EFFECTIVE COLLEGE TEACHING AND STUDENTS’ RATINGS OF TEACHERS: WHAT STUDENTS THINK, WHAT FACULTY BELIEVE, AND HAT ACTUAL RATINGS SHOW IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE IN TEACHING QUALITY ASSURANCE AND CONTROL IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN OMAN

This study examines the extent to which teachers’ (N=248) and students’ (N=968) perceptions of effective teaching and students’ evaluations of teachers in six colleges of technology in Oman match or mismatch. It also investigates Omani students’ (N=922) ability to identify the teaching dimensions underlying a widely used American instrument used for collecting students’ evaluations of teachers and the extent to which the teaching dimensions found in Oman are similar to or different from those found in America and elsewhere in the West. In addition, the present research assesses the reliability of students’ ratings in Oman and the effect of a number of course, teacher, and student background characteristics on these ratings. Results showed that while teachers and students matched in their perceptions of various characteristics of effective teaching, they significantly differed in their valuation of many criteria of effective teaching. Differences were also observed between the two groups’ perceptions of the validity and utility of students’ ratings and the role of the student as an evaluator of teaching. The results also showed that Omani students are capable of identifying most of the teaching dimensions underlying the standardised American rating instrument. A few factors, however, appear to be inseparable in the Omani context. The inter-rater reliability of students’ ratings collected from Oman was analysed and found to be of good standard and only slightly lower than what was found in North America and Australia for the same instrument. Consistent with previous research, it appears, however, that students’ ratings are affected by various student, teacher, and course background characteristics. The evidence on the differences between teachers and students in their perceptions of quality college teaching and their criteria for judging teaching effectiveness calls for more investigation and verification. It is argued here that many of the mismatches in perceptions can be traced to students’ educational upbringing in pre-college education. Therefore, the assumption that quality can be improved in higher education irrespective of what learning styles and habits students bring with them from schools may be unrealistic. Contrary to the prevailing stance in Oman’s higher education, which generally views students’ ratings with distrust and suspicion, the present study results appear to provide preliminary support for the use of students’ ratings in Oman’s universities and colleges as a source of information in teaching evaluation and improvement. It is argued that involving students in the evaluation of teaching is an essential tool in implementing, institutionalising, and enhancing the newly introduced standards in teaching and learning

‘They cannot Write as Well as We Expect’, Why? A Multi-Case Study of Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Factors that Hinder Graduates of Colleges of Technology Mastering Technical Writing Skills Requested in the Omani Market

This project addresses a continuing problem in technical education: the perceived mismatch between the report writing skills of technical college graduates and the demands of report writing in the workplace. This problem is commonly identified in surveys of employers, who express dissatisfaction with the writing skills of their new hires, and has most often been examined with surveys of alumni from these colleges, who express dissatisfaction with the writing preparation they received (Al- Mahrooqi & Denman, 2016). The study is specifically designed to find out why graduates of Colleges of Technology (CoT) have difficulty in performing technical report writing tasks as well as expected by workplace managers and how academic text features are different from or similar to professional text features. This project took a new approach to investigating the problem. This multi-case study employed the combined use of semi-structured interviews and document analysis methods. This involved a total of 19 interviews with (1) report writing tutors and courses designers and students in three (COT) and (2) employees and their employers in local telecommunication and banking firms. The project then focused on the empirical analysis of structural and linguistic features in a corpus of 168 reports written by numerous students of CoT and by practitioners from the firms. This combination brought multiple perspectives to the interpretation of the issue being investigated in relation to the different participants, but also contextualised the analysis of the texts within the social and cultural situations from which the participants came. Findings suggested that CoT graduates' experience with writing for workplace purposes in the contexts of the study is influenced by both institutional and contextual factors. These factors interact to hinder the graduates’ mastery of context-appropriate writing. The key institutional factors are a) task requirements, and b) awareness of texts’ audience. The key contextual factor is the absence of coordination between the two investigated contexts, namely CoT and corporates. Within each of these broad categories, there are also subcategories that further demonstrate the complexity of graduates’ writing and the multitude of elements that shape graduates’ writing in both university and future workplace. The thesis concludes by presenting practical and theoretical implications for corporate officials, teachers, and course designers. The study recommends that internal and external communication is needed between CoT and corporates as through the establishment of such effective channels of communication between these camps we will be able to bridge the current perceived gap and better equip graduates for the challenges of workplace writing. It is hoped that in addressing the research aims these findings may be beneficial to understanding the contextual factors that assist or hamper the progress of the undergraduates' technical writing. It is also anticipated that such a comprehension may guide course designers, writing tutors, and discipline lecturers to detect the preparations required to best sustain students' negotiation of technical writing to better prepare students to adapt to the demands of academic and work contexts

The association of Human Leukocyte Antigens Complex with Type 1 Diabetes in Omanis

Background: Identifying the human leukocyte antigens (HLA) high risk alleles, genotypes and haplotypes in different populations is beneficial for understanding their roles in type 1 diabetes (T1D) pathogenesis and intervention practices. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify T1D associated HLA gene alleles in the Omani population. Methods: Our case-control study included 73 diabetic seropositive children (mean age 9.08±3.27 years) and 110 healthy controls. HLA–A, -B, -C, -DRB1, and -DQB1 genes were genotyped using sequence specific primer polymerase chain reaction (SSP-PCR). Results: Two HLA class I alleles (B*08, B*58) and three class II alleles (DQB1*02, DRB1*03 and DRB1*04) were associated with T1D susceptibility, while one class I (B*51) and three class II (DQB1*05, DQB1*06, and DRB1*16) alleles were associated with T1D protection. HLA- DRB1*03 and DQB1*02 alleles showed the strongest risk association among all alleles. Six DRB1 residues (E9, S11, S13, Y30, V70 and K71) were significantly associated with T1D susceptibility. Heterozygous genotypes, HLA-DRB1*03/*04 and DQB1*02/*03 were significantly associated with T1D susceptibility (P=4.29E-07, OR=63.2 and P=0.02, OR=3.6, respectively). Furthermore, we detected a significant combined action of DRB1*03-DQB1*02 haplotype in T1D risk (P=1.76E-05, OR=15), and DRB1*16-DQB1*05 haplotype in protection (P=3.12E-2, OR=0.48). Conclusion: Known HLA class II gene alleles are associated with T1D in Omani children. Keywords: Type 1 diabetes; human leukocytes antigens; zygosity; alleles; residues; haplotypes, case-control study; Oma

The historical approach to the "Ibn Soula" novel by Ali Al-Mamari = المقاربة التاريخية لرواية "بن سولع" للكاتب علي المعمري

تناقش هذه الدراسة التحليلية رواية "بن سولع" للأديب العُماني علي المعمري، التي تبين حقيقة التاريخ الدفين الذي شهدته منطقة شبه الجزيرة العربية، الذي لم تذكره كتب المؤرخين من قبل، وصراع أبنائها فيما بينهم، وتكالب الأطماع الخارجية على خيراتها النفطية والاستراتيجية، وأثره على المجتمع الخليجي. وظف المعمري آلية التاريخ في روايته، حين يجنح إلى الخيال والعاطفة التي قلما نجدها في كتب التاريخ؛ لكي يقود إلى معرفة حقيقة الأوضاع التي عاشتها المنطقة، وكشف الغموض العالق في صراع الواحات العربية. تهدف الدراسة: التعريف بالكاتب وماهية الرواية، وعلاقة عنوان بمضمونها التاريخي العميق. وبيان أهمية الرواية التاريخية، ودور النص التاريخي في الأحداث التاريخية والوقائع. ومناقشة الأحداث التاريخية وتأثر الخليج بالشركات النفطية الغربية. اعتمد الباحث؛ المنهج التحليلي، والمنهج الاستقرائي الوصفي. بينتْ نتائج الدراسة: استطاع قلم المعمري أنْ يصهر العبث الجغرافي والشاهد التاريخي في واحات البريمي، حين تحرّى الدقة والأمانة في توظيفه التاريخ في الرواية. فاستطاع أن يوثق الأحداث والوقائع التاريخية، بطريقة عجز عنها المؤرخون ورواة التاريخ، بل أحجموا عنها خوفا من الطغيان أو مجاملة للشيخ أو للسلطان. تميز المعمري في سرد أحداث التاريخ، باتخاذ التاريخ مادة للسرد، وإعمال الخيال في تقديم المادة التاريخية، بهدف خلق المتعة والتشويق، وشد القارئ إلى متابعة الرواية. فاستطاع أن ينجو من أصعب مزالق "الرواية التاريخية" وهو الانسياق لا شعوريا إلى العواطف الجامحة التي تُمليها الوقائعُ التاريخية الحقيقية. كلمات مفتاحية: المعمري، الرواية التاريخية، بن سولع. *************************************************************************** This analytical study discusses the novel "bn Soula" by the Omani writer Ali Al-Maamari, which shows the truth of the hidden history witnessed in the Arabian Peninsula, which was not mentioned by the books of historians before, the struggle inside it, the demands of external ambitions over its oil and its impact on the Gulf society. Al-Maamari used the history in his novel, when he strives to the imagination and passion that we rarely find in the history books. In order to lead to know the reality of the conditions experienced by the region, and to reveal the mystery lingering in the struggle of Arab oases. The study aims to introduce the author and what the novel is, the relationship of a title to its deep historical content. Explaining the importance of the historical novel, and the role of the historical text in historical events and facts. And discuss the historical events and the Gulf's influence on Western oil companies. The researcher adopted; The analytical method, and the descriptive inductive approach. The findings revealed: Al-Maamari was able to melt the geographical absurdity and the historical witness in Al-Buraimi oases, when the history was employed in a careful and honest way in the novel. He was able to document historical events and facts, in a way that historians and narrators of history were unable to do, but rather refrained from them for fear of tyranny or courtesy of the Sheikh or the Sultan. Al-Maamari has distinguished himself in narrating the events of history, by taking history as a material for narration, and the realization of imagination in presenting historical material, with the aim of creating fun and suspense, and drawing the reader to follow the novel. He managed to escape the most difficult pitfalls of the "historical narration", which is subconsciously drifting into the wild passions dictated by the real historical facts. Key words: Al-Maamari, Historical Novel, Bin Sulaa

Utilize technical elements in the novel "Ibn Soula" by Ali Al-Mamari = توظيف العناصر الفنية في رواية "بن سولع" للكاتب علي المعمري

ناقشتْ هذه الدراسة التحليلية رواية "بن سولع" للأديب العُماني علي المعمري، التي بينت أسلوب المعمري في توظيف العناصر الفنية في الرواية. إذْ تعدُّ الرواية بناءً واحدًا لا يمكن فصل عناصرها؛ الشخصية، والزمانية، والحيّز المكاني، والأحداث، واللغة والأسلوب عندما تلتحم، عندئذٍ تحتاج إلى بحث إجرائي لاستخراج مكنوناته الكامنة في أعماقه، لتبيّن حقيقة التاريخ الدفين الذي شهدته تلك المنطقة. تهدف الدراسة: مناقشة توظيف العناصر الفنية في الرواية، وتوظيف الشخصية تاريخياً، والزمن في السرد الروائي، والحيّز، وتوظيف الوصف، وأخيراً توظيف اللغة والأسلوب. ومن خلال المنهج التحليلي، والمنهج الاستقرائي الوصفي؛ بينتْ نتائج الدراسة: اهتمام الكاتب في وصف الصراع، ومعاناة الشعوب في الإمارات، عمان، قطر، البحرين، السعودية، الكويت؛ سواء بسبب حكامها أم أطراف خارجية معادية. عرض الكاتب التاريخ العماني من جميع أبوابه؛ التاريخ السياسي والصراع الداخلي بين حكومة مسقط وعمان، والإمامة، والصراع حول "واحات البريمي" المتنازع عليها بين السعودية وعمان والأمارات. تجلت لنا شخصية الراوي في مخالفته للمعتقدات الخاطئة في المجتمع. ********************************************************** This analytical study discussed the novel "Bin Soula" by the Omani writer Ali Al-Maamari, which showed Al-Maamari's method of employing the artistic elements in the novel. As the novel is one building whose elements cannot be separated; Personality, temporality, spatial space, events, language and style when combined, then you need procedural research to extract its potentials deep within it, to show the truth of the hidden history that this region has witnessed. The study aims to: discuss the employment of artistic elements in the novel, the employment of personality historically, the time in narrative narration, space, the employment of description, and finally the language and style. Through the analytical method and the descriptive inductive approach; The results of the study showed: the writer's interest in describing the conflict and the suffering of peoples in the Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait; Whether because of its rulers or hostile external parties. The author presented Omani history in all its chapters; Political history and internal conflict between the government of Muscat and Oman, the Imamate, and the struggle over the disputed Buraimi Oasis between Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. The narrator's character was revealed to us in contradiction with wrong beliefs in society

The association of Human Leukocyte Antigens Complex with Type 1 Diabetes in Omanis

Background: Identifying the human leukocyte antigens (HLA) high risk alleles, genotypes and haplotypes in different populations is beneficial for understanding their roles in type 1 diabetes (T1D) pathogenesis and intervention practices. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify T1D associated HLA gene alleles in the Omani population. Methods: Our case-control study included 73 diabetic seropositive children (mean age 9.08±3.27 years) and 110 healthy controls. HLA–A, -B, -C, -DRB1, and -DQB1 genes were genotyped using sequence specific primer polymerase chain reaction (SSP-PCR). Results: Two HLA class I alleles (B*08, B*58) and three class II alleles (DQB1*02, DRB1*03 and DRB1*04) were associated with T1D susceptibility, while one class I (B*51) and three class II (DQB1*05, DQB1*06, and DRB1*16) alleles were associated with T1D protection. HLA- DRB1*03 and DQB1*02 alleles showed the strongest risk association among all alleles. Six DRB1 residues (E9, S11, S13, Y30, V70 and K71) were significantly associated with T1D susceptibility. Heterozygous genotypes, HLA-DRB1*03/*04 and DQB1*02/*03 were significantly associated with T1D susceptibility (P=4.29E-07, OR=63.2 and P=0.02, OR=3.6, respectively). Furthermore, we detected a significant combined action of DRB1*03-DQB1*02 haplotype in T1D risk (P=1.76E-05, OR=15), and DRB1*16-DQB1*05 haplotype in protection (P=3.12E-2, OR=0.48). Conclusion: Known HLA class II gene alleles are associated with T1D in Omani children

Clinical Pathways for Non-ST Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome in Oman: An Oman Heart Association Protocol for Hospital Quality Improvement Initiative

In 2012, Oman Heart Association (OHA) published its own guidelines for the management of patients with unstable angina/non–ST-elevation myocardial infarction, the aim was not to be comprehensive but rather simplified and practical in order to reduce the gap between the long comprehensive guidelines and our actual practice. However, we still feel that the busy registrars and residents need simpler and direct clinical pathways or protocol to be used in the emergency departments, coronary care units and in the wards. Clinical pathways are now one of the main tools used to manage the quality in healthcare concerning the standardization of care processes. It has been shown that their implementation reduces the variability in clinical practice and improves outcomes in acute care

二、三の水理構造物周辺の河川流の実用的な解析に関する研究

京都大学0048新制・課程博士博士(工学)甲第16058号工博第3381号新制||工||1511(附属図書館)28637京都大学大学院工学研究科都市社会工学専攻(主査)教授 細田 尚, 教授 戸田 圭一, 准教授 川池 健司学位規則第4条第1項該当Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering)Kyoto UniversityDFA