Guidelines for Quality Assurance Audit

Part 1: Governance and Management:

1. The components of the GFPU are English Language, IT and Math.

2. The GPFU is to provide students with the platform to enter Post Foundation Academic Program.
3. COLLEGE VISION: A leading technological institution providing students with high quality
teaching and learning to prepare and empower Omani professionals of the future to contribute to
national socioeconomic development
4. MISSION STATEMENT: High quality student-centered education that produces competitive
graduates who enter the labour market with confidence, strong technological skills and
personal
5. CORE VALUES: (PIFTCC) P-Professionalism, I-Integrity, F-Flexibility, T-Team and Tolerance,
C-Creativity and Innovation, C-Communication
6. The Strategic Plan has eight (8) goals and sub-goals, strategies and Key Performance Indicator
(PKI) for the accomplishment of the Mission, Vision and Values (MVV)
7. The GFPU developed its Operational Plan from the Strategic Plans of the College.
8. The QAC of GFPU reports to the QAU of the College.
9. The GFPU has Quality Assurance Manual (QAM) to guide the management of staff and students.
10. The achievements of the GFPUs reflect in the annual report submitted to the QAC of the College.
11. How do the GFPUs orients its staff about MVV statements? The GFPU orients its staff about the
MVV through seminars and meetings.
12. How does GFPU ensure that student-centered education is achieved by its staff? (a) The GFPU
conducts workshops, seminars and trainings to its staff. (b) Staff attend staff development
activities outside the college. (International and Local Conferences)
13. The Accomplishment Report submitted by the QAC of GFPU shows that the staff of the ELC
attended trainings and seminars, but need more trainings and support for student-centered learning
and financial support towards international national seminars and conferences.
14. What improvement strategies did the GFPU put in place to achieve student-centered-education?
GFPU will include more seminars on techniques of classroom teaching. When it comes to
presenting papers, ELC staff suggested that staff should be given financial support from the
college
15. Who manages the ELC-GFPU? The Head of Center.
16. Which committee is responsible for overseeing and implementing the GFPU programs? The
Technical Committee.
17. Who assists the ELC-GFPU Head? HoSs ELP and CTM.
18. Which council is responsible for the management of ELC-GFPU? Academic Council or Center
Council.
19. The Center Council is chaired by ELC Head. He involves the members in the decision-making
process of the ELC-GFPU.
20. How many committees are there in the GFPUs? Five (5) committees.
21. What are these GFPUs? Academic Support Committee (ASC), Center Resource Committee
(CRC), Quality Assurance Committee (QAC), Staff Support Committee (SSC), and Student
Support Committee (StuSC).
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22. Coordinators head these committees.
23. What is the aim of these committees? To effectively disseminate information to all levels of the
GFPU.
24. How do these committees manage their operations and decisions? Committee Coordinators
conduct regular meetings with the lecturers.
25. What are the roles of the Head of GFPU regarding these committees? Based on the
recommendations submitted by these GFPU Coordinators, he convene a center council meeting to
study the progress of the GFPU, approve policies and procedures, communicate decisions made to
the Dean in the College Council meetings for approval. Through the Heads of GFPU, the dean
communicates the decisions to all staff through staff portal and gathering of the lecturer.
26. At the end of the academic year, the GFPU committees submit committee report to the QAC about
their accomplishments.
27. The GFPU has no affiliation for its programs. Staff suggested an affiliation of GFPU programs i.e.
to SQU in order to enhance and the programs offered and awarding of degrees.
28. The Strategic Plan is annually reviewed based on the Annual Report and accomplishment
report.
29. How is the Strategic Plan reviewed? It is based on the Annual report and accomplishment reports.
30. Who approves of the revised strategic plan? The Dean.
31. How does the GFPU benchmark its level of achievement? It does that with the achievement of
KPIs of other GFPUs and learn from their experiences in order to improve its activities. This result
is used to inform the next strategic plan.
32. How is the operational plan of GFPU developed? Its developed in accordance with the Quality
Assurance Manual.
33. From what is the operational plan derived? It is derived from the strategic plan of the college by
adopting the goals, sub-goals, strategies of KPIs.
34. Who are people in charge of the implementing monitoring operational plans of the GFPU? The
HoC and HoD of GFPUs with the assistance of their HoSs and QACs are responsible for the
implementation and monitoring of the operational plan.
35. How are the operational plans of the GFPUs evaluated? Through the submission of annual
report of the GFPUs which set out the accomplishments of the GFPUs for the whole Academic
Year.
36. How is the operational plans reviewed? Based on feedback from staff, accomplishment report
from the previous year, and students and staff survey.
37. How did the GFPU plan to improve its operational plans? Based on activities for benchmarking,
community-oriented programs and activities, and staff research.
38. The Ministry of Manpower (MoMP) is responsible for controlling expenditure of all CTs.
39. The Dean, Assistant Deans and the Head of Financial Affairs meet to decide how the overall
amount be distributed based on the needs.
40. The Assistant Dean for Administrative and Financial Affairs receives plans from the HoC and
HoD of the GFPUs.

41. Steps in risk management:

(a) risk identification
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 (b) rick analysis
(c) rick evaluation
(d) risk treatment
(e) risk monitoring
42. The Dean of the College ensures that the internally college processes and systems are comply fully
with the Bylaws, the QAM and Ministry decrees.
43. The QAC uses a wide range of surveys (student feedback on course evaluation, academic advising
and feedback on program evaluation) of the ADRI cycle to propose improvements to obtain
feedback on the operations of the GFPUs.
44. The performance of staff of GFPU is reviewed through Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) and
staff appraisal that involves class observation of teachers.
45. The college has established a student grievance process. It constitutes the investigation committee.
It deals non-academic issues. This is reported directly to Student Affairs Department (SAD).
46. The college has provided an online system for students to submit their grievances directly to the
GFPUs concerned.
47. The GFPU uses the Oracle based Student Management System to provide for student admission
and enrolment.

Part 2: GFP Student Learning:

1. The GFPUs ensure that the different areas of learning are embedded in the GFP.

2. How is students learning achieved? This is achieved through different assessments methods.

3. What are the different assessment methods? Quizzes, projects, portfolio, presentation/practical,
continuous assessment, Mid-semester Examination, and Level Exit Examination.

4. How is student learning measured? Student learning is measured by using different parameters
and percentages.

5. Who is responsible in setting the criteria for the preparation of examination to ensure that
learning objectives are met? Head of Section/CTM.

6. The General Study Skills (GSS) are incorporated and embedded in the English Language
Instruction.

7. The General Study Skills (GSS) are mapped out in the GFP Curriculum to ensure that the target
skills are addressed and given due attention by the lecturers and students.

8. The feedback received from level coordinators serves as a mechanism for improving the student
achievement.

9. The General Study Skills (GSS) is not given proper time allocation.

10. The General Study Skills (GSS) is not clearly defined in each level for proper integration and
better achievement of the learning outcomes.

11. The General Study Skills (GSS) lacks proper attention by the teachers, Level Coordinators and
HoSs.

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12. The level of students entering the Post Foundation indicates that they are weak in spoken and
written language.

13. The students lack the vocabulary necessary to understand the terms under the Post Foundation
programs.

14. How is the GFPU going to improve students achievement in the General Study Skills (GSS)?
(a) assess and identify other alternative mechanisms
(b) to upgrade the learning outcomes standards suited for each level.
(c) allocate more time.
(d) proper integration into Academic Skills

15. The Curriculum in the FP is anchored in the Oman Academic Standards (OAS) for the GFP
programs Outcome Standards.

16. What is one primary source of delivery plans and course outlines prepared for different level?
Oman Academic Standards General Foundation Program.

17. The Foundation Program is offered in four levels (Pre-Elementary, Elementary, Intermediate and
Advanced)
18. The curriculum development and review processes are done periodically by level coordinators,
which are approved by the HoC and HoSs to ensure its relevance and functionality to the latest
developments in ELT.
19. The Materials Writing Development Team wrote teaching materials.

20. Features of the new teaching materials are Skill focus, Task Objectives, Material Requirements,
Anticipated Problems and Solutions, and Methodology.

21. The staff and Student Course Evaluation surveys were used to determine the effectiveness and
relevance of the curricula offered in the College.

22. How do you ensure that the Learning Outcomes are met and appropriate methods are
administered? Students conduct course material reviews using surveys questionnaires for
evaluation.
23. The ELP comprises of four levels and students are placed in one of the levels based on their
performance in the Placement Test (PT)

24. Students are inducted into the college through induction program to ensure smooth transition from
Secondary Education to Higher Education.

25. The Counseling and Graduate Follow Up Department (CGFD) is in charge of induction program
in coordination with other departments and centers.
26. The StSC and CGFD work hand-in-hand in enlightening students on:
(a) College rules, regulations and services
(b) Lectures on English Skills
(c) Placement Tests
(d) IELTs
(e) Course Assessment
(f) Opening Back Accounts
(g) Library Use
27. The Common Pedagogical Framework is a common reference point for all teachers in honing the
students cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains. It helps students to become
communicative and functional learners equipped with different knowledge and attributes.
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 28. In order to ensure quality teaching, professional development programs are offered to all staff for
personal and professional achievement.
29. The feedback from Student Evaluating Teaching (SET) serves as the basis to improve the quality
of teaching.
30. Consultation hours are accessible to the students in order to provide them with opportunities for
learning outside the classroom.

31. Newly recruited and long-standing staff are given the opportunities to improve and develop their
competencies through professional development.

32. To ensure that FP are aligned with the PFP and labour market, the GFPUs evaluate the learning
outcomes through mapping and feedback.

33. The Common Pedagogical Framework is the solid foundation of the teaching and learning wherein
student-centered learning and teaching methods.
34. Some of the student-centered learning and teaching methods are;
(a) Group discussions
(b) Buzz sessions
(c) Practical
(d) Projects and presentations
(e) Interviews
35. The staff and students make use of the consultation hours;
(a) Discuss concerns and issues related to students academic opportunities
(b) Assist and give feedback on their individual needs
(c) Address the needs of the low performing students
(d) Support their academic needs
(e) Put in place tutorial and remedial programs

36. In P&P, the students come up with intensive research paper showing all the three basic parts;
introduction, review of related literature and methodology.
37. The GFP assessment methods for the ELC-GFPU include;
(a) Mid-Semester Examination
(b) Continuous Assessment (CA)
(c) Level Exit Examination
(d) Project and Presentation
38. The Continuous Assessment comprises of quizzes for writing, reading, listening, speaking, grammar,
academic skills and oral presentation.
39. Scoring rubrics are used to evaluate student performance especially the MSE, LEE in writing.

40. The Testing Unit Committee (TUC) coordinates the GFPUs assessment methods.

41. What is the essence of giving student feedback? To be able to identify their strengths and
weaknesses.

42. Correction symbols are initially applied to some levels when correcting and giving feedback to
students written output e.g. spelling, verbs tenses, etc,

43. Is there any appropriate feedback form on students assessment? No.

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44. The GFPU will prepare appropriate feedback form to given to students to evaluate the feedback
mechanism in the center.

45. The GFPUs Internal Examination Committee is responsible for preparing its examinations.

46. The HoS-CTM is responsible for the approval of the MSE and LEE from Levels 1- 4.

47. The level 4 LEE is prepared and approved by other CTs.

48. There are only three exam writers for all the skills (reading, listening, speaking, writing and grammar)

49. Students failure is attributed to teaching methodologies, classroom management, materials,

approaches and other programs.
50. What appropriate measures are put in place for students who have been retained in the same level?
Customized remedial programs, and involvement of the parents to notify them about the program that
will assist the students to progress to the next level.

51. The proposed program will focus on how to improve students language and academic skills.

Part 3: Academic Support Services:

1. The Academic Support Services at the GFPUs aim at providing facilities and learning resources that are
effectively utilized and well managed to ensure efficient student and staff services.
2. The Higher Education Admission Center (HEAC) is responsible for admission of the students in
colleges and universities in Oman.
3. The Head of the GFPUs are responsible for identifying the teaching and learning resources.

4. The Center Resource Committee is responsible for the provision of all the resources needed by the
ELC-GFPU students and staff.
5. The Timetabling Committee meets thrice in the semester to decide about the utilization of the
classrooms and labs.
6. The library occupies an area of 510 square meters.

7. The library opens from 7:30am to 5:00pm.

8. 439 titles of the library books are related to ELT.

9. Every teacher in the ELC-GFPU provides 6 hours of consultation.

10. The timing of the consultation is clearly mentioned in the concerned teachers timetable.

11. The HoSs receive copy of staff consultation schedules from the level coordinators.

12. Both the HoSs and level coordinators routinely visit staffs office to ensure that they are at their
workstations during their consultation hours.
13. A student logbook has been provided to all the staff in order to maintain the students consultation
hours.
14. The English Group (EG) of ELC-GFPU holds various curricular and extra-curricular activities such as
special trainings, workshops, seminars, and competitions to facilitate student learning.
15. The ELC-GFPU provides remedial tuition to the students who have failed or dismissed. These
students are referred to as external students.

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16. The various community related programs such as educational guest lecturers, basic courses in
photography, calligraphy, and short-video making are arranged.

Part 5: Staff and Staff Support Services:

1. Which of the goals guides staff and staff support service of the GFPU? Goal 5 of the Operational
Plan.
2. The operation plan states that it will develop staff by
(a) Offering opportunities for professional and personal development
(b) Rewarding hard work and creative thinking
3. The GFPUs Operational Plan includes recruitment of qualify staff, induction, staff appraisal,
professional development and rewarding for hard work and innovation.
4. What are some of the duties of the SPDC?
(a) Conduct workshop, seminars, and training for staff
(b) Encourage staff to participate in academic activities outside the college

Staff Induction:

*5. All new staff joining the GFPUs are inducted as per the college policy in line with their operation
plan.
6. Staff induction commences with a preliminary induction by the Human Resources Department (HRD)
followed by a comprehensive induction by the GFPUs.
7. A staff handbook is provided, which contains information about duties and responsibilities, policy
related to staff, and quality assurance.
8. The induction coordinator provides a checklist of items to be included in the induction program,.
9. The checklist contains list of members in the GFPUs who have been assigned roles in the induction
task.
10. Feedback is collected from the new staff after induction to serve as information about the
effectiveness and appropriateness of the program.
12. The induction activity at the GFPU is carried out either through discussion or presentation.
13. The items in the induction program is divided as
(a) The QA Coordinator
(b) HoSs in the GFPUs
(c) Head of the GFPU
(d) The Course Coordinators
(e) The Examination Coordinators
(f) The Academic Registrar
(g) The staff induction committee member
14. The Quality Assurance Coordinator orients the new staff about
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 (a) The college
(b) Administration
(c) The college Mission, Vision and values
(d) Strategic Plans
(e) Operational Plans
(f) Different Committees
(g) Bylaws of Colleges of Technologies
(h) Introduction to the colleagues
15. The course coordinator explains the examination system and policies to the new staff.
16. The academic registrar discusses and describes the grading and advisory systems, and students
attendance systems.
17. Other parts of the program such as disciplinary and grievance procedures, dress code, college rules on
smoking, and cultural understanding and diversity have also been considered.
18. At the end or completion of the induction, the new staff signs the form and provides his/her feedback.
19. Why was there a delay in staff receiving the induction pack in ELC-GFPU? The was due to updates,
typesetting and proofreading of information in the induction pack in ELC-GFPU.
20. The staff development activities are based on the Training Needs Analysis (TNA) and results of the
Staff Appraisal (SA).
21. The SDPC conducts an annual TNA survey.
22. At the end of every academic year, a survey is floated to all the GFPU staff for their feedback,
suggestions, and training needs for the planning the SDPC activities of the next academic year.
23. How does the SDPC come up with its annual activities?
(a) Float a survey
(b) collect suggestions
(c) training needs analysis
24. How does the Staff Support Committee draft its action plan?
(a) HoS-CTMs summary of Classroom Observation
(b) Outcomes of the Training Needs Analysis (TNA)
25. The SPDC conducts workshops, seminars and training and support staff to participate in seminars and
conferences outside of the college.
26. What is it that staff are not motivated to attend workshops in other colleges and universities?
(a) The timing of such workshop is not conducive for our staff

(b) The themes/titles of such workshops are not in line with their field of practice.
(c) Lack of support to staff from the HRD.
27. The Head of GFPUs are responsible to appraise their staff and then forward the result in a report to the
HRD, while the staff do the same to their superiors through an online survey.

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28. The Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) is a tool to assess teachers performance twice a year and
results are given to further improve their academic performance.
29. For the SET, the academic staff are appraised on the following:
(a) Content and organization of the course
(b) Classroom management and teacher-student interaction
(c) Use of multimedia
(d) Communication skills
(e) Personal appearance and attitude
30. Staff appraisal is observed on the following:
(a) Personal attributes
(b) Conduct
(c) Teaching
(d) Advisory and
(e) Administrative duties