The main thrust of this research was to contribute to theory building in the Theory of Higher Education (PPT) and their applicability in Oman and globally looking at the broader issues of students, academic work, and the place for higher education in society. The research explored gaps in knowledge regarding this theory as a contribution to knowledge, and in this instance, the Oman and global higher education industry was the epicentre of the research and was expected to meet foremost the needs of industry and government as employers of graduated students, then the needs of students and society in knowledge and innovation. This research was conceptual research using literature review only. A barrier is anything that prevents the system from achieving its goal likegetting enough students, doing academic work and finally poor resourcing. The main reasons giving rise to this research were the facts that some colleges and universities in the world faced challenges in assessment, quality, graduate employability and suitability for industry. The main objective of this research was to contribute to theory building in the Theory of Higher Education and identify critical success factors. The secondary objective was employability of graduates as the end product, maximising knowledge creation and innovation. Qualitative research method in the form of conceptual research was used in this research. The main findings were that lack of practicals/diverse teaching methods, lack of compulsory internship, unfair assessment, balancing classes with free time, the need for diversity in terms of faculty, uncommitted students, incompetent faculty, outdated syllabus, students from high schools not being college ready, graduates not matching industry requirements were the main issues.

Higher Educations Institutions (HEI), Assessment, Examinations

Ahmed, Lulin & Bajwa, (2016). Service quality at business schools and its correlation with students’ satisfaction and entrepreneurial self-efficacy. The Online Journal of Quality in Higher Education, 3(1):66-78.

Alon & McIntyre, 2008. Business education in emerging economies. International Journal of Business and Globalisation, 2(1), December:5-27.

Al-Saiari, M.A. (2023). Challenges of Higher Education Institutions in the Sultanate of Oman for Future Skills and Jobs and Ways to Overcome the Challenges to Achieve the Vision 2040: A Qualitative Study. Available at: https://journals.squ.edu.om/index.php/jeps/article/view/5614

Altbach, P.G. 2016. Global perspectives on higher education. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.

Antony, J.S., Cauce, A.M. & Shalala, D.E. 2017. Challenges in higher education leadership: practical and scholarly solutions. New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis.

Baeten, M., Dochy, F., Struyven, K., Parmentier, E. & Vanderbruggen, A. 2016. Student-centred learning environments: an investigation into student teachers’ instructional preferences and approaches to learning. Learning Environments Research, 19(1), April:43-62.

Berg, M. & Seeber, B. K. 2016. The slow professor: challenging the culture of speed in the academy. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Best, J. 2011. The stupidity epidemic. New York and London: Routledge.

Bhattacherjee, A. 2012. Social science research: principles, methods, and practices. Florida: Anold Bhattacherjee.

Bowen, W.G & McPherson, M.S. 2016. Lesson plan: An agenda for change in American higher education. New Jersey: Princeton University Press

Christensen, C.M. & Eyring, H.J. 2011. The innovative university: Changing the dna of higher education from the inside. USA: Jossey-Bass.

Clawson, D. & Page, M. 2011. The future of higher education. New York: Routledge.

Cole, J.R. 2009. The great American university: Its rise to preeminence, its indispensable national role, why it must be protected: USA: Public Affairs.

Crow, M.M. & Dabars, W.B. 2015. Designing the new American university. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Dastjerdi, N.B. 2016. Quality in virtual education: the quality evaluation model for educational activities in virtual institutions. The Online Journal of Quality in Higher Education, 3(1):46-55.

Davidson, C.N. 2017. The new education: how to revolutionize the university to prepare students for a world in flux. New York: Basic Books.

Global University Network for Innovation. 2008. Higher education in the world 3: higher education: new challenges and emerging roles for human and social development. Palgrave Macmillan: Hampshire.

Kauppila, O. 2016. Excellence in teaching: centres of excellence in Finnish university education. The Online Journal of Quality in Higher Education, 3(1):14-33.

Kyndt, E., Dochy, F., Struyven, K. & Cascallar, E. 2011. The perception of workload and task complexity and its influence on students’ approaches to learning: a study in higher education, European Journal of Psychology of Education, 26(3):393-415.

Labaree, D.F. 2017. A perfect mess: the unlikely ascendancy of American higher education. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Lombard J. V. 2013. How universities work. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.

López, B.G., Cerveró, G.A., Rodríguez, J.M.S., Félix, E.G. & Esteban, P.R.G. 2013. Learning styles and approaches to learning in excellent and average first-year university students. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 28(4), December:1361-1379.

Mandell, A. 2016. Cool passion: challenging higher education. The Review of Higher Education, 39(2):301-305.

Mettler, S. 2014. Degrees of inequality: How the politics of higher education sabotaged the American dream. USA: Basic Books.

Middle East Eye (2024). Saudi Arabia: Foreign executives chalk up million-dollar salaries at Neom, report says. Available at: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/foreign-executives-chalk-million-dollar-salaries-neom-report.

Mihanović, Z. & Zekić, K. 2016. Influence of students' satisfaction with student life quality on their performance:the case of higher education institutions in Portugal. The Online Journal of Quality in Higher Education, 3(1), October:34-45.

Mitchell, R.L.G. 2016. Longing for Justice: Higher Education and Democracy’s Agenda. The Review of Higher Education, vol. 39(2), Winter:315-317.

Selingo, J.J. 2013. College (unbound): The future of higher education and what it means for students. Las Vegas: Amazon Publishing.

Statistica (2024). Education worldwide - statistics & facts. Available at: https://www.statista.com/topics/7785/education-worldwide/#topicOverview

Struyven, K., Dochy, Janssens, F.S. & Gielen, S. 2008. Students’ experiences with contrasting learning environments: The added value of students’ perceptions. [Online]. Available from: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10984-008-9041-8 [Accessed 15/08/2017]

The Deloitte Center for Government Insights (2024). 2024 Higher Education Trends. A look at the challenges and opportunities shaping America’s higher education sector. Available at: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/public-sector/latest-trends-in-higher-education.html.

Thorp, H. & Goldstein, B. 2010. Engines of innovation, the entrepreneurial university in the twenty-first century. North Carolina: The University of North Carolina.

Trowler, P. 2015. Writing doctoral project proposals: research into higher education. San Bernadino, USA: Paul Trowler.

Villarroel, V., Brunab, D., Bruna, C., Brown, G. & Boud, D. 2024. Authentic assessment training for university teachers. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594X.2024.2350395

Wilmot, L.J. & Merino, A. 2015. A personal reflection of the impact of adopting a student-centred teaching approach to influence accounting students' approaches to learning. South African Journal of Higher Education, 29(6), January:257.

Yin, H., Wang, W. and Han, J. 2016. Chinese undergraduates’ perceptions of teaching quality and the effects on approaches to studying and course satisfaction. Higher Education. 71(1), April:39-57.