Oman Observer
Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) on Tuesday organised a workshop on the ‘Future of Computing Programmes’ as part of its efforts to review and improve its academic programmes.
The workshop provided a platform for debating with the colleges and departments offering computing programmes, local stakeholders and international experts, the different restructuring options and their associated strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges.
The workshop, presided over by Dr Ali bin Saud al Bemani, Vice-Chancellor, SQU, was attended by invited local stakeholders and representatives from government and private organisations with ties to the SQU computing programmes.
International speakers came from National University of Singapore, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals-Saudi Arabia, Qatar University and Carnegie Mellon University-Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US. From each of the three colleges of Science, Engineering, and Economics and Political Science at SQU, deans, heads of departments concerned, assistant deans and five faculty members participated in the workshop.
The university reviews and restructures its academic programmes based on the global trends to meet the growing needs of the local society. Information and communication technology is a major area in the economy of any society. Oman’s 2040 future vision calls for preparing all mechanisms and policies to cope with the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
As part of its efforts to respond to these global and local needs, SQU is studying the restructuring of its academic programmes and departments in the different fields of computing.