The Quality Assurance Office organized an introductory workshop for the Unit Performance Measurement Program (UPM) at the university. The workshop was presented by Dr. Ibrahim bin Sultan Al Harthy, Director of the Office. In the presence of directors of the participating units (Department of Personnel Affairs, Center for Community Service and Continuing Education, Center for Information Systems, and Deanship of Postgraduate Studies), and employees nominated to work in the program.

The Standing Committee for Internal Audit for Institutional Quality, in coordination with the Quality Assurance Office, led a workshop for the work teams in the areas of internal audit for institutional quality and members of the internal audit teams for the third session. research.

On Wednesday, 29 January 2020, Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), represented by its Quality Assurance Office (QAO) hosted a lecture on “Policies and Actions of Accreditation and Quality Assurance Bodies to Counter Corruption in Higher Education” delivered by Dr. Irene Glendinning from Coventry University, United Kingdom. The lecture was held under the patronage of Hon. Dr. Badria Ibrahim Al Shihi, Deputy Chairperson of the State Council. It was organized at SQU’s Al Fahm Hall as part of the series of lectures organized by the Gulf Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (GNQAHE) in the GCC.

In her lecture, Dr. Irene Glendinning elaborated on a global study conducted during 2017-18 for the Council for Higher Education Accreditation International Quality Group (CHEA/CIQG). This study builds on the Advisory Statement for Effective International Practice, Combatting Corruption and Enhancing Integrity: A Contemporary Challenge for the Quality and Credibility of Higher Education (Advisory Statement) by International Institute for Educational Planning, IIEP / UNESCO and CIQG (IIEP & CIQG 2016). This study captured information about actions and responses of accreditation and quality assurance bodies (AQABs) to address different forms of corruption in higher education.

The Advisory Statement observes “academic corruption as an international problem that afflicts rich and poor countries alike”. It concludes with a call to action: “Governments, quality assurance agencies and higher educational institutions(HEIs) worldwide must become more aware of the threatthat corruption poses to the credibility, effectiveness and quality of higher education at a time whenits importance as a driver of global development has never been higher. External quality assurance agencies should do more to review the risks of corruption in their work and HEIs must ensure that their internal quality assurance frameworks are also fit for the purpose of combatting corruption. Training and supporting staff in identifying and exposing corrupt practices should be stepped up”.

Dr. Khamis Saleh Al Balushi, Director General of GNQAHE said that his organization believes that the ideal method to address the issue of corruption in higher education needs to be preventive in nature. “It is best achieved through a proactive multifaceted approach which starts with awareness raising and training and culminates in the enactment of the appropriate legislation to immunize our sectors and institutions. GNQAHE has undertaken to adopt a preventive approach in raising the issue of corruption and addressing any issue that would hinder the growth of higher education sectors in the GCC countries”, he said.

Dr. Ibrahim Sultan Al Harthy, Director of the Quality Assurance Office at SQU introduced the speaker Dr. Irene Glendinning to the audience. He also listed some of the future activities of the Quality assurance office, which includes launching of journal on quality in higher education and a forum on quality assurance to be held in near future.

The Quality Assurance Office organized a panel discussion on the process of institutional auditing of the quality of administrative units at the university, which is one of the basic processes for quality assurance. And academics who have experience in university administrative procedures and quality assurance systems.

With the aim of introducing the new university policy procedures, the Quality Assurance Office organized a lecture on “Procedures for Organizing the Policies, Regulations and Procedures of Sultan Qaboos University”, presented by Dr. Ibrahim bin Sultan Al Harthy, Director of the Quality Assurance Office, in the presence of His Excellency Dr. Ali bin Saud Al Bimani, President of the University,
And in the presence of a large number of officials in the administrative, technical and academic affairs of the university.

Sultan Qaboos University, represented by the Quality Assurance Office, celebrated the International Quality Day, which is celebrated annually on the second Thursday of November, which this year falls on the tenth of November. The celebration was sponsored by Prof. Salem bin Hamoud Al Harthy, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Community Service, and was attended by officials of the Quality Assurance and Academic Accreditation Units in the various colleges of the university, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Preparatory Studies Center and a number of specialists.

The University's Quality Assurance Office organized an open day at the Avani Muscat Hotel, with the aim of raising awareness of institutional quality requirements, informing stakeholders from the university community of the National Qualifications Framework, and highlighting the role of the Oman Society for Quality Assurance in the higher education sector in society.

A workshop by the Quality Assurance Office to prepare SQU for program listing in the Oman Qualification Framework (OQF).

Academic Program Review for PhD in History opening and closing sessions that were held online on 10th and 11th of October.
This meeting was organized by QAO, where we hosted 2 external reviewers, the DVC for Postgraduate Studies & Research, the college's dean, the head of the department, and QAAAU director in the college.  The reviewers interviewed students, alumni, department staff, and others. Finally, they gave feedback and wrote a report about this academic program review virtual visit. 

Academic Program Review in MA Education in Psychology opening and closing sessions that were held online on 16th and 17th of October.
This meeting was organized by QAO, where we hosted 2 external reviewers, the DVC for Postgraduate Studies & Research, the college's dean, the head of the department, and QAAAU director in the college.  The reviewers interviewed students, alumni, department staff, and others. Finally, they gave feedback and wrote a report about this academic program review virtual visit.

His Highness Dr. Fahd bin Al-Jalandi Al Said, Vice-Chancellor of the SQU
met with the directors of strategic projects within the second executive plan 2021_2025 of the
university’s strategy and their work teams.

The Oman Association for Quality in Higher Education (OAQHE) and the Military Technological College collaborated to celebrate "Oman Quality Day" on the 15th and 16th of November. During the celebration, OAQHE extended heartfelt congratulations to Higher Educational Institutions for their noteworthy achievement in obtaining the OAAAQA Institutional Standards Accreditation (ISA).

The certificate was officially presented to Prof. Sulaiman Al Balushi, who graciously accepted the honor as a representative of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU). This accomplishment underscores the commitment of SQU and other recognized institutions to maintaining and enhancing the quality of education in Oman.

Academic Program Review in MSc & PhD in Food Science and Nutrition opening and closing sessions that were held online on 27- 29 of November.
This meeting was organized by QAO.

In a significant development, theQAO recently conducted its first interaction with the ISAA
teams through a well-organized online orientation session. The event, which took place on November 30th, lasted for an engaging 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Chaired by Prof. Salim Al Harthi, DVCAACS, the orientation session proved to be a collaborative platform for a total of 65 attendees. Among them were standard leaders and the dedicated supporting staff from QAO.
This inaugural session marks a pivotal step in fostering effective communication and collaboration within the ISAA teams, setting a positive tone for future engagements.

Stay tuned for more updates.

In a dynamic three-day event, the Arab Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ANQAHE) successfully hosted its fifth regional conference. Titled "Exploring the Future of Higher Education Quality: The Impact of Smart Technologies and Internationalization on the Education Quality System," the conference took place at Kempinski Hotel from December 5th to 7th. The event was hosted by the Oman Academic Accreditation Authority (OAAAQA).
The conference drew the participation of 32 members from SQU, with 14 members representing the Quality Assurance Office. The event provided a platform for insightful discussions and knowledge sharing on the transformative influence of smart technologies and internationalization on the landscape of higher education quality.
ANQAHE continues to play a vital role in fostering collaboration and dialogue within the higher education community, addressing key challenges, and anticipating the future of academic excellence. 
 

On January 11th, we had a workshop about "How To Write Your Criterion" at Maani Hotel (previously known as Avani), where Dr. Khalaf Alabri and Dr. Fatma Al Raisi presented and explained the method of writing the criterion commentary for ISAA. 

QAO is pleased to congratulate Professor. Sulaiman Mohammed Sulaiman Al-Balushi on receiving the Royal Order of Commendation (Second Class) in recognition of his achievements and effective contributions (Research field) ‏The university is proud of their accomplishments and it wishes him further success and excellence.

On the 19th, 20th, and the 21st of February 2024, we had Academic Program Reviews for two programs: MSc Petroleum Geoscience and PhD Earth Sciences.
ach program had 2 of the following reviewers.
Prof. Fadhil N. Sadooni, Prof. Mohamed Ragab Shalaby, Dr. Ali Al-Lazki and Dr. Alsharef A. Albaghdadi

On the 16th and 17th of April, 2024, we had an Academic Program Review for the MA in Archeology Program from the College of Arts and Social Sciences. We had 2 reviewers, Azhari Mustafa Sadig & Hani Hayajneh.

On the 23rd and the 24th of April, 2024, we had an Academic Program Review for the PhD in Arabic Language & Literature program, we had a reviewer from Egypt, Samy Soliman. 

On May 6th, 7th, and 8th, 2024, the Quality Assurance Office had an Academic Program Review for the MSc in Pure & Applied Mathematics Programs from the College of Science. We had 2 reviewers, Prof. Ahmed Al Rawashdeh and Prof. Qasem Al Mdallal, both of them are from United Arab Emirates University.

The Quality Assurance Office organized an online awareness session on the Research Teaching Nexus (RTN) Procedure, presented by Dr. Joseph Yak on Monday, May 6, 2024, from 12:30 to 2:30 PM. The session aimed to familiarize the university community with the newly approved RTN Procedure and its integration into teaching practices.

The General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, represented by the Human and Environmental Affairs Sector, Office of the Gulf Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, organized a panel discussion on “The Impact of Quality Culture in Higher Education Institutions on Learning Outcomes” “Gulf Models”, today, Thursday, June 6, 2024, via Visual communication, with the participation of speakers from the GCC countries.

The discussion panel also included a number of topics, the most important of which was reviewing the experiences of both King Saud University and Sultan Qaboos University. The basic concepts of quality in higher education institutions and their impact on learning outcomes were also discussed, as well as areas and forms of quality culture in higher education institutions, and distinctive experiences and practices in Spreading the culture of internal and external quality. The role of leadership and management in promoting the culture of quality, the participation of stakeholders and stakeholders in the culture of quality, the impact of modern technologies on quality, and future expectations for quality assurance in higher education institutions were discussed.

The discussion concluded by reviewing the most important challenges and obstacles in spreading a culture of quality in higher education institutions and the mechanism for dealing with them.

The Quality Assurance Office at the SQU organized a Honoring of the Accredited Units in the Project of Administrative Quality Audit and Assessment, Under the Patronage of H.H. Sayyed Dr. Fahad Bin Aljulanda Al Said, Vice-Chancellor of Sultan Qaboos University, in Al-Faham Lecture Hall, at Sultan Qaboos University Cultural Center.

Name of Program: (2 Programs) MSc and PhD in Biomedical Sciences with major in Epidemiology and Medical Statistics / College of Medicine 
Date: 1st -3rd of October 2024
Number of reviewers:  3 reviewers 

Name of Program: PhD in Genetics / College of Medicine 
Date: 23rd-24th September 2024
Number of reviewers:  1 reviewer 

Today's opening session for Academic Program Review of 2 programs at the College of Medicine & Health Sciences.

APR Closing Session for PhD in Epidemiology and Public Health and Masters in Epidemiology and Medical Statistics at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences. 

Name of Program: M.Ed. English Language Teaching Program / College of Education
Date: 28th-29th October 2024
Number of reviewers:  2 Reviewers 

The Technical Military College hosted the "Second Quality Day 2024" event in collaboration with the Omani Association for Quality in Higher Education, under the patronage of His Excellency Dr. Hilal bin Ali Al-Sabti, Minister of Health.

The Quality Assurance Office at Sultan Qaboos University organized the "World Quality Day" event, with the presence of the Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and Community Service. The event was also attended by the heads of quality assurance units from various university colleges and the Preparatory Studies Center, in addition to the office staff.

As part of the collaboration between Sultan Qaboos University and the Royal Navy of Oman, a team from Sultan Qaboos Naval Academy visited the Quality Assurance Office on Wednesday, December 11, 2024. The visit aimed to explore the office's mechanisms and activities in auditing and accreditation and benefit from the university's expertise. This visit fostered cooperation and the exchange of expertise between the two parties

On December 12, 2024, the Quality Assurance Office organized the ADRI Framework Workshop to enhance understanding of the framework for accreditation and quality improvement. The session featured interactive discussions and expert presentations to support preparing Mandatory Materials (MMs). With over 100 attendees, it emphasized collaboration and effective documentation for institutional accreditation.

From March 11 to 13, 2025, the Quality Assurance Office successfully completed the external academic review of three academic programs at the College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University. The review included the Master's program in Plant Production, the Master's program in Plant Protection, and the Ph.D. program in Crop Sciences.

From March 17 to 18, 2025, the Quality Assurance Office successfully conducted the external academic review process for the Bachelor of Physical Education program at the College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University.