Transcript SULTAN QABOOS UNIVERSITY (SQU)

GROWTH
OF
SULTAN QABOOS UNIVERSITY
-With Special Reference to Mathematics & Statistics
Dr. E.V. Krishnan
Dept. of Mathematics and Statistics
(DOMAS)
Sultan Qaboos University (SQU)
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Topics
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Education in Oman
General information about SQU
Academic system at SQU
Dept. of Mathematics & Statistics
Undergraduate & Graduate programs in DOMAS
Research Activities in DOMAS
Future Plans for DOMAS in general
Inclusion of Modern Technology in teaching
Mathematics & Statistics
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Education in Oman: An Overview
• Education in Oman has gained momentum at a staggering pace
since 1970. At that time there were only 3 elementary schools in
the entire country, with a total strength of 900+ pupils and about
30 teachers.
• But, NOW, in a space of over 35 years, there are over 1000 schools
in Oman, with more than 30,000 teachers employed in the schools
with a student strength of over 600,000. About 90 % of the schools
are Government run.
• Also, there are Education Colleges, Institutes offering Diploma
in Banking, Business Administration, Economics, Commerce and
Computer Science, Private Colleges including Engineering and
Medical Colleges affiliated to universities in USA, UK, India etc. and
a few private universities as well.
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SULTAN QABOOS UNIVERSITY (SQU)
• SQU, the first and the only national University of Oman, is the
premier institute of higher education in the country and is considered
as a leading university in the Gulf and the Middle East.
• One of the Mission statements of SQU says: Sultan Qaboos
University is an institution that makes student learning its central
focus, promotes research, enhances faculty and staff development in
its various forms and exhibits organizational learning as it deals with
the challenges facing it.
• All the infrastructural facilities at SQU were completed in about 5
years starting from 1981.
• It commenced its academic activities in September 1986 with a mere
557 undergraduate students admitted to five Colleges, but the annual
intake has jumped to 2301 students in September, 2006.
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During the last two decades, SQU has witnessed rapid and
all round expansion in many areas such as:
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Students’ intake
Academic programs
Establishment of various centres
Facilities
Postgraduate education
Scientific research
Staff (academic, technical, and administrative)
Cultural activities
New colleges and buildings
Publication of in-house scientific journals.
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• The University admits the best students from the
school leavers of Oman strictly by merit.
• Its graduates have successfully earned higher degrees,
masters or doctoral, from well known Universities of
USA, UK and a host of other western institutions
around the world.
• They are occupying key positions in premier
organizations of Oman including Government
Ministries, Petroleum Development of Oman, and
SQU.
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SQU Colleges ( Number of
Undergraduate degrees offered)
• College of Arts and Social Sciences (12 degree programs)
(including degrees in Theatre Arts, Archeology, Tourism)
• College of Agriculture and Marine Sciences (8)
(including Bio-resources and Agri. Engg, Marine Sciences,
Food Sciences)
• College of Commerce and Economics - Business School (8)
• College of Education and Islamic Sciences (10)
(including Bachelor’s degree in Science and Mathematics
Education)
• College of Engineering (5 degree programs)
• College of Medicine and Health Sciences (3)
(including two 4-year degrees, and the mainstream 7-year
degree)
• College of Science (12 Specializations)
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• Biotechnology, Chemistry, Computer Science,
Environmental Biology, Earth Science,
Geophysics, Medical Laboratory Science,
Physics, Physics with minor in Medical Physics,
• Mathematics, Statistics, and Statistics with
minor in Health Statistics.
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• One of the aims of establishing various
Colleges in the same campus was to promote
interdisciplinary courses as well as research.
• For instance, an SQU Mathematics Major or
Statistics Major can choose certain number of
electives from other Colleges such as Commerce
and Economics, Engineering, Agriculture etc.
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Support Centers at SQU
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The Deanship of Postgraduate Studies and Research (DOPSAR)
The Deanship of Students Affairs
The Deanship of Admission and Registration
The Deanship of Educational Services
Career Advisory Services
The Student Counseling and Guidance Centre
Centre for Information Systems (CIS)
Centre for Human Resources and Staff Development
Centre for Educational Technology (CET)
Centre for Continuing Education
Language Centre
(This is the largest academic Department, and is responsible for teaching of
English Language for all students at SQU).
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Scientific Centres at SQU
SQU has established nine Scientific Centres with
the three main objectives:
• To enhance specialized research activities at
SQU
• To offer scientific advice to the Government of
Oman on key issues facing the nation
• To conduct multi-disciplinary research which
will render service to the industry and society at
large
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Scientific Centres
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Oil and Gas Research Centre
Water Research Centre
Communication and Information Research Centre
Remote Sensing Research Centre
Centre for Environmental Studies and Research
Centre for Omani Studies
Earthquake Monitoring Centre
Joint Virtual Reality Centre for Carbonate Studies
Central Analytical and Applied Research Facility
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• Attached to the University is a 500-bed “state of the
art” Teaching Hospital (SQUH).
• It was opened in 1990 by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos.
• SQUH has a staff establishment of over 1300
personnel, including 250 + academic staff and over
1000 support staff.
• The hospital has advanced diagnostic equipment and
specialist departments for paediatrics, gynaecology,
internal medicine, surgery, psychiatry and cardiology.
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The Academic System at SQU
• SQU follows the credit-hour system which has a fair
balance between horizontal and vertical education with
adequate flexibility.
• The system is based on successful completion of a
number of credit hours at levels specified by the
University for the award of the Bachelor’s degree.
• The academic year consists of two main semesters: Fall
(Sept.-Dec.) and Spring (Feb.- May), each with duration
of 15 teaching weeks followed immediately by a 2-week
exam period.
• The Summer semester, paced at twice the teaching rate
of a course in a normal semester, is for 7 teaching weeks
followed by one week of exam, and it caters only to a
specific set of students.
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Each course is graded by a letter grade with the
corresponding grade point averages as follows:
• A (4.0)
• A- (3.7)
• B+ (3.3)
• B (3.0)
• B- (2.7)
• C+ (2.3)
• C (2.0)
• C- (1.7)
• D+ (1.3)
• D (1.0)
• F (0.0)
Each course and each instructor associated with every course, is
officially evaluated by students on a 4-point scale.
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The Degree Programs and
Assessment Criteria
• SQU offers mainly Bachelor’s degrees (4-7 years
duration) and Master degree ( 2 year course work
including a thesis project).
• The main course components of a Bachelor’s degree are:
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University Requirements
College Requirements
Departmental Requirements
College Electives
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Assessments
• The University regulations require that each
course at SQU, with possibly some exceptions,
have at least 3 components:
• Quizzes, In-term tests, Assignments, Seminars,
including a mandatory final exam.
• For each assessment component, a range is
prescribed with no component exceeding 60%
of the total.
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Academic Advising
• Among various duties expected of an SQU faculty, the
“Academic Advising” is considered by SQU
Administration as an important task.
• Each faculty at SQU is asked to be an “Academic
Adviser” to a group of 20-25 students from the faculty’s
College/Department during the course of student’s stay
in the University.
• The main role of the adviser will be to guide the student
so that he/she may have a smooth progression through
his/her degree plan.
• The important tasks for an adviser also include, among
others, to advise students under him in selecting
appropriate courses, choosing a correct career, to help
solve his academic difficulties, etc.
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First 7 Faculty Members
of DOMAC, 1986
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MATHEMATICS AND
STATISTICS AT SQU
• It is among the largest academic departments at SQU with 54
faculty members (49 with Ph. D. degree, 4 with Masters Degree and
1 with Batchelor’s degree), 3 coordinators and 1 technician.
• The Department of Mathematics and Statistics (DOMAS), formerly
known as Department of Mathematics and Computing (DOMAC),
is almost solely responsible for mathematics and statistics education
at SQU – for Math majors, other Science majors as well as service
courses.
• It has a huge commitment for Service Teaching across the
University. For instance, in the academic year 2006-2007, DOMAS
offered a total of 90 courses in mathematics and statistics to over
6000 SQU students across the University. It is among the largest
service teaching departments at SQU.
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Structure
• The HOD manages the administration of the
Department through the coordination of the
Deputy HOD, several committees and
officers responsible for various activities.
• The Departmental Board, comprising all
academic staff members of DOMAS, elects the
committee members and officers each year, and
they report regularly to the DOMAS Board at
the mandatory monthly meetings.
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Department’s Main Objectives
• Help young Omanis to acquire and develop skills in
Mathematics and Statistics.
• Maintain high standards of teaching and research.
• Provide requisite mathematical and statistical skills for
students majoring in other disciplines of SQU.
• Produce its own graduates who can serve the nation
with enthusiasm, confidence and necessary skills.
• Work with College of Education and Islamic Sciences
to produce mathematics teachers, who could serve the
need of the nation as effective teachers or educational
administrators.
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Undergraduate Programs
• Starting with just one degree in 1986, DOMAS
strives hard to continuously broaden its appeal
and now offers three degrees:
• B.Sc. in Mathematics
• B.Sc. in Statistics
• B.Sc. in Statistics with minor in Health Statistics
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Students take a minor of 20 credits from other disciplines
in the College or from College of Commerce and
Economics.
Students doing any major in the College of Science spend
10 semesters at the University.
At least one semester is devoted to the English Language
in the very first semester of the degree program, and
the remaining 9 to the specialized courses of their
degree program.
However, those who pass the challenge examination in
English can go directly to the credit program.
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• A successful completion of a total of 135 credits
(roughly 5 courses per semester) and a minimum
cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.0 (
from a maximum of 4.0) are required to graduate
in a math/Science degree.
• Students opting for a B.Sc. in Mathematics or
Statistics must complete 48 credits prescribed by
the Department.
• Besides the core courses, a student has the
freedom to choose as electives specialized math
and/or stat courses, to broaden the student’s
horizon and career.
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Undergraduate Projects
One of the highlights of DOMAS undergraduate
programs is the six-credit Undergraduate Projects,
which constitute an important part of our mainstream
B.Sc. programs.
• The intensity of activities in the DOMAS corridors and
College of Science Seminar rooms during the 13th and
14th weeks of a semester is an ample proof of the
seriousness and enthusiasm with which the students
take projects.
• In the first few years, the number of credits for the
project was nine.
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The main aims of UG projects are:
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To train the students to work as a team, to work
independently, and manage time effectively;
To familiarize them with specific mathematical and
statistical techniques and their applications;
To introduce them to library search method;
To train them in their collection of relevant
information and in its analysis, organization and
presentation in a coherent form;
To summarize their project highlights in a
department seminar.
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• The students of DOMAS have, in the past,
also carried out specific projects at the
request of or with the help of prospective
employers such as government ministries, oil
companies and banks.
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Drop-in Centre
• DOMAS, with the help of part time tutors with M.Sc.
qualification and a few teaching assistants, provides extra help to
students who need help in courses such as Precalculus, Calculus I,
Calculus II and the first course in Statistics.
• This is essentially meant for underperformers. The Department is
trying its best to improve the study habits of the students and
thus attract weak students to the drop-in centre. The department
had a couple of workshops to address this issue.
• Besides the part time tutors and the teaching assistants, a large
number of faculty is also involved in helping the students at the
Drop-in Centre.
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Graduate Programs
• The M.Sc. programs, one each in Applied
Mathematics, Pure Mathematics and Statistics, have
begun only in the last few years.
• They are designed to provide deeper understanding
of the subject material and to develop independent
thinking through research activities in mathematics
and statistics.
• So far, 6 students in Applied Math, 2 in Pure Math
and 3 in Statistics have successfully graduated with
M.Sc. degree from DOMAS.
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• The programs are designed to run for two years,
and include a course work (24 credits = 4 core
courses + 4 electives) and a research project.
• Some students, particularly coming from the
Education Colleges are required to do an
additional year of courses called Bridging year
before embarking upon the master programs.
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• Students are required to give two project seminars, one
during the semester they start their project about their
proposed study and one towards the end of the program
about their work in the thesis.
• An external assessor from another university and two
examiners within the university assess the thesis.
• Ph. D. rules and regulations are being discussed by the
University authorities and most departments are
contemplating the start of Ph. D. studies in the near
future.
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Research
• The DOMAS considers scientific research as an integral
part of its mission. The SQU administration too
formally expects each faculty to be involved in research
work and to publish regularly. There are several active
research groups in the fields such as:
• Analysis, Algebra, Topology, Functional Analysis, Fluid
Dynamics, Nonlinear Waves, Mathematical Modelling,
Numerical Analysis, Time Series, Design of
Experiments, Sampling and Multivariate Analysis,
Biostatistics, and Operations Research.
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• Some groups collaborate with other departments within the
College, with faculty of Colleges of Agriculture, Engineering and
Medicine, with leading local organizations of the Sultanate or
Universities abroad, including applied research on problems of
relevance to the nation, e.g. sand movement, ground water research
etc.
• The department has very active programs of weekly seminars on
general and specified areas by academic staff or visitors.
• Each year, a large number of DOMAS visitors from abroad, on
short-term appointment as teaching consultants or for
collaborating in research with SQU faculty, give specialized
seminars.
• DOMAS faculty is known to publish their research results in
internationally recognized journals and conference proceedings.
• Several faculty members serve as editors and referees in reputed
journals, and have been honored by international organizations for
their research work.
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• The SQU administration funds a large number
of research projects in which funds are available
for a research visit in Universities abroad and a
research consultant from a University.
• The administration also provides partial support
to SQU faculty in attending and presenting
papers in one international conference per
calendar year.
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Facilities and Equipments
• DOMAS considers the use of technology in
teaching and learning as an essential part of
education process. Some Faculty members are
using WebCT for their courses.
• The students are now encouraged to use symbolic
software packages such as Mathematica, Maple
or Matlab in their courses. SQU has acquired
licenses in adequate numbers for many of them.
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• Statistics courses in DOMAS make extensive use
of packages such as SPSS, SAS and MINITAB
in classroom instructions.
• Besides its own computing labs and a lab for
Health Statistics program, the well equipped labs
spread across the University are available for the
courses needing computing element.
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• Separate Resource rooms for final year
Undergraduate students and Master students are
well equipped.
• Each staff in DOMAS has a PC in his or her
office, which is connected to university network
and 24-hour internet.
• Advanced computer facilities are available to
staff, including access to a Unix workstation.
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Future Plans for DOMAS
• New programs that address the needs of the
society:
• Investigate the possibility of offering diplomas,
joint degrees with other departments, and
minors, for example, Diploma in Statistics,
Mathematics with Finance/Management,
Statistics with Operations Research etc.
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Graduate Studies and Research
• Revise and update the M.Sc. courses and introduce the
Ph. D. program which will create a productive research
environment in the department.
• It will also promote a better research atmosphere than
what exists now through research groups, seminars
within the research groups and speakers from
universities abroad.
• We have existing facilities for exchange of visits through
internal research grants among researchers and we hope
the University will provide the same for longer duration.
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• Recently, Sabbatical Leave has been introduced and
hope this will be continued in the future so that it will
lead to fruitful interaction between researchers.
• The Department Strategic Plan has recommended
conducting 3 research workshops, one each in Pure
Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and Statistics in the
coming three years.
• The Department had a few separate workshops in
Complex Analysis, Topology and Algebra with speakers
from other gulf Universities and SQU in the last 5
years.
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Manpower Resources
• The Department does not have sufficient
competent technical staff. Currently, we have only
one and we intend to have two more for the
smooth running of our labs and for attending to
the computer related queries of our staff in this
large department.
• We have Omanization plans and to achieve this,
we assess the current distribution of Omani
faculty, and set up a plan for Omanization with
respect to different specializations.
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Equipments
• The existing labs have been upgraded and three
more teaching labs have been set up.
• The undergraduate and graduate resource rooms
have been upgraded with more computers and
printers.
• Also, it will be ensured that academic staff has
up-to-date computing facilities with fast
computers for those who do extensive
computations.
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Buildings
• Currently we are facing shortage of space and in
the future it will be ensured that adequate office
space is available for faculty, demonstrators,
teaching assistants and the Drop-in Centre.
• At the moment there is no common room
where the staff can interact which will hopefully
be available when the new building comes into
existence.
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Interfacial Activities
• We intend to develop and maintain links with relevant
government ministries and industries and consulting
services for people and departments on and off campus
for which we will establish a database of experts and
research interests within the Department.
• Also, we will establish formal consultancy groups in the
Department and advertise the services provided. The
Statistical Consultancy Group is already functional.
• We will also enhance the department’s profile on and off
campus by advertising its programs and activities,
including their relevance to Oman.
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Inclusion of Modern Technology
in Teaching
Most of the Mathematics courses in DOMAS are
offered in the traditional way of lectures and
tutorials of problem solving.
• In the latest curriculum revision, efforts have
been made to introduce technology in teaching
and learning in a number of courses.
• With the acquisition of some new computer
laboratories this will be implemented very soon.
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• Calculus is the core requirement for science and
engineering students and is one of the most difficult
aspects of undergraduate mathematics education.
• Theory of limits is the basis of calculus and major
concepts such as continuity, derivative, and definite
integral are all defined by limit. This concept is new for
most of the beginners and is different from arithmetic
operations.
• It is the bridge from elementary mathematics to
advanced mathematics.
• Thus the limit concept requires the learners to study
mathematics with different thinking and study methods
to advance from elementary mathematics.
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• From my experience, I feel that many students need new
approaches and powerful tools to overcome the difficulty
in studying limit concepts which will help to have a
smooth transition from secondary level to the tertiary
level.
• Computer Technology is a powerful tool and a helpful
aid in teaching and learning mathematics.
• Computation, visualization, and animation which are its
components could be helpful in developing new
approaches to the teaching of the limit concept.
• This will help students to overcome their difficulty in
understanding this important concept.
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• During the years of teaching undergraduate courses,
one of the things we have heard most from students is
that they wish they had constant and immediate access
for instant and unlimited tutorial help.
• Whenever needed, some one could answer their
questions and grade their homework, day or night.
• This is possible only with technology.
• Our objective is to develop an on-line learning and
tutorial system which can play exactly that role for
students.
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• The scheme should have four components:
initial log-in; material review; self test and online test.
• The database management must contain a
problem bank in its database and store all the
data from users for instructor's use.
• The problem bank includes problems such as
testing understanding of concepts, solving
equations and working on word problems.
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• After log-in, they can select the chapter or the
section they wish to start with.
• In each chapter or section, one can choose to
review the material and concepts, or self testing,
or take an on-line test.
• The system will report the results to instructor
as a reference of student class performance.
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• In the Review component, the system will provide the
explanation of the concepts for each section.
• User can go back and forth to learn and understand the
concepts until they feel comfortable and fully
understand.
• For example, with the concept of limit which is one of
the most difficult topics in beginning level Calculus
course, system puts a function curve on the screen.
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• When user uses mouse to approach any point
along the curve, both x and y coordinates appear
when the cursor moves. They can see exactly
how y coordinate changes when x moves.
• Another example is the definition of continuity
and derivative. User can see how slope of the
secant line approaches the slope of the tangent
line by looking at the animated display on the
screen.
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• In the self testing component, the system will randomly
take problems from its bank, selected by the instructor,
and a digital clock is at the corner for timing purpose.
• For each problem, if user gets the right answer it will
move to the next problem, otherwise it can ask the user to
re-try.
• After several unsuccessful attempts, the system will
prompt the answer with explanation.
• The number of allowed re-try's will be configured by
instructor.
• At the end of each test, the system will produce a detailed
report of the results, including the correct answer for
each problem and user's input, how many attempts were
made, time for each problem and total time of the test.
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• Although not officially recorded as student
performance, these data will be statistically collected for
instructor's teaching reference.
• In the on-line test component, problems will be
selected from the same bank.
• The format, the number of problems and the type of
problems will be exactly the same as in the self test
component.
• But user will not be given chances to re-try any
problems, and the scores will be recorded to both
students and instructor, as a measurement of their
performance.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES
• The learning outcome from this using the technology is
expected to be very positive.
• Students and instructor will benefit from it tremendously.
Student will be able to master the material much better,
and have a stand-by tutor available 24 hours a day as long
as they have internet access.
• They will have their homework graded instantly when they
practise, and know how well they understand the material
by self testing.
CURRICULUM
• It is the need of the hour to integrate the system in our
curriculum as part of our teaching and testing mechanism,
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starting from Precalculus and Calculus courses.
• Many universities and colleges have already
embraced technology for years and it is high
time we follow the path and have standardized
uniform tests in those courses.
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Acknowledgement
I would like to express my sincere thanks to the
following colleagues of mine who gave me
encouragement and valuable suggestions:
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Dr. Nirmal Sacheti
Dr. Mohammed Saleh
Dr. Ali Benmerzouga
Dr. Pallath Chandran
Dr. Charles Bakheit
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A BIG THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR
LISTENING TO MY TALK
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