Faculty of English Language Studies Team

MUC Head of Learning & Teaching

and Head of the Faculty of English Language Studies

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Dr. Peter Mitchell’s service in higher education spans 20 years. Initially a British Council language assistant, he became associate professor and founded a department at a world-leading (QS 250) university in Russia. Peter holds a BA (Hons) with distinction in Liberal Arts (Durham University) and MSc with distinction in Teacher Education (University of Oxford). He earned his doctorate in education from the University of Derby and is a Fellow of the UK’s Royal Society of Arts and Chartered Institute of Linguists, and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA). Peter has supervised doctoral theses internationally and taught over 70,000 learners worldwide in partnership with Coursera. He has consulted leaders of educational institutions in various countries and is an external reviewer for the Ministry of Education and Oman Authority for Quality Assurance of Education. Peter’s research focuses on teacher education and institutional development.

Executive Officer – Faculty of English Language Studies

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Director of Studies for the MA in Applied Linguistics and Professor

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Prof. Ehsan Rassaei is currently the Director of Studies for the MA in Applied Linguistics at Majan University College. He has taught both undergraduate and postgraduate courses for more than 10 years before joining Majan University College in 2018 and has published a significant number of papers in top international journals such as System, Computer Assisted Language Learning, Language Teaching Research, and the Modern Language Journal. He was promoted from Associate Professor to Professor in 2022. His areas of interest include corrective feedback in language classrooms, dynamic assessment, vocabulary teaching and computer-mediated language learning. He is particularly interested in investigating the application of different forms of technology to language teaching.

Director of Studies for the BA (Hons) English Language and Assistant Professor

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Dr. Farhad Tayebipour is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK. He joined MUC in September 2014. He has presented several papers in international conferences and published papers in journals such as Applied Research on English Language, Teaching English as A Second Language Quarterly, and Journal of Language Teaching and Research. He has also published book chapters in volumes such as Asian Englishes: Changing Perspective in a Globalized World (2012) edited by Lawrence Jun Zhang, Rani Rubdy and Lubna Alsagoff, and Language Assessment in the Middle East and North Africa: Theory, Practice and Future Trends (2017) edited by Christine Coombe, Peter Davidson, Atta Gebril, Deena Boraie, and Sahbi Hidri. He has taught undergraduate and postgraduate modules at Majan University College such as Second Language Acquisition, Semantics and Pragmatics, Corpus Linguistics, and Assessment and Accreditation. His areas of interest are Second Language Acquisition, L2 pragmatics and L2 dynamic assessment.

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Programme Manager and Senior Lecturer

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George Puthery Louis joined Majan University College in 2014. He holds an MA in English Literature from Osmania University, India. He completed a Post Graduate Diploma in the Teaching of English Language (PGDTE) from English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), India and is CELTA-qualified. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK. He is currently teaching Reading and Writing modules for the undergraduate level English courses offered in the Business and IT Faculties. He also teaches Preparatory IELTS Academic courses for Postgraduate applicants. He led the materials development team in the preparation of In-House Material for Grammar in Context and Basic Research modules at the Foundation Programme. His main areas of interest are materials development and Technology Enhanced Language Learning.

Faculty Director of Quality Assurance & Enhancement and Assistant Professor

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Dr. Chandna Singh Nirwan joined Majan University College in 2024. She has over 8 years of teaching experience at university level. She obtained her PhD in English from the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Jaipur, India. She has an MA in English with Communication Studies from Christ University, Bangalore, India. Her areas of specialisation include Dalit studies, archetypes, myths, land politics, language, and identity. Her scholarly work has been published by SAGE and others. She has also authored a monograph titled An Ecocritical Reading of Tess of the D’Urbervilles. It is based on her study of Ecocriticism and Ecofeminism. In addition, she has worked on several international projects in collaboration with organisations such as the Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives, University of South Victoria; Oxford University Press; Global South Colloquium, University of Victoria; York Centre for Asian Research, York University; and the Centre for South Asian Studies, University of Hawaii, Manoa.

Assistant Professor

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Dr. Muhammed Tanveer chairs the Faculty Research Committee in the Faculty of English Language Studies. He holds a PhD in Language Testing from the Centre for Research in English Language Learning and Assessment (CRELLA), University of Bedfordshire. He also holds an MEd in English Language Teaching from Glasgow University,UK and an MA in English Language and Literature from International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI). He also served as Quality Assurance Coordinator of the English Foundation Programme for three years. Dr. Tanveer has diverse experience in teaching various English language, study, and research skills to a wide variety of students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He has supervised and reviewed several internal as well as external research projects. His research interests around language testing include defining new test constructs, designing test tasks, TLU domain analysis, test validation, etc.

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Senior Lecturer

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Abdelseid is responsible for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL applications) for the Faculty. He joined Majan University College in October 2001. He has a BA in English Literature; a Masters in Communicative English; a Post Graduate diploma in the Teaching of English; a Diploma in Translation; a Certificate in American Culture and Civilization; and an MPhil in English Language Teaching. He is a Fellow of the UK’s Higher Education Academy. He has taught a variety of modules at all levels of the undergraduate programmes in Majan including Academic Reading and Writing, Intensive Academic Reading, Critical Reading and Writing Skills in English, Principles of translation, Theories of Language Learning, and English for Employability Skills.

Lecturer

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Amani Al Abdulsalam holds an MA in Applied Linguistics from the University of Bedfordshire, complemented by a BA in English Language Education from the University of Nizwa. Additionally, she has earned a higher diploma in Teaching Arabic for non-Arabic speakers from the same academic institution. Amani has taught at a variety of colleges and institutes in Oman. Her pedagogical approach is characterised by a keen interest in employing contemporary teaching methodologies, underscoring her commitment to fostering the intellectual development of the emerging generation of learners.

Lecturer

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Abdul Rahim Al Malki teaches Arabic. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Teaching Arabic (2008) and a Master’s degree in Teaching Arabic and its Arts (2016) from the University of Nizwa. He worked as an Arabic teacher in government schools for 14 years. He has attended various professional development workshops focused on learning outcomes, classroom management and developing a learner-centred approach.

GFP Director of Studies and Senior Lecturer

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Majid Shatery has been teaching at Majan University College since 2002. He holds an MA in English Language Teaching from Tehran University and an MBA from the University of Bedfordshire. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK. Apart from his leadership and teaching roles, Majid has been coordinating the peer assisted learning (PAL) system. His research interests include methods of English teaching and application of skills-based EFL materials.

GFP Programme Manager and Teaching Assistant

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Abdullah Al-Rajaibi holds a Diploma in English (1994) and a Bachelor’s degree in TESOL (2003) from the University of Leeds. He worked as an English teacher in government schools for 18 years and was also an exam officer for four years in the Ministry of Education. Before joining Majan University College, he worked in other HEIs in the country in foundation programmes, teaching, coordinating and managing. He has attended various professional development workshops focused on learning outcomes, classroom management and developing a learner-centred approach.

GFP Director of Quality Assurance and Senior Lecturer

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Hajer Al Majarafi graduated from Majan University College in 2014 and obtained her 1st class honours Bachelor’s degree in English Language, validated and awarded by the University of Bedfordshire, and received certificates of Academic Excellence and Achievement. She followed this with an MBA, also at Bedfordshire, and is CELTA-qualified. She teaches a variety of modules on the GFP and has developed teaching materials for foundation modules. Her research interests include technology enhanced language teaching and vocabulary teaching.

Associate Professor

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Dr. Lucy Mitchell completed her undergraduate and PhD studies in English Language Teaching at Tomsk State University, and holds a postgraduate diploma with distinction in Russian Language Teaching from Moscow State University. She has taught and supervised students from a range of countries in Africa, Asia and Europe. Her interests include English for Academic Purposes, English for Specific Purposes, and enhancing learner engagement through fun activities inside and outside the classroom.

Senior Lecturer

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Awatif Al Balushi boasts over 8 years of teaching experience at Majan University College. She holds an MBA from the University of Bedfordshire, and a BA (Hons) in English Language and Literature with Business Studies from the Arab Open University. Awatif is a Fellow of the UK’s Higher Education Academy. In addition to her managerial and instructional roles, she is CELTA-qualified and has a strong interest in Special Needs Education.

Senior Lecturer

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Muhammed Ibrahim Farooq has been teaching English for 27 years. He teaches a variety of modules such as Integrated Language Skills in English, Drama in English, and Poetry in English, etc. He holds an MA in English Literature and Language, a Diploma in TEFL and a Certificate in Teaching Languages (International House World Organization, Newcastle, UK). He is also a Fellow of the UK’s Higher Education Academy, and completed a certificate course on Learning Technologies in EAP for Teachers from the University of Sheffield. He takes a special interest in embedding technology in English Language teaching, and has developed teaching materials for different modules.

Senior Lecturer

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Abdullah Al Badi joined Majan University College in 2013. He received an MA in Curriculum and Instruction in Teaching English from Muaata University, Jordan. He has over two decades of teaching experience in the Ministry of Education. He has various technology-based teaching training related certifications such as EAP (University of Sheffield), Avoiding Plagiarism (Oxford), online educational educator in Hamdan bin Mohammed Smart University and Train the Trainer certificate from Khimji Training Institute. Abdullah is a Fellow of the UK’s Higher Education Academy. He teaches a variety of modules on GFP. He typically supervises graduation projects related to English and/or Arabic phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and discourse. As a teacher, Abdullah is primarily interested in reading skills and teaching grammar in context.

Senior Lecturer

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Zainab Al Lawati joined Majan University College as a lecturer in Information Technology in 2014. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Networking from Majan University College and an MBA from the University of Bedfordshire. She teaches Information Technology to Semester I and II students in the GFP. Her areas of interest are Programming, Hardware and Networking.

Teaching Assistant

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Sharifa Al Wahaibi graduated from Majan University College with 1st class Honours in 2019. She obtained her CELTA certification and then joined Majan University College’s GFP as a Teaching Assistant in 2021 where she teaches modules such as Grammar in Context, Study Skills, Research Skills, Academic Writing, and Academic Reading. Her main interest is in creating the best learning experience for foundation students by applying an interactive approach to teaching.

Teaching Assistant

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Ibraheem Al Maaini is a Teaching Assistant on the General Foundation Programme. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature from Sultan Qaboos University and earned his CELTA qualification in 2019. He has worked in various higher education institutions in Oman, gaining valuable teaching experience. He is currently pursuing an MA in TESOL, with research focusing on teacher motivation and resilience in higher education. His teaching philosophy emphasises creating a supportive classroom environment and recognising students’ potential to achieve growth and success.

Teaching Assistant

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Jumana Alhabsi joined Majan University College in 2024 to teach mathematics on the General Foundation Programme. She graduated from Sultan Qaboos University in 2023 with a BSc in Physics and Computer Science. She has deep knowledge of data analysis and utilises programming languages such as Python, Java, and C++ to analyse and interpret complex datasets. With teaching experience at a renowned academic institution, Jumana is dedicated to making complex mathematical concepts accessible and engaging for her students.