Managing quality from a distance: A case study of collaboration between Oman and New Zealand

Both the public and private higher education sectors in Oman are undergoing rapid change in the number and type of local and foreign degrees offered. The Sultanate is developing a comprehensive quality assurance system to ensure the educational appropriateness of all degrees awarded in Oman. This paper examines the collaboration between the Ministry of Higher Education in Oman and the New Zealand Tertiary Education Consortium, which has resulted in the delivery of four degrees based on New Zealand material but conferred by Oman. These degrees are thus neither fully local nor awarded by external institutions. Taking the communication degree as its focus, quality assurance matters relating to content, teaching and learning, accreditation processes, maintenance of standards across multi-campus delivery and benchmarking are explored against local and international standards.

Keywords: accreditation processes; benchmarking; international standards; New Zealand; Oman; Quality assurance systems; standards across multi-campus delivery