Department of Art Education
The Department of Art Education in the College of Education at Sultan Qaboos University was established in 1991 to meet the increasing needs in the field of art education at various educational levels, and to cope with the growth of education in the Sultanate. 17 batches have graduated between 1991 and 2011.The College of Education at Sultan Qaboos University is the only educational institution to offer this specialization among other teacher training colleges in the Sultanate. The Department's curricula use modern artistic and scientific methods to build its students' identities and to inculcate Islamic and Arabic values. In addition, the Department contributes to the society educationally and artistically by preparing qualified teachers who can perform their duties and participate effectively in enriching the cultural movement inside and outside the campus by holding exhibitions for students and faculty members.
Vision:
The Department strives towards distinction and uniqueness by developing the infrastructure of the department, in order to be a center for academic and professional excellence in teaching the arts at the undergraduate, post-graduate and research level, and in performing social service.
Mission:
The Department’s mission is to prepare specialists in the field of fine arts in keeping with the most recent developments in the field, who are capable of working in various professional fields so that they can perform their duties confidently and successfully, can pursue post-graduate studies, and can serve the environment and society. In addition, the Department seeks to achieve its mission through social service by developing the artistic and aesthetic taste of the community.
Department Objectives:
The Department aims through its programs and various activities to achieve the following objectives:
- Provide students with academic, theoretical, and practical knowledge, and specialized artistic concepts to produce well qualified graduates in all artistic fields.
- Provide students with the skills of planning, executing, and analyzing various artistic projects in the artistic field.
- Achieve individual growth and freedom of expression through various artistic fields.
- Provide students with a number of teaching strategies that develop critical thinking and problem solving skills.
- Provide students with the knowledge and skills required for using modern and digital technology in the artistic field.
- Help students acquire academic research skills in various artistic fields, and link them to the demands of life and society to develop self-initiative.
- Develop evaluation and assessment skills that enable students to give aesthetic and critical judgments in the field of fine arts.
- Realize the importance of fine arts in building the personality by expressing one’s feelings, transmitting one’s culture and appreciating one’s heritage.
Programs
Since its inauguration, the Department of Art Education offers a single programme, the Bachelor’s degree in Art Education. The programme prepares Art Education teachers to teach fine arts in Basic and Post-Basic Education schools. Students practice creativity in drawing, photography, ceramics, printing, textile, the basics of designing and printing, sculpture, use of different materials, graphic design, jewellery making and silverware, and Omani traditional crafts. In order for student teachers to possess competencies which enable them to teach these subjects, they also study various educational courses (e.g. Curriculum and Methods of Teaching, Educational Psychology, Foundations of Education, and Instructional Technology). These are supplemented by practice in labs and microteaching sessions. Besides, they do teaching practice in Basic and Post-Basic education schools across the Sultanate.
The Department admits General Diploma students who are eligible to join the major as per the admission system which provides equal opportunities to all applicants. To be enrolled in the Art Education major, a candidate must:
- Get a minimum grade of 'C' in: Basic Arabic Language, Fine Arts, Basic English.
- Pass the Art Ability Test and Vision Test (colour blindness) as basic requirements.
Students enrolled in this program must complete (125) credit hours distributed as follows:
- University requirements: (12 credit hours)
- Major requirements: (102 credit hours)
- Major electives: (11 credit hours)