The Future of Education

Quality Assurance (QA) has gained a wide interest in the higher education sector in Oman. With the establishment of Oman Academic Accreditation Authority (OAAA), a new dialogue, and perhaps a new culture, started in the sector. Quality assurance is viewed by administrators as a positive change. Yet, some researchers contend that QA processes don’t often pay enough attention to student learning. For many academics, QA is about rituals to be followed without much contribution toward enhancing student learning. With such a perception, QA fails to be part of the daily activities of academics because they see no real link between their work and these processes.

This presentation reports the results of a survey that was distributed among 50 teachers working at the Language Center at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman. It explores teachers’ perceptions of a) the meaning of quality, b) the effects of QA on student learning from the teacher's perspective and c) the challenges in implementing QA processes. Implications of the findings will be discussed at the end.