20 June 2011
MUSCAT -- The Quality Audit Report of Middle East College of Information Technology (MECIT) has been published on the OAC website (www.oac.gov.om). This is the 20th Quality Report to be published by the OAE. Quality Audit is the first stage in Oman's cyclical two-stage process for institutional accreditation.
The purpose of Quality Audit is to provide both a level of assurance to the public and constructive feedback to the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) for the purpose of ongoing improvement.
The process began with MECIT undertaking a self-study covering nine key areas of their activities, including areas such as Governance and Management; Student Learning by Coursework Programmes; Academic Support Services and Student Support Services. This self-study resulted in the production of a Portfolio which was submitted to OAAA in August 2010. To conduct the audit a review panel of eminent experts was convened, selected from the OAAA's register of approved local and international external reviewers.
The Panel was chaired by Dr Philip Cardew from London South Bank University, UK; and included Dr David Palfreyman from Zayed University, UAE; Dr Rick Voorhees from Voorhees Group LLC, USA; Dr Rabie'e Kayid Al Rashdi from Armed Forces Medical Service, Ministry of Defence, Oman and Dr Ahmed Masoud al Kindi from the Higher College of Technology, Oman. The Executive Officer for the audit was Ms Tess Goodliffe.
Prior to visiting MECIT, the panel met formally on September 20 last year to report on its preliminary findings following examination of the Portfolio and supporting materials submitted by MECIT. The audit visit took place between November 7 and 9, 2010 during which time the panel spoke with more than 110 people, including governing authorities and management, staff, students and external stakeholders. They also visited a selection of venues and considered a range of additional materials.
The Audit Report contains a summary of the panel's findings, together with formal Commendations where good practices have been confirmed, Affirmations where MECIT's ongoing quality improvement efforts merit support, and Recommendations where there are significant opportunities for improvement not yet being adequately addressed by the college. The report aims to provide a balanced set of observations, but does not comment on every issue or system in place at MECIT. Before being made public, a copy of the report was sent to MECIT for its feedback.
MECIT is expected to utilise the feedback in the Audit Report as part of its continuous efforts to provide the best possible education to students. Audit reports are also of potential interest to students and potential students, their families, employers, government, other higher education institutions in Oman and abroad and other audiences. However, prospective students should still undertake their own investigations when deciding which higher education institution will best serve their particular learning needs.
A Quality Audit does not result in a pass or fail; nor does it provide any sort of grade or score. The next stage in the institutional accreditation process will be Standards Assessment. This will involve HEIs carrying out a self-assessment against externally set standards of performance and will lead to institutional accreditation.
MUSCAT -- The Quality Audit Report of Middle East College of Information Technology (MECIT) has been published on the OAC website (www.oac.gov.om). This is the 20th Quality Report to be published by the OAE. Quality Audit is the first stage in Oman's cyclical two-stage process for institutional accreditation.
The purpose of Quality Audit is to provide both a level of assurance to the public and constructive feedback to the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) for the purpose of ongoing improvement.
The process began with MECIT undertaking a self-study covering nine key areas of their activities, including areas such as Governance and Management; Student Learning by Coursework Programmes; Academic Support Services and Student Support Services. This self-study resulted in the production of a Portfolio which was submitted to OAAA in August 2010. To conduct the audit a review panel of eminent experts was convened, selected from the OAAA's register of approved local and international external reviewers.
The Panel was chaired by Dr Philip Cardew from London South Bank University, UK; and included Dr David Palfreyman from Zayed University, UAE; Dr Rick Voorhees from Voorhees Group LLC, USA; Dr Rabie'e Kayid Al Rashdi from Armed Forces Medical Service, Ministry of Defence, Oman and Dr Ahmed Masoud al Kindi from the Higher College of Technology, Oman. The Executive Officer for the audit was Ms Tess Goodliffe.
Prior to visiting MECIT, the panel met formally on September 20 last year to report on its preliminary findings following examination of the Portfolio and supporting materials submitted by MECIT. The audit visit took place between November 7 and 9, 2010 during which time the panel spoke with more than 110 people, including governing authorities and management, staff, students and external stakeholders. They also visited a selection of venues and considered a range of additional materials.
The Audit Report contains a summary of the panel's findings, together with formal Commendations where good practices have been confirmed, Affirmations where MECIT's ongoing quality improvement efforts merit support, and Recommendations where there are significant opportunities for improvement not yet being adequately addressed by the college. The report aims to provide a balanced set of observations, but does not comment on every issue or system in place at MECIT. Before being made public, a copy of the report was sent to MECIT for its feedback.
MECIT is expected to utilise the feedback in the Audit Report as part of its continuous efforts to provide the best possible education to students. Audit reports are also of potential interest to students and potential students, their families, employers, government, other higher education institutions in Oman and abroad and other audiences. However, prospective students should still undertake their own investigations when deciding which higher education institution will best serve their particular learning needs.
A Quality Audit does not result in a pass or fail; nor does it provide any sort of grade or score. The next stage in the institutional accreditation process will be Standards Assessment. This will involve HEIs carrying out a self-assessment against externally set standards of performance and will lead to institutional accreditation.
© Oman Daily Observer 2011
