English abstract
The study aimed to investigate the reality of the internationalization of higher education at Sultan Qaboos University by identifying the activities of internationalization of higher education, its challenges, and suggest some recommendations to address these challenges. To achieve the objectives of the study, the researcher followed the descriptive approach, through qualitative research method, where the data was collected through two tools: documents analysis and interviews which were analyzed using thematic analysis.
The study concluded that Sultan Qaboos University is practicing some of the activities of internationalization of higher education, including: alignment of academic programs with international standards, attracting international academics and students, and signing agreements and memorandums of understanding with international institutions. The study also revealed that the most apparent challenges of the internationalization of higher education at Sultan Qaboos University were lack of financial resources, poor communication in English, and weak implementation of agreements. In view of the study findings, the researcher suggested some recommendations to address the challenges of internationalization, which are: looking for other financial sources, enhancement of the English language for staff and students, and the establishment of a system for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the agreements.
