Sultan Qaboos University organised the third edition of the summer school for academic staff from various higher education institutions in Oman, with nearly fifty participants representing six different institutions. This edition was held under the theme “Integrating Emotional and Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education”.  

This initiative comes in response to the rapid global developments in technology, making it essential for higher education institutions to anticipate the future and prepare students for a technologically driven world, managed by professionals equipped with key human skills necessary for leadership and collaboration, such as communication, empathy and motivation.

The event commenced on Sunday, 20 July 2025, with an open dialogue session titled “Thriving Future Communities through the Integration of Emotional and Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education”. The session featured Dr. Amer bin Awadh Al-Rawas, Chairman of the Oman Society for Petroleum Services (OPAL) and Founder and Chairman of the Concordia Group; Dr. Rajiv Jhangiani, Vice-President for Teaching and Learning at Brock University, Canada, who led the track on artificial intelligence in higher education; and Dr. Mahmoud bin Salim Al-Maawali, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the College of Education, who led the track on emotional intelligence in higher education.

The programme featured rich discussions and innovative ideas, which are expected to soon materialise into initiatives and fruitful collaborations among academics, whether within the same institution or through partnerships between different institutions.