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Oman Academic Accreditation
Authority
Report of an Audit of the
International Maritime
College Oman
June 2013
HEI Quality Audit Report International Maritime College Oman
© Oman Academic Accreditation Authority
Audit Report Number 034
©2013 Oman Academic Accreditation Authority
P.O. Box 1255
P.C. 133
Al-Khuwair
Sultanate of Oman
Ph +968 24121600
Fax +968 24121231
http://www.oaaa.gov.om
International Maritime College Oman HEI Quality Audit Report
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CONTENTS
Overview of the Quality Audit Process..................................................................................................... 3
How to Read This Report........................................................................................................................... 4
Conclusions.................................................................................................................................................. 5
Executive Summary of Findings ............................................................................................................. 5
Summary of Commendations .................................................................................................................. 7
Summary of Affirmations........................................................................................................................ 7
Summary of Recommendations............................................................................................................... 8
1 Governance and Management............................................................................................................ 11
1.1 Mission, Vision and Values......................................................................................................... 11
1.2 Governance................................................................................................................................. 12
1.3 Management ............................................................................................................................... 13
1.4 Institutional Affiliations for Programmes and Quality Assurance.............................................. 14
1.5 Strategic Plan.............................................................................................................................. 14
1.6 Operational Planning .................................................................................................................. 15
1.7 Financial Management ............................................................................................................... 15
1.8 Risk Management....................................................................................................................... 16
1.9 Policy Management .................................................................................................................... 16
1.10 Entity and Activity Review Systems .......................................................................................... 17
1.11 Student Grievance Process ......................................................................................................... 17
1.12 Health and Safety ....................................................................................................................... 18
1.13 Oversight of Associated Entities (e.g. owned companies) ......................................................... 19
2 Student Learning by Coursework Programmes ............................................................................... 20
2.1 Graduate Attributes and Student Learning Objectives ............................................................... 20
2.2 Curriculum.................................................................................................................................. 21
2.3 Student Entry Standards ............................................................................................................. 22
2.4 Foundation Programme .............................................................................................................. 23
2.5 Teaching Quality ........................................................................................................................ 23
2.6 Plagiarism................................................................................................................................... 24
2.7 Student Placements..................................................................................................................... 24
2.8 Assessment Methods, Standards and Moderation ...................................................................... 25
2.9 Academic Security and Invigilation ........................................................................................... 26
2.10 Student Retention and Progression............................................................................................. 27
2.11 Graduate Destinations and Employability.................................................................................. 27
3 Student Learning by Research Programmes .................................................................................... 29
4 Staff Research and Consultancy......................................................................................................... 30
5 Industry and Community Engagement ............................................................................................. 31
5.1 Industry and Community Engagement Planning &Management ............................................... 31
5.2 Relationships with Industry and Employers ............................................................................... 31
5.3 Relationships with Professions................................................................................................... 32
5.4 Relationships with Other Education Providers........................................................................... 32
5.5 Relationships with Alumni ......................................................................................................... 33
5.6 Relationships with the Community at Large .............................................................................. 33
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6 Academic Support Services ................................................................................................................ 34
6.1 Academic Support Services Planning & Management............................................................... 34
6.2 Registry (Enrolment and Student Records) ................................................................................ 35
6.3 Library ........................................................................................................................................ 35
6.4 Information and Learning Technology Services......................................................................... 36
6.5 Academic Advising .................................................................................................................... 36
6.6 Student Learning Support........................................................................................................... 37
6.7 Teaching Resources .................................................................................................................... 37
7 Students and Student Support Services............................................................................................. 39
7.1 Students and Student Support Services Planning & Management ............................................. 39
7.2 Student Profile ............................................................................................................................ 39
7.3 Student Satisfaction and Climate................................................................................................ 40
7.4 Student Behaviour ...................................................................................................................... 40
7.5 Career and Employment Services............................................................................................... 41
7.6 Student Finances......................................................................................................................... 41
7.7 Accommodation, Catering and Transport................................................................................... 41
7.8 Medical and Counselling Facilities ............................................................................................ 42
7.9 International Student Services .................................................................................................... 42
7.10 Social and Recreational Services and Facilities ......................................................................... 43
8 Staff and Staff Support Services ........................................................................................................ 44
8.1 Human Resources Planning & Management.............................................................................. 44
8.2 Staff Profile................................................................................................................................. 44
8.3 Recruitment and Selection.......................................................................................................... 45
8.4 Induction..................................................................................................................................... 45
8.5 Professional Development.......................................................................................................... 45
8.6 Performance Planning and Review............................................................................................. 46
8.7 Promotion and Other Incentives ................................................................................................. 46
8.8 Severance.................................................................................................................................... 47
8.9 Staff Organisational Climate and Retention ............................................................................... 47
8.10 Omanisation................................................................................................................................ 48
9 General Support Services and Facilities............................................................................................ 49
9.1 General Support Services and Facilities Planning and Management ......................................... 49
9.2 Public Relations and Marketing ................................................................................................. 49
9.3 Communication Services............................................................................................................ 50
9.4 Facilities Management................................................................................................................ 50
Appendix A. Audit Panel ...................................................................................................................... 51
Appendix B. Abbreviations, Acronyms and Terms............................................................................ 52
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OVERVIEW OF THE QUALITY AUDIT PROCESS
This Quality Audit Report (the ‘Report’) documents the findings of a Quality Audit by the Oman
Academic Accreditation Authority (OAAA) of the International Maritime College Oman (IMCO). It
comments on the College’s Mission and Vision, and the appropriateness and effectiveness of its systems
for achieving that Mission and Vision. Quality Audit is the first stage in Oman’s institutional
accreditation process. It is designed to provide a level of assurance to the public about the quality of the
College’s activities and constructive feedback to the College to assist with its ongoing improvement
efforts.
The Quality Audit commenced with IMCO undertaking a self study of its Mission, Vision and systems.
The results were summarized in their Quality Audit Portfolio (the ‘Portfolio’). This document was
submitted to the OAAA on 10 October 2012, although the official submission date was 2 October 2012.
The OAAA appointed an external Audit Panel (the ‘Panel’), comprising suitably qualified and
experienced local and international reviewers, to conduct the Quality Audit. For membership of the Panel
see Appendix A. The Panel met (international members by telephone) on 6 November 2012 to consider the College’s Portfolio. Following this, a representative of the Audit Panel Chairperson and the
Executive Officer undertook a planning visit on behalf of the Panel to the College on 19 November 2012
to clarify certain matters, request additional information and make arrangements for the Panel’s audit
visit.
Prior to the audit visit, the Panel invited submissions from the public about the quality of IMCO’s
activities. No valid submissions were received.
The audit visit took place over 16-18 December 2012. During this time, the Panel spoke with
approximately 100 people, including governing authorities, staff, students and external stakeholders. It
also visited a selection of venues and examined additional documents.
No documents created after 18 December 2012 (being the last day of the audit visit) were taken into
consideration for the purposes of this audit.
The Report contains a summary of the Panel’s findings, together with formal Commendations where good
practices have been confirmed, Affirmations where IMCO’s ongoing quality improvement efforts merit
support, and Recommendations where there are significant opportunities for improvement not yet being
adequately addressed. The Report aims to provide a balanced set of observations, but does not comment
on every system in place at the College.
The Panel’s audit activities and preparation of this Report were governed by regulations set by the OAAA
Board. This Report was approved for release by the OAAA Board on 26 June 2013.
The OAAA was established by Royal Decree No. 54/2010 to replace the Oman Accreditation Council.
Its responsibilities include conducting quality audits of higher education institutions (HEIs) in the
Sultanate of Oman. For further information, visit the OAAA website (http://www.oaaa.gov.om). Full
details of the quality audit process are available in OAAA’s HEI Quality Audit Manual (available from
http://www.oaaa.gov.om/QAM_2008_FINAL2.pdf ).
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HOW TO READ THIS REPORT
Each OAAA Audit Report is written primarily for the institution being audited. The Report is specifically
designed to provide feedback to help that institution better understand its own strengths and opportunities
for improvement. The feedback is structured according to nine broad areas of activity and presented as
formal Commendations, Affirmations and Recommendations, or as informal suggestions, each
accompanied with explanatory paragraphs. It is expected that the institution will act upon this feedback
as part of its continuous efforts to provide the best possible education to students.
The Report is made public because it also may be of interest to students and potential students, their
families, employers, government, other higher education institutions in Oman and abroad, and other
audiences. Students, in particular, may find this Report useful because it provides some independent
comment on the learning environment at this institution (particularly Chapters 2, 6 and 7 below). However, prospective students should still undertake their own investigations when deciding which
higher education institution will best serve their particular learning needs.
Quality Audit is the first stage in Oman’s two-stage process for institutional accreditation. Its focus is
formative (developmental) rather than summative. In other words, although the audit addresses nine
areas of activity which are common to all institutions, it does not measure the institution against
externally set standards of performance in those nine areas. Instead, it considers how well the institution
is attending to those areas in accordance with its own Mission and Vision and in the context of relevant
legal regulations. Therefore, Quality Audit recognises that each institution has a unique purpose and
profile; it does not directly compare one institution with all the other institutions in Oman.
For these reasons, a Quality Audit does not result in a pass or fail; nor does it provide any sort of grade or
score. It should also be noted that the precise number of Commendations, Affirmations and
Recommendations that an institution receives in its Audit Report is not as important as the substance of
those conclusions. For example, some Recommendations may focus on critical issues such as assessment
of student learning, whereas others may focus on issues such as the maintenance of teaching equipment in
classrooms which, while important, is clearly less critical. Therefore, it is neither significant nor
appropriate to compare the Audit Reports of different HEIs solely on the numbers of Commendations,
Affirmations and Recommendations.
The second stage in the institutional accreditation process is Standards Assessment. Unlike the Quality
Audit, this stage, which will take place about four years after the Quality Audit, does provide a
summative assessment against external standards in the same nine areas of activity. It should be noted
that Oman also operates a system of accreditation/recognition for academic programmes, separately from
the institutional accreditation process. For more information on Oman’s System of Quality Assurance in
Higher Education please visit www.oaaa.gov.om.
This Report contains a number of references to source evidence considered by the Audit Panel. These
references are for the HEI’s benefit in further addressing the issues raised. In most cases this evidence is
not in the public domain.
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CONCLUSIONS
This section summarises the main findings and lists the Commendations, Affirmations and
Recommendations. They are listed in the order in which they appear in the Report, and are not
prioritised. It should be noted that other favourable comments and suggestions for improvement are
mentioned throughout the text of the Report.
Executive Summary of Findings
The International Maritime College Oman (IMCO) was established in 2005. It is the only maritime
college in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. It is owned by the Government of the Sultanate
of Oman (the majority shareholder) and the STC-Group based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands (see
Appendix B). The STC-Group has long-standing expertise in education and training in the fields of
maritime, port, shipping, transportation, logistics and process industries. Since 2010, IMCO has operated
from a new, purpose-built campus in Oman’s port city of Sohar, approximately 200 kilometers north of
the capital city of Muscat. IMCO offers Diploma and Bachelor Degree programmes in Nautical Studies;
Marine Engineering; Port, Shipping and Transport Management; and Engineering for Process Operations
Technology. It also offers a range of short courses for industry. At the time of the audit, the College had
approximately 1300 students, including over 70 international students, supported by 66 academic staff
and 68 administrative and support staff. Over 40% of the students were studying at Foundation level.
IMCO awards its own higher education qualifications. Its relationship with the STC-Group is not an
academic affiliation; rather, it is a partnership of shareholding and collaborative management of the
College as a commercial entity.
The College undertook an inclusive and extensive institutional self-study in preparation for the Quality
Audit. The resulting Portfolio was evaluative and candid in its reporting and included formal
identification of strengths and opportunities for improvement in relation to each of the nine areas of scope
covered by the audit.
A major achievement of the College has been its completion of a campus specifically designed to support
its Vision and Mission which relate to providing Oman and the region with an education and training
institution to meet the specialised needs of the maritime, logistics and process industries. The STC-
Group, which has a 30% shareholding in the College, brings international maritime and port operation
expertise and recognition to the College. The Government of the Sultanate of Oman holds the remaining
70% of the shares in the College. The Minister of Manpower represents the Government in this
arrangement. The joint ownership brings strength to this partnership and the College’s Mission and
Vision provide clarity of purpose. Responsibility for governance below the level of the shareholders
rests with the Board of Directors (BoD). This includes representatives from various Government
Ministries as well as the STC-Group. A Board of Trustees is in place to provide advisory input into the
governance of the College. Action is now required to clarify the roles and responsibilities of governing
individuals and entities.
Since its relocation to the new campus, the College has focussed effort on developing management and
quality assurance systems. Previous staff turnover in senior positions as well as a period of student unrest
(in 2011) have impacted on this, but the College now has strong management leadership, enhanced
strength and stability at Head of Department level, a 2011-2014 Strategic Plan and a dedicated Quality
Assurance Officer to support the development of internal systems. Nevertheless, the College’s
management structure is still under development, its financial planning and strategic planning are not
aligned and there is no effective risk management system in place. Action to remedy these key issues is
required to underpin progress the College is making in embedding an operational planning and reporting
cycle as well as embedding entity and activity review processes. The College’s internal communication
systems are strong although its institutional information management software system has limitations
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which need to be addressed. Management at IMCO is informed by students’ views which are expressed
through a range of feedback systems.
The College’s higher education provision is strongly vocationally orientated. Various mechanisms
support the College in addressing the vocational requirements of its programmes. These include the
secondment of specialised staff from the STC-Group to the College, efforts to align curricula to relevant
industry standards and including an extensive industry internship period in each programme. Successful
completion of the Nautical Studies and Marine Engineering Diploma or Degree programmes can lead to a
professional license to work being awarded. Action needs to be taken, however, to develop robust
systems to ensure not only that relevant industry and professional requirements are met, but also,
critically for IMCO as a provider of higher education, that academic standards are appropriate, achieved
and maintained. At present, the College’s systems relating to key areas such as curriculum development
and review as well as assessment are still being developed. There is an overarching requirement for
policies and processes to include sufficient, systematic, external input and benchmarking to ensure
curricula are current, appropriate and aligned with international standards (for higher education as well as
industry and professional requirements) and that academic standards are assured through robust
assessment practices.
IMCO has strength in its provision of simulators, laboratories, workshops and sports facilities to support
essential student learning on its specialized programmes. In terms of teaching quality, a pedagogical
framework is being developed to guide teaching and learning and a new teaching evaluation system is
being implemented. Action is also being taken to address plagiarism. The College is working to
implement a more consistent and effective academic advising system. Improved monitoring of student
retention and progression would support this initiative. In addition, plans to enhance library resources
need to be implemented and a greater level of structured extracurricular learning support provided for
students. There is a requirement for the College to develop a research function to support its provision of
Bachelor degree programmes; at present there is very limited research and there is no consultancy at the
College although the potential for both is clear.
The extensive industry placements undertaken by IMCO students are a distinctive feature of its
programmes and reflect its close relationship with relevant industries. To ensure the sustainability of
these, sufficient placement opportunities need to be ensured in line with student numbers. In addition,
current systems for supervision of students on placements and assessment of their performance need to be
strengthened. IMCO’s relationship with industry is critical to its operations, and more formalized
administration of its existing links is required to support and sustain a range of its activities. The College
is not yet able to formally evaluate its effectiveness in providing these industries with graduates which
meet their requirements as systems to record and monitor its graduates’ destinations have yet to be
developed. The College is aware that it needs to provide career and employment services in a systematic
way and develop a formal relationship with its alumni.
The College is devoting considerable effort to developing improved and more transparent systems and
procedures for the management of its multinational staff. Continued effort to successfully implement
these is required to support staff retention and stability. The number of Omani administrative staff at
IMCO exceeds the College’s overall Omanisation targets (as well as national requirements). The College
is encouraged to focus attention on recruitment and development of more Omani academic staff for its
higher education programmes.
IMCO provides a high level of support for its international students and wishes to attract more high
caliber students from both Oman and abroad. The College’s public relations and marketing function is,
however, underdeveloped and needs appropriate systems and adequate resources to promote the College
effectively.
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Summary of Commendations
A formal Commendation recognises an instance of particularly good practice.
1. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority commends the International Maritime College
Oman for its provision of simulators, laboratories, workshops and sports facilities which is
effective in supporting essential student learning on the highly specialized and vocationally
orientated higher education programmes offered by the College..................................................... 38
2. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority commends the International Maritime College
Oman for its implementation of a range of student feedback mechanisms through which it is
able to engage with students in a timely, coordinated and systematic way...................................... 40
3. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority commends the International Maritime College
Oman for its planned development and implementation of a new campus located and
designed specifically to support its specialized Mission. ................................................................. 49
Summary of Affirmations
A formal Affirmation recognizes an instance in which the International Maritime College Oman has
accurately identified a significant opportunity for improvement and has demonstrated appropriate
commitment to addressing the matter.
1. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority supports the steps taken by the International
Maritime College Oman to develop and implement an effective operational planning and
associated reporting process and agrees with the College that continued management support
is required to ensure the sustainability of this function. ................................................................... 15
2. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International Maritime College
Oman that its entity and activity review systems need to be strengthened and supports the
steps being taken to embed a range of processes to achieve this...................................................... 17
3. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International Maritime College
Oman that there is a pressing need for an appropriate health and safety policy relating to the
new campus to be approved and implemented to help ensure the general safety of all
stakeholders and supports the steps the College is taking to achieve this. ....................................... 19
4. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International Maritime College
Oman that its work to embed the development and assessment of its generic graduate
attributes in its higher education programmes needs to be completed and supports the efforts
being made to achieve this................................................................................................................ 21
5. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority supports the efforts of the International
Maritime College Oman to further develop its curriculum development and review processes
in support of the College’s intention to implement curricula of appropriately benchmarked
standards. .......................................................................................................................................... 22
6. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International Maritime College
Oman that teaching staff with relevant qualifications and experience from industry are
required to support effective delivery of its specialized higher education programmes and
supports its efforts to gain formal approval to appoint an appropriate proportion of teaching
staff with this profile......................................................................................................................... 23
7. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International Maritime College
Oman that it needs to complete and implement its pedagogical framework and fully
implement its teaching appraisal process to guide and support the development of good
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teaching and learning practices in higher education and supports the steps being taken to
achieve these objectives.................................................................................................................... 24
8. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International Maritime College
Oman that implementation of its anti-plagiarism policies and practices needs to be
strengthened, particularly regarding the academic integrity of Year 4 Graduation Projects,
and supports the remedial actions the College is taking to inform and educate students and
staff about academic malpractice. .................................................................................................... 24
9. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International Maritime College
Oman that formal systems to record, monitor and evaluate its graduates’ destinations and
employability are required in order to help ensure its effectiveness in fulfilling the needs of
employers and industry in line with its Mission and supports the efforts being made to
achieve this. ...................................................................................................................................... 27
10. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International Maritime College
Oman that it needs to implement an integrated electronic information system which supports
its needs effectively and acknowledges the steps being taken by the College in this regard. .......... 34
11. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International Maritime College
Oman that there is a need to establish systems to facilitate continuous monitoring and
improvement of its academic support services and supports actions being taken by the
College to achieve this...................................................................................................................... 34
12. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International Maritime College
Oman that there is a need to strengthen its academic advising processes in order to provide
more systematic support for students and supports the College’s efforts to implement a
revised system to achieve this. ......................................................................................................... 37
13. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International Maritime College
Oman that students need to be provided with effective career and employment services,
delivered through planned and systematic processes and subject to evaluation for their
effectiveness in supporting graduates in gaining employment in their specialist areas, and
supports efforts being made to achieve this...................................................................................... 41
14. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International Maritime College
Oman that its human resources management systems need to be strengthened and supports
its efforts to achieve this through actions which include development of a comprehensive,
revised, policy and procedures manual for this area......................................................................... 44
15. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International Maritime College
Oman that an effective system for the performance planning and appraisal of all staff needs
to be implemented and supports the College in its efforts to achieve this........................................ 46
16. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recognizes the steps taken by the International
Maritime College Oman to develop systems to manage staff satisfaction and retention
effectively and supports ongoing efforts in this area to help ensure enhanced staff retention
and stability. ..................................................................................................................................... 48
Summary of Recommendations
A Recommendation draws attention to a significant opportunity for improvement that the International
Maritime College Oman has either not yet accurately identified or to which it is not yet adequately
attending.
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1. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International Maritime
College Oman review its governing system regularly to ensure its effectiveness and to
clearly establish the authority and accountability of governing individuals and entities for all
stakeholders. ..................................................................................................................................... 12
2. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International Maritime
College Oman further review and develop its management structure in a systematic way in
order to achieve clarity and distinctiveness within key roles and establish a stable structure
which will support the sustainable development of the College. ..................................................... 14
3. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International Maritime
College Oman align its Strategic Plan with its financial planning and establish a mechanism
to effectively monitor and review progress and achievement against the Strategic Plan................. 15
4. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International Maritime
College Oman finalise its risk management policy and use it to develop and implement a
broad and comprehensive risk management system which is monitored and reviewed
regularly for its effectiveness in supporting the sustained operation of the College. ....................... 16
5. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International Maritime
College Oman review its approach to dealing with marking and grade appeals in order to
develop and implement appropriate processes which reflect international best practice. ................ 18
6. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International Maritime
College Oman ensure that its student entry standards for higher education programmes meet
the national standards, are subject to regular review in relation to programme demands and
are implemented with rigour............................................................................................................. 22
7. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International Maritime
College Oman further develop its assessment policies and processes for its higher education
programmes to reflect best practice in vocationally focused higher education and to ensure
academic standards are appropriate, achieved and maintained. ....................................................... 26
8. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International Maritime
College Oman develop and implement processes to allow close monitoring and detailed
analysis of student retention and progression to inform its planning and decision making
processes........................................................................................................................................... 27
9. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International Maritime
College Oman develop a conceptual framework for staff research in line with its strategic
plan and increase support for research activity in order to support development of a research
culture and enhance the College’s provision of higher education. ................................................... 30
10. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International Maritime
College Oman formalize its administration of relationship links within industry and the
community and develop and implement systematic feedback mechanisms to identify good
practice and guide improvements. .................................................................................................... 31
11. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International Maritime
College Oman establish a formal alumni body with a clearly defined purpose aligned to the
College’s strategic aims and formally assign responsibility for establishment, continued
support and oversight of this body. .................................................................................................. 33
12. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International Maritime
College Oman take steps to ensure the security of student records which include effective
back-up of these................................................................................................................................ 35
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13. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International Maritime
College Oman address identified limitations in library provision in order to ensure that
adequate library learning resources are available to support the needs of the College
community effectively...................................................................................................................... 36
14. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International Maritime
College Oman undertake regular and systematic review of the IT needs of students and other
users to help ensure that availability and accessibility of IT services are consistent with its
strategic aims. ................................................................................................................................... 36
15. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International Maritime
College Oman develop and implement a systematic approach to its provision of
extracurricular learning support to help ensure adequate and effective support for all
students. ............................................................................................................................................ 37
16. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International Maritime
College Oman act on its plans to provide a professional student counseling service....................... 42
17. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International Maritime
College Oman take steps to ensure that all staff across the College undergo an effective
induction process. ............................................................................................................................. 45
18. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International Maritime
College Oman develop and implement a systematic approach to staff development which
addresses both generic as well as subject- and role-specific professional development
requirements. .................................................................................................................................... 46
19. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International Maritime
College Oman develop and implement clear and transparent criteria and processes by which
both academic and administrative staff may be promoted or awarded financial bonuses in
order to recognise good performance and encourage staff retention................................................ 47
20. The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the International Maritime
College Oman develop and implement a systematic approach to its marketing and public
relations and ensure that these functions are appropriately resourced and subject to regular
review. .............................................................................................................................................. 50
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1 GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
The International Maritime College Oman (IMCO) was established in 2005 as a joint venture
between the Government of the Sultanate of Oman and the STC Holding Group (STC – See
Appendix B) based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. STC comprises the Shipping and Transport
College, International Maritime Transport Academy, Dynamar Consultancy and Maritime
Simulation Rotterdam (Portfolio, p.12). At its foundation, IMCO was based in Muscat but it
moved to a new, purpose-built location in Sohar in September 2010.
The Panel learned that the initiative to establish the College had stemmed from a Government
project led by the Sultanate of Oman to establish Sohar Port, and was viewed as a means to build
on the nation’s maritime history and support Omanisation of associated developing industries.
IMCO offers Diploma and Bachelor Degree level programmes focused in the areas of maritime
studies; port, shipping and transport management; and process operations technology. It also
provides a range of short courses in specialized areas. A number of programmes qualify
graduates to apply for certification according to the International Convention on Standards,
Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW). STCW certificates are approved and
endorsed by the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
This Chapter reports on the Panel’s findings in relation to overall governance and management at
the College and specifically covers the following: Mission, Vision and Values; governance;
management; institutional affiliations; strategic plan; operational planning; financial
management; risk management; policy management; entity and activity review systems; student
grievance process; and health and safety.
1.1 Mission, Vision and Values
IMCO approved a 2011-2014 Strategic Plan in December 2011 which includes the following
Vision and Mission statements:
Vision
“To be a leading learning institution in the fields of maritime, logistics and
process operations, that is committed to providing Oman, the region and beyond
with professionals ready to face the emerging challenges of industry.”
Mission
“To provide high quality education and practical training which will meet the
specialized needs of the maritime, logistics and process industries and will
support the economic development of the country.”
Additionally, the College has established the following Core Institutional Values (Portfolio,
p.10): “Professionalism: High personal standards of skill and behavior; Transparency: Clarity,
honesty and openness in behavior; Accountability: Taking responsibility for one’s decisions or
actions; Exemplary ethical conduct: Having a clear idea of what is right and what is wrong; Equal
opportunity: Ensuring that everyone has the same rights and opportunities. Respecting everyone
for the roles they fulfil and encouraging them to realise their potential; Team spirit: The desire
and willingness to work together and help each other as part of a team.”
Through scrutiny of documents, and in interviews with a wide range of staff, it was apparent to
the Panel that, as indicated in the Portfolio (p.11), the College’s current Mission and Vision and
Value statements had been developed through a consultative and inclusive process and were
providing clear strategic direction to the College. The Panel found that the College’s Values, in
particular, were understood and supported by staff. This was demonstrated both through the
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engagement of staff with the audit process, and in the relationships between staff members (both
academic and administrative) and students. It was apparent to the Panel that IMCO’s staff
believed in the core Values of the College and used them as a context for their working
environment.
The College is currently the only maritime College in the region (Portfolio, p.25). It has invested
in a purpose-built campus (see Commendation 3) and the development of highly specialized programmes in direct alignment with its Mission and Vision. The College’s clarity of purpose,
which is shared by the IMCO community and external stakeholders, is a strength.
1.2 Governance
IMCO is a limited liability company in which the Government of the Sultanate of Oman holds
70% of the shares, and the STC-Group based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, holds the remaining
30% (Portfolio, p.12). The College operates under a Shareholders Agreement which establishes
two distinct layers of governance: the shareholders and the Board of Directors (BoD).
The shareholders are represented by the Minister of Manpower of the Government of the
Sultanate of Oman and, according to the IMCO Policy Manual derived from the Shareholders
Agreement, “one or two members of the Board of Directors of STC”. The BoD has seven
members, five of whom are nominated by the Government of the Sultanate of Oman and two by
STC. The members nominated by the Government represent: the Ministry of Transport and
Communications; the Ministry of Manpower; the Ministry of Higher Education; the Ministry of
National Economy; and the Ministry of Finance. The Chairman of the BoD is nominated by the
Government of the Sultanate of Oman. The Panel learnt that currently the Chairman of the BoD
also holds the position of Undersecretary at the Ministry of Transport and Communications and
that the potential conflict of interest that results from this (in relation to professional awards – see
5.3) is recognized by the College.
Additionally, the BoD has recently (March 2012) established a Board of Trustees (BoT) to
replace an existing Board of Advisors. The BoT is a five-member advisory body to the BoD,
primarily, according to its terms of reference, in relation to academic matters.
Through scrutiny of minutes of meetings, and interviews with various members of all three levels
of governance (the Shareholders, the BoD and the BoT), the Panel concluded that that, whilst the
relationship between the governing entities was reasonably clear, there were areas where further
clarity and distinction of responsibilities and accountabilities would aid the strategic planning,
academic governance and financial management of the College.
Specifically, the Panel considered that mechanisms to evaluate and mitigate potential conflicts of
interest across, and within, the distinct entities of governance were underdeveloped and in need of
enhancement. This situation is exacerbated by the current general lack of clarity regarding the
distinct roles of the Ministries of Manpower, Transport and Communications and Higher
Education on the BoD, particularly as the latter two have authorities relating to the awards of the
College (professional and academic). In addition, perhaps as a result of its recent formation, the
specified role and focus of the BoT is not yet clear to all stakeholders. The College indicates its
intention to develop a mechanism to establish more clearly the level of effectiveness of its
governance system (Portfolio, p.13), and the Panel agrees that this is required.
Recommendation 1
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International Maritime College Oman review its governing system regularly
to ensure its effectiveness and to clearly establish the authority and
accountability of governing individuals and entities for all stakeholders.
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The Panel noted that the joint venture between the Government of the Sultanate of Oman and the
STC-Group is one of shareholding and collaborative management of IMCO as a commercial
entity. There is strength in this partnership, through which, for example, STC provides IMCO
with senior staff, who lead and teach in specialist areas, as well as technological installations such
as simulators. IMCO has no established academic affiliate at institutional level (also see Section
1.4) and the College awards its own Diploma and Degree qualifications. IMCO’s programmes are licensed by the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) but it has no formal internal approval
process which would validate an award against any benchmark standards or ensure secure
location of an award within the Oman Qualifications Framework. Furthermore, IMCO has no
external moderation process which would help to ensure that students are achieving at the correct
level and meeting threshold standards of awards.
The Panel concluded that IMCO has no secure means of assuring the standards of its academic
awards and the standards of student achievement within those awards. In line with strengthening
its academic governance and management functions (also see Recommendation 2), the College
needs to develop and implement mechanisms to address this (see Recommendation 7). The Panel also considers it important for the College to ensure that all stakeholders have a clear
understanding of the nature of its relationship with the STC-Group and the fact that this does not
formally extend to the assurance of academic standards.
1.3 Management
The College has a strategic goal to “ensure an ethical, transparent and efficient management and
administrative system” with supporting objectives to “establish an effective administrative
structure with clear lines of authority, roles and responsibilities” and “ensure that the College
Council and other committees function effectively” (Portfolio, p.13).
The key senior managers within the College are the Dean, the Deputy Dean for Academic Affairs
(DDAA) and the Deputy Dean Administration and Finance (DDAF). The Dean, Deputy Deans
and the Finance Manager take part in BoD meetings and the Chairman of the BoT represents the
BoT in the BoD. The Dean chairs the College Council (a general management body which deals
with both administrative and academic issues). In December 2011, the College appointed a
Quality Assurance Officer to support the work of the senior management (Portfolio, p.13). These
positions are shown in the College’s organizational structure (due to be published in the Colleges
new Human Resources Manual – see 8.1), although not all entities identified on this document are yet in place and the structure has yet to be finalized.
The Panel found that through its creation of a formal position to address quality assurance, much
has been done to foster a coherent approach to quality assurance across the College and embed a
College-wide understanding of quality assurance processes. The Panel encourages the College to
ensure that the authority of this role is maintained.
The College reports having previously faced frequent turn-over in key management positions
such as the Dean, DDAA and Heads of Departments (HoDs) but that action has been taken to
make appointments which will bring stability to these positions (Portfolio, p.14). The Panel
learnt that the DDAA and a number of academic HoD positions had until recently been held on
an “acting basis” to cover a lack of permanent appointments. The Panel noted that the College
has faced many challenges in recent times, including a period of student unrest during 2011. The
Panel considered, however, that the BoD had taken careful and deliberate action to address the
leadership needs of the College in a way that had impacted beneficially on the spirit and culture
of both students and staff. At the time of the audit, the current Dean had been in post since
October 2011, a permanent DDAA had been appointed (from STC, in June 2012) and two of the
three HoDs of academic departments were now being held on a permanent basis by staff
seconded from STC (appointed in April 2011 and September 2012 respectively). The Panel
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heard and appreciated the fact that competing with a well-paid industry presents challenges to
IMCO in recruiting academic staff for its diploma and degree programmes; nevertheless, it
encourages the College to prioritize efforts to make an appropriate, permanent HoD appointment
for its third academic department, Process Operations Technology.
The Panel noted that the recent fluidity of management positions has led to some instability and
lack of direction, and that work in this area was still in progress, particularly with regard to
academic management and the development and implementation of policies, entities and
activities associated with this. The Panel agrees that further development and increased stability
of the College management structure is required. In particular, roles and reporting lines
associated with the College Council, the proposed Curriculum Committee (see Section 2.2) and a new academic leadership post the Panel heard about need to be carefully considered. The College
identifies the broad need to continue to strengthen its management system and enhance its
evaluation of this (Portfolio, p.15), but the Panel considers that a more structured and systematic
approach than is currently evident is required to inform future developments and ensure that new
and existing decision making structures will work in harmony.
Recommendation 2
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International Maritime College Oman further review and develop its
management structure in a systematic way in order to achieve clarity and
distinctiveness within key roles and establish a stable structure which will
support the sustainable development of the College.
The College has a customized information management system known as ProMIS. The Panel
learned that, as acknowledged by the College (Portfolio, p.62), this system no longer supports the
College’s needs effectively in a number of areas. The Panel supports the action being taken to
address this (see Affirmation 10).
1.4 Institutional Affiliations for Programmes and Quality Assurance
IMCO reports that its institutional association with the STC-Group relates to its programmes and
operations generally and that for all its quality assurance and accreditation purposes it follows
MoHE and OAAA guidelines (Portfolio, p.15). Through its part ownership by the STC-Group,
IMCO is provided with support for curriculum development and programme delivery (also see
Section 2.2 and Section 5.4) but the College does not have a formal academic affiliation with STC.
The College indicates that it is investigating the possibility of establishing an academic affiliation
with an appropriate HEI (Portfolio, p.15) and minutes of meetings showed this to be the case.
The Panel considers that enhanced external input is required to support activities such as
curriculum review and assessment to help ensure academic standards are appropriate, achieved
and maintained (see Affirmation 5 and Recommendation 7). Establishment of an effective academic affiliation is one way in which these requirements may be met.
1.5 Strategic Plan
IMCO’s current Strategic Plan (2011-14) was approved by the BoD in December 2011 (Portfolio,
p.16). The plan has nine strategic goals each supported by a number of objectives. It also
includes quantitative performance indicators together with identification of where responsibility
for each objective rests. The Panel found that the plan had been constructed with the
collaboration of both staff and BoD members. This has resulted in a comprehensive document
that is widely accepted and understood throughout the College.
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The College states that its BoD and management are focused on implementing the Strategic Plan
and that it intends to track achievements through achievement of operational plans and
departmental end-of-semester reports (Portfolio, p.16). Through the scrutiny of documentation
and interviews, however, the Panel found that at present, mechanisms for monitoring and
reviewing progress against the Strategic Plan are not well developed and as a result, there is
currently no formal process by which the BoD and management can evaluate performance in this
area (also see 1.6). Further, no strong relation exists between medium-term financial planning and the delivery of the Strategic Plan; there is no explicit alignment of the Strategic Plan and the
budget.
Recommendation 3
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International Maritime College Oman align its Strategic Plan with its
financial planning and establish a mechanism to effectively monitor and
review progress and achievement against the Strategic Plan.
Consideration of areas such as maintenance of the College’s facilities indicated to the Panel that
the planning horizon determined by IMCO’s four-year Strategic Plan is limited and the Panel
suggests that the College consider engaging in longer term strategic planning in the future.
1.6 Operational Planning
IMCO has begun to put into practice a process of operational planning, with both academic and
support departments preparing operational plans in January 2012. In addition, a system of end-
of-semester reporting against these plans has been initiated (Portfolio, pp.16-17).
The Panel examined a range of departmental operational plans. Whilst in most cases these plans
explicitly follow the Strategic Plan, further development of them (to include, for example, a
greater level of detail regarding actions and targets to be achieved within given timeframes) is
likely to be required to guide departments effectively. The departmental end-of-semester reports
follow a common format which encourages detailed reporting and requires achievements and
challenges to be reported as well as recommendations to be made. The Panel did not find an
explicit link between these reports and the departmental operational plans, but nevertheless
appreciates the College’s progress towards embedding an effective planning and reporting cycle
at departmental level. Through interviews, the Panel gained evidence of staff having engaged
positively and derived benefit from this initiative. Moreover, the Panel recognizes the key role of
the Quality Assurance Officer in driving and supporting this function in the College. IMCO
acknowledges that continued review of the implementation and effectiveness of operational
planning in the College is required (Portfolio, p.17). The Panel agrees with this and notes the
overarching importance of alignment between planning and budgeting (see Recommendation 3).
Affirmation 1
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority supports the steps taken by
the International Maritime College Oman to develop and implement an
effective operational planning and associated reporting process and agrees
with the College that continued management support is required to ensure
the sustainability of this function.
1.7 Financial Management
IMCO has a strategic objective to “ensure efficient financial management”, and reports that
responsibility for financial planning and allocation is undertaken by the Dean, the DDAF and the
Finance Manager (Portfolio, p.17).
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The College’s financial regulations and procedures are laid out in the College’s Policy Manual
and the Panel found there are clear processes for the development of the annual budget and clear
lines of financial authority and accountability. The shareholders retain final authority to approve,
or veto, the overall annual budget. The College is subject to external and state audit in addition to
internal audit.
The College reports that its financial position is “strong and stable” (Portfolio, p.19) but also that
it is “exploring all opportunities for generating revenue and achieving operational efficiency to
strengthen its financial position and achieve operational stability” (Portfolio, p.18). The Panel
found there to be a strong focus and positive engagement with financial and associated challenges
at the level of the (STC and Government of Oman) shareholders and the BoD. Recently, this has
led to, for example, an enhanced focus on income-generating short courses being addressed by
the DDAA and greater financial authority now being located with the Dean than was previously
the case. Overall however, the Panel found that, whilst financial control is appropriately
exercised, consideration of the medium and longer-term resource needs of the College was less
obvious. With the need to maintain and update many items of specialist equipment (both
hardware and software) and to maintain current facilities and ensure currency of practice in a fast-
changing environment, this was seen as a risk by the Panel (see Recommendation 4).
1.8 Risk Management
IMCO has a strategic objective to put in place an effective risk management system (Portfolio,
p.18). Whilst some steps have been taken to address risk management (particularly in the area of
Health and Safety – see Section 1.12), and a draft risk management policy has been developed, the College acknowledges that currently it has no formal risk management policy in operation
(Portfolio, p.25).
The College indicates its intention to finalise its risk management policy and its wish to address
“all types of risk” (Portfolio, p.19). The Panel supports the College’s consideration of the broad
potential areas of risk referred to in the draft policy (reputational, strategic, operational,
compliance and financial) and urges the College to finalise the policy as a first step towards
developing and implementing an effective risk management system.
Recommendation 4
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International Maritime College Oman finalise its risk management policy
and use it to develop and implement a broad and comprehensive risk
management system which is monitored and reviewed regularly for its
effectiveness in supporting the sustained operation of the College.
1.9 Policy Management
IMCO has a Policy Manual which was developed by the BoD. It includes regulations governing
the major activities of the College. This is described by the College as a “controlled document”
(Portfolio, p.19) access to which is provided only to a limited number of key individuals with
sections being made available to those areas of the College to which they apply.
Policy management at the College is now supported by a formal “System for Policies and
Procedures” (Portfolio, p.19). This was approved by the Dean in 2010, and is, effectively, a
comprehensive policy on policies.
The College is working to strengthen its policy management system by encouraging effective
implementation of its policies and procedures system (Portfolio, p.20). The Panel also heard that
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effort was being made to disseminate policies more widely than before in keeping with the
College’s core value of transparency, and the Panel encourages this.
1.10 Entity and Activity Review Systems
IMCO indicates that in its early years, the College’s review activities were strongly focused on
financial activities and that broader entity and activity reviews were initiated in 2008-2009 in
alignment with the requirements of the self-study to be prepared for the OAAA Quality Audit
(Portfolio, p.20). The College now has a clear profile of activity review related to academic
programmes and some central facilities, which includes module review at the end of each
semester as well as student and staff surveys. In December 2011, the College introduced a
system of end-of-semester/year reporting by academic departments, and more recently, this has
been extended to all administrative departments (Portfolio, p.21). The Panel viewed a range of
these comprehensive, evaluative reports and recognizes the impact of these in strengthening
entity and activity review in the College.
Academic staff appraisal and teaching review have been recently re-assessed too, moving from a
reliance on student feedback to activity undertaken by the Heads of Academic Departments and
linked, where appropriate, to the probation process for new academic staff. Within an annual
cycle so recently introduced, there is limited evidence of its effectiveness, but in interviews the
Panel heard that it had been received positively (also see Section 2.5 and Section 8.6).
The College conducted a range of staff and student surveys (in June 2012) as part of its self-study
(Portfolio, p.22) but it was acknowledged in interviews that these have yet to be embedded in a
time-bound continuous system. The Panel considers that surveys also need to be extended to a
wider variety of stakeholders including employers (especially those concerned with the delivery
of placements), placement supervisors and alumni. The Panel was concerned to find a general
lack of external input and benchmarking in relation to College activities. This is particularly
evident in relation to assessments, academic standards and curricula (also see Chapter 2). Attention to this is required to strengthen review in the College.
The Panel noted the comprehensive College-wide gap analysis (“Status Report”) produced by the
College during its self-study preparations for the Quality Audit and the College’s view that the
self-study will “provide great impetus to undertake future review activities on a regular basis”
(Portfolio, p.21). The College recognizes that it needs to continue to strengthen its review
processes; the Panel agrees, and recognizes that the central quality assurance function in the
College is well placed to support relevant stakeholders in undertaking this work.
Affirmation 2
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International
Maritime College Oman that its entity and activity review systems need to
be strengthened, and supports the steps being taken to embed a range of
processes to achieve this.
1.11 Student Grievance Process
IMCO’s Academic Regulations include a formal appeals process which includes processes for an
appeal against a decision of the Examinations Board, student complaints and conciliation
procedures, and a process for dealing with minor complaints termed an “informal process”.
These regulations are included in the Student Handbook. Grievances are addressed by the Dean’s
Office, the Student Affairs Department or the Examinations Office. Records of cases and actions
taken are maintained (Portfolio, p.22).
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The College states that students can request a review of an examination result or raise any other
issues related to examinations through the Examinations Office (Portfolio, p.22). The College
regulations indicate that a formal appeal against a decision of the Examinations Board should
only be invoked where other means of redress have been sought and have not resulted in an
outcome satisfactory to the student. The College reports that the formal appeals process has not been used in the last three years but it provides statistics of grievances raised by students from
2008-2012 which have been settled by the Dean’s Office, Student Affairs, or the Examinations
Office (Portfolio, p.23). These include complaints and academic appeals. A large proportion of
the grievances reported relate to marking and a significant percentage has led to marks being
changed (approximately 40% in both academic years 2010-11 and 2011-2012). The Panel heard
that all mark changes were processed by the Examinations Office and approved, finally, by the
Dean but the Panel agrees with the College that the number of cases resulting in changes to marks
is a cause for concern (Portfolio, p.23, also see Section 2.8).
Whilst the Panel found evidence that use of the College’s informal process had maintained a
responsive and timely approach to the management of student issues, the Panel considered that
the current practice of reviewing and changing of marks did not align with international norms in
higher education and that there were risks of it operating in an ad hoc manner which was not
completely equitable and objective. The Panel therefore considers that the College’s approach to
dealing with student academic appeals should be reviewed in the overall context of its processes
for the marking of student work (see Section 2.8) in order for processes which are transparent, consistent and which reflect best practice in this area to be developed and implemented.
Recommendation 5
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International Maritime College Oman review its approach to dealing with
marking and grade appeals in order to develop and implement appropriate
processes which reflect international best practice.
1.12 Health and Safety
IMCO has a strategic objective to provide a safe working environment (under Goal 9). It has
appointed a Health and Safety Officer and is in the process of developing a Health and Safety
Policy (Portfolio, p.23).
IMCO operates in high-risk learning and teaching environments where students are using
potentially dangerous machinery and materials. The Panel found that IMCO has a strong
awareness of the importance of health and safety. In viewing some specialist facilities and in
interviewing both with staff and students, the Panel learnt that students are inducted into
operating in hazardous environments and that steps have been taken to monitor problems and to
respond to them. Also, for example, Deck Officer and Marine Engineering Officer students are
required to pass a swimming test before taking up student placements on board ship.
The College operates a closed-circuit television system (CCTV) and has a significant contingent
of security staff who provide a 24 hour security function. Additionally, through its links with
other major employers and operators of Sohar Port, there is provision for the College to receive
professional support in the event of an emergency (Portfolio, p.24).
Within the operation of the new campus however, and alongside other areas of Risk Management
(see Section 1.8) IMCO has not fully developed its health and safety policy with regard to the
general campus environment. The Panel viewed a draft policy and heard that whilst work is
ongoing on this, some relevant requirements have been communicated to the College community
by e-mail and, for example, hygiene checks in the cafeteria were being conducted. The Panel
learned, however, that regular fire drills or evacuation drills were not being held, and did not find
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clear evidence that all students were aware of evacuation mechanisms, muster points, or general
safety procedures. The College acknowledges the need to finalise and implement an appropriate
health and safety policy (Portfolio, p.25). The Panel found that significant effort was being
focused on this area but that there was a sense of frustration among some staff that progress had
been slower than anticipated.
Affirmation 3
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International
Maritime College Oman that there is a pressing need for an appropriate
health and safety policy relating to the new campus to be approved and
implemented to help ensure the general safety of all stakeholders, and
supports the steps the College is taking to achieve this.
1.13 Oversight of Associated Entities (e.g. owned companies)
IMCO states that it has no associated entities either owned or controlled by it (Portfolio, p.24).
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2 STUDENT LEARNING BY COURSEWORK PROGRAMMES
IMCO has three academic departments: Nautical Studies; Port, Shipping and Transportation; and
Process Operating Technology. These departments offer Diploma and Bachelor qualifications in
the following academic disciplines: Nautical Studies (Deck Officer); Marine Engineering (Marine
Engineering Officer); Port, Shipping and Transport Management; and Engineering for Process
Operations Technology.
The College also has an English Language Department which provides students with a
Foundation Programme that supports them in the acquisition of English language and skills in
Mathematics, Information Technology (IT) as well as general study skills. Approximately 40% of
IMCO’s student population of around 1,300 was studying at the Foundation level at the time of
the audit visit.
The College has both male and female students. The percentage of female students has increased
from around 16% in 2008-2009 to around 47% in 20111-2012. Although the numbers of female
students on the Marine Engineering Officer and Deck Officer programmes have been relatively
limited to date, the College views their participation in these programmes as positive. In 2011-
2012, 11 female students were following the Marine Engineering Officer programme, and two
female students were following the Deck Officer programme, approximately 8% and 3%
respectively of the of the total number of students on these progammes (Portfolio, pp.71 and 75).
This Chapter reports on the Panel’s findings in relation to the following: graduate attributes and
student learning objectives; curriculum; student entry standards; teaching quality, plagiarism
student placements; assessment methods, standards and moderation; academic security and
invigilation; student retention and progression; and graduate destinations and employability.
2.1 Graduate Attributes and Student Learning Objectives
In line with its Mission, IMCO has a strategic goal to “equip student with knowledge, skills and
graduate attributes that will enable them to be productive and effective” (Strategic Plan, Goal 4).
The College also identifies a set of attributes that its graduates are expected to attain. These
generic graduate attributes (listed as knowledge, skills and competencies, or personal attributes)
were developed in 2011 through a series of workshops (Portfolio, p.26). The College’s intention
is for these attributes to be embedded in the curriculum of each qualification and mapped to
intended learning objectives and associated assessments (Portfolio, pp.26-27).
The College acknowledges that whilst the mapping of its attributes against the intended learning
objectives has been completed for the Foundation Programme, work in other departments is
continuing (Portfolio, p.27). Based on documentation examined by the Panel, it was indeed
difficult to trace how individual programmes ensure students have achieved the generic graduate
attributes at the end of their studies. Clear mapping of the graduate attributes with module
learning outcomes is currently inconsistent and incomplete in relation to the higher education
programmes.
The Panel met academic staff who had participated in the development of the graduate attributes.
The Panel endorses the College’s intent to advance these attributes in its graduates as well as the
collaborative approach taken to develop them. Explicit alignment between course/module
intended learning outcomes and their assessment, programme outcomes and the generic graduate
attributes is now required for all academic programmes. The Panel supports the College’s
intention to seek input from external stakeholders and from industry on its graduate attributes and
students’ attainment of these (Portfolio, pp.27-28). In addition, however, it is important for the
College to ensure that appropriate external benchmarking and validation are carried out to ensure
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that the levels at which the graduate attributes are attained are appropriate in relation to different
academic levels and awards (see Recommendation 7).
Affirmation 4
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International
Maritime College Oman that its work to embed the development and
assessment of its generic graduate attributes in its higher education
programmes needs to be completed, and supports the efforts being made to
achieve this.
2.2 Curriculum
IMCO’s Strategic Plan (Goal 2) states that the College will implement curricula of international
standard by a process of continuous review and updating. There are supporting objectives to
analyse the needs of industry and benchmark curricula appropriately (Portfolio, p.28).
The College reports that its higher education programmes, which are licensed by the Ministry of
Higher Education (MoHE), were originally developed with the technical support from the
Shipping and Transport College in Rotterdam (part of the STC-Group) (Portfolio, p.28). The
Panel learned that this support was provided through STC staff seconded to the College.
Since initial licensing, the Process Operations Technology Diploma and Degree programmes
have been revised in line with a change of title (to incorporate the word “Engineering”) and re-
licensed by MoHE in a process which included scrutiny by external reviewers. The College
envisages that the Marine Engineering Officer and Deck Officer curricula will be reviewed in
2012 -2013 to bring them in line with the new International Maritime Organisation (IMO)
Standards for Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) 2010 requirements and that the
Port Shipping and Transport Management curriculum will also be reviewed (Portfolio, p.28).
The College reports that, broadly, module descriptions and module/course outlines are under the
supervision of the Heads of Department (HoDs) (Portfolio, p.28). The Panel found curriculum
review activity to be taking place in all academic departments with input from the DDAA, HoDs
and to some extent from staff; some engagement with industry; and reference to, for example,
staff and student evaluation of modules. The Panel viewed sample course documentation which
appeared to reflect well-balanced curricula in terms of theoretical content supported by practical
and laboratory work. Curriculum review activity is not, however, systematic within and across
programmes and is also limited by its lack of benchmarking from the perspective of academic
standards. The Panel recognizes the demands of maintaining currency and appropriateness of
curriculum with respect to meeting industry needs and the relevant professional requirements of
the College’s Deck Officer and Marine Engineering Officer programmes, but found little
evidence of regular activities being conducted in this regard; feedback and consultation with
industry currently occurs more on an ad hoc basis than in a formalised manner.
IMCO recognises the need to improve its curriculum review processes and specifically to ensure
that academic levels are distinct and appropriate. It indicates its intention to establish a College
Curriculum Committee to address this (as well as teaching, learning and assessment matters)
(Portfolio, p.47). Although specific terms of reference for the committee have yet to be
developed and its place within the College organisational structure has yet to be established (see
1.3), the Panel found a sense of commitment to improvement in this area among senior academic
staff and knowledge of the proposed committee among faculty. More specifically, and in the
view of the Panel, of critical importance, the College recognizes the need for periodic external
review of its curricula in relation to international standards (Portfolio, p.47). The Panel urges the
College to develop and implement systems to achieve this.
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Affirmation 5
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority supports the efforts of the
International Maritime College Oman to further develop its curriculum
development and review processes in support of the College’s intention to
implement curricula of appropriately benchmarked standards.
2.3 Student Entry Standards
IMCO’s entry requirements for its academic programmes are published in the College’s
Academic Regulations, the Student Handbook and are also available on the College’s website.
For entry to an academic programme, students must have successfully completed the Oman
General Education Diploma with minimum pass grades in English and Mathematics (or foreign
qualifications deemed equivalent). IMCO indicates that applicants who provide proof of a recent
IELTS score of 5.0 (see Appendix B) or who achieve a given score on the College’s in-house
placement test can enroll directly on a Diploma programme. In order to progress into the Degree
programmes students must successfully have completed the relevant Diploma programme
(Portfolio, p.30).
The College indicates that applicants who achieve a minimum score in the College English
language placement test but who do not meet the required level to join a Diploma/Degree
programme, are offered places in one of four levels of the Foundation Department (Portfolio,
p.30). During interviews, however, the Panel heard that many of the students entering the
College had a very low academic level and level of English language. The College states that the
Foundation curriculum is benchmarked against the national standards for General Foundation
Programmes (GFP) and identifies this as an area of strength (Portfolio, p.46), but it also states
that until 2011-2102 students were not required to pass Maths and IT at Foundation level in order
to progress to an academic programme, although this would become compulsory in 2012-2013
(Portfolio, p.31). At the time of the Audit Visit (in December 2012) however, the Panel found
that although Maths and IT were being taught at Foundation level, a requirement for students to
meet the GFP standards in these areas (or for foreign applicants to demonstrate competence in
these areas) had still not been implemented as a requirement for entry into the higher education
programmes. Moreover, despite English language being identified to the Panel as the major
challenge to student progression in higher education programmes, minutes of meetings of the
College Council provide evidence of students who had not attained the stated entry requirement
for English language being granted conditional entry onto higher education programmes.
The Panel appreciates the challenges involved in this area and the College’s desire to attract
students with higher academic standards, especially in science subjects, and supports its stated
intention to continue to review its entry requirements (Portfolio, p.31). The Panel considers that
such review is required, together with full implementation of the national standards for GFPs and
enhanced rigour in the application of stated admissions criteria.
Recommendation 6
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International Maritime College Oman ensure that its student entry
standards for higher education programmes meet the national standards,
are subject to regular review in relation to programme demands and are
implemented with rigour.
The College allows “exemptions” (based on recognition of prior learning) from its standard entry
requirement for part-time students enrolling on the Process Operations Technology Diploma and
Degree programmes (the only programmes for which a part-time mode of study is offered). The
Panel did not explore this scheme but suggests that it is also considered in light of
Recommendation 6.
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2.4 Foundation Programme
The Panel found the General Foundation Programme, which currently caters to over 40% of
IMCO’s student population, to have clearly benefited from strong academic leadership and to be
more advanced in the implementation of a number of systems (for example, evaluation of
teaching and academic advising) than the academic departments.
Nevertheless, the Foundation Department (previously called the English Language Department)
appears to have been slow in fully adopting the national standards for General Foundation
Programmes (a Ministerial Decision requiring these to be adopted by 2009-2010 was issued in
2008) and, as with the academic departments, appears to be lacking in external input into its
systems and activities.
2.5 Teaching Quality
IMCO has a strategic goal, supported by associated objectives, to “provide high quality teaching
and training within a rich, stimulating learning environment aided by personalized academic
support” (Strategic Plan, Goal 3). In light of this, the Panel was pleased to see that IMCO places
a high value on integrating practical skills training into its teaching. Good use is made of
IMCO’s practical equipment such as simulators and workshop facilities as well as task-based
field trips, and students are exposed to real life job experiences during their work placements (see
Section 2.7).
As indicated by the College, it is clearly important for a proportion of staff teaching on IMCO’s
specialized higher education programmes (and in particular its maritime programmes) to have
appropriate qualifications from industry and to be able to offer recent and relevant experience in
their field (Portfolio, p. 33). The Panel therefore supports the College in its efforts to secure
MoHE approval to appoint teaching staff with this profile to work alongside staff with higher
education qualifications and experience.
Affirmation 6
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International
Maritime College Oman that teaching staff with relevant qualifications and
experience from industry are required to support effective delivery of its
specialized higher education programmes, and supports its efforts to gain
formal approval to appoint an appropriate proportion of teaching staff with
this profile.
IMCO admits that currently it does not have a College-wide framework for ensuring appropriate
quality of teaching (Portfolio p.33). The Panel found that the development of this and the
implementation of a comprehensive standardized system to evaluate teaching are in progress.
The system to evaluate the teaching and learning experience of students includes: module and
teacher evaluation by students; instructor self-evaluation and module evaluation; HoD instructor
evaluation; and evaluation of instructors by the DDAA or Dean. The Panel found that
implementation of the system was further advanced in the Foundation Department but that,
although more in its infancy in the academic departments, elements of the system were
nevertheless appreciated by the academic programme staff involved.
The Panel heard that the in-house workshops that have been held to support teacher development
have been well-received and that academic departments also seek informal support for staff who
are new to academia from those with relevant expertise within the College. However, activity in
this area, which is extensive in the Foundation Department, has been limited among the higher
education programmes and the Panel supports the College’s intention to enhance staff
development in relation to facilitating learning in higher education (Portfolio, p.33).
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Affirmation 7
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International
Maritime College Oman that it needs to complete and implement its
pedagogical framework and fully implement its teaching appraisal process
to guide and support the development of good teaching and learning
practices in higher education, and supports the steps being taken to achieve
these objectives.
The College reports “anecdotal evidence that many teachers perceive they are overloaded to the
point where quality teaching becomes difficult” (Portfolio, p.33). During the audit visit, the
Panel also found evidence of this perception. The Panel heard that high teaching loads
sometimes result from additional teaching loads for short courses being added to regular teaching
loads for higher education programmes. The Panel encourages the College to undertake further
review of this area.
2.6 Plagiarism
IMCO has a plagiarism policy which is published in the Academic Regulations and included in
the Student Handbook and the Panel met students who were well-aware of the seriousness of
plagiarising and cheating and of associated consequences and penalties.
The Panel was encouraged to see that students receive training in how to avoid plagiarism and
how to properly reference their work early in their academic career (i.e. during the Foundation
Programme). Despite considerable effort in this area, the College identifies dealing with
plagiarism as an on-going challenge, particularly on the higher education programmes. This is
with respect to the behaviour of students as well as getting staff to recognize the significance of
plagiarism and apply sanctions in accordance with the College’s regulations (Portfolio, pp.34-35).
The College is candid in its reporting of high rates of plagiarism among Year 4 students in their
final year research projects (referred to as “Graduation Projects” in the College). The Panel
learned that in their Diploma and Degree studies, prior to working on their Graduation Projects,
students have little opportunity to practice proper academic referencing due to the current nature
of course demands and assessment practices at IMCO which include little extended writing (see
2.8). It seems likely that this contributes to challenges in dealing with plagiarism in the Graduation Projects.
The Panel found the Foundation Department to be working closely with academic departments to
spread expertise that exists in this department to strengthen anti-plagiarism policies and practices
across the College. Some use of TurnitinTM software is also evident although the use of this
software is not currently extended to students. The Panel heard that the College has an agreement
for 600 users of TurnitinTM and that training for staff in its use was planned. In due course,
students, particularly Year 4 students, are to be given access.
Affirmation 8
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International
Maritime College Oman that implementation of its anti-plagiarism policies
and practices needs to be strengthened, particularly regarding the academic
integrity of Year 4 Graduation Projects, and supports the remedial actions
the College is taking to inform and educate students and staff about
academic malpractice.
2.7 Student Placements
Student placements in industry are clearly recognized by IMCO as an integral part of its higher
education programmes. These placements, termed internships, are fully integrated and embedded
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in the structure of each higher education programme and are credit bearing. The duration of the
internships is relatively long: Marine Engineering Officer and Deck Officer students spend a total
of 12 months on board a ship and Process Operations Technology and Port Shipping and
Transport Management students spend a total of 16 weeks in industry. For the Marine
Engineering Officer and Deck Officer students, this mandatory internship potentially leads to a
Certificate of Competency (a professional license) being awarded by the Ministry of Transport
and Communications (also see 5.3). The College actively supports students in finding placements, and academic staff, acting as Coordinators, monitor student progress during their
subsequent internships. Responsibility for assessment of the internships rests with Mentors who
are employees of the host organization (Portfolio, p.36).
The Panel spoke to students who had undergone placements as well as Mentors from host
organizations. It also viewed completed Trainee Record Books (TRBs) which include details of
the internship requirements and the responsibilities for College Coordinators, Mentors and
students. Following their internship, students are required to submit completed TRBs which
include reports by both Coordinators and Mentors, a record of student activities, and assessment
records (of defined competencies). The Panel concluded that there are many positive aspects
associated with the College’s well-embedded, assessed and appropriately located internships
which are supported by the College’s close relationships with relevant industries.
Nevertheless, the College needs comprehensive processes to be in place to ensure the continuous
success and quality of the internship programme, particularly in relation to securing internship
opportunities and ensuring consistent and appropriate supervision and assessment of these. The
College acknowledges the ongoing challenge of securing placements for all its students
(Portfolio, p.37). The Panel heard about a newly established, long-term agreement to secure
placements for Marine Engineering Officer and Deck Officer students, but with growing student
numbers, challenges are likely to remain, at least in relation to the other higher education
programmes. It is important that IMCO act on its recognition of this (Portfolio, p.37) and remain
pro-active in forging new relationships with local, national and international industries who may
be able to host internships. IMCO will also need to ensure that sufficient, appropriate placements
are available for its increasing female student population (see Section 7.2).
It is important that all providers of placements receive adequate training in mentoring and are
made fully aware of the expected outcomes. There was little evidence that this is currently
happening in a formal and structured way. The Panel therefore supports IMCO’s stated intention
to collect more robust feedback from Mentors on students’ performance during internships
(Portfolio, p.37). The College has also recognized a need to allocate more time and staff for the
supervision of internship students as an opportunity for improvement (Portfolio, p.47). Given the
critical importance of student internships to IMCO’s programmes, the College is urged to act on
stated intentions to ensure their effectiveness and sustainability.
2.8 Assessment Methods, Standards and Moderation
The College views assessment as “the process of judging the extent to which students have
attained the intended learning outcomes” (Portfolio p.38). This statement is supported in the
College’s Academic Regulations by some general guidelines and principles of good assessment
practice and some information about assessment design. IMCO rightly identifies some crucial
points in its documentation on assessment principles such as clear alignment of assessment with
learning outcomes and provision of clear assessment criteria.
There is an obvious intent by the College to adhere to high quality assessment principles, and
evidence of some sound and rigorous assessment processes being implemented in the Foundation
Programme. However, effective implementation of sufficient and appropriate systems in the
College’s higher education programmes is not currently evident. The Panel had concerns
regarding the type of assessments used in higher education programmes; the Panel learned that,
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apart from the Graduation Project for Bachelor students in Year 4, primarily short answer,
multiple-choice, and fill-in-the-blank questions are used. Further, there is evidence that questions
aligned to lower order cognitive skills (such as “state” and “list”) are over-used at the higher
academic levels. The Panel found some evidence of exam papers being internally moderated, but
not that moderation was being undertaken in relation to continuous assessment or practical
assessments. Currently, there is no practice of second marking assessment scripts in the College
(assessments are both prepared and marked by the staff member teaching the module). The Panel
was also concerned to read that marking in higher education programmes is norm-referenced
(Portfolio, p.39); this approach to marking does not align with accepted good practice in higher
education or effective evaluation of the achievement of learning outcomes. The Panel suggests
that implementation of more rigourous marking practices may impact positively on the number of
student appeals for marks to be changed (see Section 1.11).
IMCO offers highly specialized and strongly vocationally focused higher education programmes
in order to provide maritime, logistics and process operations professionals for industry. In light
of this, the Panel recognises and appreciates IMCO’s partnership with the STC-Group as a critical
strength in supporting the College in working to the professional (vocational) standards required
in the industry. However, STC has no formal role in assuring the standard of the higher
education qualifications (Bachelor Degrees and Diplomas) that IMCO awards (also see Section
1.2). The College’s current systems for the assessment of student learning are insufficient to assure the integrity of these qualifications. Therefore, greater clarity and a more concerted effort
to focus on academic benchmarking are required if IMCO’s students are to graduate with awards
that fully reflect both their academic and professional capabilities and to help ensure recognition
of their awards beyond the borders of Oman. To achieve this, it is important that appropriate
benchmarking and sufficient externality are incorporated into the College’s processes to ensure
that internationally recognized academic standards are met.
The Panel recognizes that IMCO is making considerable effort to improve its assessment
practices. The Panel supports the College in using its in-house expertise to lead staff
development in this area and, for example, its intentions to require all departments to develop
matrices mapping learning outcomes against assessment tasks, provide further staff training in
assessment and moderation matters, and set up a Curriculum Committee to support work on
assessment, standards and moderation. There is, however, a need for IMCO to implement major
improvements in this broad area and a critical need for an appropriate level of externality to
support these improvements.
Recommendation 7
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International Maritime College Oman further develop its assessment
policies and processes for its higher education programmes to reflect best
practice in vocationally focused higher education and to ensure academic
standards are appropriate, achieved and maintained.
Upon successful achievement at Diploma level (which includes placement on board ship)
students on the Deck Officer and Marine Engineering Officer programmes are able to apply for a
Certificate of Competence, approved by the Ministry of Transport and Communications, which
accords with the STCW standards. These qualifications are, therefore, benchmarked against
professional competencies which have an international standing and recognition.
2.9 Academic Security and Invigilation
The College has a well-defined system for academic security and invigilation of exams. Policies
and guidelines regarding examinations and invigilation are published in a number of documents
and are available to both students and staff (Portfolio p. 40). The Examinations Board and the
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Examinations Office are charged with the day-to-day running of the examinations process. There
is also evidence that the Examinations Board deals with instances of exam irregularities and takes
action to improve security in light of review of its activities.
2.10 Student Retention and Progression
IMCO has developed comprehensive rules regulating student progression from one level to the
next, though no figures were available as to the progression rates of students.
IMCO admits that it is currently unable to produce any clear and accurate data on student
progression and retention, and it identifies the source of this problem to be the limitations of its
ProMIS management information system (Portfolio p.45). There are, however, some raw figures
available about student retention, but these relate only to student retention in one given year
(Portfolio, p. 44) and provide no information on how many of these students progress and/or
return in the following year. A report on retention rates prepared in 2012 indicates very high
levels of retention over a period of four years; however, as indicated above, these figures seem to
provide no information about students moving on from year to year.
The College needs to develop a formal mechanism to monitor and analyse student data in order to
inform action which can help ensure that students progress from one year to the next at an
acceptable rate.
Recommendation 8
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International Maritime College Oman develop and implement processes to
allow close monitoring and detailed analysis of student retention and
progression to inform its planning and decision making processes.
IMCO is also encouraged to monitor students’ ongoing performance against entry levels in order
to be able to measure the effectiveness of its entry test and support its anecdotal evidence of
correct initial placement (Portfolio p.31) as well as to inform evaluation of its entry requirements
for its higher education programmes (see 2.3).
2.11 Graduate Destinations and Employability
IMCO has a strategic goal to “equip students with the knowledge, skills and personal attributes
that will enable them to be productive and effective” (Strategic Plan, Goal 4). In addition, and in
line with its Mission, the College expresses its commitment to providing high quality education
and practical training which will serve the specialised needs of the maritime, logistics and process
industries and will prepare students for immediate employment (Portfolio p.4). IMCO is aware,
however, that currently it has no means of assessing whether it is achieving these desired
outcomes. The College reports no one being responsible for keeping track of the graduates (more
than 270 at the time of producing the Portfolio) and no formal data being collected to keep track
of student destinations following graduation (Portfolio, p.45). The College is frank in its
evaluation of this area and the need for improvement. The Panel recognizes that the IMCO’s
Strategic Plan calls for the number of Diploma and Degree graduates from IMCO working in the
industry to be measured and that the College has started to collect information on the employment
status of its graduates. Establishment of a formal system to monitor and evaluate graduate
destinations and employability is a critical area for the College to address and further
implementation of its plans to do this is required.
Affirmation 9
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International
Maritime College Oman that formal systems to record, monitor and
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evaluate its graduates’ destinations and employability are required in order
to help ensure its effectiveness in fulfilling the needs of employers and
industry in line with its Mission and supports the efforts being made to
achieve this.
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3 STUDENT LEARNING BY RESEARCH PROGRAMMES
IMCO does not offer research programmes at undergraduate level. Nor does it offer any
postgraduate courses (Portfolio, p.48).
There was evidence that students receive very basic training in conducting research during their
Foundation Programme. On the higher education programmes, Year 4 students are required to do
a research based graduation project.
IMCO’s Mission is focused on the provision of high quality education and practical training and
does not include research (Portfolio, p.10). Nevertheless, it is important for the College to ensure
that students graduating with Bachelor Degrees have developed research skills consistent with the
level of this award. This is particularly important for students who may wish to progress onto
higher degree studies in the future. Evaluation of curricula for higher education programmes
should include consideration of this area (see Affirmation 5).
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4 STAFF RESEARCH AND CONSULTANCY
IMCO recognizes research in its Strategic Plan through its objective to encourage staff to engage
in research (Goal 7, Objective 7.5); however, the Panel noted that there is no formal research
policy or guidelines relating to staff research and consultancy. The few staff who engage in
research do so on a personal basis only (Portfolio, p.49). Teaching is at the core of IMCO's
activities and there is very limited research activity at the College.
The Panel recognizes the challenges of developing a research culture in an institution which is
highly engaged in teaching and training; however, it is important for any higher education
provider that offers Bachelor Degrees to be engaged in research activities. Currently, the College
is not engaged in any formal consultancy although the Panel considers that there is wide scope for
this in the College’s areas of expertise. The Panel found the senior management of the College to
be aware of the scope for IMCO to develop research and consultancy in maritime and associated
fields.
The Panel considers that the College needs to develop a conceptual framework for staff research
that is in line with its Strategic Plan, review its current profile with respect to research and align
its research activities accordingly. The College needs to act on strategies identified in its
Strategic Plan to provide support and incentives to faculty members who wish to engage in
research; this will help to develop a research culture in the College and eventually have a positive
impact on teaching and learning at IMCO.
Recommendation 9
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International Maritime College Oman develop a conceptual framework for
staff research in line with its strategic plan and increase support for
research activity in order to support development of a research culture and
enhance the College’s provision of higher education.
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5 INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
IMCO aims to have a strong and active relationship with the community and industry. This is an
important facet within its role as a teaching and training institution for port, shipping, transport,
maritime and process companies.
The Panel found that IMCO has strong and developing relationships with a range of industrial
clients who can provide placements for training as well as future employment for graduates.
These links have been established and are expanding as a result of strategic and operational
activities undertaken by IMCO management.
This Chapter reports on the Panel’s findings on IMCO’s planning and management of its
engagement with industry and the community, and provides commentary on the College’s current
and emerging relationships with industry and employers, the professions associated with the
maritime and other relevant sectors, IMCO alumni and the community at large.
5.1 Industry and Community Engagement Planning &Management
IMCO has a strategic aim to “engage constructively and effectively with industry and the
community”. This is supported by objectives to: familiarise its staff and students with
technological developments in industry; engage with professional bodies and other higher
education institutions; provide a range of short courses for industry personnel; organise
traineeships for students in industry; and promote volunteering in support of the local community
(Strategic Plan, Goal 5).
The appointment of a permanent DDAA in June 2012 with overarching responsibility for short
courses is a positive step to enhance coordination of activities in this area. The Panel found that
the College’s relationships with industry, although very strong, tend to be managed in a relatively
ad hoc manner and to be based on personal relationships. To ensure the sustainability of these
important relationships as the College continues to develop, there is a need for them to be both
managed and evaluated more systematically.
Recommendation 10
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International Maritime College Oman formalize its administration of
relationship links within industry and the community and develop and
implement systematic feedback mechanisms to identify good practice and
guide improvements.
The Panel noted in positive terms the establishment of the newly formed BoT which is to provide
advisory input to the BoD (see Section 1.2). Through its membership and terms of reference, the BoT is well placed to strengthen IMCO’s links with industrial clients and employers of IMCO
graduates. This advisory input is set to provide guidance to the various HoDs who, together with
the DDAA, are responsible for planning and managing all industry and community engagement
activities.
5.2 Relationships with Industry and Employers
The College’s relationships with the industries and employers are based primarily on the
provision of short courses by the College for employees from industry and industry provision of
student internship opportunities for IMCO students (Portfolio, p.51).
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Through interviews with industry representatives and employers and examination of relevant
documents, the Panel found evidence that effective links, usually with HoDs or the DDAA, exist,
and that IMCO staff are perceived as approachable and receptive to the requests from these
stakeholders. IMCO management, usually at the HoD level, liaises with employers to identify
and plan the training programmes required for their personnel. There was evidence to support the
College’s assertion that training demand, the number of short courses and hence the numbers of
graduates from these, are rising each year as indicated by the College (Portfolio, p.52).
The Panel found that feedback from students on short courses is collected and collated via end-of-
course questionnaires. IMCO also receives verbal feedback from various industry clients and
employers, usually at the HoD level, but this feedback is not centrally recorded to highlight areas
of good or effective practice. Employer evidence provided to the Panel indicated positive views
about some IMCO programmes and graduates meeting the needs of employers for trained and
qualified personnel. It was also clear that IMCO’s relationship with the STC-Group is highly
valued in terms of STC’s expertise and reputation within the maritime community. The need for
engagement with industry and employers to be more structured is addressed in Recommendation
10. Evidence of curriculum changes initiated by current industrial links is also limited, and needs
to be considered more systematically as the relationships between IMCO and the industries which
it serves mature (see Affirmation 5).
5.3 Relationships with Professions
The College states that it maintains a relationship with the International Maritime Organisation
(IMO) through use of the IMO Standards for Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW)
on which its Marine Engineering Officer and Deck Officer higher education courses and relevant
short courses are based (Portfolio, p.52).
Diploma and Degree graduates from the Marine Engineering Officer and Deck Officer
programmes who successfully complete their internship on board ship in accordance with STCW
regulations may be awarded a Certificate of Competency (Portfolio, p.36). This internationally
recognised professional license of competency is issued by the Ministry of Transport and
Communications. The Ministry uses the Diploma and Degree awards as evidence of knowledge
achievement, and issues the Certificate of Competency after a further viva or oral assessment.
The Panel found this professional certification to be highly valued by students and employers.
Further, the College’s established link and assistance from the STC-Group was considered to
provide added value to the graduates’ employment prospects. For the short courses, IMCO
awards STCW certificates. The College’s authority to issue these certificates is granted on an
annual basis by the Ministry of Transport and Communications (Portfolio, p.52).
The Panel acknowledges the positive aspects of the Nautical Studies and Marine Engineering
programmes potentially leading to the award of professional certificates, but also noted that the
current conflict of interest created by the Chair of the IMCO BoD holding the position of
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport and Communications; this was readily acknowledged
by the College during the audit visit (also see Section 1.2).
Apart from its relationship with IMO, the College has no other relationships with professional
bodies (Portfolio, p.52).
5.4 Relationships with Other Education Providers
IMCO states that it will “establish mutually beneficial relationships with other HEIs” (Strategic
Plan, under Goal 5) and informal relationships were noted in the College’s self-study (Portfolio
p.53). While there is evidence of IMCO staff taking part in professional activities (such as
workshops) at other higher education institutions (HEIs), the Panel confirmed that currently
IMCO does not have any formal relationship with other HEIs and contact even with HEIs local to
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the College is very limited. The Panel acknowledges that the College’s partnership with the
STC-Group, which is strongly enhanced by the seconded staff, provides indirect access to the
Shipping and Transport College in Rotterdam. The Panel heard examples of how this access has
been utilised for the benefit of IMCO (such as for the training of technicians for the simulators).
It was also evident to the Panel that the seconded staff are highly valued by IMCO clients and
students and seen as providing valued input into curriculum and student learning.
The Panel found that the strengthening of links with other HEIs, particularly in relation to its
higher education programmes, is being actively considered by the College. The Panel recognises
that there are different ways in which such links may be established, but urges action to be taken
in this area in order to provide external input into its academic processes and allow for associated
benchmarking practices (see Affirmation 5 and Recommendation 7).
5.5 Relationships with Alumni
IMCO identifies that an active alumni body would contribute to the development of existing
students by participating in IMCO programmes and student activities, but that currently it has no
form of alumni association. The College is still in the process of trying to establish contact with
its alumni and has only been able to gather information on a proportion of its graduates so far
(Portfolio, p.54). The under-development of the College’s relationship with its alumni was
reflected during the audit visit; despite the efforts of the College to respond to the Panel’s request
to meet a group of IMCO alumni, none were present in this planned session.
The College states its intention to form an IMCO Alumni Association (Portfolio, p.54) although
the creation of this new body is not included in the current Strategic Plan (which covers the
period from 2011-2014). Moreover, formal responsibility within the College for undertaking the
establishment, support and oversight of this association has yet to be determined. The Panel
urges the College to take action in relation to its stated intentions in this area.
Recommendation 11
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International Maritime College Oman establish a formal alumni body with a
clearly defined purpose aligned to the College’s strategic aims and formally
assign responsibility for establishment, continued support and oversight of
this body.
5.6 Relationships with the Community at Large
IMCO moved to its current location in Sohar relatively recently (in 2010) and there is evidence of
the College engaging in some community activities to assist its integration. Consideration of the
local community is embedded in the Strategic Plan (Goal 5) which identifies actions to expand
the College’s relationship within the Sohar locality and local region.
Overall, however, the Panel considered that activity in this area has been relatively limited and
needs to be strengthened and addressed more systematically (in line with Recommendation 10).
The College has identified opening its facilities to the local community as an opportunity for
improvement (Portfolio, p.106) and the Panel encourages initiatives such as this.
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6 ACADEMIC SUPPORT SERVICES
The College’s 2011-2014 Strategic Plan includes goals that give direction and support to the
development of academic support services at IMCO (Portfolio, p. 56). This Chapter reports on
the Panel’s findings on the College’s provision of academic support services in relation to:
planning and management of academic support services, registry, Library, information and
learning technology services, academic advising, student learning support and teaching resources.
6.1 Academic Support Services Planning & Management
Responsibilities for the overall planning and management of the academic support services rest
with the DDAF and DDAA. All academic support departments are expected to coordinate with
the DDAF and DDAA about their needs and requests (Portfolio, p. 56).
The College Policy Manual details some of the rules and regulations concerning the provision of
academic support services (Portfolio, p.56). While various departmental reports and operational
plans consider academic support services, the Panel noted that the College has no clear
mechanism (such as single comprehensive plan for managing and planning its academic support
services) to help ensure coordination and alignment between the academic services provided by
different departments.
The Panel also learned that the limitations of the College’s information management system
(ProMIS) impact particularly on the College’s provision of academic support services and
supports action being taken to address this. The Panel was advised that approval had been given
to purchase and implement a new system and there was evidence to show that the College was
giving careful consideration to possible courses of action to effect this.
Affirmation 10
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International
Maritime College Oman that it needs to implement an integrated electronic
information system which supports its needs effectively, and acknowledges
the steps being taken by the College in this regard.
From its 2012 staff and student survey data, the College found overall user satisfaction with its
academic support services to be positive and the Panel spoke to students whose views reflected
this. The College has identified specific areas that require improvement which are being used to
inform future plans. Establishment of an Academic Support Services Committee to support
planning and management in this area is also being considered (Portfolio, p.57). The Panel
supports and encourages these efforts.
Affirmation 11
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International
Maritime College Oman that there is a need to establish systems to facilitate
continuous monitoring and improvement of its academic support services
and supports actions being taken by the College to achieve this.
The Panel notes that, as in other areas, the College also needs to consider appropriate external
benchmarks in its planning and management of academic support services.
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6.2 Registry (Enrolment and Student Records)
Admissions and registration, enrolments, student records and graduation procedures at IMCO are
administered by the Admission and Registration Department. This Department is headed by a director and has five other staff (Portfolio, p.57).
All academic records are maintained by the IT Department through the ProMIS system. The
College has identified that this system does not currently support its management of student
records effectively (Portfolio, p.58). The Panel supports action being taken to address this (see
Affirmation 10). It was also found that student registration is not yet on-line (as called for in the Strategic Plan) and although electronic student records are backed up on a regular basis, there is
no external back-up. The Panel also noted that rigorous measures to secure hard copy student
records have not been taken. Action therefore needs to be taken to ensure the security of student
records.
Recommendation 12
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International Maritime College Oman take steps to ensure the security of
student records which include effective back-up of these.
6.3 Library
The College has a strategic goal which includes provision of a “rich and stimulating learning
environment” (Goal 3, Portfolio, p.58) although the Strategic Plan does not specifically mention
Library provision. There is, however, an operational plan (2010-2015) for the Library which
provides direction for the Library Director and two support staff. The Library itself, which the
Panel visited, is spacious and equipped with 25 computers as well as wireless internet.
The Library collection is developed based on the requests from academic departments (Portfolio,
p.59), as communicated through HoDs in annual prioritised lists. There is evidence that the
collections being developed are appropriate but that they are limited. There is no inter-library
arrangement with other libraries. Further, there are no on-line catalogues and the process of
borrowing and returning Library materials is managed manually. It is clear that the ProMIS
system has limitations in supporting these functions as well as in generating good data on use of
resources (see Affirmation 10). That there are no dedicated photocopying or printing facilities for students in the library was brought the attention of the Panel by both staff and students.
The 2012 student and staff satisfaction surveys (conducted in June 2012 as a preparation for the
College’s self-assessment) have provided the Library with data relating specifically to the extent
of resources available to support project and assignment work as well as the timely provision of
text books. The results show relatively limited satisfaction in both areas (Portfolio, pp59-60).
Like other departments, the Library now produces end-of-semester reports and although there is
scope for its planning, evaluation and reporting cycle to be more aligned and systematic, it
nevertheless allows for continuous quality monitoring and improvement. Moreover, there is
indication that the Library also administers its own survey and intends to do this annually.
However, the Panel found only limited steps being taken by IMCO to implement suggested
actions plans to improve Library resources and its operations and thereby meet concerns
expressed in end-of-semester reports of academic departments. It was clear to the Panel that the
budget for the library is a limiting factor. The Panel therefore encourages the College to review
the financial resources available to the Library in relation to its strategic objectives and ensure
that these are sufficient to maintain a library which supports the College community effectively.
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Recommendation 13
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International Maritime College Oman address identified limitations in
library provision in order to ensure that adequate library learning resources
are available to support the needs of the College community effectively.
6.4 Information and Learning Technology Services
Information and learning technologies (IT) services of the College are provided by the IT
Department. This Department is headed by the IT Manager and has five other staff. The Panel
learned that the College has five computer labs each containing 25 computers connected to an
8Mb/s leased internet line. In addition, there are 25 computers located in the Library. All faculty
members are provided with a laptop computer and printing facilities (Portfolio, p.62).
Through visiting the IT labs and interviewing students and staff about IT facilities and support,
the Panel learned that students do not have self-service access to the computer labs and the labs
do not have printers. If students need to use computers they need to go to the Library, which
closes at 6:00 pm, and if they need to print they need to go the College store which closes at
4:00pm. This appears to cause some inconvenience. It was also noted that the Wi-Fi network
was limited at present to the Library and cafeteria only. Data backups of servers are performed
on a regular basis, although, no external backups are provided. The Panel did not find clear
policies on IT upgrades and replacements.
Recently implemented staff and graduate exit surveys as well a 2012 end-of-semester report have
supported the IT Department in identifying areas for improvement. However, the Panel did not
find evidence of student survey data specifically relating to IT services and support. The College
has identified the upgrading and replacement of software and extension of wireless networking
across the campus as opportunities for improvement (Portfolio, p.69) and the Panel encourages
the College to take action in these areas. Further, the Panel urges the College to undertake more
regular and systematic review the IT needs of users, particularly students, in relation to the
availability and accessibility of IT resources.
Recommendation 14
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International Maritime College Oman undertake regular and systematic
review of the IT needs of students and other users to help ensure that
availability and accessibility of IT services are consistent with its strategic
aims.
6.5 Academic Advising
The College indicates in its Strategic Plan that it is committed to providing personalised academic
support. Associated with this is an objective to “get students to maximise learning opportunities”
and the College intends to do this by setting clear procedures and guidelines for providing
academic counselling to students (Strategic Plan, Goal 3, Objective 3.6).
Various interviews with students and staff as well as documents reviewed by the Panel indicate
that some form of academic advising takes place in both the Foundation Programme and the
higher education programmes. Broadly, this has involved class meetings with teachers to discuss
issues such as attendance, academic performance and behaviour with evidence of issues from
these meetings being recorded and followed up on. This appears to have been quite well
developed in the Foundation Programme but more informal in the higher education programmes.
Through self-review and the results of the 2012 Student Satisfaction Survey, the College
identified that its academic advising system needed improvement (Portfolio, p.65). The Panel
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also considered academic advising at IMCO to be insufficiently well structured to provide
systematic support to all students. At the time of the audit visit, in an initiative being led by the
Foundation Department, the College was in the process of beginning to implement a new
Academic Advising Policy which has been developed in response to the need for improvement
that it identified. The Panel viewed the Policy, which requires there to be formally designated
Academic Advisors, and heard how the College is addressing practical challenges, particularly in
relation to the higher education programmes, in its efforts to implement what it hopes will be an
improved system. The College plans to evaluate the new system over subsequent semesters. The
Panel supports the College’s efforts to strengthen its academic advising system.
Affirmation 12
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International
Maritime College Oman that there is a need to strengthen its academic
advising processes in order to provide more systematic support for students
and supports the College’s efforts to implement a revised system to achieve
this.
6.6 Student Learning Support
The College’s Strategic Plan includes objectives to get students to maximise learning
opportunities and for the College to provide a range of extracurricular activities. These activities
are planned and implemented by respective academic departments in coordination with the
Student Affairs Department (Portfolio, p.65).
The Panel found that activities to support student learning are mainly provided to the students on
the Foundation Programme to support English language development; these activities are
organized by the Foundation Department in coordination with the English Society.
Extracurricular student learning activities concerning Diploma and Bachelor Degree students
through their respective programme-related societies are, however, very limited. The 2012
Student Satisfaction Survey shows 43% of the students to be dissatisfied with support provided to
them to enhance their learning in the College (Portfolio, p. 66).
Although not reflected in the self-study, the Panel learned that teachers from the Foundation
Department provide technical English language instruction to students on higher education
programmes though the use of in-house developed teaching materials designed to provide
language support for specific technical modules. The Panel met students who clearly appreciate
this initiative. English language teachers also provide support to Year 4 students working on
Graduation Projects.
Overall, student learning support activities are limited and not guided by an overarching plan.
The Panel concluded that IMCO needs to build on good practices that exist in the College to
provide stronger and more systematic extracurricular learning support which is aligned to
learning requirements and evaluated for effectiveness.
Recommendation 15
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International Maritime College Oman develop and implement a systematic
approach to its provision of extracurricular learning support to help ensure
adequate and effective support for all students.
6.7 Teaching Resources
IMCO has a wide range of teaching resources to support its specialised education and training
activities. The College states, in line with its Strategic Plan, that it provides state-of-art
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equipment and software and trains both staff and students in effective and efficient use of these
(Portfolio, p.67).
The Panel found that the main teaching resources at the College are: classrooms which are all
equipped with a whiteboard, a projector, and centralized speakers for special announcements;
simulators (e.g. Transport Chain Simulator; TransasTM Bridge Simulator; Transas
TM Full Mission
Engine Room Simulator; Liquid Cargo Handling Simulator; Cargo Handling Crane Simulator; a
Global Maritime Distress and Safety System Simulator); workshops (e.g. instrumentation
workshop for process operation technology, mechanical workshop, engineering workshop) and
laboratories (e.g. for maritime communications, chemistry, physics, and IT). The College also
has a swimming pool and sports complex which are essential for the delivery of specific parts of
the Marine Engineering Officer and Deck Officer programmes and thus viewed as a core teaching
resource. The provision and running of specialist equipment, though not exclusively dependent
on STC, is a high profile element of the College’s partnership with the STC-Group (underpinned
by the Shareholders Agreement) and the Panel heard examples of collaborative work between
STC and the College through which locally contextualised simulator scenarios had been
developed.
The Panel visited the specialist facilities and, during the course of the audit visit, found
widespread appreciation of these among staff and students. Formal evaluation of teaching
facilities is carried out through student and staff surveys, which endorse positive views heard by
the Panel, and the departmental end-of-semester reports show comprehensive and evaluative
reporting on these.
The IT Department is responsible for all IT-related teaching resources and the Maintenance
Department at the College ensures that furniture and fitting requirements are satisfactory
(Portfolio, p. 67). The Panel heard that the College has a maintenance contract with TransasTM
and maintenance support is also provided by STC and HoDs.
The Panel notes that the on-going maintenance and support of the College’s specialist resources
will clearly need to be managed effectively and sufficient financial resources will need to be
allocated to support this over the long term (see Section 1.5); however; the Panel found no evidence that this would not be the case and agrees with the College’s assessment of its specialist
training resources as an area of strength (Portfolio, p.69).
Commendation 1
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority commends the International
Maritime College Oman for its provision of simulators, laboratories,
workshops and sports facilities which is effective in supporting essential
student learning on the highly specialized and vocationally orientated higher
education programmes offered by the College.
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7 STUDENTS AND STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES
IMCO has a range of embedded non-academic student support services and has highlighted
development of these support services in its 2011- 2014 Strategic Plan. The Chapter reports on
the planning and management of these and then specifically on: student profile; student
satisfaction and climate; student behaviour; career and employment services; student finances;
accommodation, catering and transportation; medical and counselling facilities; and social and
recreational services and facilities.
7.1 Students and Student Support Services Planning & Management
IMCO has a strategic goal to “provide appropriately constructive and professional non-academic
student support services” (Goal 6). The Student Affairs Department plays a key role in the
planning and management of these. Support is provided by both the Student Council and a newly
appointed Student Welfare Officer. The Logistics and Maintenance Departments play a key role
in the planning and management of facilities and services relating to transportation, student
accommodation and the College cafeteria, health, and social and recreational activities (Portfolio,
p.70).
All students are provided with an annual Student Handbook which includes information on
support services. The Panel reviewed the information, advice and guidance students are provided
with before they enrol at IMCO, and confirmed that the information provided during student
induction and on programmes provides students with the knowledge they need to access these
support services.
The effectiveness of the student support services is evaluated through student surveys, meetings
with IMCO management, including the College Dean, as well as informal use of the student
suggestion box. The Panel found evidence that corrective actions have been taken by the College
management to address concerns raised by students and targets set in the 2011-2014 Strategic
Plan are to be used to measure student satisfaction in this area.
Following consideration of operational plans and end-of-semester reports relevant to this area and
discussions with relevant staff, the Panel would encourage the College to better coordinate the
planning and management of the different student support services it provides and better align
planning and reporting in this area (see Affirmation 1).
7.2 Student Profile
The Admission and Registration Department collects student data and the College provides a
comprehensive analysis of programme enrolments, gender, and sponsorship from 2008 onwards
(Portfolio, pp.71-75). This four-year data trend has been influenced by the College’s move in
September 2010 from the capital city of Muscat to the developing port city of Sohar some two
hundred kilometres from Muscat; in the academic year 2010-2011, the total number of students
dropped by around 140 compared to the previous year.
IMCO’s analysis of its student enrolment data highlights the trend of a rising number of female
enrolments (from around 16% in the academic year 2008-2009 to around 47% in the academic
year 2011-2012). The College attributes this mainly to the recently increased number of
government (MoHE) scholarships as well as female students tending to be more successful in the
College’s placement test. The College is supportive of female students enrolling onto technology
programmes which traditionally are more dominated by males. Understandably, given the
cultural context, the female students tend to progress from the Foundation Programme into the
Port Shipping and Transport and Process Operations Technology Programmes rather than the
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Nautical Studies and Marine Engineering Programmes which have off-shore training
requirements (and associated career opportunities). IMCO has also been successful in recruiting
a range of non-Omani students which enhances the international profile of the College
environment.
IMCO identifies that its current ProMIS system does not readily contribute to the ease with which
student profile data can be generated, accessed and analysed (Portfolio, p.76). The Panel
supports this issue being addressed (see Affirmation 10) so that the use of student profile data to inform decision making and planning can be enhanced.
7.3 Student Satisfaction and Climate
The College has a strategic objective to provide channels for its students to raise concerns and
offer constructive suggestions (under Goal 8) and states that it also actively encourages students
to respect IMCO’s Values (Portfolio, p.76).
The Panel found the College to take student satisfaction seriously. It has a number of formal and
informal mechanisms to collect and receive student comments and feedback. These include a
range of surveys, student representation through the Student Council, and meetings with IMCO
management. The Panel confirmed that students are aware of these feedback mechanisms, that
they actively use them, and that students feel empowered in that they can raise issues, many of
which are dealt with to their satisfaction. The Panel heard about changes that had been made in
hostels and an extension to the Library opening hours that student feedback had brought about.
The Panel also found evidence of the College suggestion box being used effectively.
Commendation 2
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority commends the International
Maritime College Oman for its implementation of a range of student
feedback mechanisms through which it is able to engage with students in a
timely, coordinated and systematic way.
The Panel notes that newly developed surveys need to be undertaken on a regular basis (see 1.10) to measure satisfaction over time and support continued identification of areas of strength and
opportunities for improvement.
7.4 Student Behaviour
IMCO’s Student Handbook includes a Code of Student Conduct which sets out clear expectations
about how students are to behave.
Students confirmed to the Panel that they were aware of the Code of Conduct and that this was
covered in the programme induction period. The Panel also reviewed evidence of student
misbehaviour being dealt with according to formal processes. Examinations-related cases are
dealt with by the Examinations Office and Examinations Board (Portfolio, p.77; also see Section
2.6).
The College maintains records of reported cases of student misbehaviour. The College’s review
of cases in the last two years found that the majority involved less mature students on the
Foundation year and concluded that these students were still adapting to College life and
associated behaviour requirements. The Panel noted that end-of-semester reports from academic
departments also provide a mechanism to identify issues regarding student behaviour and attitude
and to suggest how improvements can be brought about. These reports provide support for the
College’s stated intention to continue counselling students (Portfolio, p.78), and, moreover, its
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intention to appoint a Student Counsellor to undertake this role (Portfolio, p.82, also see
Recommendation 16).
7.5 Career and Employment Services
IMCO’s Mission is “to provide high quality education and practical training which will meet the
specialized needs of the maritime, logistics and process industries and will support the economic
development of the country” (Portfolio, p.10). In line with this, the College has developed a
range of industry-specific and highly specialised technology-based programmes to provide the
training and education required by employers. The College states that these programmes have
been “fine-tuned to the job market and the demands of industry” (Portfolio, p.78).
The employment of IMCO’s graduates by the industries their programmes relate to is central to
its Mission. However, both its monitoring of graduate destinations (see Affirmation 9) and its provision of career and employment services are underdeveloped. College promotional materials
and the Student Handbook outline career opportunities for students and the Panel heard that this
area is also addressed during induction. However, documentation examined by the Panel showed
that activities and support for students to find jobs related to their specialisations (as called for in
the Strategic Plan) are currently limited and relatively ad hoc. Although the Panel was not able
to speak to former students about their experiences in this area as no alumni were present at the
interview session scheduled for them, students the Panel spoke to endorsed the view that
activities and support are limited.
The College recognises that a more systematic approach is required to bring about desired
improvements in this area and suggests that dedicated, specialist staff may be required to achieve
this (Portfolio, p.78). The College states its intention to establish a Career Guidance and
Employment Services Cell (Portfolio, p.79). The Panel recognises the College’s efforts in this
area and encourages full implementation of its plans.
Affirmation 13
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International
Maritime College Oman that students need to be provided with effective
career and employment services, delivered through planned and systematic
processes and subject to evaluation for their effectiveness in supporting
graduates in gaining employment in their specialist areas, and supports
efforts being made to achieve this.
7.6 Student Finances
The Panel found that IMCO has clear policies and procedures regarding student finances. The
majority of students are enrolled on scholarships, primarily from the MoHE, and are therefore
deemed well-supported with regard to the payment of fees. The College considers that the
significant relative increase in the number of students with MoHE scholarships in 2011-2012 led
to a decrease in the number of privately funded students and students sponsored by companies in
that year (Portfolio, p.79). The Panel was advised that the fees paid to the College for students
with MoHE scholarships are lower than the College’s published fees.
The College wishes to increase the number of private and self-sponsored students (Portfolio,
p.80). In particular, the Panel learned, the College wishes to increase the number of students with
industrial sponsorships and is developing industrial contacts and relationships to support this.
7.7 Accommodation, Catering and Transport
IMCO provides hostel accommodation, a cafeteria and transport services to its students. There
are hostels for both male and female students. The male accommodation has a 239 bed capacity
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and is located inside the College campus whereas the female accommodation, with a 122 bed
capacity and self-catering facilities, is located outside the campus. Both hostels are managed by
the College. The Panel heard that neither hostel has wireless internet facilities.
There is a cafeteria on the campus which is run by a private company under the terms of a clear,
formal agreement. The College also has two buses that are used to transport female students to
and from the hostel as well as for social and extracurricular activities, field trips and industrial
visits.
IMCO has undertaken formal surveys to measure the satisfaction of students with the hostels,
transportation and the cafeteria, and students are also able to raise their concerns with the hostels
via Hostel Student Representatives elected to represent their fellow students on the Student
Council. The 2012 survey results show significant student dissatisfaction with hostel
accommodation. However, the Panel acknowledges the College’s systems to monitor and
address concerns (and supports the College’s assertion in its analysis of survey results that
separate surveys to evaluate male and female hostels would provide more useful data). The Panel
found evidence of issues raised by students regarding their residential accommodation and the on-
site catering to have been dealt with in a timely manner and to the students’ satisfaction. The
College’s reporting of a change of cafeteria management resulting from negative student
comments (Portfolio, p.76) was confirmed to the Panel in student interviews.
The College needs to ensure that its feedback systems in this area are maintained to allow it to
continue to monitor its provision of accommodation, catering and transport services effectively.
7.8 Medical and Counselling Facilities
IMCO has what it terms a “medical unit” on campus. This facility is provided through a contract
with a local private hospital. The unit is staffed by a female nurse from the hospital who provides
basic medical care to students and staff. More complex medical issues are referred to the hospital
(Portfolio, p.81). Student feedback has highlighted preference for a male presence to supplement
the existing staffing of the unit and this is under consideration by the College (Portfolio, p.82).
The Panel learned that informal student counselling is currently provided through the academic
advising role as well as by the two Staff Welfare Officers (one male and one female). However,
IMCO has a strategic objective (under Goal 6 of its Strategic Plan) to strengthen this by recruiting
a dedicated Student Counsellor to provide psychological and emotional counselling. The Panel
was told that approval had been given for this appointment to be made but found no evidence of
further action having been taken. The Panel considers that this is required (also see Section 7.4).
Recommendation 16
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International Maritime College Oman act on its plans to provide a
professional student counseling service.
7.9 International Student Services
The role of IMCO to provide programmes for both Omanis and non-Omanis is indicated in its
Vision which states that it is “… committed to providing Oman, the region and beyond with
professionals ready to face the emerging challenges of industry” (Portfolio, p.10).
IMCO is building a good track record of recruiting and successfully delivering programmes to
non-Omani students. Data reported by the College shows an increasing number of non-Omani
students over the last four years (from 20 in 2008-2009 to 74 in 2011-2012). All but 10 of the
current non-Omani students are studying at Diploma/Bachelor Degree level, with the majority on
the Marine Engineering Officer and Deck Officer programmes (Portfolio, p.83).
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The College’s Policy Manual provides a clear approach to admitting international students and
the Student Handbook also provides relevant information. The Student Affairs Department has
responsibility for providing support, assistance and also counselling to these students (Portfolio,
pp.82-83).
The Panel found evidence, supported through interviews with international students, highlighting
that the international students are well-integrated in the College and feel part of the IMCO student
community. The Panel found that the pre-induction support and induction processes (which the
Panel heard included cultural training about Oman) for non-Omani students ensure new students
are quickly integrated into student life and study at IMCO. The College states that great
importance is given to extending services and support to its international students (Portfolio,
p.82), and the Panel found evidence consistent with this. It is important for the College to act on
its intention to formally evaluate this area (Portfolio, p.83) to ensure continued effective provision
of its international student services.
7.10 Social and Recreational Services and Facilities
IMCO has a strategic objective to provide a range of sports and other extracurricular activities
(under Goal 6). Responsibility for organising activities in this area rests with the Student Affairs
Department, supported by sports and physical training staff, the Student Welfare Officers and the
Student Council (Portfolio, pp.83-84).
It was clear to the Panel that IMCO has extensive sports facilities; these comprise a 25 metre long
swimming pool, a gymnasium and a basketball court. There is also the availability of local
beaches. The Panel found that these facilities (supported by both a male and a female sports
coach) are appreciated by students, especially those staying in the hostel accommodation.
Evidence showed that these facilities are well used by students, and the Panel heard that a number
of students have learned to swim since arriving at IMCO.
The College reports that since its appointment of the Student Welfare Officer, social and
recreational activities (such as the College Open Day) have been managed more systematically
(Portfolio, p.84). There is a need, however, for the College to evaluate activities in this area more
effectively; the College reports a mixed response from students about student activities in the
2012 student evaluation survey (Portfolio, p.84), although the Panel noted that the survey items
included have the potential to provide only limited data in this area.
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8 STAFF AND STAFF SUPPORT SERVICES
IMCO has strategic goals to provide professional development opportunities for all academic and
administrative staff and also a healthy and positive working environment to enable staff to realise
their full potential (Goals 7 and Goal 8; Portfolio, p.85). This Chapter considers IMCO’s
approach to planning and managing its human resources and focuses specifically on staff profile;
recruitment and selection; induction; professional development; performance planning and
review; promotion; severance; staff satisfaction and Omanisation.
8.1 Human Resources Planning & Management
The Human Resources (HR) elements of the Strategic Plan identify a number of objectives aimed
at meeting and supporting staff and staffing needs and represent a positive step in providing
strategic direction in this area. The first end-of-semester HR report clearly identifies
achievements and challenges faced, but is not referenced to the objectives and quantifiable targets
included in the Strategic Plan. Closer alignment in planning and reporting is required in this area.
The Panel considers that the development, management and monitoring of a more comprehensive
operational plan for the HR Department is required to support the College in achieving its
strategic goals in this area (see Affirmation 1).
HR planning and management activities are governed by IMCO’s Policy Manual which includes
regulations about positions, job descriptions, working hours, salaries and financial grades,
allowances, promotion, appraisal and leave benefits for its employees (Portfolio, p. 85). Based on
this, and with the support of an external consultant, IMCO has developed a revised HR Policy
and Procedures Manual which was viewed by the Panel. The Panel learnt that this had been
approved by the BoD, subject to amendments, and that a Staff Handbook derived from this would
be made widely available to staff early in 2013. The Panel considers that effective
implementation of these initiatives will add considerable clarity to the operation of the College
and to the relationship between lower-level staff and the strategic management of IMCO.
A staff satisfaction survey was conducted in 2012 to provide feedback on the College’s HR
services. The College is aiming to embed such surveys as part of a system to collect feedback on
its activities on a regular basis (see Affirmation 2). Although the majority of staff indicated that
they have clear job descriptions, the Panel heard that there was still work to do on establishing
roles and job descriptions. The Panel considers it important for any shortfalls in this area to be
addressed, as comprehensive job descriptions are required to underpin important systems such as
performance planning and review (see 8.6).
The Panel acknowledges the efforts of the College to develop more consistent, structured and
transparent HR management processes and encourages its full implementation of these.
Affirmation 14
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International
Maritime College Oman that its human resources management systems need
to be strengthened, and supports its efforts to achieve this through actions
which include development of a comprehensive, revised, policy and
procedures manual for this area.
8.2 Staff Profile
At the time of the development of the Portfolio in 2012, IMCO had 134 staff members (66
academic staff and 68 administrative staff) from 16 countries. The majority (around 74%) are
male. The College notes that the cross-cultural and multi-linguistic composition of its staff gives
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students exposure to a range of speakers and makes the institution as a whole “truly international”
(Portfolio, p.87). There are 52% Omani staff and 48% expatriates in total. A number of staff
have been with the College since it was in Muscat and have therefore undergone a period of
significant change with the College moving from Muscat to Sohar. The Panel noted that the
number of staff holding Masters degrees and PhDs is very low and that very few are active in
research (see Recommendation 9).
Whilst the College provided a detailed analysis of its staff profile in the Portfolio (pp.86-89), it
identifies the limitations of the ProMIS system in supporting data management in this area.
8.3 Recruitment and Selection
IMCO has a strategic objective to “recruit and retain qualified, competent academic staff” (Goal
3, Objective 3.1). The Dean, DDAA and the DDAF are the appointing authority and the HR
Manager coordinates the recruitment process (Portfolio, p.90). Due to the non-availability of
local expertise, the majority of academic staff are recruited from outside Oman in order to meet
the specialized needs of the programmes offered by the College. The Panel found that staff
recruitment processes at IMCO appear to be clearly documented and implemented accordingly.
The Panel noted that an item on satisfaction with the arrangement and process of recruitment
included in the 2012 Staff Satisfaction Survey generated a majority positive response. The Panel
acknowledges IMCO’s desire to increase the number of Omani staff in academic roles, and
supports its stated intention to continue to evaluate and improve its recruitment and selection
processes (Portfolio, p.91).
A number of specialized staff (around six at the time of the audit visit) are seconded from the
STC-Group.
8.4 Induction
IMCO’s staff induction is directed by its strategic objective to “carry out an induction programme
for each new member of staff” (Goal 7, Objective 7.3). New members of staff in the Foundation
Department are inducted according to an Induction Policy (which is in draft form). They are
provided with an induction pack and a two day intensive workshop. The Panel viewed the pack
and spoke to staff who had experienced this process as described. However, as indicated by the
College (Portfolio, p.91), the Panel found that the process for inducting staff members in higher
education programmes was more informal. The 2012 Staff Satisfaction Survey showed a
majority satisfaction with the induction process, but the College recognizes that improvements
are required. The revised HR Manual includes staff induction (under “Orientation”) and the
Panel heard in relation to higher education programmes that work was in progress on developing
a new process. Nevertheless, the Panel considers that there is still considerable work to be done
to ensure implementation of an effective induction process for all staff at all levels across the
College.
Recommendation 17
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International Maritime College Oman take steps to ensure that all staff
across the College undergo an effective induction process.
8.5 Professional Development
IMCO intends to provide professional development opportunities for all academic and
administrative staff as called for in its Strategic Plan (Portfolio, p. 92). The College reports,
however, that it has had no dedicated budget for this and indicates that staff development
activities that have taken place have been limited and relatively ad hoc. Results from the 2012
Staff Satisfaction Survey indicate limited satisfaction in this area (Portfolio, pp.92-93).
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The Panel found that, whilst limited overall, there had been relatively more professional
development activities in the Foundation Department. The Panel also found that activities
addressing teaching, learning and assessment in higher education held across academic
departments had been well received by the academic staff involved. The Panel remained
concerned, however, about how the College ensures that academic staff remain up-to-date in their
subject specializations and practices in the field; there was no evidence of a structured approach
to ensure this.
IMCO has acknowledged that it needs to allocate a dedicated budget for professional
development and indicates intention to form a Professional Development Committee to
coordinate activities in this area (Portfolio, p.93). The Panel agrees that action needs to be taken
to ensure that adequate and appropriate professional development takes place in line with staff
and institutional needs (Portfolio, p.88).
Recommendation 18
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International Maritime College Oman develop and implement a systematic
approach to staff development which addresses both generic as well as
subject- and role-specific professional development requirements.
8.6 Performance Planning and Review
IMCO’s performance review of staff is addressed in the roles and responsibilities of the BoD and
IMCO management. These indicate that the performance of the Dean is reviewed by the BoD
and the Dean reviews the performance of all staff members through the DDAA and DDAF. The
College states that performance review is based on the fulfillment of job descriptions. The
College also states that its Policy Manual provides job descriptions and details of roles and
responsibilities (Portfolio, p.94); however, the Panel found that there were no detailed job
responsibilities for the staff or management in the Policy Manual.
For the performance evaluation of academic staff, IMCO uses four different instruments: teacher
evaluation by students; module evaluation by instructors; instructor self-evaluation; and HoD’s
instructor evaluation (Portfolio, p.95). The Panel heard relatively positive views from academic
staff who had experienced evaluation through this newly implemented system but found
implementation across the College to be inconsistent. As yet, the College does not have a
performance planning and review system in place for administrative and support staff. A system
for this has been developed with the support of external consultants, but has yet to be approved
and adopted by the College. Results from the 2012 Staff Satisfaction Survey (which included
both academic and administrative staff) clearly indicate improvements are required to implement
a “consistent and comprehensive system of performance review” (Portfolio, p.95). It is clear that
implementation of a performance appraisal system for non-academic staff is a priority.
Affirmation 15
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority agrees with the International
Maritime College Oman that an effective system for the performance
planning and appraisal of all staff needs to be implemented, and supports
the College in its efforts to achieve this.
8.7 Promotion and Other Incentives
In its Policy Manual, IMCO states that it emphasizes the importance of the personal growth of its
employees and their promotion to higher positions in the College. Incentives are given either in
the form of increase in salary or a bonus (Portfolio, p. 95). There is documentary evidence of
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administrative staff having been promoted and the Panel also heard that some staff bonuses had
been awarded. The College indicates that promotions are based on HoD recommendations
following annual performance reviews (Portfolio, p.96) but the Panel found no clear, transparent
process for either promotion or the awarding of bonuses. The College reports 2012 staff survey
results which indicate dissatisfaction in this area (but which the Panel found difficult to interpret
as the survey item also address severance) (Portfolio, p.96). The College recognizes the need to
implement an effective and transparent policy for promotions and other incentives (Portfolio,
p.96) and the Panel agrees that in order to support staff retention and performance this is required.
Recommendation 19
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International Maritime College Oman develop and implement clear and
transparent criteria and processes by which both academic and
administrative staff may be promoted or awarded financial bonuses in order
to recognise good performance and encourage staff retention.
8.8 Severance
IMCO has a clearly stated policy on severance (which is governed by the Omani Labour Law) in
its Policy Manual along with a Code of Ethics. IMCO states that so far there have been only
seven cases of termination of staff members although many others have resigned (Portfolio, p.
97). The Panel found that severance at the College appears to work effectively. The Panel noted
that the new HR Manual includes a comprehensive section on severance (under “Separation of
Services”).
8.9 Staff Organisational Climate and Retention
IMCO aims to provide a healthy and positive working environment that will help staff to realise
their full potential (Strategic Plan, Goal 8). Staff retention data shows a broad positive trend over
the last six years with the most recent figures being the highest and showing around 93%
retention (Portfolio, p.98). The greatest number of staff leaving coincided with the College
move to Sohar and during interviews with the management and staff it was indicated to the Panel
that the period of significant instability that followed this was now over.
Information on staff organizational climate was made available through the 2012 Staff
Satisfaction Survey. Around 90% of the staff participated in this survey and the results indicate
that at this time around 76% of the staff were satisfied and expressed happiness with the work
environment and atmosphere, especially when dealing with colleagues and management. The
College indicates its intention to explore neutral or negative responses to the survey items related
to these aspects. The survey results do, however, indicate some staff dissatisfaction with staff
recreation and social activities. Although not addressed in the survey, the Panel also heard some
dissatisfaction from academic staff that there was not formally allotted time to undertake
activities related to scholarship and research or pursue higher degree studies (also see
Recommendation 9).
The College indicates that it will follow up on the findings of the staff satisfaction survey
(Portfolio, p.99) but at the time of the audit visit there was no evidence of specific action having
been taken. Further, there has been no specific reporting of achievements against the College’s
strategic objectives in this area. The Panel nevertheless recognizes the steps taken by the College
to strengthen its management of staff satisfaction and retention and encourages continued efforts
to ensure that systems to do this become well embedded and effective.
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Affirmation 16
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recognizes the steps taken by
the International Maritime College Oman to develop systems to manage
staff satisfaction and retention effectively, and supports ongoing efforts in
this area to help ensure enhanced staff retention and stability.
8.10 Omanisation
IMCO has a strategic objective to support the process of Omanisation (Goal 7, Objective 7.6,
Portfolio, p. 100). Further, IMCO’s Policy Manual includes a clear plan for Omanisation, based
on the national Omanisation policy and targets set by the Ministry of Manpower, with a
department-wise forecast up to 2020. The data over five years shows an increase in the
Omanisation percentage for both academic and administrative staff and that, with regard to
administrative staff, IMCO is exceeding its planned rates (as well as national requirements). The
College reports 87% Omani administrative staff in 2011-2012 (Portfolio, p.101) and the Panel
recognizes this achievement. The Panel noted that there are more Omani staff in the Foundation
Department than in the specialized departments and encourages IMCO to focus attention on
recruitment and development of Omani academic staff for its higher education programmes.
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9 GENERAL SUPPORT SERVICES AND FACILITIES
IMCO states that it will “ensure efficient management, maintenance and upgrading of all
facilities at the College” (Strategic Plan, Goal 9; Portfolio, p. 102). This Chapter reports on the
planning and management of these physical facilities as well as public relations, marketing and
communications in the College.
9.1 General Support Services and Facilities Planning and Management
The Panel recognizes IMCO’s achievement of having developed a purpose-built campus designed
to meet its specialized needs. The College moved from Muscat to its new campus in the port city
of Sohar prior to the start of the academic year 2010-2011. It is clear that the location of the
campus and its facilities strongly underpin the College’s ability to meet its strategic aims as
expressed in its Mission and Vision. During interviews, the Panel heard high levels of praise for
the current campus facilities and services from both staff and students, and the Panel formed the
view that the way IMCO has built up its infrastructure in terms of simulators labs and workshops
specific to the programmes offered is very positive (see Commendation 1). Understandably, in
the view of the Panel, the College is proud of it new campus and facilities.
Commendation 3
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority commends the International
Maritime College Oman for its planned development and implementation of
a new campus located and designed specifically to support its specialized
Mission.
General support services and facilities planning and management falls within the responsibility of
DDAF who is entrusted with the overall responsibility of managing, maintaining and upgrading
IMCO’s facilities. IMCO has established various units such as Finance, Transportation,
Housekeeping, Security, Maintenance and Logistics which come under the guidance and
supervision of DDAF (Portfolio, p.102). During interviews, the Panel heard that in addition to
work undertaken by these units as delegated by the relevant HoD, these units are also responsive
to relevant requests from staff. In addition, IMCO has signed agreements with a range of local
companies for regular maintenance of various facilities. The Panel did not find evidence of a
specific evaluation mechanism to review the services provided by the local companies but the
College states that agreements are renewed only on satisfactory performance and service quality
(Portfolio, p 102). Feedback relating to some campus facilities and services was collected from
staff and students in the 2012 satisfaction surveys. These need to be embedded as part of a
system to support continued, effective planning and management of College services and
facilities.
9.2 Public Relations and Marketing
IMCO’s promotional activities are undertaken by two separate departments headed, respectively,
by a Public Relations Officer who reports to the DDAF and a Marketing Manager who reports to
the Dean. At the time of the audit visit the post of Marketing Manager had been vacant since
February 2009 and responsibility had initially been undertaken by the DDAF and more recently
by the DDAA (Portfolio, p. 103). The Panel found evidence of some activities undertaken by the
Public Relations Office to promote the College and also viewed a range of promotional materials,
but there was little evidence of activity being undertaken systematically. Furthermore, the Panel
heard from both staff and students that IMCO needs to be better known. The Panel considers that
there needs to be more focus on efforts to maximize marketing impact, particularly targeting the
wider community served by IMCO; its Vision calls for the College to become a leading learning
institution in the field of maritime, logistics and process operations beyond Oman. The College is
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aware of the need for its Public Relations and Marketing activities to be enhanced and more
systematic (Portfolio, p.104). To achieve this, the College will need to ensure that
responsibilities for marketing are clearly identified and adequately resourced and that activities
are planned and evaluated effectively.
Recommendation 20
The Oman Academic Accreditation Authority recommends that the
International Maritime College Oman develop and implement a systematic
approach to its marketing and public relations and ensure that these
functions are appropriately resourced and subject to regular review.
9.3 Communication Services
It was clear to the Panel that IMCO considers effective communication to be particularly
important for the operation of the College. In order to meet its strategic objective to ensure clear
communication (Strategic Plan, Objective 1.7), the College uses a range of modes of
communication such as text messages, e-mails and announcements on notice boards. There is
also a public announcement system linked to each room of the College.
The IT Support Manager is in charge of providing, installing and maintaining all electronic means
of communication. The Panel noted a section in both the student and employee satisfaction
surveys devoted to communication. The results indicate a relatively high level of student and
staff satisfaction in this area and the College indicates its intent to follow up on the reasons for
negative responses. The Panel heard widespread and high levels of praise for the College’s
internal communication systems from students and staff indicative of this being an area of
considerable strength, as identified by the College (Portfolio, p.106).
9.4 Facilities Management
The Maintenance and Logistics Department under the supervision of the DDAF is responsible for
ensuring the planning and management of the College facilities. The College has a strategic goal
to ensure efficient management, maintenance and upgrading of all the facilities of the College
(Strategic Plan, Goal 9). This goal is supported by four specific objectives relating to safety;
maintenance; upgrading; and efficiency of management and use. Feedback received by the
College, the Panel’s own observations and also positive comments from a range of interviewees
indicate that the new campus is being well maintained to date. To ensure the sustainability of
this, as in other areas, adequate resourcing to support implementation of strategic and operational
plans is required ( Recommendation 3).
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APPENDIX A. AUDIT PANEL
Dr Philip Cardew (Panel Chairperson)
Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic)
London South Bank University
UK
Dr Jurg Bronnimann
Manager Teaching and Learning
Teaching and Learning Division
Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education
Australia
Mr Gary Hindmarch
Vice Principal, Maritime and Higher Education
South Tyneside College
UK
Dr Nasser Al Mawali
Assistant Professor
Department of Economics
Sultan Qaboos University
Oman
Dr Shameena Mehtab
Associate Dean for Quality Assurance
Gulf College
Muscat
Oman
Susan Trevor-Roper (Executive Officer)
Oman Academic Accreditation Authority
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APPENDIX B. ABBREVIATIONS, ACRONYMS AND TERMS
The following abbreviations, acronyms and terms are used in this Report. As necessary, they are
explained in context. In some cases, URLs are provided to facilitate further enquiries about these
acronyms and terms.
BoD................................................ Board of Directors
BoT ................................................ Board of Trustees
DDAA............................................ Deputy Dean for Academic Affairs
DDAF ............................................ Deputy Dean for Administration and Finance
Executive Officer ........................... An OAAA staff member assigned to an Audit Panel to provide
professional guidance and support.
GFP ................................................ General Foundation Programme
HEI................................................. Higher Education Institution (also known as HEP – Higher Education
Provider)
HoD................................................ Head of Department
IELTS............................................. International English Language Testing System
IMCO............................................. International Maritime College Oman
IMO................................................ International Maritime Organisation
IT ................................................... Information Technology
MoHE ............................................ Ministry of Higher Education (www.mohe.gov.om)
OAAA …………………………… Oman Academic Accreditation Authority (www.oaaaov.om)
OAAA Board ................................. The governing body of the Oman Academic Accreditation Authority
Panel Chairperson.......................... The Chairperson of the Audit Panel.
Panel Member ................................ An OAAA External Reviewer who is a member of an Audit Panel.
Portfolio ......................................... see Quality Audit Portfolio.
ProMIS........................................... Professional Management Information System – IMCO’s customised
electronic information management system.
Quality Assurance.......................... The combination of policies and processes for ensuring that stated
intentions are met.
Quality Audit ................................. An independent evaluation of the effectiveness of the system and
processes by which a HEI sets, pursues and achieves its mission and
vision.
Quality Audit Portfolio .................. The report produced as the result of a self study. Also forms the main
submission made to the OAAA by the HEI being audited.
Quality Audit Report...................... A public report published by the OAAA which presents the findings
and conclusions of the Audit Panel’s External Review of a HEI.
Quality Enhancement..................... The combination of policies and processes for improving upon
existing approach, deployment and results.
STC................................................ The STC Holding Group (STC) based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
STC comprises the Shipping and Transport College, International
Maritime Transport Academy, Dynamar Consultancy and Maritime
Simulation Rotterdam.
STCW ............................................ International Convention on Standards, Training, Certification and
Watchkeeping for Seafarers
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System............................................ In this Report, system refers to plans, policies, processes and results
that are integrated towards the fulfilment of a common purpose.
The College ................................... The International Maritime College (IMCO)
TRB................................................ Trainee Record Book
TurnitinTM...................................... An Internet-based plagiarism-detection service.
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