Positioning General Education in Higher Education Institutes:
Exploring New Directions

Under the auspices of

H.E Dr. Bakhit bin Ahmed Al Mahri

Undersecretary of Higher Education at
Oman's Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation

The Department of General Education Second Forum

June 28th and 29th 2022
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Introduction

Like all sectors that were impacted by COVID-19, the world of education has changed dramatically ever since the virus broke out globally in 2020. The pandemic challenged the ‘how and why’ of education and not all institutes were able to cope with the challenges that came along with it. Despite its unexpected development, the Department of General Education (GE) accepted this challenge when Modern College of Business and Science (MCBS) decided to shift and conduct all Programs online to be able to tackle the setbacks. This department is crucial to any HEI as it offers courses in a variety of disciplines such as the Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Technology. Essentially, it stimulates innovative ideas and creates communicative competence that enrich students by allowing them to acquire the necessary skills to be able to adapt and be productive citizens in this constantly evolving world. This reshapes their outlook on learning and enables them to look at the world through an interdisciplinary lens. It inculcates in them a spirit of enquiry and helps them to develop the ability to reflect and learn from one’s own experiences, thus enabling them to believe in themselves – skills that employers seek in their employees.

Venue - Language

Online – English.
 

Time

(9:00 am - 3:00 pm) June. 28-29, 2022

Purpose

This paradigm shift in teaching and learning has provided us with a window of opportunity to look into the future. It has helped us to introspect of what we can do and made us rethink the shape our department can take for the future. Can the department see itself taking on higher responsibility to achieve the mission of the college? Given the department’s interdisciplinary character, can it explore the possibilities of liaising with other academic departments to research and contribute to the creation and sharing of knowledge? How can the new technologies be used in delivering a variety of courses? Now is the time to rethink, reimagine and create new pathways to take the department forward toward growth and progress. Learning spaces have become very complex due to students’ diverse cultural backgrounds, learning needs and individual uniqueness. To take teaching and learning beyond the boundaries, the Department is organising a Forum bringing together national and international speakers who will provide insights on practices and perspectives which will help the department chart new directions providing inclusive education.

Target Audience
Teaching community of colleges and universities locally and across the region
Mode of Delivery
Online 
 
Organising Committee
Dr. Aarati Mujumdar
Dr. Aarati Mujumdar
Ms. Arwa Alhinai
Ms. Arwa Alhinai

Objectives of the Forum

The Forum aims to:

  1. Explore opportunities, new roles, and responsibilities which the department can successfully take on
  2. Deliberate and identify new technological trends that can be adopted to enhance performance.
  3. Identify and promote research areas to conduct multidisciplinary research.
  4. Establish links with other GE departments from across the world.

Expected outcomes

  1. Curriculum development
  2. Develop Research Culture
  3. Offer a new programme
  4. Use Educational Technology
  5. Expert knowledge sharing
  6. Unique learning experience for students