Quality Management and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education: The Role of Social Media and Blog in Enhancing Learning Experience
Quality Management and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education:
The Role of Social Media and Blog in Enhancing Learning Experience
Dr. Maria Teresa Matriano
Middle East College, Muscat, Oman
(00968) 92142753 / maria@mec.edu.om / teresamatriano2004@yahoo.com ABSTRACT The higher education system of Oman has experienced a rapid increase in enrollment volume since its inception in 1986 (Al Shmeli, 2009). However, as the Sultanate of Oman’s HEIs experience an unprecedented growth in the past three decades, the 21st century global development in the higher education also progresses on an even faster phase (Carrol et al., 2012). The primary key for the Sultanate of Oman to enhance its higher education is to sustain quality management through infrastructural and policy change together with an effective use of available technologies (Carrol et al., 2012). Thinking about elevating the quality of higher education encompasses an understanding of the mechanisms that translate the fundamental principles of technologically enhanced learning experience of science into curricula. Understanding the principles of technology-enhanced learning requires analysis of data drawn from participant interaction. The analysis of interaction may lead to constructing the fundamental hypothesis that is paramount in developing new learning and teaching practices. The role of technology in enhancing the quality of higher education most specifically for the Sultanate of Oman is the ability of the learners to gain more access to information and knowledge. The availability of materials online enables the learner to independently seek for information that is imperative to the learning process. Furthermore, technological platforms such as mobile, wireless data transfer, social media, and gaming encompasses user experience that fosters creativity among the learners. Social media for instance does not only engage the learners into a community-oriented learning
The Role of Social Media and Blog in Enhancing Learning Experience
Dr. Maria Teresa Matriano
Middle East College, Muscat, Oman
(00968) 92142753 / maria@mec.edu.om / teresamatriano2004@yahoo.com ABSTRACT The higher education system of Oman has experienced a rapid increase in enrollment volume since its inception in 1986 (Al Shmeli, 2009). However, as the Sultanate of Oman’s HEIs experience an unprecedented growth in the past three decades, the 21st century global development in the higher education also progresses on an even faster phase (Carrol et al., 2012). The primary key for the Sultanate of Oman to enhance its higher education is to sustain quality management through infrastructural and policy change together with an effective use of available technologies (Carrol et al., 2012). Thinking about elevating the quality of higher education encompasses an understanding of the mechanisms that translate the fundamental principles of technologically enhanced learning experience of science into curricula. Understanding the principles of technology-enhanced learning requires analysis of data drawn from participant interaction. The analysis of interaction may lead to constructing the fundamental hypothesis that is paramount in developing new learning and teaching practices. The role of technology in enhancing the quality of higher education most specifically for the Sultanate of Oman is the ability of the learners to gain more access to information and knowledge. The availability of materials online enables the learner to independently seek for information that is imperative to the learning process. Furthermore, technological platforms such as mobile, wireless data transfer, social media, and gaming encompasses user experience that fosters creativity among the learners. Social media for instance does not only engage the learners into a community-oriented learning
References: Carroll, M., Razvi, S., & Goodliffe, T. (2009). Progress in Developing a National Quality Management System for Higher Education in Oman. Quality in Higher Education, 70, 1-16. doi:10.1080/13538320902731328 Economist Intelligence Unit. (2008). The future of higher education: How technology will shape learning. Retrieved from The Economist website: http://www.nmc.org/pdf/Future-of-Higher-Ed-%28NMC%29.pdf Saif bin Humaid Al Shmeli. (2009). Higher education in the Sultanate of Oman: Planning in the context of globalisation (IIEP Policy Forum). MoHE, Oman: International Institute of Educational Planning.