Keynote Speakers

Dr Catherine Hack is the Lead Consultant (Education) for Advance-HE. Catherine leads a team of senior consultants to deliver a range of services to the HE sector to support strategic leadership and change in HEIs. She has worked with a diverse range of UK and international higher education providers on key themes which aim to improve the student experience and outcomes. She led, in collaboration with the UK Quality Assurance Agency, the revision of sector guidance on Education for Sustainable Development. Currently her focus is on supporting institutional leaders to develop a strategic approach to their organisation’s commitment to sustainability and flexible learning and teaching, and the impact of generative AI on learning, teaching and assessment.

Keynote Speech Title: Does excellence need innovation?

In this keynote presentation Dr Hack will explore the concepts of innovation and excellence in higher education. Reflecting on key innovations that have supported progress towards inclusive and accessible quality higher education for all, she will offer insights on fostering a sustainable culture of excellence across all aspects of higher education provision – from teaching and assessment to student support and delivery methods.

Dr. Khalid Almashikhi is the Dean of College of Arts and Applied Sciences (CAAS) at Dhofar University since 2017. Prior to being appointed as Dean, Dr. Khalid served Dhofar University in several positions: Assistant Dean of CAAS, Head of Education Department, Director of Center of Continuing Education and Community Service. Dr. Almashikhi is the Director of Center for Teaching and Learning and In charge of the Unit for Students with Disabilities.

Dr. Khalid has published several research articles in international peer-reviewed journal in the fields of leadership, teaching and Learning. He has presented in various national, regional, and international conferences. He is actively associated with ongoing research projects in Oman and abroad. Dr. Almashikhi has guided several masters’ thesis and has served as examiner to many masters and PhD theses in Oman and abroad.

Dr. Khalid is a passionate educator who prides himself as a classroom teacher. He has won Anderson- Gouttierre Award, USA in 2009 and the best graduate award from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA in 2015. Dr. Khalid is the founder of Future Leaders program (FLP) in Oman. The FLP is a youth leadership program for high school students that started in 2013. In the last 6 years, Dr. Khalid has delivered and conducted more than 100 workshops, lectures, and training sessions in schools, and at different NGOs, and government and private organizations. He serves as a member of several committees at the university and in the community.

Dr. Almashikhi is a certified reviewer for OAAA Institutional Standards Assessment and General Foundation Programs Audit. He has been invited by several HEIs to serve as an external institutional and program reviewer.

Keynote Speech Title : Building Connections, Inspiring Minds: Cultivating Positive Student-Teacher Relationships

 In today’s evolving educational environments, the role of student-teacher relationship plays a significant role. As higher educational institutions are striving to sustain their quality of education, paying attention to strengthening the relationship between students and teachers cannot be emphasized enough.

The talk will focus on the fundamentals of creating a positive student-teacher relationship. It will also emphasize on creating a fostering and inclusive classroom environment. The audience will gain insights into techniques that foster positive connections in the classroom.

Furthermore, the talk will discuss potential challenges of building a positive relationship between students and their instructors. Various methods of overcoming those challenges will be discussed to ensure inclusivity and equitable experiences for all students.

The talk aims to emphasize on the significance of positive student-teacher relationship and the role it plays in students experience in higher education.

Omar Al-Ubaydli is the Director of Research at Derasat, Bahrain. He is also an affiliated associate professor of economics at George Mason University; an affiliated senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center; a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington; and a non-resident fellow at Trends, UAE. Al-Ubaydli is also the president of the Bahrain Economists Society. His research interests include political economy, experimental economics, and the economics of the GCC countries. Al-Ubaydli previously served as a member of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Joint Advisory Board of Economists and a Visiting Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago. He regularly publishes his research in international peer-reviewed academic journals, and his mainstream media articles appear in Arabic and English-language newspapers and blogs such as AlHayat, The National, Forbes Opinion, and US News. Al-Ubaydli earned his BA in economics from the University of Cambridge, and his MA and PhD in economics from the University of Chicago.

Keynote Speech Title: Embracing conflict: Why intellectual discord breeds excellence in innovation

 In much of the Arab world, the prevailing culture in educational circles is one that emphasizes the need to conform to an intellectually orthodox view, and to regard heterodox thinking as insubordinate and seditious. At a purely intellectual level, this retards the genesis of new ideas, hampering innovation in all domains. In contrast, innovative societies are ones where intellectual disagreement is acknowledged to be an intrinsic part of the advancement of human knowledge, and where the process of discussing differing opinions in a professional manner makes a pivotal contribution to the genesis of new ideas. Muslim societies were aware of this during the Golden Age of Islam, yet they seem to have unlearned this important fact. It is important to relearn it for Arab societies to fulfill their potential.