University/Industry Collaboration in Curriculum Development.

Francis A. Andrew. Abstract. In order to alleviate the frustrations of graduates entering the job market and to more effectively meet the needs of employers to recruit suitably trained graduates, this paper will attempt to examine the ways and means by which academia and industry might enter into a more closely inter-twined relationship of co-operation, particularly in the area of curriculum development. Introduction.

Before we examine in close detail the issue of collaboration between academia and industry in curriculum development, we would do well to consider the fundamental question as to what in fact is the purpose of education. The very title of this paper strongly implies the need for a connection between industry and education, with the latter supplying the needs and requirements of the former. As this is really a matter for consideration within the wider context of what would be more appropriately termed the philosophy of education, we shall afford it no more than a cursory treatment herein. Within the framework of an industry/academia connection, it behooves us to distinguish clearly between education on the one hand, and training on the other. It has been convincingly and legitimately argued by some that while both involve aspects of the learning process, training can be more effectively accomplished by a hands-on experience in the work-place rather than by book-learning in the classroom. Dr. Peter J. Fabri of the American College of Surgeons states in an article entitled, Is there a difference between education and training? Training is concerned with acquiring a skill or the psychomotor domain of learning. This objective can be accomplished through apprenticeships, seminars, workshops, classes, or self-study (eg, reading, observing videotapes, etc.). With regard to education, he says, The aim of education is broader than training. It strives to prepare learners to be analytical thinkers and problem solvers by facilitating the learning of principles, concepts, rules, facts, and associated skills and values/attitudes. ( 1 )While the writer of this paper holds to the philosophy that the core reason for education is to mould the character of the individual towards a general broadening of horizons for the purpose of a preparation to cope with all of lifes contingencies, he realises that the consideration here is not his own opinion with regard to the issue under discussion, but rather as one which assists in the construction of a viable system which has as its aim the shepherding of students, whose central focus is essentially employment prospects within a post-graduation context, through an education process which leads to gainful employment. It is within this framework of consideration,

in which the writer of this paper discerns a logical connection between the definitions of education and training, as given by Dr. Fabri ( vide supra ), that this dissertation will attempt to argue the value of an industry/academia co-operative framework, the structures within which that co-operation should operate and the criteria necessary for an effective collaboration between industry and the universities. The Benefits of University/Industrial Collaboration.

In an article entitled University-Industry Collaboration in Curriculum Development, ( 2 ) Dr. SharifahHapsulShahabudin, Vice Chancellor of the University of Kabangsaan in Malaysia, identifies four basic purposes for a university: to acquire knowledge and skills; the use of these skills and knowledge to solve problems and make decisions based on scientific, ethical and moral principles; be socially responsive and willing to participate in change; be life-long learners who will continually update and broaden their knowledge for the good of humanity. These principles, as laid down by Dr. Shahabudin, closely correspond to the definition of education as given by Dr. Peter J. Fabri, referred to in the introduction above. Any consideration of a collaborative framework involving the university as its central focus, must identify that institutions stakeholders. Dr. Shahabudin identifies seven: students; parents; government; other employees; industry; the professions; the public at large. This stakeholder identification made by Dr. Shahabudin clearly shows the university as being part of the wider community, and that it has a responsibility which extends beyond the campus precincts to one which embraces society in general. Dr. Shahabudin addresses the question as to why this collaborative framework between universities and industry ought to be developed. He identifies five reasons to justify it: 1. ) Curriculum Development: relevance to learning outcomes, content, methods of teaching and learning and student assessment. 2. ) Curriculum Delivery: real life experiences through industrial attachment, internship, hands-on training and field projects. 3. ) Educational Resources: state-of-the-art training facilities eg. Laboratories, workshops, manufacturing plants. 4. ) Supervisors: teacher practitioners, faculty attachment to industry. 5. ) Programme evaluation: immediate feedback on adequacy, long term on graduate performance and development of new courses. Dr. Shahabudin terms the outcome of such a system as translational research as the results of research and enquiries will essentially be a two-way traffic between the bench and industry. The sort of relationship envisaged here will result in enhanced

employment opportunities for students and better trained graduates for employers. It will also result in an improvement in the image of both the university and industry. What applies to Malaysia will also apply to Oman. No doubt, the main bulk of these co-operative activities will be with the oil and oil-related industries. This will mean that the Higher Educational Institutes ( HEIs ) main partner in this co-operative framework will be the Petroleum Development Organisation ( PDO ).

Structures Related to University/Industry Co-operation.

In her paper entitled Employer and Needs-led curriculum planning in higher education: a cross sector case study of foundation degree development, ( 3. ) Dr. Rosalind Foskett of the University of Southampton states that university/industry cooperation is a poorly researched area in the study of curriculum development. Her paper contains the results of findings from three foundation degree programmes, a consortia of employers groups in the public and private sectors, six HEIs and the University of Southampton. One of the things noted by Dr. Foskett was that while all the participants adhered to the common goal of wider participation, there emerged, during the investigation, a diversity of expectations among the stakeholders. It would therefore seem that, if a similar type of investigatory procedure were initiated in Oman, it would be incumbent upon the participatory bodies to come to a consensus regarding expectations prior to embarking upon the main thrust of the investigation. Field, 1996; Jones, 2000; Tett et al., 2001, stress the need for stakeholders to clearly express their aims and objectives. The best means by which this consensual basis can be established is by each of the stakeholders being reasonably well informed regarding each others expectations and general world view. Academic institutions, would need to acquire a clear understanding regarding the needs of employers vis a vis quality of graduates, standards of discipline and adherence to a general code of work ethics. It would be a worthwhile exercise to examine the procedures adopted by British governments regarding university/industry collaboration and the structures through which this collaboration takes effect and then to see how these could be adapted in some way to the Omani experience. In her paper, Foskett mentions a number of organisations in connection with university/ industry collaboration. The first one is the Dearing Report( 4. ) of 1997. With regard to university/industry co-operation the report recommends a greater variety of degree progammes. The report further recommends that the essential basis

for wider participation should be student/employer demand. The Fryer Report ( 5. ) saw lifelong learning as essential for the economic development of Britain. The means by which this could be achieved was through wider participation in the educational process. It is interesting to note that the Fryer Report was published by the National Advisory Group for Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning ( 6. ) That such an organisation exists is testimony to the concept of learning being an ongoing and life-long process rather than something which begins and ends at educational institutional level. The Fryer report made the important recommendation that employers provide modern apprenticeships and employee development schemes. Technical Education Centres ( TECs ) .should offer improved needs and labour market analysis and the provision of focused programmes of learning. Foskett clearly sees a close connection between life-long learning and a broadening of the participatory framework two essentially go hand-in-hand. There can clearly be seen here the need for a similar type organisation in the Sultanate but modified to fit the Omani experience. The existence of such a body would go a long way to instilling within Oamni educational culture the concept of education being a seamless garment in the general weave of life and of learning being a continuous and ongoing process necessary for the upgrading of skills. In 1998, the government set up The National Skills Task Force (NSTF ) ( 7. ) which submitted its final report in 1999. The aim of the report was to ensure that Britain had the skills it needed to sustain high levels of employment, compete effectively in the global market and provide opportunity for all. The later part of the report encourages the establishment of new vocational degrees within a vocational qualifications framework. As in the case of the Fryer Report, the NSTF emphasised the need for work-force development. With reference to this report, the then Secretary of State for Education and Employment stressed the importance of the link between HEIs and industry.As in the case of the NAGCELL ( vide supra ), a body of similar structure, adapted to the needs of Oman, with its remit being the overseeing of the provision of the skills and tools needed for the development of the Omani economy, could be established by the relevant government ministry to which it would be responsible and to which it would report its findings. With reference to the NSTF report of 1999, the then Secretary of State envisaged a wide ranging participation involving the Learning Skills Council ( LSC ), ( 8. )the Regional Development Agency ( RDA ), ( 9. ) and the National Training Organisations ( NTOs ) ( 10a. ). In 2010, the LSC was wound up and superseded by the Skills Funding Agency ( SFA ) and the Young Peoples Learning Agency ( YPLA ). ( 10b. ) The SFA delivers 4.1 billion of skills training through contracts with over 1,000 colleges, private training organisations and employers. Our highly effective supply chain that means FE meets local needs in the most cost-effective way, reaching into every sector of the economy.The mission of the YPLA is the education and training of young people in England. The RDA, which ceased to function in 2012 had a wide range of responsibilities related to developing the economic prosperity of particular regions of England. At the time the RDAs were abolished their statutory purposes were:

To further economic development and regeneration To promote business efficiency, investment and competitiveness To promote employment To enhance development and application of skill relevant to employment To contribute to sustainable development

The National Training Organisations encompass a number of organisations designed to further various sectors of the British economy. These are:
Council for Administration (CFA) Institute of Customer Service (ICS) Skills For Logistics E Skills Employment NTO Management Standards Centre (MSC) Business & Administration Customer Service & Call Handling Distribution, Warehousing & logistics Information Communication Technology Personnel Team Leading & Management

Marketing & Sales Standards Setting Body (MSSSB) Sales & Sales Management

The various organisations referred to above could be used as templates for the setting up of similar type governmental structures in Oman designed to educate and train the growing work-force in the different vocations essential for the development of the Sultanate. These could be worked into the administrative governing units of the Sultanate. The larger training projects could be administered at governorate level and implemented in descending order through the waliates and the sheikhdoms. Overall supervision might be undertaken by the Shoorah Council and State Council. An interesting case study of university/industry co-operation in Oman is that of Sohar University ( 11. ).Sohar University and Oxford University in England have signed a memorandum of understanding designed to enable the two universities to work together over environmental issues. On the industrial front, this university has established connections between Cisco Systems, Microsoft, Oracle, the University of Queensland, Australia and the University of Mutah in Jordan. In a paper entitled UniversityIndustry Linkage: Sohar University Experience with Case Study on Cisco Event as Experience for Learning in Developing Local Talent in Sultanate of Oman, the authors, Dinesh K Saini et al state the purpose of Sohar Universitys connection with industry and business: The goal of the university-industry connection is twofold: to focus technical degree programs at Sohar University to the job skills demanded by Omans local industry, and to provide educational opportunities to the community in the fields of computer literacy and information technology. This practically oriented method of education creates circumstances whereby the universitys pedagogical method is closely

linkedwith the requirements and demands of the job market. The authors place this linkage within the context of Omans post oil future and the need for diversification as a way of meeting the challenges that such a future will present to the Sultanate ( page 1 ). The core aim of Sohar Universitys collaboration with industry is to bridge the gap between university education and the requirements of the job market. The authors of the paper suggest a two-dimensional approach to this collaboration, the one concerned with practical hands-on training and development, the other with raising the academic standards of Sohar University. With regard to the former, Microsoft, Cisco and Oracle provide training programmes for all levels of student. Staff and students of Sohar University work together on components provided by the companies. The latter dimension to the collaborative efforts of Sohar University involves a linkage with the University of Queensland in Australia. In the view of the papers authors this linkage .play(s) a vital role in Sohar Universitys global academic distinction by offering program development, academic review, and shared resources for joint research. While the paper mentions the collaborative links other universities in the Sultanate have with industrial outfits, to what satisfactory length and breadth these efforts have gone and to what extent the quality and quantity of them may be enhanced, though outside the scope of this dissertation, could well be questions for greater in-depth analyses and more extensive research projects. Notwithstanding the limitations on the length of this academic submission, it would be apropos for the participants in any such future project to operate within the framework of the principles laid down by the Massachusettes Institute of Technology ( MIT ). ( 12. ) In their paper entitled Best Practices for Industry- University Collaboration, Julio A. Pertuze et al articulate seven principles which they claim are key to the success of this form of collaboration. The first of these is to define the projects strategic context as part of the selection process. This involves determining what a particular companys collaborative opportunities are, defining specific collaboration outputs that would be considered as being of value to the company and identifying who exactly the users of the output would be. The second principle is to select boundary spanning project managers with three key attributes an in-depth knowledge of technology needs of the company, the inclination to a form of network which is organisationally cross boundary, the ability to make connections with the companys product applications and research and opportunities. The third principle is for the company to share with the team from the university the vision of how the collaboration can be of benefit to the company. Fourthly, both company and university should be prepared to invest in long-term relationships. Fifthly, the company should establish a strong communication linkage with the university team. The sixth important principle is for the company to build an awareness of the project within the companys own structures. The seventh principle lays down a need for the company to lend support to the work internally both prior to and at the termination of the contract period until such times as the research can be exploited. Equally important to the above-mentioned seven principles which are essential to an effective collaborative effort, the authors of the paper identified five things which have no impact upon successful collaboration. The first of these is what the authors term the presence of an executive champion. While they acknowledge that a powerful ally from

the executive organ of the company can be effective in lending support for the project, the authors found no correlation between such an executive and project impact; rather they asserted that to deliver value, the key is whether the project addresses a real need as perceived by working engineers in the company. The second irrelevant aspect with regard to collaborative success was geographical proximity. Geographical distance between the university and the company was bridged by such practices as personnel visits, exchanges of personnel and student internships. The important factor is not proximity but personal interaction between the academic research team and the company. Thirdly, they saw no connection with the cost of the project; rather what was of prime importance was the projects time frame. Fourthly, the authors saw no significant statistical difference in terms of the type of project basic, applied or advanced development. What is important is that the project addresses a tangible need for the company. The fifth irrelevance was the location of the project manager. Whether the project manager was based at a central laboratory or a business unit had no impact effect on the project. What is important is that the project manager is able to span these organisational barriers. While the above seven points may be considered as relevant criteria for successful industry/academia collaboration in the United States, they may not hold strictly true for the Omani context. The same applies to the five points deemed irrelevant for successful collaboration by the researchers. In each collaborative case, modification and adaptation would have to be made to suit the peculiar circumstances and exigencies of the moment. The writer of this paper sees the science of astronomy as an important area for not only industry/academia collaboration but for collaboration with overseas universities and scientific institutes. Optical astronomy in the northern hemispherical regions of the world is severely restricted by light pollution from the major conurbations and by frequently overcast skies. The latter problem, along with full moons, reduces the number of observing days to an average of eighty per year. The countries of the Gulf, with their crystal clear skies, can offer the astronomical fraternity a way out of this problem. In collaboration with British, European and American astronomical associations, an array of optical and radio telescopes could be constructed in the deserts of Oman. This would attract the worlds top astronomers and astrophysicists to the Sultanate. Collaboration in this area would engender spin-offs into such related fields as optics, engineering, physics, chemistry, biology and electronics. The most inter-related of all the sciences is that of astrobiology which, after many years in the academic wilderness, is now making its way into the bosom of mainstream science. In February of 2012, Professor Naline Chandra Wickramasinghe gave a presentation on the subject of astrobiology at the College of Applied Science, Nizwa. In January of 2014, he addressed the Oman Astronomical Society on the same subject. Professor Wickramasinghe is looking for overseas links with the Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology ( 13a. ) of which he is Director. Professor Wickramasinghe has informed the writer of this paper that he is willing to co-operate on curricular development related to astrobiology with any Omani academic institute which should express an interest in the subject. The Royal Astronomical Society ( RAS ) ( 13b. ) would be a valuable ally in any astronomical endeavours undertaken in the Sultanate.

Having been in existence since 1820, the RAS has a wealth of experience in the field of astronomical research. On another front, some form of collaboration with the Royal Institution of Great Britain ( RIBG ) ( 14. ) would be of great benefit to Omani universities and science and technology colleges. Founded in 1799 by Count Rumford, and under the patronage of the British monarch, the RIGB aims to popularise science, technology and mathematics by bringing them to as wide an audience as possible. It should also be noted that in todays competitive global environment, industry will require high standards from the academic institutions and from the students who graduate from them. It will be incumbent upon the academic staff of the various universities and colleges throughout the Sultanate to impress this point upon their students and encourage them to work to the very best of their ability in order to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Bibliography.

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Dr. SharifahHapsulShahabudin: Vice Chancellor of the University of Kabangsaan, Malaysia. http://eprints.ukm.my/53/1/Session1-1-Prof.Shahabudin.pdf 2006. Retrieved: February 16th 2014. 3. ) Employer and Needs-led curriculum planning in higher education: a cross sector case study of foundation degree development, by Rosalind Foskett. http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00003182.htm 2003. Retrieved: February 13th 2014. 4. ) The Dearing Report. http://www.educationengland.org.uk/documents/dearing/index.html 5 .) The Fryer Report. http://www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=2007-06-20b.501.0
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10. a ) National Training Organisations. http://www.acorn-training.com/link/nto 10 b. ) The Young Peoples Learning Agency.

webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120319141232/http:.. 11. ) Sohar University. http://www.soharuni.edu.om & http:// www.soharuni.edu.om/research

12. ) Massachusettes Institute of Technology. Best Practices for Industry-University Collaboration http://osp.mit.edu/sites/osp/files/u8/bestpractices.pdf

13a ) Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology. University of Buckingham. http://www.buckingham.ac.uk/research/bcab

13b. ) The Royal Astronomical Society. http:// www.ras.org.uk

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