The vast majority of students entering into higher education in the Sultanate of Oman are first required to undergo a general foundation program. Until recently, these programs had been outside the purview of any external quality assurance system. Over 2006-7, the Oman Accreditation Council led the establishment of academic standards for accrediting these programs. This is the first time in Oman that explicit national standards focused on student learning outcomes have been introduced. At the most simplistic level, academic standards can be used for regulatory purposes and provide guidance for curriculum development. However, the experiences of Oman have revealed a far more pervasive quality enhancement function for academic standards that has profound implications to be addressed at both the sectoral and institutional levels. This paper explores this quality enhancement function in detail and outlines some of the consequential quality enhancement activities taking place in Oman.

The vast majority of students entering into higher education in the Sultanate of Oman are first required to undergo a general foundation program. Until recently, these programs had been outside the purview of any external quality assurance system. Over 2006-7, the Oman Accreditation Council led t...