Conceptualising and Promoting Implementation of the Research-Teaching Nexus in HEIs: Perspectives from Oman Authority for Academic Accreditation and Quality Assurance of Education (OAAAQA) Reports

Abstract

This paper attempts to highlight some key elements in standard 4 in OAAAQA Manual which deals with staff research
and consultancy. This standard consists of nine criteria, namely research planning and management, research
performance, research funding scheme, consultancy activities, ethics and biosafety, intellectual property, professional
development for research, research commercialization and the research-teaching nexus. The paper particularly
analyses and synthesizes criteria nine which predominately deals with the research-teaching nexus. The paper identifies
the most salient issues that have been raised by OAAAQA in their institutional quality (IQA) audit reports regarding
research-based teaching to offer some suggestions for HEIs to better promote research-informed teaching and meet
the demands of accreditation and the OAAAQA’s expectations as well as the best international practices. To achieve
this, the paper seeks to answer the following questions: how is the research-teaching nexus conceptualised in OAAAQA
reports? What are the most salient issues that have been raised by OAAAQA in their institutional quality audit reports
(IQA) regarding research-teaching nexus? How can the implementation of research-led teaching be promoted in
HEIs? The data for the study were collected from ten published quality audit reports from the OAAAQA website. A
data-driven systematic qualitative content analysis (QCA) was conducted. Data analysis showed that the researchteaching nexus is conceptualized and understood quite differently by different HEIs. There is also a clear lack in both
the systematic approach whereby this nexus occurs and the explicit indicators and descriptors for measuring the
implementation. Data analysis also revealed the lack of guiding polices as to how the research-teaching nexus is
promoted and encouraged among academics in these institutions.