication of who has responsibility
for monitoring the plan..................................................................................................................... 14
5. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management develop and implement operational plans across all College
departments (such as industry and community engagement; academic support services; and
student support services) which are clearly linked to the strategic objectives, are monitored
against key performance indicators, and are promoted to the staff as a basic management
responsibility. ................................................................................................................................... 15
6. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management review its current budgeting and resource allocation processes
to ensure that relevant stakeholders provide input and that resource allocation is linked to the
College’s strategic and operational objectives. ................................................................................ 15
7. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management develop and implement a formal risk assessment and
management system.......................................................................................................................... 15
8. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management develop and implement an integrated approach to data
collection, management and analysis to inform its review system................................................... 16
9. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management carry out an urgent review of the adequacy of its existing
health and safety provision and ensure that this area is appropriately resourced. ............................ 17
10. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management review its admission criteria for Foundation and higher
education programmes and develop and implement an action plan in light of the review
findings. ............................................................................................................................................ 19
11. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management ensure that academic staff are teaching only within their
specialisations................................................................................................................................... 21
12. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management develop and implement mechanisms to maximise
opportunities for students to carry out industrial placement and to measure the effectiveness
of this Module in supporting students’ attainment of the College’s graduate attributes. ................. 22
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13. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management ensure that new policies relating to assessment security are
clearly communicated, consistently implemented and that their effectiveness is regularly
monitored.......................................................................................................................................... 23
14. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management review its approach to the collection and management of
student data, such as records of student study plans, in order to inform actions to address low
progression rates. .............................................................................................................................. 23
15. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management develop and implement a formal mechanism for tracking
graduates and using this data to inform its strategic decisions. ........................................................ 24
16. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management develop and implement a research and consultancy
operational plan which is fully resourced and has clear targets that can guide the College
systematically to achieve its Vision.................................................................................................. 26
17. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management activate the alumni association and develop a system to
regulate, monitor and evaluate its engagement with alumni. ........................................................... 29
18. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management review the effectiveness of its management information
system, such as the appropriateness of its current registration software and consistency of
data entry, to ensure that it meets the needs of all College stakeholders.......................................... 32
19. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management develop and implement a fully-resourced action plan to
improve its library provision and, in consultation with its affiliate, address the issue of staff
access to electronic resources in order to support the College’s research aspirations...................... 33
20. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management review the current status of its IT provision in order to ensure
it meets staff and student needs. ....................................................................................................... 33
21. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management review the provision of its teaching resources, in order to
ensure they are fit for purpose and develop an action plan to address shortcomings....................... 34
22. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management review the role of the Student Council to ensure that it has the
ability and resources to represent the student interest and welfare at appropriate levels of
governance and management............................................................................................................ 37
23. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management develop and implement a systematic approach to the
collection and analysis of student feedback questionnaires, and ensure that students are
informed of any changes made in response to their feedback. ......................................................... 38
24. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management develop and implement a centralised and proactive career
service in order to provide systematic support to its graduates. ....................................................... 39
25. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management develop and implement an overarching human resources plan
that aligns with the Colleges strategic objectives. ............................................................................ 42
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26. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management develop a consistently implemented induction programme for
all teaching and administrative staff across the College which includes a comprehensive
monitoring of the effectiveness of the induction process. ................................................................ 44
27. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management develop and implement a system of professional development
for teaching, administrative and other support staff ......................................................................... 44
28. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management explore and address the reasons for high staff turnover and
develop mechanisms to identify issues which undermine staff retention......................................... 45
29. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management review the planning and management of current facilities to
ensure that they meet, as far as possible, the immediate needs of all students and staff. ................. 47
30. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International College of
Engineering and Management develop and implement a communications policy, procedures
and monitoring mechanisms across all areas to improve communications with internal and
external stakeholders. ....................................................................................................................... 48
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1 GOVER�A�CE A�D MA�AGEME�T
The International College of Engineering and Management (ICEM or ‘the College’) is a private
higher education institution in Muscat founded in 1997 as the Fire Safety Engineering College
with a vision to “serve the training needs of the Sultanate of Oman” (Portfolio, p.ii). It currently
comprises two divisions: vocational training and higher education (HE). Since the OAAA
concerns itself with the quality assurance of higher education institutions in Oman, this audit
focused on the HE division of the ICEM provision. ICEM is affiliated to the University of Central
Lancashire (UCLan), UK, which offers the awards and validates the degree programmes offered
(see Chapter 2 for information on programmes offered). This Chapter reports on the Panel’s
findings in relation to the ICEM Mission, Vision and values; governance and management;
institutional affiliations; strategic and operational planning; financial, risk and policy
management; entity and activity review systems; students’ grievances; and health and safety.
1.1 Mission, Vision and Values
According to ICEM, new Mission, Vision and values statements have recently been developed in
order to reflect the intention to separate the vocational and higher education activities of the
College. A number of workshops were held to discuss the new Mission with ICEM staff as part
of the overall strategic planning development process (Portfolio, p.5).
ICEM’s new Mission statement reads:
[t]o extend wide access to applied, high quality education, locally and
internationally, in partnership with business, government, community and
academia (Portfolio, p.6)
ICEM’s revised Vision is:
To create long term sustained growth in shareholder value through the provision
of education, applied research and knowledge transfer.
To create a College with a reputation for value, quality and integrity.
To avail educational opportunity irrespective of wealth, status, gender or culture.
To make a major contribution to the intellectual assets of the Sultanate of Oman
and other GCC countries (Portfolio, p.6).
ICEM values have been explicitly stated as:
To advance the creation, protection and dissemination of knowledge, and the
freedom of speech and enquiry.
To operate in all we do with the highest levels of integrity.
To ensure the principles of fairness and transparency are evident in all we do.
To ensure that the principle of sustainability is embedded in all we do, from the
commercial and environmental perspective (Portfolio, p.6).
ICEM identified its niche market at an early stage of its development and has continued to build
on it. The College has further expanded its higher education course offerings to meet market
needs. This was clearly acknowledged in interviews with College management, external
stakeholders and by local and international students who felt they were pursuing programmes
which would lead to useful employment opportunities. The fact that many of the programmes
had been accredited by professional bodies was seen as an area of strength in the College. The
Panel recognises and supports the efforts the College has made in order to identify and provide
programmes to meet specific needs of industry in Oman.
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Commendation 1
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority commends the International
College of Engineering and Management for its planned provision of niche
programmes which meet specific industry needs.
To reinforce support from stakeholders and to ensure the consistency of efforts, there is obvious
advantage in ICEM accentuating the nexus between its new Mission and revised Vision and the
new Strategic Plan. In the process, the College has an opportunity to reinforce its image and
brand as a higher education institution. This requires effective planning and the commitment of
resources over the coming years.
1.2 Governance
The Board of Directors (BoD) is the highest governing body of ICEM, followed by an Executive
Committee which includes the Managing Director (who is a member of the BoD) and the Dean.
Structurally, the Managing Director has oversight over the entire ICEM operation (Portfolio, p.7).
The Panel was informed that the Managing Director, who has been appointed by the College
shareholders as their representative, serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). In such
capacity, the CEO is generally regarded as the business leader of ICEM while the academic
leadership squarely rests with the Dean. Ultimately, academic decision making rests with the
Academic Council, which until 2010 was called the Academic Board, which has oversight over
matters such as academic development and standards.
In examining the governance and management system, the Panel found no inbuilt safeguards in
the governance and management structures and decision-making processes in ICEM. It was
therefore difficult to gain confidence that a suitable and stable balance exists as a matter of course
between business considerations and academic considerations. In this regard, the Panel noted,
with some concern, that ICEM itself described its decision-making as being ‘characterised by
informal mechanisms’ (Portfolio, p.9). Indeed, the Panel was informed that key governance
bodies (such as the BoD and Executive Committee) had not been very active, and key decisions
had been taken on an informal basis as a result of direct intervention of individuals or as a result
of informal approaches made to members of these bodies. The Panel noted that decisions which
might have been the prerogative of the Executive Committee are made through informal
processes or through direct contacts between or amongst the officers concerned. These decision-
making processes have not been documented.
The reliance on informal processes and personal approaches has also resulted in a lack of shared
understanding as to who is exactly responsible for what. One example is that while the Dean is
described, both organisationally and functionally, to be the leading academic, there are
conflicting views amongst Members of the BoD, the Managing Director and the Dean himself, as
to the Dean’s exact position on the BoD. Powers and responsibilities within the governance and
management structures need to be aligned, so that there is operational efficiency and no senior
staff members are required to act outside their areas of expertise.
Recommendation 1
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management, as a matter of
urgency, review its current governance and management structures in order
to ensure that there are clearly delineated responsibilities for operational
and academic decision-making and that formal, transparent and
documented processes are in place to support these structures.
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The Panel noted ICEM’s intention to create a Board of Trustees (BoT) which will open an avenue
for participation by external stakeholders and advisers. The Panel was informed that the BoT
would be established when the land issue, which has been affecting development plans of ICEM,
is resolved. The Panel did not find a clear connection between these two matters and urges the
College to progress the plan to form the BoT. As it does so, ICEM should also clarify the
respective governance roles of the BoD and the BoT in the longer term.
Recommendation 2
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management establish a Board of
Trustees as a matter of priority with clear terms of reference for its remit
and its working relationship with the College’s governance and management
structures.
1.3 Management
ICEM states that the initial approach to College management borrowed heavily from the parent
company, Zubair Corporation (Portfolio, p.12). The management structure and the respective job
descriptions unequivocally give precedence to the Managing Director over the Dean (Portfolio,
p.7). In terms of organisational responsibilities, the Dean was said to have a large degree of
autonomy over academic matters and over how the budget for the HE division can be spent. The
Panel was informed that in practice the Dean was seen by management to be on a par with other
Section Heads, such as Finance, Administration, Human Resources and Marketing. In the Panel’s
view, this undermines the integrity of the academic leadership to be exercised by the Dean, since
he may not have sufficient control or influence over the essential functions supporting his
academic operation. One example the Panel noted was that although ensuring an adequate
number of academic staff is clearly the responsibility of the Dean, proactive or reactive
recruitment action was said to be ‘subject to management decisions’ (Portfolio, p.112), which in
practice does not include the Dean.
The College originally had an Academic Board but after 2006 academic governance was handled
informally (Portfolio, p.10). An Academic Council was constituted in 2010 with two principal
aims: firstly to provide a systematised approach to academic activities and secondly to provide a
vehicle through which academic planning could be developed and implemented (Portfolio, p.10).
The Academic Council is chaired by the Dean and includes the Deputy Deans (Senior Deputy
Dean and Deputy Dean for Planning and Administration), Heads of Academic Units and the Head
of Quality and Standards. Minutes of the meetings show that the Academic Council has met on a
regular basis since its formation and confirms the College’s claim that the Academic Council is
the primary mechanism for academic policy formulation. The College now needs to ensure that
reporting lines between the BoD, the Managing Director, the Dean and the Academic Council are
clearly established and mechanisms are developed to evaluate the effectiveness of its current
academic management systems.
Recommendation 3
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management develop and
implement a system to regularly monitor the effectiveness of its academic
management in order to support the College in meeting its strategic
objectives.
1.4 Institutional Affiliations for Programmes and Quality Assurance
The College has had an academic affiliation agreement with University of Central Lancashire
(UCLan), UK since 1999. The agreement establishes the basis for “collaboration in academic
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and other projects” including the five programmes validated and awarded by UCLan (Portfolio,
p.15). Programmes offered at ICEM are in the name of the UCLan, UK. Students finishing the
programme are awarded a UCLan qualification. In terms of quality assurance, UCLan is
primarily involved with the annual monitoring process, with visits from UCLan course leaders
three times a year. External examiners are also used and their reports are submitted to ICEM and
UCLan (Portfolio, p.16). The automatic articulation of successful ICEM students to the 4th year
of relevant UCLan programme is additional assurance that UCLan is satisfied with the standards
of the programmes and the academic performance of the students. The validation processes
offered by UCLan appear to reflect the processes in place in the UK and are cleary documented.
The Panel had an opportunity to speak to staff at UCLan and ICEM to discuss the impact of the
affiliation. While the relationship has been seen as a strength of the College, it was suggested
that UCLan could play a more supportive role during the current period of transition from one
entity into two divisions, especially in addressing the issues faced with high staff turnover and
staff shortages (see Section 8.9). The College is also encouraged to identify who at UCLan is currently responsible for monitoring the relationship in order to ensure that there is a clear point
of contact for ICEM staff.
1.5 Strategic Plan
ICEM states that until recently its strategic plans were of a qualitative nature and did not specify
specific strategic goals, objectives, or key performance indicators (Portfolio, p.17). The Panel was
informed that the newly developed Strategic Plan 2011-2018 is seen to be the means for ICEM to
achieve its renewed Vision and Mission. The Panel was pleased to note that there was some level
of involvement and input from the staff into the new Strategic Plan although there was no
evidence to show that the Strategic Plan had been signed off formally at the BoD level.
Given its short history and other factors, in particular the uncertainty over the status of the land
on which ICEM is currently situated (Strategic Plan, p.10), it is difficult to gauge the impact of
the Strategic Plan so far. The Panel was unable to find evidence of robust plans at the operational
level to support the implementation of the Strategic Plan (see Section 1.6) or steps to ensure that the implementation of the Strategic Plan is resourced. While the development of the new
Strategic Plan is a positive initiative, it now needs to be driven and supported at the highest
levels, clearly embedded in the College’s activities, and to have sufficient resources allocated for
its objectives to be achieved.
Recommendation 4
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management develop and
implement a robust mechanism to resource the implementation of the
Strategic Plan along with a clear indication of who has responsibility for
monitoring the plan.
1.6 Operational Planning
ICEM acknowledges that the Strategic Plan should be underpinned by specific action
programmes at the operational level but admits that the absence of a strong link between
operational planning and strategic goals/objectives has resulted in an ad hoc approach (Portfolio,
p.19). As discussed in Section 1.5, one way to achieve the objectives of the Strategic Plan and to ensure staff involvement is to require operational planning at all management levels and in all
departments across the College. The need for a consistent and supported approach to operational
planning is also noted in the sections on industry and community engagement (see Section 5.1);
academic support services (see Section 6.1); student support services (see Section 7.1); and
general support services and facilities (see Section 9.1).
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Recommendation 5
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management develop and
implement operational plans across all College departments (such as
industry and community engagement; academic support services; and
student support services) which are clearly linked to the strategic objectives,
are monitored against key performance indicators, and are promoted to the
staff as a basic management responsibility.
1.7 Financial Management
ICEM has adopted an approach to financial planning common to all companies owned or
partially owned by the Zubair Corporation. It recognises that a different financial management
system for ICEM as an HEI independent from its vocational counterpart will be essential
(Portfolio, p.20). After consideration of documentation submitted on the budgeting process, the
Panel noted that there is a top- down process whereby each year the BoD will determine the outer
parameters and hand them down to the Managing Director at ICEM; and another process which
allows the Heads of Sections, including the Dean, to come up with proposals within the
parameters of the budget designated to them. The Panel found that there is no provision in the
procedures to allow the Dean to have a say in the financial resources to be made available to
management and administrative functions (e.g. finance, human resources and marketing)
supporting the academic operation. After the budgeting process, if extra resources are required,
Section Heads as well as the Dean are allowed to apply for supplementary provisions from the
Managing Director but the Panel found this was arranged on an informal basis. The College
needs to consider developing a stronger link between academic planning and financial planning
during the budgeting process. The Panel urges the College to develop a clearly documented
financial process which is linked to academic planning as well as the College’s strategic
objectives and to ensure that the input of relevant stakeholders is consistently considered.
Recommendation 6
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management review its current
budgeting and resource allocation processes to ensure that relevant
stakeholders provide input and that resource allocation is linked to the
College’s strategic and operational objectives.
1.8 Risk Management
The College states that its risk management does not fall within a structured set of processes or
procedures, nor is there any single risk strategy allied to the College’s strategic goals and
objectives (Portfolio, p.21). During interviews with senior staff, the Panel was informed that
there is an embedded risk management function in the financial management system. Staff also
identified a number of non-financial risks, such as the issue with the land on which the College is
situated and risks in relation to student and staff retention rates. While ICEM acknowledges that a
more structured and coherent approach to risk management may be appropriate (Portfolio, p.22),
the Panel found that no progress has yet been made in this area. The College is urged to develop
its risk assessment and management strategy and establish a risk register.
Recommendation 7
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management develop and
implement a formal risk assessment and management system.
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1.9 Policy Management
ICEM states that “creating a clear set of policies and procedures is vital to the smooth operation
of the College…ICEM considers Policy Management as an essential part of its strategy”
(Portfolio, p.23). Policies are developed at department level and ratified by the Academic
Council. Academic policies draw heavily on the procedures developed at UCLan.
The College has developed a comprehensive policy on developing policies which is included in
the Academic Quality Handbook and all approved policies are available on the College server.
They were also made available to the Panel during the audit visit. ICEM recognises that it needs
to work on disseminating policies further and in developing policies in the non-academic areas
(Portfolio, p.24). The Panel encourages the College to continue to address the opportunities for
improvement in this area.
Affirmation 1
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International
College of Engineering and Management that it needs to review its approach
to disseminating policies and supports its efforts in this area.
1.10 Entity and Activity Review Systems
In terms of academic review systems, ICEM states that it borrows heavily from UCLan and that
the recently established Academic Standards and Quality Committee will have a major role to
play in implementing review processes (Portfolio, p.24). The Panel considered a range of
supporting material, including external examiner reports and annual monitoring reports with
responses, which indicated that there is a well-established academic review system in place at
module and programme levels. The Panel also considered the College’s action plans in response
to Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) semester visit reports.
The College states that the Academic Standards and Quality Control Unit will facilitate
continuous improvement in this area (Portfolio, p.25) although at the time of the audit there was
only one member of staff in this Unit. The College is urged to ensure that its approach to
developing its internal quality management systems is fully resourced and sustainable. ICEM
acknowledges that it needs to develop an integrated approach to data collection, management and
analysis (Portfolio, p.25) but this still needs to be addressed as part of an overall entity and
activity review system.
Recommendation 8
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management develop and
implement an integrated approach to data collection, management and
analysis to inform its review system.
1.11 Student Grievance Process
ICEM states that its student grievance procedures have been adopted from UCLan policies and
procedures (Portfolio, p.25) and are made available to students in the Student Handbook. The
Complaints and Appeals Policy is made available to all staff via the College server. The Panel
considered sample complaints and appeals cases which indicated that the current procedures
clearly underpin the College’s approach to handling student grievances. Interviews with students,
however, correlated with the College’s observation (Portfolio, p.26) that more work needs to be
done on communicating the student grievance process and that staff should adopt a consistent
approach to handling issues in this area. ICEM is encouraged to take steps to evaluate the
effectiveness of its student grievance policy and procedures in order to ensure that they are
meeting the needs of the student body.
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1.12 Health and Safety
ICEM puts high value on health and safety on the campus; this area is monitored by the Health
and Safety Manager and the Health and Safety Committee (Portfolio, p.26). The College sets out
clear health and safety objectives and targets on an annual basis and, in terms of approach and
planning, this area is well established in the College. However, ICEM’s 2011 Health and Safety
Annual Action Plan stated that there was a lack of a specific health and safety budget which the
Panel noted could have a negative impact on objectives being achieved in a timely manner.
During interviews, students informed the Panel that they considered the safety equipment (such
as gloves) that they were provided with to be old and unfit for purpose (see Section 6.7). The College needs to ensure that there are adequate resources in order for safety equipment to be
regularly maintained and replaced at appropriate intervals. The planned growth in student
numbers also needs to be taken into account. ICEM is urged to develop and implement a
mechanism to evaluate the effectiveness of its current approach to health and safety throughout
the College.
Recommendation 9
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management carry out an urgent
review of the adequacy of its existing health and safety provision and ensure
that this area is appropriately resourced.
1.13 Oversight of Associated Entities (e.g. owned companies)
This is not applicable as ICEM has no associated entities.
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2 STUDE�T LEAR�I�G BY COURSEWORK PROGRAMMES
ICEM offers the following programmes, taught in English, which are validated and awarded by
the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan): BSc (Hons) Health, Safety and Environmental
Management; BSc (Hons) Fire Safety (Engineering); BSc (Hons) Fire Safety (Management);
BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering (Well Engineering); and BSc (Hons) Facilities
Management. The College delivers the first three years of the Honours degree programme on its
campus in Oman, with students completing their fourth year at UCLan in the UK. This Chapter
considers key areas in relation to student learning by coursework including curriculum, student
entry standards, teaching quality, assessment and graduate destinations.
2.1 Graduate Attributes and Student Learning Objectives
ICEM presented a set of attributes that its graduates are expected to attain (Portfolio, p.30). These
graduate attributes are generic and are embedded in intended learning outcomes (ILO) for all
modules offered by ICEM. Module ILOs group skills in “Knowledge and Understanding”,
“Subject Specific”, “Thinking” and “Other skills relevant to employability” and the programme
specifications show that these areas are linked to assessment and teaching methods (Portfolio,
p.30). A sample of documents was considered which showed that module level ILOs are clearly
mapped to programme ILOs and that assessment tasks and class work were clearly mapped to the
specific ILO they were intended to measure.
Students entering College programmes may exit at the end of any year with appropriate
certificates if they have achieved requirements clearly stated in the module specifications. The
Panel noted the clear study path for the multi exit points and the flexibility such system provides
to students. The College could now consider clearly communicating the specific attributes
students are expected to achieve at all exit points as well as the attributes specified for the
completion of the full programme. During interviews with senior management, the Panel was
informed of discussions about the need to further address the various potential exit points and of
plans to develop subject clusters in programme design (Portfolio, p.93) and develop ILOs at
different exit levels. However, these initial plans have yet to be put into action. Interviews with
external stakeholders highlighted the importance generic skills amongst ICEM graduates. The
College is encouraged to realise its stated intention (Portfolio, p.51) to improve liaison with
industry and employers in order to obtain feedback on its graduates’ attributes (see also
Affirmation 2 and Affirmation 5).
2.2 Curriculum
Curriculum and related module content are designed by ICEM Course Teams consisting of
Course Leaders and teaching staff. The resulting programmes are validated through UCLan. The
College states that it uses input from employers and industry and market research to inform its
curriculum design (Portfolio, p.33), although the Panel did not find evidence of regular activities
being conducted in this regard. ICEM states that while its programme offerings are validated by
UCLan, the content of these courses is locally contextualised to meet Omani industry needs
(Portfolio, p.32). The College acknowledges that comments from external stakeholders on
curriculum and module content have been, by large, acquired on an ad hoc basis through
individual meetings with some industry representatives. This has been recognised as an area for
improvement (Portfolio, p.32) and the Panel considered evidence on efforts made by the College
to engage with local industry on a formal basis. In 2009, the College initiated the Industrial
Liaison Board (ILB), and more recently moved towards replacing the ILB with Industrial Liaison
Forum (ILF) for each of its programmes and for which terms of reference were formally
approved by the Academic Council in 2011. However, these formal structures are yet to meet on
regular basis. Whilst the Panel acknowledges the formal establishment of the ILFs for all
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ICEM’s offerings, the College now needs to develop a more formal mechanism to ensure that
feedback from these forums and input from Omani and regional industry and employers’
representatives is incorporated into programme design and review. The College needs to ensure
that its curriculum contextualisation meets Omani and regional market needs while maintaining
the academic standards of its programmes.
Affirmation 2
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International
College of Engineering and Management that it needs to develop and
implement formal mechanisms to incorporate employer and industry input
in curriculum design, and supports the College’s efforts in formalising such
mechanisms.
The College is also encouraged to develop and implement mechanisms whereby programme
module leaders are able to give feedback on Foundation Programme curricula (see Section 2.4) to
ensure students are fully prepared to deal with the content of their academic programmes.
2.3 Student Entry Standards
Admission criteria are clearly stated on the College website, ICEM Admission and Registration
Policy, ICEM Foundation Programme Entry Test Guidance, and Student Handbooks. In order to
directly enter the higher education programmes, students are required to have completed and
obtained the General Education Diploma and to show adequate proficiency in English language,
Mathematics and Science. Students awarded government scholarships apply for a place at the
College through the Higher Education Admissions Centre. Self-funding students apply directly
to the College. The admission tests are developed by ICEM, and although the College states that
its admission test “broadly reflect OAAA [Foundation Programme] Standards and UCLan
requirements for entry onto HE Courses” (Portfolio, p.35), it would benefit from benchmarking
these tests with other institutions offering Foundation Programmes (see Section 2.4).
The College has identified the need to review its admission criteria and adopt different entry
criteria to reflect the engineering and management academic groupings (Portfolio, p.37).
However, the College also needs to review its admission requirements in light of student
achievements against their entry level for all its offerings (see Section 2.10). The College might
benefit from its affiliate’s experience, especially as UCLan both assists in designing and
validating ICEM HE programmes and ICEM students complete their fourth year of study at
UCLan in the UK. As ICEM reviews its admission criteria, it is urged to consider whether the
current IELTS requirement of band 4.5 is sufficient for students entering a HE programme
delivered in English.
Recommendation 10
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management review its admission
criteria for Foundation and higher education programmes and develop and
implement an action plan in light of the review findings.
2.4 Foundation Programme
Students who do not pass the entry test for HE, enter the Foundation Programme. At the time of
the audit, one third of the students were enrolled on ICEM’s Foundation Programme (Portfolio,
p.ii). Applicants are given entry/placement tests in English, Mathematics and Science, the result
of which are used to place students in different levels within the Foundation Programme
(Portfolio, p.35). If it is felt that students have been inappropriately placed students are given a
challenge test and as a result might be moved to a different level. Both the entry and challenge
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tests are designed in-house. The Panel was informed that entry tests were reviewed and
redesigned in 2008-2009 to reduce lack of consistency and ensure students attain the required
level. However, the Panel noted that those tests have not been subject to any external validation
process. Whilst there is evidence of internal moderation of exams in the Foundation Programme,
the College is encouraged to consider implementing a system for external scrutiny or moderation
in order to ensure that students exiting level 4 of the Foundation Programme attain the required
output level.
The ICEM Foundation Programme underwent review in 2008/2009 (Portfolio, p.34). The
document ‘Foundation Programme English Outcomes & Objectives 2010-2011’ clearly showed
that the revised programme aligns with the Oman’s Academic Standards for General Foundation
Program (GFP) Standards. The Panel noted that the outcome of the Foundation Programme is
benchmarked to IELTS band 4.5, which is lower than the IELTS band 5 suggested in the national
GFP standards. The College is encouraged to review this as it considers its admission criteria
(see Recommendation 10). The Panel was repeatedly informed by external stakeholders, students
and staff members that graduates were lacking adequate communicative skills in English and this
is an area the College needs to monitor.
2.5 Teaching Quality
ICEM relies on different mechanisms to evaluate the teaching and learning experience its
Foundation and HE students receive. One of the tools used by the College to assess the quality of
teaching is the ‘Module Evaluation Questionnaire’ administered to students at the end of each
module. ICEM states that the results of these questionnaires are used, if considered valid and
reasonable, through ‘Minor Change Process’ to introduce changes within the module (Portfolio,
p.37). However, the Panel did not see evidence of output being used to inform improvement in
teaching and learning. Moreover, students are not informed about any action taken as a result of
the evaluation findings. As part of UCLan quality assurance requirements, peer reviews are
conducted twice every year (Portfolio, p.38) and the College states that their results are used to
assure and improve teaching and learning experiences. External Examiner reports are also used
to assess the impact of teaching and learning in HE programmes on student achievement. UCLan
staff visiting ICEM have conducted a number of staff development activities, although these have
not been carried out on a systematic basis. Whilst the College states that staff appraisal data is
used to assess and improve teaching quality (Portfolio, p.38), the Panel was informed that these
appraisals are not frequently conducted by the College and therefore their impact on the quality of
teaching and learning is limited.
In recognition of the need to support and enhance students’ learning, ICEM developed a Teaching
and Learning Committee (TLC) with specific terms of reference in December 2011. The TLC is
responsible for reviewing annual reports, developing policies, procedures and guidelines related
to teaching and learning, and overseeing teaching quality, assessments and students teaching
experience (Terms of Reference, TLC). The TLC has set initial targets and identified mechanisms
to achieve these targets. The Panel was pleased to note that the TLC has identified one of its
functions as being to self-assess the effectiveness of the committee. However, as the TLC has just
started operating, it is too early to judge its effectiveness.
Affirmation 3
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International
College of Engineering and Management that it needs to support and
enhance teaching and learning, and recognises its efforts to do so through
the establishment of the Teaching and Learning Committee.
The College states that practical learning experience comprises an important component in its
curriculum (Portfolio, p.38). However, in a number of course files, the Panel saw evidence of
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module reviews which indicated that the practical aspect of these modules is not in line with
module requirements. The College is urged to review this (See Section 6.7).
Due to the high staff turnover ratio and the stringent staff-to-student ratio model used by the
College, the Panel was informed that teaching staff members have been asked, on a number of
occasions, to teach outside their main fields of expertise. The Panel advises the College to
develop and implement a working load model to ensure that teaching staff are responsible for
delivering modules within their specialisations only.
Recommendation 11
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management ensure that academic
staff are teaching only within their specialisations.
2.6 Plagiarism
ICEM has carried out a number of measures in order to address plagiarism. According to the
minutes of the Academic and Standards and Quality Committee, this includes the intention to
moderate student assignments internally three weeks after submission as well as at the end of the
academic year. The College, in conjunction with UCLan, has also delivered workshops to staff
on plagiarism (Portfolio, p.40). In student interviews, the Panel was informed that students were
aware of the consequences of plagiarising. However, not all students had been fully informed
about the details of the process for dealing with plagiarism and the duration it takes to resolve
such issue. The College is encouraged to engage the students in the process of formalising its
procedures and to further develop a mechanism to measure the effectiveness of these procedures.
The College has acknowledged the need to implement the use of plagiarism detection software
such as Turnitin (Portfolio, p.40) and should ensure that all teaching staff have consistent access
to this.
Affirmation 4
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International
College of Engineering and Management that it needs to develop and
implement a formal mechanism for dealing with plagiarism, and supports its
efforts to do so through the introduction of a regular review of student
assignments for plagiarism detection.
2.7 Student Placements
ICEM emphasises the importance of the vocational aspects of its programmes, which is clearly
stated in the College’s Mission and in its graduate attributes. This is partially achieved by the
introduction of dedicated Industrial Placement Modules in the College’s HE programmes
(Portfolio, p.41). However, this module is optional and is not a requirement for graduation.
Students in a number of interviews stated that they do not get the expected support from the
College to identify and secure an industrial placement opportunity for them. The data provided by
the College indicated that the number of students taking up industrial placement during the period
2007-2009 was limited (Portfolio, p.42). ICEM is aware that more could be done to facilitate
student placements (Portfolio, p.43) and in this respect an Industry Liaison Forum (ILF) has been
established for each disciplinary area (see Section 5.2).
The Panel learnt from external stakeholders, students and staff members that, in their view, the
reputation of the College has been dented because graduates lack applied knowledge and field
experience. The Panel encourages the College, leveraging on its contacts with industry and
different external stakeholders, to maximise placement opportunities provided to its students and
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to review its Industrial Placement Module in order to clarify the College’s role in helping students
attain the desired graduate attributes.
Recommendation 12
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management develop and
implement mechanisms to maximise opportunities for students to carry out
industrial placement and to measure the effectiveness of this Module in
supporting students’ attainment of the College’s graduate attributes.
2.8 Assessment Methods, Standards and Moderation
ICEM states that it pursues a policy whereby “the main purpose of assessment is to provide the
opportunity for students to demonstrate that they have fulfilled the learning outcomes of the
course and achieved the standard required for the award they seek”. ICEM states that it works
with UCLan to encourage the use of a variety of assessment methods, appropriate to the specified
learning outcomes, to determine student performance (Portfolio, p.43). The Panel reviewed
supporting materials which showed that the assessment methods used are clearly stated in each
course portfolio and are clearly linked to the ILOs they intend to measure. These assessment
methods and requirements are communicated to the students with a policy stating that students
should receive feedback on assessment within 15 working days. However, through interview
sessions students stated that not all teaching staff adhere to this deadline and that the feedback
they received on their performance is not always detailed enough. ICEM needs to ensure that all
of its teaching staff provide students with timely feedback in line with the College’s policy
(especially in light of its intention to internally moderate assignments for plagiarism after three
weeks as noted in Section 2.6).
ICEM has a moderation system that comprises both internal and external moderation. The Panel
saw evidence of the internal moderation system being executed and heard about several
improvements introduced to make the system more robust. These improvements includes
conducting internal moderation throughout the academic year instead of only at the end of the
year and moderating assignments and students work as well as examinations. External examiners
are nominated through UCLan and play a major role in assuring the quality of assessment
methods. While tests and assignments are subject to external examiner’s scrutiny at the end of
each academic year, final examinations are subject to the external examiner’s moderation both
prior to and after the examination is conducted. The Panel saw evidence of external examiner
reports being discussed both internally and with UCLan, and of actions being taken to address
issues raised by the external examiner. The Panel concluded that ICEM has a robust external
examiner system in place which supports an effective approach to assessment and moderation.
Commendation 2
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority commends the International
College of Engineering and Management for establishing a robust internal
examination moderation and external examiner system.
2.9 Academic Security and Invigilation
The Panel was informed during the audit visit that ICEM has in the past depended on individual
initiative to ensure the securing of its assessment and examination papers. In order to address this,
the College developed an Assessment Security Policy in February 2011 which is initially
applicable to HE programmes only. The policy stipulates the mechanism for conducting internal
moderation in order to reduce the risk of security breaches, which the Panel was informed had
been an issue in the past. However, in interviews with the Panel, there did not seem to be a shared
understanding of this policy among teaching staff. For example, while the Assessment Security
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Policy states that there soft copies of examination paper and key answer sheets should not be sent
from one teaching staff to another prior to the conduct of the examination, staff interviewed
mentioned using secured lines to send examination papers electronically. Moreover, the policy
does not discuss security measures for exams prior to external moderation. While the Panel
supports the College’s efforts in reviewing its approach in this area, ICEM needs to ensure that
the new policies relating to assessment security are clearly communicated and consistently
applied.
Recommendation 13
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management ensure that new
policies relating to assessment security are clearly communicated,
consistently implemented and that their effectiveness is regularly monitored.
2.10 Student Retention and Progression
ICEM states that it “strives to ensure that all students progress suitable through the courses that
they have chosen and retained within the institutions and its affiliate” (Portfolio, p.48). Students
are registered upon admission as BSc (Hons) students. However, they can opt-out after
completing the study requirements of year 1, 2, or 3 with an award (Certificate, Diploma or
Advanced Diploma). The Panel was informed that ICEM does not keep records about student
study plans when they first enter the College which makes it hard to evaluate the student retention
rate. However, scrutinizing the data provided by the College revealed that at best only around
20% students move to year three and around 9% of students go on to year four (which is
delivered at UCLan in the UK). For the Foundation Programme, less than 40% of the students
have successfully exited the programme. The College needs to develop a formal mechanism to
monitor and analyse student data in order to ensure that students are progressing at an acceptable
rate and that students admitted to programmes are capable of performing at desired suitable level
(see Recommendation 10). The College is encouraged to evaluate students’ performance against
entry levels and to measure the effectiveness of entry tests and other admission criteria to
correlate student performance against entry levels. This is a concern especially with the low
student progression rates, both in HE and Foundation Programmes.
Recommendation 14
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management review its approach
to the collection and management of student data, such as records of student
study plans, in order to inform actions to address low progression rates.
In response to the high attrition rate, the College informed the Panel of a number of
improvements in relation to academic programmes. For example, in 2008 – 2009 the extended
Foundation Programme was redesigned to accommodate the increasing number of weak students.
Furthermore, the College intends to restructure HE courses and introduce subject clusters in its
course designs to reduce attrition rates (see Section 2.1). The Panel supports the College’s efforts
in this area.
2.11 Graduate Destinations and Employability
The College states that up until now there has been no systematic approach to evaluating the
employment potential of its graduates, with the main channels of information being informal
dialogue between College staff and principal employers (Portfolio, p.50). The College has
recognised the need to improve this area and has included focused objectives in its 2011-2018
Strategic Plan. The Panel did not see, however, any evidence of progress in relation to the stated
strategic objectives or current links with external stakeholders being formally utilised to inform
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the College about employer satisfaction with the College’s graduates. ICEM does not currently
keep any formal record of its alumni and their first destination or any data on its graduates’
employability rate. The Panel urges the College to address this.
Recommendation 15
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management develop and
implement a formal mechanism for tracking graduates and using this data
to inform its strategic decisions.
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3 STUDE�T LEAR�I�G BY RESEARCH PROGRAMMES
At the time of the Quality Audit, ICEM did not offer research programmes per se, so this section
is not addressed in this Report.
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4 STAFF RESEARCH A�D CO�SULTA�CY
ICEM is mainly a teaching institution and staff members are generally not research active. The
College states clearly that it “cannot lay claim to any tangible ‘approach’ to research, and has
never sought to” (Portfolio, p.54). However, the provision of applied research is now referred to
in ICEM’s new Vision "To create long term sustained growth in shareholder value through the
provision of education, applied research and knowledge transfer" (Portfolio, p.6). The College
also states:
The dawn of a new era or ICEM also brings opportunities for the College to
enhance its academic collaborations. Future plans extend beyond excellence in
teaching, to embrace research, consultancy and knowledge transfer in the
innovative fields within which the College will expand. (Portfolio, p.i)
In addition, the College has developed a specific strategic goal to link teaching, research and
knowledge transfer in the new 2011-2018 Strategic Plan (Portfolio, p.55). The goal links research
with grading and promotion opportunities of lecturers so as to involve more staff in research and
consultancy. The goal also makes explicit reference to the supportive role to be played by the
affiliate University to direct activity towards the research-teaching nexus. The College stated that
UCLan has a well-developed approach and a comprehensive supporting infrastructure for
research-informed teaching and feels that UCLan has the capacity to support ICEM in its medium
to long term aspirations to evolve a research-oriented culture. The College also stated that
although there is the expectation that all staff are fully engaged in the delivery, assessment or
administration of taught programmes; some are pursuing research, parallel to their formal roles
and responsibilities (Portfolio, pp.55-56).
To move the College towards achieving research and knowledge transfer goals, it has now
developed a research policy which includes the formation of a Research Committee to guide, plan
and develop the research and consultancy activity. While the Panel supports the College’s
aspirations to embrace a culture of research, the Research Committee is yet to be formed and
specific resources have not yet been allocated. The Panel recommends the College, for example
through the Research Committee, develop and implement an operational plan that will help to
identify staff capability (in terms of qualifications, ability and teaching load), resourcing, funding,
extending relationships with academia and industry and possible research opportunities.
Recommendation 16
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management develop and
implement a research and consultancy operational plan which is fully
resourced and has clear targets that can guide the College systematically to
achieve its Vision.
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5 I�DUSTRY A�D COMMU�ITY E�GAGEME�T
ICEM has included the following strategic goal in its 2011-2018 Strategic Plan:
Industry, government and alumni will be integrated into all Programme
Development and Delivery Teams. (goal 7 Strategic Plan, p.21)
This Chapter explores ICEM’s planning and management of its engagement with industry and
community. It also details the Panel’s comments and findings in regards to the College’s
relationships with the following: industry and employers; professions; other education providers;
alumni; and the community at large.
5.1 Industry and Community Engagement Planning & Management
The planning and management of engagement with industry and community has, in the past, been
driven by the senior management of the College, using a top-down approach. ICEM is now
endeavouring to encourage a greater ownership of the external engagement agenda by involving
course teams with Industrial Liaison Forums (ILFs) at programme level (Portfolio, p.58). The
College is also planning to expand its engagement with external stakeholders through the
formation of the Board of Trustees (BoT) but the latter has not yet been established (Portfolio,
p.59) (see Recommendation 2).
During the audit visit, the Panel heard that the College has established good relationships with
employers, professions, external organisations and relevant ministries. Although it was informed
that individual staff members have been liaising with counterparts in industry, the Panel found no
evidence of systematic, consistent and comprehensive planning in this area. The College
acknowledged that it has evolved its current practices on an informal basis, without the direction
or milestones arising from a strategic approach. ICEM recognised that it needs robust planning
and clear leadership in order for it to build upon its recent contacts with private sector companies,
to ensure industry is effectively integrated into its course development and delivery teams, as per
the strategic goal in this area (Portfolio, p.61). The College now needs to take steps to address
this opportunity for improvement. For example, although ILFs had been formed for each
programme, these did not seem to be functioning on a regular basis. The College would also
benefit from developing formal mechanisms for the planning, monitoring and evaluation of
community engagement activities (see Section 5.6). The Panel recommends that the College
adopt a more consistent approach to the planning and management of its activities in this area in
order to build and maintain successful relationships with its external stakeholders (see
Recommendation 5).
5.2 Relationships with Industry and Employers
ICEM’s first formal approach to engaging with external stakeholders was the establishment of the
Industry Liaison Board (ILB) in 2009. The ILB was chaired by the former Dean and Principal,
and comprised academic Heads of Department, other senior College staff, and eight external
members representing the industrial sectors relevant to the College’s academic provision
(Portfolio, p.58). In 2010, the Dean took the initiative to reconstruct the ILB to become a two-tier
model of external stakeholder engagement: local ILFs and a BoT with a wider agenda to integrate
the input from external stakeholders more effectively into the academic development of the
College (Portfolio, p.58). The College states that, with this two-tier model, it will have better
‘connection’ with external stakeholders as this body, comprising only members with specific
interests in the subject area of concern.
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From the minutes of ILF meetings considered by the Panel, only one meeting was held in June
2010 by two ILFs out of five, which suggests the irregularity and inconsistency of functioning of
ILFs. In order for the ILFs to play an effective role, the College is urged to ensure that the ILFs
meet regularly and that their effectiveness is monitored. The ILF meetings would also provide a
forum for employer input on graduate attributes and graduate employability (see Sections 2.1 and
2.11).
The College has other channels through which it is able to develop its relationship with industry
and employers such as the student Industrial Placement module, industrial visits and guest
speakers. As discussed in Section 2.7, the Industrial Placement module is optional and few
students have engaged with it (Portfolio, p.42). The College is encouraged to maximise
opportunities for students to take the Industrial Placement module in order to support them in
achieving the College’s graduate attributes and at the same time strengthening ICEM’s links with
industry and employers (see Recommendation 12).
Industrial visits and guest speakers have increased, especially in the last two academic years
2009-2010 and 2010-2011 (Portfolio, p.60), although the distribution of the industrial visits on
the four specialisations and student levels varies. During interviews with College staff and
external stakeholders, the Panel heard examples of how the ‘real life’ experiences of guest
speakers and introduction of short courses were incorporated in the curricula. The College has
also signed Memoranda of Understanding with EMCOR (a facilities management company) and
Cluttons real estate company (Portfolio, p.61) and the College is planning to realise and to expand
its relationship with industry and employers. The Panel supports ICEM’s efforts and intentions in
this direction and encourages the College to develop and implement a system to measure the
effectiveness of this relationship towards the achievement of its Mission and strategic goals.
Affirmation 5
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International
College of Engineering and Management that it needs to formalise
mechanisms to improve its relationship with industry and employers, and
supports its efforts in this area.
5.3 Relationships with Professions
ICEM has established a broad range of relationships with professional bodies inside and outside
Oman (Portfolio, p.60). Since 2004, the College has succeeded in ensuring a membership of a
total of eight bodies in areas related to petroleum; well and drilling; fire engineering; fire
services; and health and safety fields. The College’s intention has been to provide professional
support for and/or accredit its HE programmes, thus enhancing ICEM’s reputation and adding
value to the student experience (Portfolio, p.62). Currently, the College is planning to broaden
this relationship to cover all the five programmes it provides.
In its effort to engage and with professional industrial bodies, ICEM has provided opportunities
for its HE students to supplement their academic qualifications with short courses certified by
professional bodies such as Institution of Occupational Safety and Health courses in addition to
the extra-curricular opportunities provided to well engineering students by virtue of the
relationships with professional bodies representing the oil and gas industry.
Through interviews with the College staff, employers and students, the Panel learned that such
professional body relationships were seen to improve ICEM’s reputation. Recognition by an
appropriate professional body of any course or programme is seen by the College to signify that
the professional body has approved the courses as being satisfactory in supporting graduates to
practise the profession. The Panel was informed that staff and students have benefited, with
students providing examples of cases where professional body recognition has enhanced their
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employability. The Panel commends the College’s achievement in this regard and supports its
continuous improvement to further develop its relationship with professional bodies.
Commendation 3
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority commends the International
College of Engineering and Management for seeking programme
recognition and maintaining good relationships with a number of
professional bodies in the field of fire safety engineering and management
which supports the credibility of its qualifications.
5.4 Relationships with Other Education Providers
The College’s principal relationship with other education providers is with the University of
Central Lancashire (UCLan) (see Section 1.4). Apart from this, ICEM has limited, informal
relationships with other HEIs. The College stated that a very healthy relationship is maintained
with Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in Oman through which students and staff engage in
scholarly activities, including the Fire Safety Conference staged in May 2011 (Portfolio, p.64).
The Panel was also informed that ICEM staff and students also benefit from the inter-library loan
arrangements with local private HEIs, and through membership of the SQU Library.
To enhance the relationship with other HEIs, the College, as the new Mission states, suggested
that academic collaborations will be a feature of its ‘evolution’ into a more mature HEI
(Portfolio, p.64). However, the Panel found no evidence of any focus given to benchmarking of
activities, processes or programmes. The College is encouraged to work with relevant national
and international HEIs through which it can benchmark its activities and explore collaborative
opportunities which could benefit the College students and staff.
5.5 Relationships with Alumni
The College stated that although it does not have a systematic relationship with its former
graduates, it maintains strong connections with its alumni who are occupying positions in key
areas within both private and public sectors. This ‘informal’ relationship is ensured through direct
communication of teaching and Student Affairs staff, most notably with alumni of the Civil
Defense (Portfolio, p.65). More formally, the ILFs comprise alumni as members (see Section
5.2) although the effectiveness of these forums has yet to be evaluated.
In its 2011-2018 Strategic Plan, ICEM has made a firm commitment to establish a fully
functioning alumni database and alumni association to facilitate interactions with graduates
(Strategic Plan, p.21). It also plans to organise activities and events to ensure continuous
engagement with alumni to allow them recognise that they are part of the College after graduation
(Portfolio, p.65). The Panel considered evidence which showed that, at the time of the audit visit,
very few graduates had registered in the alumni association. Although the College has recognised
this as an opportunity for improvement, the Panel found that little progress had been made in
terms of planning, and allocating support staff or resources to realise this strategic objective.
Recommendation 17
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management activate the alumni
association and develop a system to regulate, monitor and evaluate its
engagement with alumni.
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5.6 Relationships with the Community at Large
The College states that it has approached community in different ways for a variety of purposes
(Portfolio, p.65). The College has conducted a number of community engagement activities such
as: lectures on ‘environmental auditing’ presented by Health, Safety and Environmental
Management staff in 2009 and 2010; health and safety awareness initiatives; contribution to a
2010 environmental exhibition in Muscat and other activities associating the College with
charitable organisations, such as Dar Al Atta’a. In spite of the aforementioned examples, the
Panel found that ICEM’s relationship with community at large seemed to be limited and not
systematic. Most of the past activities, which the College called "pockets of good practice"
(Portfolio, p.66), were held on ad hoc basis and mainly arose from initiatives of staff and
students.
The College states that it has sought to formally develop a clear policy for community
engagement. Its revised Mission considers the partnership with community as an integral part to
its future mode of operation (Portfolio, p.66). However, although a lack of community service has
been identified in the SWOT analysis within the 2011-2018 Strategic Plan (Portfolio, p.12), none
of the strategic goals address this area. Through interviews with staff involved in student affairs
and marketing, it was clear to the Panel that there was no dedicated College individual or body
taking the responsibility for planning and managing relationship with the community at large.
Also, the Panel could not find any evidence for a system or policies that inform proper regulation,
monitoring and evaluation of activities involving the community at large. These areas need to be
considered as the College develops and implements a plan for its industrial and community
engagement activities (see Recommendation 5).
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6 ACADEMIC SUPPORT SERVICES
To enable ICEM to perform its academic role and to fulfill its Vision and Mission, various
College departments provide a range of support services, including laboratories, computer labs, a
library, an Independent Learning Centre (ILC), among others. The Deputy Dean for Planning and
Administration is responsible for the coordination across Course Teams in matters such as
classroom allocation and timetabling. This Chapter highlights the Panel findings regarding
academic support services planning and management, registration services, library services,
information and learning technology services, academic advising, student learning support and
teaching resources.
6.1 Academic Support Services Planning & Management
According to the College, the ultimate responsibility for academic support services is held by the
Dean. His role involves ensuring that all necessary services are identified, planned and
incorporated into broader planning and budgeting procedures. ICEM states that “in 2010 a
process of reorganising the administrative support services commenced, with a new, centralised
HE Administration Office created to work in close collaboration with Registry and Student
Services” (Portfolio, p.68). This was confirmed through interviews with staff. The Panel was
also informed that there is a management team which coordinates the activities of these services.
On the other hand, there seem to be no medium to long range plans to make this coordination
effective. Interviews with staff revealed that procedures for managing academic support services
are fixed year by year, but without an overarching operational plan at the departmental level.
The planning and management of academic support services still needs to be addressed in line
with the College’s strategic objectives (see Recommendation 5). A number of the academic
services offered (such as registration and some teaching resources) are shared between the HE
and vocational divisions. The Panel was informed that there had been occasions whereby the
College’s ability to provide the required academic support services (such as teaching resources)
was limited by financial restraints as the HE division is not given its own budget in this area. The
College needs to ensure that there are sufficient resources allocated to support the academic
service provision. The College is also urged to develop key performance indicators to measure
its effectiveness in this area and to develop mechanisms for monitoring progress.
6.2 Registry (Enrolment and Student Records)
The College states that a new centralised HE administration was established to reorganise
administrative support services and to work collaboratively with Registry and Student Services
(Portfolio, p.85). This is still an ongoing process which is envisaged to improve the
administration and planning of the College’s academic support services. The Registry plays a
central role in administering academic support services and is responsible for the registration and
progression of students, managing their ongoing academic records and liaising with external and
internal stakeholders (Portfolio, p.70). The Panel was informed that student and staff records are
kept in two different places, with students’ records being maintained by Registry staff and staff
records by Finance Department. The College has a registry system called "Marksis" for keeping
and tracking personal information of all students from entry to exit while the grading and
assessment database of HE students is managed and maintained by the affiliate, University of
Central Lancashire (UCLan). Staff have no access to the UCLan system as their role is limited
only to entering student grades on spreadsheets which are then send to UCLan. Any changes
afterwards follow a secured procedure through the Deputy Dean or Dean.
Some student information, such as payment arrangements, are kept with the Finance Department
which, as reported to the Panel, has led to a number of issues such as students not being able to
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attend classes as a result of slow communication between Registry and the Finance Department.
A student satisfaction survey carried out by Registry staff in 2010 showed a low satisfaction
level, especially with regard to payment arrangements and waiting periods. The College stated
that the payment process has been reviewed and improved (Portfolio, p.73), which was confirmed
in interviews with administrative staff.
The Panel was informed that there are a number of challenges to maintaining the integrity of
student data as it was found that there was no unified system for keeping student records.
Interviews with staff also revealed that there are sometimes differences in data found in the
Registry and those maintained in other departments. This issue was highlighted through
inconsistencies in the data presented in the Portfolio. ICEM relies on UCLan for HE records and
Foundation Programme records are produced manually, which makes it difficult to provide
replacement certificates to graduates who have lost their originals. The Marksis registration
system is more than seven years old and, as indicated by administrative staff, is not always
helpful, as its main function is only to keep ICEM student personal details and not marks. From
interviews with staff, it was also noted that all information for the Ministry of Higher Education
(MoHE) has to be managed manually and that records older than two years are not saved in the
Marksis system. The Panel concluded that there is a pressing need for the College to review and
improve its system of information management.
Recommendation 18
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management review the
effectiveness of its management information system, such as the
appropriateness of its current registration software and consistency of data
entry, to ensure that it meets the needs of all College stakeholders.
6.3 Library
The College has a Library and a Learning Resource Centre (LRC) that provides students with
information through print and electronic information resources. The Library is managed by a
Library and Information Manager assisted by two library support staff (Portfolio, p.73). A
Library Committee has recently been established to determine resources needed to review
policies and recommend improvements in line with the framework of ICEM Library Handbook
Policy and Procedures. The Panel’s visit to the Library and LRC confirmed that library services
have been expanding, and documentation showed that the Library Committee is operational. For
each academic year, the Library and Information Manager requests resources, but there is no
specific budget allocated or, it would appear, communication as to whether these resources have
been approved. ICEM stated that staff and students are involved in recommending books for
acquisition (Portfolio, p.74) but it was found that students are not systematically involved in the
selection process as Course Leaders are responsible for recommending books to the Library for
acquisition every year.
The LRC provides Internet access to electronic sources of information for students, including
those provided by UCLan. In 2010, the Library carried out a user satisfaction survey amongst
students which found just over a third of students were satisfied with the number of books and
availability of printed materials. Students were dissatisfied with the quantity of multimedia
materials (Portfolio, p.75). Although the Library seems to be making progress in terms of book
acquisition, it is urged to develop an action plan to address the issues including those raised in the
survey and ensure that its acquisition policy aligns with the needs of the academic programmes.
The Panel was informed that the two support staff members working in the Library have received
no staff development since they joined the College and this is an area the College needs to
address (see Section 8.5).
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In terms of staff usage, no Library user survey has yet been carried out with staff. The Panel was
informed that, from the staff viewpoint, the Library does not offer enough resources to carry out
research, and access to UCLan electronic sources is not made available to teaching staff members
of ICEM unless they are registered as students or alumni of UCLan. This is an issue that needs to
be addressed with UCLan, especially in light of the strategic objectives to build the College’s
research profile (see Chapter 4).
Recommendation 19
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management develop and
implement a fully-resourced action plan to improve its library provision
and, in consultation with its affiliate, address the issue of staff access to
electronic resources in order to support the College’s research aspirations.
6.4 Information and Learning Technology Services
The College states that the Information and Learning Technology Services (ITS) department
provides learning technology facilities required by both students and staff with information
storage and installation of software and hardware. Licensing of software is carried out annually,
and there is a daily back-up of the server (Portfolio, pp.76-77). The Panel was informed that a
back-up of the system is maintained off-campus. The Panel also considered supporting materials
that showed that a regular maintenance schedule and updates are carried out regularly.
Students are provided with space on the College server but the College does not keep statistics
with regard to computer usage. Maintenance is carried out through a contract with an external
company. There is a policy of computer replacement every 5 years but it has not been in effect
because of budget limitations; hence common IT laboratories are 6-7 years old. The Panel is of
the view that ICEM needs to ensure the resources are in place to ensure the implementation of its
IT renewal policy.
Since its establishment, the Library Committee (see Section 6.3) has been involved in discussing the logistics related to ITS. The Panel was informed that while there are staff members ready to
offer short courses on developing information literacy skills to other staff and students, resources
are not adequately available to deliver the workshops. This is an area that the College needs to
review. The College is also urged to monitor the satisfaction of staff and students with ITS, for
example through surveys (see Section 7.3).
Recommendation 20
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management review the current
status of its IT provision in order to ensure it meets staff and student needs.
6.5 Academic Advising
Academic advising is primarily provided by personal tutors at course level (with a personal
tutorial scheme with classes of 5-8 students) and by module tutors at module level (Portfolio,
p.78). The Panel considered evidence to show that further support is offered in the Student
Handbook and during induction activities. The Panel was informed by students and staff that
they were satisfied with the tutorial system. While the College states that its personal tutor
provision is one of its strengths, it is implementing a feedback system in order to gauge the
students’ level of satisfaction (Portfolio, p.83). The Panel supports the College’s efforts in this
area.
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6.6 Student Learning Support
ICEM states that it aims to support students in meeting course learning outcomes through the
provision of high quality teaching, practical case studies, and by encouraging independent
learning. The College also asserts that its curricula for the different programmes are designed
“with a commitment to blending classroom teaching, independent study and off-campus learning
opportunities” (Portfolio, p.80). The Panel found evidence to support the fact that students were
being taken on field trips but was informed by students that the number of these visits was
considered to be insufficient. Current students and alumni also stated that, in their view, some
programmes offer more theory than practice and some rely on simulations rather than actual field
work. The College also stated that “all courses have, embedded in them, inputs from guest
lecturers – individuals (often non-academic) who can introduce practical case studies and ‘real
life’ experiences into the class room” (Portfolio, p.80). This was confirmed by the Panel
although students interviewed requested more input from guest lecturers and representatives from
industry.
The College makes an effort to provide support for late-registering students. The Panel
considered evidence to show that the College has recently introduced remedial sessions where
students can seek extra assistance outside normal scheduled hours. These remedial sessions are
also available to weaker students. The Panel encourages the College to further monitor and
evaluate the effectiveness of this provision.
Affirmation 6
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International
College of Engineering and Management that it needs to continue to address
the needs late-registering students, and supports it efforts to do so, for
example through the introduction of remedial teaching sessions.
6.7 Teaching Resources
ICEM states that its teaching resources include 55 classrooms, three IT Labs, one Computer
Aided Design (CAD) Lab and seven departmental laboratories (Portfolio, p.81). The classrooms,
as is the case of most of the College buildings, are temporary structures. The Panel was informed
that at the time of the site visit there was a process in place to procure equipment for the
laboratories supporting the five HE programmes in order to improve the current provision.
Currently, apart from the Computer-aided Design laboratory, departmental laboratories are not
made available for students to use outside their classes for self-learning. Also during the audit
visit, the Panel was informed that there was a shortage of laboratory technicians and that the
teaching staff sometimes perform the technician’s role. While students get the benefit of seeing
an experiment demonstrated in some of the laboratories, the Panel was informed that the students
often do not get any hands-on experience. The College acknowledged that responding to
problems or breakdown in equipment is reactive rather than proactive (Portfolio, p.82).
The Panel found that some laboratories lack security measures as there are no posters offering
instructions in case of hazard or fire. The Panel concluded that teaching resources, particularly
laboratories, appear to be limited, especially as one laboratory is expected to serve the needs of a
number of modules. The College noted that “there are many limitations presented to teachers by
the ‘temporary’ nature of most teaching facilities” (Portfolio, p.84) but the Panel found no action
plan in place to address the current issues.
Recommendation 21
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management review the provision
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of its teaching resources, in order to ensure they are fit for purpose and
develop an action plan to address shortcomings.
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7 STUDE�TS A�D STUDE�T SUPPORT SERVICES
ICEM highlighted two issues in regards to its approach to students and student support services.
These are the international nature of its student body and the significant proportion of female
students, both of which call for the recognition of the diverse needs of students (Portfolio, p.85).
This Chapter reports on the Panel’s findings regarding the College’s commitment to meeting
students' needs with a focus on the planning and management of student support services in
relation to student profile and behavior, and student satisfaction and climate. In addition, the
findings include career and employment services, student finances, accommodation, catering,
transport, medical and counselling facilities, international student services, and social and
recreational services and facilities.
7.1 Students and Student Support Services Planning and Management
According to ICEM, Student Affairs staff in conjunction with the Dean and/or his Deputies,
Course Leaders and the Head of Foundation have a key role in student support services. The
Head of Student Affairs maintains a close dialogue with the Student Council (Portfolio, p.85).
The College states that:
Student Affairs plays a key role in the planning of student support services. At the
‘interface’ between College and the student body, it has the ability to lead the
development of innovative approaches to student support (Portfolio, p.86).
The planning and management of student support services, provided by Student Affairs staff, is
integrated into the College planning and management framework with a “dedicated budgetary
line” (Portfolio, p.85). The College stated that the Student Affairs staff also play a vital role in
formal and informal liaison with the student body, the Student Council, internal stakeholders
(including academic and administrative departments) and with external stakeholders (including
government bodies). Student Affairs also provides support to students through initiatives like
awareness programmes and Open Days. According to ICEM, much of the planning agenda is
driven from student feedback received both formally and informally and student satisfaction
surveys (Portfolio, pp.86-87). The College stated that during 2011, it developed a Student
Support Action plan in order to provide a more robust planning process, integrating academic and
support departments to improve support services (Portfolio, p.86). However, interviews with
students and staff indicated that this plan has yet to be implemented and the intention to link
student support planning with College strategic planning has yet to be realised. Interviews with
Student Affairs staff suggested that the current staffing provision is inadequate and that training is
needed to support them in fulfilling their roles (see Section 8.5).
The College recognises that it needs to develop mechanisms to elicit feedback from students on
its provision of student support services (Portfolio, p.87) but more action needs to be taken in this
area. Planning in the areas of student support services needs to be reviewed as the College
addresses the need to improve its overall approach to operational planning (see Recommendation
5). As it develops its operational plan in this area, ICEM is also encouraged to develop a system
to measure the effectiveness of its planning and management of student support services.
ICEM states that the “Student Council President has served the student body well in representing
their views and inputting to the student support planning process” (Portfolio, p.86). It was
acknowledged that the Student Council had a key role to play in the improvement of the catering
facilities for students (see Section 7.7) but otherwise there was little evidence to suggest that the Student Council has taken part in a systematic way in the College decision-making processes.
The College is urged to review the role of the Student Council and how to support its potential
usefulness.
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Recommendation 22
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management review the role of the
Student Council to ensure that it has the ability and resources to represent
the student interest and welfare at appropriate levels of governance and
management.
7.2 Student Profile
The ICEM Registry is in charge of maintaining comprehensive data relating to the student profile,
(Portfolio, p.88). It is also in charge of overseeing the quality and consistency of academic and
non-academic data relating to each enrolled student and providing reports and information on
request to both internal and external stakeholders. The student profile indicated rapid expansion
(almost doubling) of HE students since 2006, peaking at approximately 1100 in 2009 and with a
steady increase in the proportion of female students enrolled; however, the number of students
has started to decline since 2009/2010 with the number of HE students enrolled at the time of the
audit standing at 960 (Portfolio, p.88 and p.90). The Panel was informed that the decline has been
due to a more structured and disciplined approach to the HE division admission rules coupled
with a revision of the College Entry Test which reduced the number of offers to students. The
data also showed that the withdrawal rate across College has shown a generally decreasing trend
over the past four years, with around 30% of the 2009/2010 withdrawal from the Foundation
Programme (Portfolio, p.90). The Panel was informed that this increase in the attrition rate has
been attributed to the stricter control on entry and progression standards (see Section 2.3).
The profile also showed a significant proportion of non-Omani students which makes up 20% of
the total student population (Portfolio, p.89). Most international students are from Kuwait,
reflecting the close relationship between the College and the Fire Department of the Kuwait Civil
Defense. Other international students come from the United Kingdom, Zimbabwe, Egypt,
Pakistan, India, Morocco, Lebanon, Tanzania, GCC states, as well as other countries. However,
the Panel has noted that there has been no increase in international student numbers to the level
planned for in the College’s strategic objectives (Strategic Plan, p.15). The Panel encourages
ICEM to develop a systematic approach to reviewing the full range of reasons for the decrease in
student enrolment to HE programmes and to devise plans to address issues in alignment with its
strategic plan.
7.3 Student Satisfaction and Climate
ICEM states that it recognises the importance of student satisfaction in pinpointing its strengths
and areas for improvement (Portfolio, p.94). It further explains that the College collects feedback
from students through the use of several tools, such as evaluation surveys adopted from UCLan
and other surveys designed locally. Feedback is also generated via meetings with student
representatives and direct interaction with students, tutors and College managers (Portfolio, p.94).
Students in the past have also been able to voice their views informally through direct meetings
with the Dean.
Analysis of collected data is typically the responsibility of the Deputy Dean for Planning and
Administration and Course Leaders, who feed the information into annual Module Tutor and
Course Leader’s Reports. In 2010-2011, the College introduced the collection of student feedback
through Course Committee meetings which are conducted each semester where elected student
representatives comment on the level of satisfaction of their peers on College activities,
infrastructure facilities, accommodation and transport, and any other matter impinging upon their
experience at College (Portfolio, p.94). However, after reviewing the minutes of these meetings,
the Panel found that little student feedback is noted. The Panel noted that the Student Satisfaction
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Survey 2011 was only responded to by 24 students (representing less than 3% of the student
population) (Portfolio, p.94). The College is urged to look for ways to increase students’
engagement with surveys for the data to be meaningful. ICEM highlighted, however, that the
2011 evaluation of student satisfaction came at a time when the overall climate of ‘satisfaction’
was affected by external factors of wider social issues (such as the 2011 period of vocal protests)
impacting upon students’ attitudes and behaviour (Portfolio, p.94).
Students who had been involved in surveys informed the Panel that they received little indication
of which measures have been taken in response to their feedback (apart from improvements in
catering mentioned in Section 7.7). The Panel is of the view the ICEM needs to review its process
of collecting and processing student feedback on student support services in order to address the
low students’ participation in these surveys and assure that main issues are attended to. The
College is also urged to integrate and analyse all students’ feedback, measure their satisfaction
comprehensively so as to use these results systematically to inform decision making, and to
establish a more effective quality cycle to improve the student satisfaction climate.
Recommendation 23
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management develop and
implement a systematic approach to the collection and analysis of student
feedback questionnaires, and ensure that students are informed of any
changes made in response to their feedback.
7.4 Student Behaviour
ICEM states that it has clear policies and disciplinary procedures governing student behaviour.
Some of the policies and procedures have been adapted from those deployed by UCLan while
others are locally created to reflect the cultural and social norms of Oman (Portfolio, p.96). The
College gave some examples of such policies as dress code, parking regulations, driving
standards and expectations, the use of mobile telephones, and gift giving. It has the intention to
expand the policies to include a policy on sexual harassment which did not exist at the time of the
audit. According to the College, these policies are disseminated through Student Handbooks to
all Foundation and HE students. The College also conducts induction sessions for students to
ensure that they are aware of how disciplinary and behavioural issues are dealt with. In addition,
all staff are requested to advise students on the definition of ‘acceptable’ standards of behaviour
(Portfolio, p.96).
In interviews, the Panel found that students were aware to some extent of rules governing
behaviour and confirmed that they had received a copy of the Student Handbook, although some
students stated that they received the Student Handbook only after the beginning of the semester.
The College is encouraged to monitor the effectiveness of its current approach to disseminating
information about the rules and regulations governing student behaviour and the consistency in
the application of these throughout the College community.
7.5 Career and Employment Services
According to ICEM, many staff members, including Module Tutors, Course Leaders and Student
Affairs officers play a role in career and employment services offered to students. College staff
members also give support to students in developing their employment opportunities through the
delivery of the Personal and Professional Development Modules. These are designed to nurture
students with presentation skills, interview techniques and CV writing (Portfolio, p.97).
Companies relevant to students' field of specialty hold on-campus activities where potential
employers can engage with students.
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The Student Affairs department encourages students to submit their CVs to employer-driven
recruitment activities and is responsible for coordinating employment initiatives such as the
yearly Career Awareness Programme conducted by Shell Petroleum. During interviews, the
Panel was informed that companies or government bodies (such as the Fire Service) contact
Student Affairs informing them of job vacancies. Student Affairs then match available applicants
with the appropriate vacancy. Staff do not play a proactive role in finding job opportunities and
advertising them among graduating students. The College informed the Panel that while some of
its students are sponsored and have already secured career opportunities, for the majority of
students the College acts as a facilitator between students and employers and informs students of
vacancies.
The College recognises that it needs to be able to quantify the employability of its graduates more
effectively through an alumni database although there is little evidence to suggest that work has
commenced on this (see Section 5.5). ICEM recognises that it needs to develop a centralised
careers service in order to provide more proactive and systematic support, and further enhance the
linkages between students and potential employers. The College is urged to resource and realise
its ambitions in this area in order to ensure that its students are provided with adequate career and
employment support.
Recommendation 24
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management develop and
implement a centralised and proactive career service in order to provide
systematic support to its graduates.
7.6 Student Finances
ICEM asserts that it strives to support students financially through several means. It has clear
financial support regulations for students, which are explained in the Student Handbook. It
recently introduced a new system for payment of fees through instalments which offered more
flexibility to students. The College attempts to accommodate the circumstances of families and
sponsors and gave examples of its spirit of flexibility where it deals with students, on a case-by-
case basis. It has also adopted a scholarships support system over the past six years to the benefit
of its highest performing students, facilitating their progression into Years 3 and 4 of their
courses (Portfolio, p.98). The Panel considered further documentation indicating that 44 “flyer”
students had been offered scholarships since 2006 with an average of seven students each year.
The College scholarship system has enabled ICEM to nurture academic talent. A number of
returning students have joined the staff of the College which supports ICEM’s Omanisation
agenda (see Section 8.10). The Panel commends the College for its achievements regarding its
scholarship support to high achieving students.
Commendation 4
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority commends the International
College of Engineering and Management for providing financial support for
high achieving students to continue their studies.
7.7 Accommodation, Catering and Transport
The College does not currently provide accommodation to its students. The present role of the
College is limited to offering assistance to students, particularly international students, through
the Student Affairs staff in identifying accommodation options. During the last academic year,
approximately 150 male students and 75 female students received direct assistance from Student
Affairs staff to locate accommodation (Portfolio, p.99). During interview sessions, students
revealed dissatisfaction with the current accommodation options because of the limited options,
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high rents, the struggle with transportation, and the distance between accommodation and the
College. ICEM senior management informed the Panel that this will be resolved once the new
campus is built as student accommodation will be developed during the initial phases of the
campus development project. However, in the meantime the Panel urges the College to seek
other immediate solutions to improve their support for students in terms of accommodation.
Regarding catering, ICEM constructed a large canteen in 2010 in response to student comments
and suggestions. Interviews with students suggested that this new development had been
appreciated. ICEM states that it provides free transport from a local interchange to the College
and provides free of charge transportation for all extra-curricular activities to and from College
(Portfolio, p.99). However, students indicated to the Panel that they were not satisfied with the
current transport provision. Although the College acknowledged that it needs to develop a more
systematic approach to eliciting students’ feedback on support services (Portfolio, p.100), it has
not yet embarked on any systematic feedback collection regarding accommodation, transport and
catering, that may help the College to improve services. It was clear to the Panel through
meetings and interviews with student and staff that the College follows a reactive approach in
meeting student needs in these areas. The Panel urges the College to systematise its approach to
student feedback (see Recommendation 23).
7.8 Medical and Counseling Facilities
ICEM states that it provides high quality medical through its first aid procedure, medical centre
and ambulance service (Portfolio, p.100). The Panel found that there is one first aid staff
member, one qualified nurse, and an ambulance. However, the qualified nurse is often off-
campus conducting training, and the first aid officer is not able to deal with all medical cases.
Although the medical clinic is in need of improvement in terms of equipment and supplies, the
Panel considered documentation to show that this was being addressed.
Affirmation 7
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International
College of Engineering and Management that it needs to upgrade its medical
provision for students, and supports its efforts in this area.
ICEM stated that it “conducts proactive health care programmes, driven by the ethos that
‘prevention is better than cure’” (Portfolio, p.100), although the Panel found that these are not
being carried out on a regular basis. The College acknowledges that its counselling services for
students are less developed and that training needs to be provided for staff in this area (Portfolio,
p.101). ICEM is encouraged to develop and implement plans to address these opportunities for
improvement.
7.9 International Student Services
ICEM states that it does not differentiate between Omani and non-Omani students regarding the
provision of support services, except in a very small number of cases. The College arranges to
meet arriving international students, and provides transport to their accommodation.
Accommodation is not available on campus, but ICEM provides support to international students
by providing details of available hotels and rental properties (Portfolio, p.101).
In addition to that, the Panel was informed that Student Affairs staff provide induction
presentations to all non-Omani students once they arrive at the College. The induction covers
cultural matters, ethical codes, Laws of the Sultanate of Oman, and the College’s rules and
regulations. As one of ICEM’s strategic objectives is to expand its international student body, the
College is encouraged to carry out its proposed international student experience survey (Portfolio,
p.102) in order to monitor student satisfaction in this area.
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7.10 Social and Recreational Services and Facilities
The College recognises that it has limited social and recreational services and facilities for
students. The College is hopeful that the envisaged campus redevelopment will result in
improved recreational facilities (Portfolio, p.102). Although the College states that it has a “ring-
fenced resource” for non-academic extracurricular activities (Portfolio, p.86), the Panel was
informed by Student Affairs staff that they do not have a budget allocated specifically for
recreational activities. The Panel found that while extracurricular activities off campus had been
planned and delivered, students stated that the number of activities was inadequate. The College
recognises that it has been more reactive to student needs than proactive (Portfolio, p.85) and it is
now urged to develop an operational plan (see Recommendation 5) to improve the provision of
recreational services and facilities as well as ensure the participation of a greater number of
students in a larger number of activities on and off-campus.
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8 STAFF A�D STAFF SUPPORT SERVICES
ICEM states that “Human resource (HR) planning and management has tended to revolve around
loosely structured procedures and policies. Recent changes to personnel, and a strong
commitment from the College Chairman to improve HR practices, are becoming evident”
(Portfolio, p.106). This Chapter considers how ICEM approaches its HR planning, management
and operations which enable the College to deliver on its stated Mission and Vision. It focuses
on staff profile; recruitment and selection; induction; professional development; performance
planning and review; promotion; severance; staff satisfaction and Omanisation.
8.1 Human Resources Planning and Management
The College states that historically its approach to HR planning and management has been
reactive rather than proactive (Portfolio, p.106). The SWOT analysis provided with the 2011-
2018 Strategic Plan identifies a number of issues related to this area such as high staff turnover,
lack of staff interaction and limited continued professional development (CPD) (Strategic Plan,
p.11). It also identified “lack of available qualified staff” (Strategic Plan, p.13) as a threat, which
was confirmed as an issue in interviews with staff. The Panel was informed that there have been a
number of occasions where a lack of long or medium term staff planning has led to staff teaching
modules at the limits of their specialisation or staff being reassigned to work in areas away from
their designations. The College is urged to address this issue to ensure the quality of the student
learning experience (see Recommendation 11). Despite ICEM’s recognition of the challenges the
College faces in relation to HR planning, there is no HR plan for developing its staff profile in
place to realise its long-term objectives. ICEM states the intention to: “Review staff recruitment
policy to place an increasing emphasis on research-based qualifications over the duration of the
2011-18 Academic Plan” (Strategic Plan, p.16) but it is not clear how the College intends to
achieve this goal. The College now needs to develop and implement an overarching HR plan
which addresses all aspects of the HR planning and management system.
Recommendation 25
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management develop and
implement an overarching human resources plan that aligns with the
Colleges strategic objectives.
ICEM’s HR Department is headed by a senior HR officer who was appointed in 2011.This officer
reports to the Managing Director and consults with the Dean concerning the appointment and
termination arrangements for teaching staff (Portfolio, p.108). The College states that the
original HR policies were drawn from the parent company, the Zubair Corporation. These have
remained unchanged as ICEM has developed even though the College considers that a number of
the policies are irrelevant in the higher education environment (Portfolio, p.12).
A number of initiatives have come from the HR Department to develop HR documentation which
includes policies for job descriptions, promotion, recruitment and appraisal of teaching staff. The
Panel was informed that when these are fully operational, a similar exercise will be applied to
support staff. This is an ongoing process and, although there is still some way to go, a good start
has been made. Teaching staff confirmed that they had already received their job descriptions
and a copy of the regulations for employment (‘The Blue Book’) which had been compiled by the
Dean. The Panel acknowledges the efforts of the College to review its HR documentation based
upon a consistent, structured and transparent approach (Portfolio, p.113) and supports its efforts
in this area.
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Affirmation 8
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International
College of Engineering and Management that it needs to review its human
resources policies and practices, and supports its efforts to do so, such as
through the development of job descriptions for all staff.
8.2 Staff Profile
At the time of the audit, there were 52 academic staff and 81 administrative staff (serving the
needs of both the HE and vocational divisions). Of the teaching and technical support staff,
around 54% are Diploma, Bachelor or PG Certificate holders; around 36% are Masters Degree
holders; and around 10% are PhD holders (Portfolio, p.110). The College’s Strategic Plan aims
to have 40% PhD holders amongst academic staff by 2018 although there is no indication of how
this aim will be achieved.
The College also has aspirations in its strategic objectives to develop a research portfolio and to
underpin this with staff members with research degrees or research credentials. How such an
environment might be created to attract such staff will need to be considered by the College (see
Recommendation 25).
8.3 Recruitment and Selection
The approach to recruitment and selection for all staff, academic and administrative, is outlined in
the College regulations, although ICEM states that these have been used more as guidelines rather
than rules (Portfolio, p.112). Vacancies are identified by Heads of Department and approved by
the Dean, although the College states that ‘the ability to be either proactive or reactive is subject
to management decisions’ (Portfolio, p.112). Posts are advertised on the internet and in
newspapers. The Panel was informed that CVs of short listed prospective teaching staff are sent
to the Dean of the relevant programme at UCLan for approval. ICEM then confirms the
appointment. In some cases, potential teaching staff members are asked to give a presentation.
CVs are also sent to the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) as part of the approval process.
The College has a strict student staff ratio model of 20:1 which means there is little room to
recruit new staff if the ratio of staff and student in a department is close to the model. The Panel
was informed that this has meant teaching staff being asked to teach subjects that may be at the
margins of their expertise (see Recommendation 11). The rigid adherence to the ratio has
allowed for little flexibility in staffing, for example being able to recruit to cover if a staff
member leaves, especially in light of the high staff turnover (see Section 8.9).
As mentioned in Section 8.1, the College is working on a new HR strategy which includes a recruitment and selection policy. The College is urged to action this in order to ensure that a
transparent, consistently communicated approach is in place, along with a clear plan for
recruitment in order to meet the College’s strategic objectives (see Affirmation 8).
8.4 Induction
As part of the induction process for academic staff, the Dean and Deputy Deans give
presentations at the start of the academic year on course regulations. However, the College
acknowledges that is does not have a formal, well-defined induction policy in place and that the
induction for academic staff is the responsibility of the Heads of Department and the Course
Leaders (Portfolio, p.113). From discussions with staff at all levels, it became evident that the
availability of staff induction was not uniform across the HE Division and where induction did
occur was very variable in quality and content for academic and administrative staff. The College
stated that it was in the process of developing an Induction Handbook but this had not been
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advanced at the time of the audit. ICEM is urged to develop and implement a consistent
induction programme for all academic and administrative staff and to monitor its effectiveness.
Recommendation 26
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management develop a
consistently implemented induction programme for all teaching and
administrative staff across the College which includes a comprehensive
monitoring of the effectiveness of the induction process.
8.5 Professional Development
The College states that it has a strong focus on providing professional development activities to
support Omani staff. Non-Omani staff are also given the opportunity to attend conferences
(Portfolio, p.115). Teaching staff are also offered professional development opportunities during
visits from UCLan staff, although these are not scheduled on a regular basis (see Section 2.5). The future plans of the HR Department do include the introduction of a systematic professional
development system which will be linked to an appraisal system in due course. This is described
in the Human Resource Planning Book (2010) already referred to as the ‘Blue Book’ (see Section
8.1).
As these future plans are developed, there is also a need to consider the professional development
and training needs of staff in non-academic departments, such as Student Affairs (see Section 7.8)
and the Library (see Section 6.3). The Panel urges ICEM to implement its plans to address the
professional development needs of all staff and ensure consistent implementation across the
College together with a system for a comprehensive evaluation of its effectiveness.
Recommendation 27
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management develop and
implement a system of professional development for teaching,
administrative and other support staff
8.6 Performance Planning and Review
The principles for performance planning and review are set out in the College Regulations and,
for Foundation staff, in the Foundation Programme Staff Evaluation and Deployment Policy
(Portfolio, p.116). According to the College Regulations, each employee has a face to face
meeting in December of each year with their immediate line manager to discuss the employee’s
performance for the preceding twelve month period. An appraisal form is completed by the line
manager and signed by the employee. In respect of teaching staff, the form will be countersigned
by the Dean and all staff appraisal forms will be forwarded to the Executive Committee. The
staff appraisal documents form the basis for the Executive Committee’s decisions on staff
rewards and increments (College Regulations, p.41).
The College acknowledges that there has been limited and inconsistent formal performance
planning and review for teaching and support staff offered by the HE Division of the College at
the time of the audit (Portfolio, p.116). The Panel was informed that the appraisal piloted in the
Foundation Department had not been yet applied throughout the College. As noted in Section
8.1, the College has proposed an approach to performance planning and review in its new HR
documentation and is urged to now implement this for all academic and administrative staff.
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8.7 Promotion and Other Incentives
ICEM states that historically it has lacked formal systems for rewarding high achievement. In
2010, the HE and Foundation Departments introduced an integrated system which provides a
formal means of rewarding staff on the basis of their experience, academic qualifications and
responsibilities held at College. The system, as presented in the Blue Book, ensures that staff
members are aligned on a salary scale according to a mathematical formula. This approach has
been introduced to “ensure objectivity, and to eradicate the perceived inequitable way promotions
and rewards were previously distributed” (Portfolio, p.118). The Panel was informed that the new
appraisal system has been appreciated for its transparency and well received by staff. The
concept of the annual increment has been particularly welcomed by HE staff. The College is now
encouraged to ensure that the promotion policy is fully disseminated and acted upon (see Section
8.1) and to ensure that it aligns with its strategic objectives.
8.8 Severance
The approach to severance is set out in the College regulations, which includes staff rights and
guidelines for severance. The College states that the dissemination of the policy in this area in
one of its priorities (Portfolio, p.119) but the Panel found no progress in this area. As the College
develops its HR documentation, it needs to ensure that the College’s approach to severance is
well communicated to all staff (see Section 8.1).
8.9 Staff Organisational Climate and Retention
The College acknowledges that a legacy in underperformance in areas such as governance,
management, communication and the development of policies and procedures has had a negative
impact on staff satisfaction. The College also has a “higher than acceptable rate” of staff turnover
(Portfolio, p.119). In the SWOT analysis presented in the Strategic Plan (p.11), high turnover of
staff was identified as a weakness but no solution was included in the plan to address this. The
Panel was informed that the high turnover staff has led to the disruption of the student learning
experience as on occasion modules have had to be delivered out of sequence until new staff
members have been appointed. Staff members have apparently been leaving because they have
better offers elsewhere and there is a perceived lack of career opportunities in the College. In
interviews, the Panel was told that staff wanted to have a greater awareness of how decisions are
made and that they need to be more involved in decision making.
The Panel heard from staff that there have been few channels for their views to be heard and that
there were areas of dissatisfaction, such as timetables being changed at short notice. As a matter
of priority, the College needs to devise mechanisms to improve staff retention including a means
for measuring staff satisfaction, such as surveys and a forum in which staff views can be
discussed in order to determine the steps necessary to reduce the high turnover.
Recommendation 28
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management explore and address
the reasons for high staff turnover and develop mechanisms to identify
issues which undermine staff retention.
8.10 Omanisation
The College states that it has made a number of efforts to recruit and offer professional
development opportunities for Omani staff (Portfolio, p.121). In ICEM’s Strategic Plan SWOT
analysis, Omani staff base and commitment to Omanisation is seen as one of the strengths of the
College. The College acknowledges, however, that there is a threat associated with too rapid
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Omanisation and it plans to ensure CPD opportunities are in place to develop Omani staff
(especially College graduates) to satisfy academic and administrative criteria.
As noted in Section 7.6, the College has been providing scholarships for high achieving students to continue their studies in the UK and the Panel was informed that a number of these students
have come back to work for the College. According to the 2011-2012 staff statistics submitted,
around 30% of the academic staff are Omani (including teaching assistants and instructors).
While the Panel acknowledges the efforts that ICEM has made in this area, the College is
encouraged to develop a clear operational plan with targets in order to meet its strategic
objectives in this area.
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9 GE�ERAL SUPPORT SERVICES A�D FACILITIES
The College plans to divide its teaching operations into areas dealing with higher education (HE)
programmes and vocational programmes and it is already engaged in this process (Portfolio, p.ii).
It is envisaged that while these two separate divisions will be self-contained academically,
support services and facilities will be shared. This Chapter considers general support services and
facilities planning and management; public relations and marketing; communication services; and
facilities management.
9.1 General Support Services and Facilities Planning and Management
The Panel acknowledges that the ownership of land issues surrounding the future development of
ICEM have had an impact upon the aspirations of the College in terms of its teaching and
learning facilities and the general improvement of the College environment. This has been
highlighted as a concern in all the College’s previous 2004-2008 Strategic Plan and in the SWOT
analysis in the newly developed 2011-2018 Strategic Plan. The Panel was informed that a
Campus Re-development Plan has been drawn up in order to support the College’s medium and
long term objectives. However, in the meantime, operational planning in this area needs to be
developed (see Recommendation 5). While the Panel was informed that from the staff and
students’ viewpoint that, overall, the management of the services appeared to be satisfactory, they
were seen to be lacking in overall coordination. The Panel considers that, regardless of the future
development of new facilities, ICEM needs to review the fitness for purpose of its current
teaching accommodation; facilities and equipment (see Section 6.7). The College is urged to ensure that facilities which currently exist on the campus receive appropriate attention while the
future of the campus is being resolved.
Recommendation 29
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management review the planning
and management of current facilities to ensure that they meet, as far as
possible, the immediate needs of all students and staff.
9.2 Public Relations and Marketing
ICEM states that it has a strong, experienced marketing and business development team, with
responsibilities for both HE and vocational divisions of the College (Portfolio, p.124). Although
the College submitted a marketing plan, the document contained a list of budgeted items rather
than a clear plan linked to the College’s overall strategic objectives. In terms of public relations,
local employers, who were generally supportive of the College, informed the Panel that they were
disappointed with the lack of current information they receive from ICEM.
The Marketing department informed the Panel that it was primarily concerned with student
recruitment opportunities in the Gulf States and had an ultimate objective of 5000 new students
by September 2018 (in line with goal 1 stated in the Strategic Plan). The College is encouraged
to develop and implement a focused Marketing Plan with clear performance indicators which
would support the achievement of ICEM’s medium and long term objectives.
9.3 Communication Services
Remote communication between staff and students at all levels is by email (Portfolio, p.127) and
there are video conference facilities for communication with other stakeholders such as UCLan.
In different interview sessions, it was evident to the Panel that at times there was a lack of a
consistent approach with regard to internal communication, whether between staff and
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management or between different departments within the College. Moreover, external
stakeholders expressed their dissatisfaction with the lack of a clear and consistent route for them
to communicate with different departments in the College. Discussions with staff and students
identified the need to make improvements in the College internal communication systems. The
College is urged to review its approach in this area and develop an action plan to address current
issues raised.
Recommendation 30
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International College of Engineering and Management develop and
implement a communications policy, procedures and monitoring
mechanisms across all areas to improve communications with internal and
external stakeholders.
9.4 Facilities Management
The College Facilities Management (FM) Section attends to the day-to-day maintenance of the
College's infrastructure (Portfolio, p.128). The duties are very wide in nature and deal with
general maintenance, electrical services, schedules of repair, records, inventories of equipment,
security, the cafeteria and many other duties. The FM has skilled and dedicated staff members
who, from interviews with students and staff, generally provide satisfactory services. The
monitoring of satisfaction by those who use these services would be a very useful exercise and
this might be worth considering by the College (see Section 7.3). If there is to be a new campus
development for the College in the future, then FM will have an important role to play.
International College of Engineering and Management HEI Quality Audit Report
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APPE�DIX A. AUDIT PA�EL
Professor Brian Swanick (Panel Chairperson)
Former Executive Pro Vice-Chancellor
De Monfort University
UK
Dr Wafa Al Mansoori
Senior Director
Quality Assurance Authority
Bahrain
Mr Peter Cheung
Secretary General
Federation for Continuing Education in Tertiary Institutions (FCE)
Hong Kong
Dr Rahma Ibrahim Al Mahrooqi
Assistant Professor
College of Arts and Sciences
Sultan Qaboos University
Oman
Dr Bader Ahmed Abuid
Engineering Expert
Directorate General of Technical Education
Ministry of Manpower
Oman
Tess Goodliffe (Executive Officer)
Oman Academic Accreditation Authority
HEI Quality Audit Report International College of Engineering and Management
© Oman Academic Accreditation Authority Page 50 of 53
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.
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 an HEI aims to achieve for a given topic and how it proposes to
achieve it.
BoD................................................ Board of Directors
BoT ................................................ Board of Trustees
Call Back Interview ....................... An interview conducted by the Audit Panel towards the end of the
Audit Visit for which it has invited specific people, usually at short
notice, to respond to particular issues on which the Panel will require
assistance.
CPD................................................ Continuous Professional Development
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.
Executive Officer........................... An OAAA staff member assigned to an Audit Panel to provide
professional guidance and support.
External Reviewer ......................... A Member of the OAAA Register of External Reviewers; a person
approved by the OAAA Board to participate as a member of the
OAAA’s various external review Panels.
FM.................................................. Facilities Management
GFP................................................ General Foundation Program
HE.................................................. Higher Education
HEI................................................. Higher Education Institution (also known as HEP – Higher Education
Provider)
HoD................................................ Head of Department
HR.................................................. Human Resources
ICEM ............................................. International College of Engineering and Management
IELTS............................................. International English Language Testing System
ILB................................................. Industrial Liaison Board
ILF ................................................. Industrial Liaison Forum
ILO................................................. Intended Learning Outcome
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.
ITS ................................................. Information and Learning Technology Services
KPI................................................. Key Performance Indicator
LRC................................................ Learning Resource Centre
MoHE ............................................ Ministry of Higher Education (www.mohe.gov.om)
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OAAA Board ................................. The governing body of the Oman Academic Accreditation Authority
OAAA............................................ Oman Academic Accreditation Authority (www.oaaa.gov.om)
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.
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.
Random Interview.......................... An interview conducted in situ by individual Panel Members during
the Audit but separately from the main interview sessions.
Results............................................ The third dimension of the ADRI cycle, which focuses on the
evidence of the outputs and outcomes of a topic’s approach and
deployment.
SQU ............................................... Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
SSR ................................................ student staff ratio
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.
TLC................................................ Teaching and Learning Committee
UCLan............................................ University of Central Lancashire, UK
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