PurposeUniversities and higher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly recognizing the value of coaching for professional and organizational development. This study is designed to investigate whether Cognitive Coaching, implemented as a programme in an HEI in Oman, made any difference to the behaviour and attitudes of employees holding leadership positions in academic, administrative and professional services departments. It also explored the factors that hindered or supported the coaching programme and offers recommendations to strengthen coaching initiatives in similar contexts.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect feedback from the 15 participants of the programme. A case study approach was adopted in this study for an in-depth examination of the effectiveness of coaching interventions.FindingsThe findings suggest that coaching can be an effective approach, facilitating personal and professional development and also contributing to the achievement of organizational goals.Research limitations/implicationsAs a case study of a coaching programme in a single institution, the findings of the study are not generalizable to other contexts, though a “thick description” of the context in which the study took place will enable institutions in similar contexts to draw lessons from the experience.Practical implicationsThis study discusses the benefits of a coaching programme for an HEI in the Middle East. Suggestions to strengthen coaching include board level endorsement and sensitivity to cultural nuances in coaching relationships.Social implicationsOne of the effects of a coaching programme is the collegial atmosphere that it can foster. This can have wider impacts on the community as there is more open communication and trust engendered amongst employers and employees belonging to different cultural backgrounds.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first to report the findings of a systematically organized coaching programme in an HEI in the Middle East.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly being held accountable for maintaining quality in their activities by governments, industry, students, and the community as a whole. Accreditation agencies formulate assessment criteria covering the entire range of HEI activities so that the quality of HEI activities can be measured. However, as the perceptions of stakeholders varies of what makes a good HEI, it is crucial to investigate their opinions about the standards set by these agencies. This study uses focus group discussions involving Omani HEI stakeholders, including students, HEI staff, and employers, to gain insights into their perceptions on the most significant standards set by Oman Academic Accreditation Authority (OAAA) in measuring the quality of HEIs. It was found that stakeholders’ views of the key standards that measure HEI quality varies. Students were in favor of the standards related to the quality of teaching and learning. Students also show a good level of awareness about employers’ priorities. Employers were more concerned about the research skills of graduates and their industry and community involvement. There was also some agreement between staff and employers on the importance of governance and management. This study provides HEIs, OAAA, and partner universities insights into stakeholder priorities and concerns.

The restrictions imposed by the COVID 19 pandemic have forced educators and students worldwide to adapt to online learning. Language teaching in L2 contexts also had to shift to the online mode without compromising the quality of teaching and learning. This paper examines the perceptions as well as the performance of the participants involved in the online International English Language Testing System (IELTS) course offered by Middle East College, Muscat, Oman via MS Teams, an online teaching platform. Most IELTS courses offered online focus on the improvement of exam techniques; however, the developers of this course designed a syllabus based on a needs analysis to cater to the specific needs of the candidates, which would not only improve their test-taking strategies but also develop their writing skills. Adopting the Test, Teach, Re-test method, a diagnostic test was conducted initially, followed by teaching interventions and post-tests. Interviews with teachers, feedback from students, a comparison of diagnostic test scores with exit level scores, and the use of corpus linguistic methods to examine lexicogrammatical features were carried out to determine the effectiveness of the online course. The results indicated that those students who were not motivated performed poorly, whereas the high achievers were those who engaged in self-study and were, to some extent, autonomous learners. This paper contributes to our understanding of the effectiveness of short-term online language classes for Omani learners as well as provides some recommendations for improving the design and delivery of such courses.

Learners specializing in any discipline require proficiency in both language skills and their specific area of study to cope with tertiary education. This paper reviews strategies used to plan, develop, and implement a content-based language course for learners specializing in Information Technology (IT). Strategies used to develop content-based language courses through the integration of language and research skills with content are explored and applied. Technical description, intensive and extensive reading of authentic IT texts, and a research project form the syllabus to achieve the required outcomes. Collaboration with faculty members of the Department of Computing helped in arriving at the learning outcomes required. This paper also presents the effects of implementing the course on learners' performance in other courses taken concurrently as well as in later stages of academic progression. Curriculum design and application methods discussed here could be applied to ESP courses for other disciplines. Focus of the Paper This paper reviews the planning, design, and implementation of an ESP course for learners specializing in IT in the Middle East. It also intends to sum up the perspectives of language teachers who were involved in the process. The efficacy of using a content-based approach in preparing an English language specific course for learners specializing in IT is explored. Content-Based Instruction (CBI) is "an approach to language instruction that integrates the presentation of topics or tasks from subject matter classes within the context of teaching a second or foreign language" (Crandall & Tucker, 1990, p. 187). According to Krashen and Biber, One way to provide comprehensible input directly…is by teaching content in English using strategies and techniques that make the content comprehensible to the second language learner. Research confirms that learners in classes where such strategies and techniques are employed acquire impressive amounts of English and learn content matter as well. (1988)

The Concept of Perceived Risk to ConsumerConsumers are exposed to various risks when they engage in purchasing behaviour. The quality of these risks varies depending on the nature of the product, the nature of the consumer, and the availability of information. In the case of service, perceived risks are high compared to goods. The commodity is often tangible, visible and clear. Consumer's perception of the e-shopping risks varies according to the individual's personality and attitudes [5].