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About Us
The Center for Educational Development (CED) at Sohar University is dedicated to fostering academic excellence and innovation in teaching and learning. We strive to empower educators by providing advanced training and professional development opportunities tailored to the evolving needs of academic staff at various career stages. Through collaboration, research, and resource development, CED plays a pivotal role in enhancing teaching practices, supporting faculty growth, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality education.
Roles and Responsibilities
The Center for Educational Development (CED) serves as a key driver of academic excellence and professional growth at the university. As a dedicated hub for educational advancement, CED is committed to enhancing the teaching and learning experience for academic staff at all career stages. Its key responsibilities include:
- Delivering ongoing training for academic staff on innovative teaching methodologies and learning technologies.
- Designing specialized training programs for new and early-career academic staff.
- Providing workshops on designing authentic assessments and contributing to quality assurance processes to ensure fairness and alignment with learning objectives.
- Collaborating with faculties to assess academic staff needs and develop tailored professional development plans.
- Promoting academic excellence by identifying and sharing best pedagogical practices.
- Partnering with other higher education institutions (HEIs) to expand professional development opportunities.
- Providing insights and recommendations on teaching and learning policies and procedures.
Services
The Center for Educational Development (CED) offers a comprehensive range of services to support academic staff, including:
- Professional Development Programs: Workshops and courses on teaching strategies, curriculum design, and student engagement.
- Assessment Support: Guidance on designing effective assessments and contributing to quality assurance to maintain academic standards.
- Tailored Development Plans: Customized plans based on faculty-specific needs to ensure targeted professional growth.
- Collaborative Opportunities: Access to partnerships with other universities to broaden professional horizons.
- Online Resources: A repository of training materials available to SU academic staff.
- Policy Recommendations: Expert guidance and recommendations on teaching and learning policies and procedures.
AdvanceHE Fellows
Sohar University proudly showcases faculty who have earned Advance HE fellowships— an international recognition of high standards in teaching, leadership, and academic practice. Coordinated by the Center for Educational Development (CED), these awards span three levels—Associate Fellow, Fellow, and Senior Fellow—recognizing our staff’s dedication to innovative pedagogy, impactful leadership, and continuous professional growth. Through this initiative, the Center reaffirms its mission to support a vibrant academic community rooted in quality, integrity, and global best practices.
Inspired by these achievements, the CED envisions a future where every educator at Sohar University is empowered to reach their full potential, contribute to global academic excellence, and lead transformative change in higher education. If you’re interested in pursuing an Advance HE Fellowship, please contact the Center for Educational Development at ced@su.edu.om
Research Contribution
The CED actively supports and promotes educational research through various initiatives. A key component of this effort is the annual Sohar University Teaching and Learning Conference, which serves as a premier platform for academic discourse and knowledge sharing. This conference attracts researchers, educators, and practitioners from Oman, the region, and across the world, providing them with an opportunity to present their latest research, innovations, and teaching practices. The event fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, encourages the exchange of pedagogical strategies, and supports the integration of research-driven methodologies into teaching. Through this initiative, the CED contributes to the continuous advancement of educational excellence and the development of evidence-based teaching practices.
Organised Conferences
Workshop and Training
Teams
Dr. Zainab Al-Zaghir is an Assistant Professor of Linguistics and a Senior Fellow of Advance HE. She holds a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Otago, New Zealand in 2014. With extensive international teaching experience in New Zealand and the Middle East, Dr. Al-Zaghir brings a cross-cultural perspective to her research and pedagogy. Her scholarly interests include corpus linguistics, dialectology, and language documentation, with a focus on Arabic varieties.
Dr. Al-Zaghir is passionate about integrating educational technology to enhance language learning. She teaches a range of linguistics and writing courses, specializing in ESL writing skills development. Her commitment to teaching excellence was recognized with the Vice Chancellor’s Outstanding Teaching Award (2020).
Currently, she serves as the Coordinator of the Center for Educational Development, leading professional development initiatives for academic staff. She also successfully chaired the 6th and 7th Teaching and Learning Conferences (2022/2023 and 2023/2024) at Sohar University, reinforcing her dedication to advancing pedagogical innovation.
Faculty of Language Studies
ZZaghir@su.edu.om
Ext. 323
Dr. Mervat AlJomaa is an Assistant Professor of English at Sohar University. She earned her doctorate from the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom, in 2009. Currently, she teaches a wide range of specialized courses at the Faculty of Language Studies. Her research interests include modern literature, narratology, and feminist theories.
As an Assistant Professor, Dr. AlJomaa shares her expertise and passion for literature with students while actively collaborating with colleagues on literature-related projects. Beyond her teaching and research, she is dedicated to empowering students and fostering cultural understanding.
Dr. AlJomaa serves as an editorial board member of the Sohar University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences and is also a member of the GFP Advisory Board. Additionally, she contributes to workshops and training sessions aimed at enhancing instructional strategies and pedagogical approaches.
Faculty of Language Studies
MAljomaa@su.edu.om
Ext. 172
Ms. Jane Jayashree is an ELT/ESL teacher since 1999. At Sohar University she is an English Lecturer with The General Foundation Programme and has been actively involved with Student Support Services. She has initiated and coordinates the Peer Tutoring Programme. Peer Tutors are continually trained and evolve through her training workshops. Student Mentoring is her area of interest. Jane is a member of the Centre for Educational Development at Sohar University.
General Foundation Program
JJayashree@su.edu.om
Ext. 218
Dr. Osama Ibrahim holds a PhD degree in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering from Egypt-Japan University for Science and Technology, Egypt. He teaches several topics related to the civil engineering program at the Faculty of Engineering. He serves on many committees at Faculty and University levels, including the Faculty Ethical and Biosafety Committee, Faculty Board Committee, University Moderation Panel, Postgraduate Committee, and others. Dr. Osama has a number of publications in water resource management using remote sensing and using waste materials in road construction. Dr. Osama is involved in many external consultancy projects in Oman. He has achieved the status of Fellow (FHEA). He was one of the main organizers of the Teaching and Learning Conference held at Sohar University in September 2024.
Faculty of Engineering
oibrahim@su.edu.om
Ext. 372
Dr. Alina Raboshuk is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Business, Advance HE Fellow (FHEA). She holds PhD in Accounting, Analysis and Auditing from the State Academy of Statistics, Accounting and Audit, Ukraine. With a 20-year solid experience and expertise in lecturing in the field of Accounting, Auditing, International economics and other co-related subject areas she has worked in multicultural environment. Dr Alina holds a Diploma in International Financial Reporting Standards for Professionals from Institute of Financial Accountants, UK Qualification Certificate; is a member of European Accounting Association.
Passionate academic with a proven track record in teaching and learning, and inspiring and developing the skills and competencies of young adults interested in a career in the field of Accounting and Auditing. Her area of research is related to financial and non-financial information disclosure under sustainable development, integrated reporting of the multinational companies; environmental social and governance reporting, company performance under crisis, and cultural differences effect on business performance.
Faculty of Business
ARaboshuk@su.edu.om
Ext. 534
Dr Sanad is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Computing and Information Technology at Sohar University. He has more than a decade experience in the academic field. Prior to academia he worked as a software developer and research assistance in the University of Queensland. His experience in teaching, research and industry equip him with essential skills to advance science and technology. He holds a Ph.D. in machine learning and data mining from the University of Queensland Australia. He holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. from Queensland University of Technology , Australia. He acquired his Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education (PGCTHE) from Edge Hill University, UK. As a recognition for his commitment and passion to teaching, Dr. Sanad was awarded the Vice Chancellors Outstanding Teaching Award for the academic year 2019-2020.
With more than 10 years of experience in teaching, research and supervising undergraduate and postgraduate students, his major research interests focus in the fields of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, and Data Mining. His other research areas of interest include Education, Social Computing. He has made various contributions in the field of AI and machine learning including AI based drift compensation methods for e-nose sensors, sentiment analysis and image recognition.
Faculty of Computing and IT
smaskari@su.edu.om
Ext. 570
Dr. KHALID AL UMAIRI: holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics Curriculum Development from the University of Malaya, Malaysia, obtained in 2022, and a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Teaching Methods (Mathematics Education) from Sultan Qaboos University. His main research interests focus on the field of mathematics teaching and learning. He is also interested in teaching statistics courses and educational statistics for undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students. He currently works as an Assistant Professor at Sohar University, College of Education and Arts.
Dr. Khalid Al Saadi has been working in education for 26 years and is now an Assistant Professor at Sohar University. Before this, he worked at Sultan Qaboos University. He holds a Bachelor’s in English Language Teaching from Sultan Qaboos University, a Master’s in Educational Technology and TESOL from the University of Manchester, and a Ph.D. in Technology Integration from the University of Queensland. As the former Director of the Center for Educational Technologies at Sultan Qaboos University and the head of the Oman National Center for Open Educational Resources, he has played a pivotal role in Oman’s education sector. His work, supported by His Majesty and the Oman Research Council grants, has helped improve education in Oman. This includes making curriculum more relevant to students’ real-world technology needs. Dr. Al Saadi’s research interests focuses on e-Learning, technology integration, professional development for teachers, open educational resources, and artificial intelligence in education. His efforts have greatly helped in making education better in Oman.
⭐ Featured Sessions from 2024–2025
Explore the highlights of our academic year’s training journey.
Events
Academic year 2024-2025
Academic year 2023-2024
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