The Extracurricular 1000-Point Project: A Descriptive Study of a Creative Activities Model for SQU Students in Oman

Abstract

It is well established that college students need not only to learn subjects but also extracurricular activities. Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), in Oman, provides extracurricular activities for students in addition to academic activities. However, the administration noted that students were hesitant to join extracurricular activities. SQU developed a new system dubbed “1000” points in 2020 to increase student involvement. The goal of the current study is to define the 1000-point initiatives. To achieve the study goals, a survey was utilized to collect data and content analysis. SQU generally has 25 student organizations. Also, according to the report, the 1000-point program was created to motivate SQU students to join in extracurricular activities by tracking their involvement and classifying it into four categories. In order to increase students’ awareness of the system and its use, the system has to be made mandatory.

1. Introduction

Education is a multidimensional-integrated process that is not limited to classroom activities, as it also encompasses extracurricular activities that expand and increase the knowledge presented in the classroom, deepen students’ experience, and provide opportunities for further growth in various fields.

An education that is connected to learners’ goals, objectives, interests, needs, and experiences definitely impacts their behavior. Besides the importance of education and the subjects students learn, students also need well recognized universities and well established and accredited courses in high education, as well as extracurricular activities, which help them to practice and maintain their hobbies, discover their new talents, develop their existing skills, reduce academic pressure, and maintain a balance between their academic and nonacademic lives. This agrees with Ref. [1], who concluded that students experience high rates of pressure and mental illness during their university studies. Furthermore, they found that university friendship groups were more protective against distress than other social identities. Khasawneh [2] believes that nonacademic activities are an important part of the university curriculum in its modern concept and are well-matched with the school. The importance of these activities is that their roles in building and refining students’ personalities and many of their objectives are achieved through the activities carried out outside the classroom.

Patrick et al. [3] view the extracurricular activities as the activities that are conducted under the umbrella of the school but occur outside of normal classroom time and are not part of the curriculum. According to [4] student groups, ranging from cultural and social organizations (including fraternities and sororities) to student publications and athletic groups, provide an enormous range of extracurricular activities.

2. Background of the study

Inaugurated in 1986, Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) is the only public university in Oman. It has nine colleges, the Center for Preparatory Studies (CPS), and four deanships, all with students’ societies or groups, which aim to provide opportunities for the development of conflict resolution skills, critical thinking, and ethical reflection [5], as well as to meet students’ physical, intellectual, psychological, social, mental, and spiritual needs [6]. Furthermore, participation in student groups can alleviate academic pressure on students and assist them in practicing, discovering, and enhancing their talents and skills. Finally, these groups prepare students for the job market and motivate them to succeed academically and professionally. In addition to understanding common knowledge, students are also able to develop personal and social skills that contribute to the integral development of participants and to the development of positive attitudes toward themselves and others [7].

To achieve the above-mentioned goals, SQU provides students with extracurricular activities along with academic activities. To promote students’ participation in such activities, SQU organizes them through a set of regulations, provides the required budgets, and urges colleges and units to add extracurricular activities to their semester plans. This bears on SQU’s belief that extracurricular activities play an important role in preparing students for the job market, refining their skills, and equipping them with soft and administrative skills, such as speaking, communication, planning, and time management. SQU assigned the responsibility of organizing and supervising these extracurricular activities to the Deanship of Students Affairs (DSA). Table 1 shows the names of the student groups with their administrative subordination (Table 1).

No	Name of the student groups	Administrative subordination
1	Al Kaleel Literary Group	DSA
2	English Language and translation Group
3	Debate Group
4	History and Archeology Group
5	Community Voice Group
6	Scouts Group
7	Theater Group
8	Photography Group
9	Arts Group
10	Music Group
11	Technical Community Group
12	Islamic Culture Group
Student groups affiliated with the colleges
1	College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences Students Group (CAMS)	CAMS
2	College of Arts and Social Sciences Students Group (CASS)	CASS
3	College of Economics and Political Science Students Group (CEP)	CEP
4	College of Education Students Group (CE)	CE
5	College of Engineering Students Group (CEN.)	CEN.
6	College of Law Students Group (CL)	CL
7	College of Nursing Students Group (CN)	CN
8	College of Medicine and Health Science students Group (CMHS)	CMHS
9	College of Science Students Group (CS)	CS
Student groups that belong to administrative units
1	Innovation and Entrepreneurship Group	Center for Innovation and Technology Transfer
2	Postgraduates Students Group	Deanship of Postgraduates
3	Risk Management Students Group	Risk Management
4	Free and Open Source Software Group	Center for Communication Research

Table 1.

The names of the students’ groups and their administrative subordination.

Table 1 shows that there are 25 student groups at SQU, divided into three types of administrative subordination: 12 groups are under the supervision of the DSA, 9 are affiliated with the colleges, and the last 4 are under administrative units.

3. The problem with the study

Although SQU arranged and kept improving the regulations of extracurricular activities regularly, the university administration noticed that students were reluctant to join extracurricular activities and student groups. This could be attributed to the fact, as Ref. [3] noted, that these usually do not earn academic credits, and students’ participation is optional and voluntary.

It was clear that SQU students did not want to overload themselves with optional activities that did not involve any marks or evaluation.

Therefore, to improve and increase the number of students participating in extracurricular activities, SQU launched a new electronic system in 2020 with the purpose of arranging extracurricular activities. The system is called “1000” points.

4. The questions and the aims of the study

The current study aims to find answers to the following questions:

1. What is the 1000-point system?

2. What are the main categories of the 1000-point system?

3. Which colleges implemented the 1000-point system?

4. What are the challenges that face SQU in applying the 1000-point electronic system?

5. Are SQU students aware of the 1000-point electronic system?

6. What are SQU students’ attitudes toward the 1000-point electronic system?

So, six objectives emerged from the above questions:

1. Introducing and clarifying the 1000-point system.

2. Introducing the main categories of the 1000 points.

3. Introduce the colleges that applied the 1000-point system.

4. Identify the challenges that face SQU in applying the 1000-point system.

5. Explore SQU students’ awareness of the 1000-point system.

6. Explore students’ attitudes toward 1000-point system.

5. Literature review

The topic of extracurricular activities has drawn much attention among researchers. According to Ref. [8], extracurricular activities have become an issue in higher education. In addition, Refs. [9, 10] pointed out that extracurricular educational activities were widely discussed in domestic and foreign studies; they believed that researchers studied students’ attitudes toward extracurricular activities and the role that these activities played in their development. Researchers’ interest was also drawn to the relationship between extracurricular activities and academic outcomes [5, 11]. In this sense, extracurricular activities have thus far been found to positively influence students’ academic performance.

It has been found that students who engage in extracurricular activities have better academic results than those who do not [12], have higher GPAs, have lower absenteeism, are more connected to the school [13], and are more likely to persist through to graduation [14].

In fact, extracurricular activities at higher education organizations are often considered factor that develop students’ skills and reduce academic stress. Considering the importance of these activities, universities aim to increase students’ participation in them. An example of such an initiative was designed by Ref. [15] for electrical and electronic engineering students and later for students from all faculties of engineering at the University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNM), with the aim of encouraging students to participate in extracurricular activities, promoting lifelong learning, and facilitating the development of such skills. Further, Ref. [16] accompanied a study aimed at demonstrating the importance of extracurricular activities at Samara State University of Social Sciences and Education, as well as its impact on students’ psychological readiness to work in inclusive education, as well as its influence on the development of future teachers’ positive attitudes toward inclusive education, tolerance, and individual creativity.

As for students’ attitudes toward extracurricular activities in higher education, the literature actually shows that students hold a positive view in this regard. For an instant, Ref. [17] found that students of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Madrid, Spain held a positive attitude toward extracurricular activities. They also found that such activities had a positive impact on students’ entrepreneurial motivation and competencies. Their analysis demonstrates the effects of curricular and extracurricular activities on the entrepreneurial intention of university students. In the same vein, Ref. [7] found a positive attitude from the Tangier, Morocco student studying at a Spanish university. A total of 23 students who participated in volunteering activities were interviewed as part of the study. The study concluded that the sample valued the role voluntary extracurricular activities played in developing reflections that guide change in student beliefs, attitudes, and daily behaviors that ultimately lead to sustainability. Thus, the study recommends that students participate in social projects with peers and instructors, which can foster a supportive and trusting environment. Moreover, Ref. [18] suggest that extracurricular activities contribute to motivating the development of the intellectual domain of the personality and fostering strong qualities in students, and enhancing their interest in communication as a result. Additionally, Ref. [19] found that extracurricular activities affect students’ skills development in undergraduate students at a public university in Bangladesh, where the students have acquired some skills as a result of participating in such activities, including social skills, communication skills, organizational skills, presentation skills, public speaking skills, and analytical skills.

In the current study, it is believed that decision makers at higher education institutions will turn their beliefs into practice if they believe in extracurricular activities. A study conducted by Ref. [20] about extracurricular activities and student-led activity clubs at higher education institutions to develop the social entrepreneurial competencies of graduates in emerging markets, found that decision makers have to conceptualize educational institutions not only as a place for learning but also as a place for practicing entrepreneurship skills for the next generation of social leaders in emerging markets. Furthermore, the researchers found that students who get exposed to practical activities during their studies have an advantage in the job market due to their greater employability. A university that invests in social entrepreneurship education develops leaders of tomorrow and increases scholarship opportunities through its alumni network.

6. Methodology and methods

This is a descriptive study that aims to describe the project and evaluate the electronic system for the 1000 points and students’ perspectives on this. A survey was used to collect data, and content analysis was used to analyze them. The use of a survey helped the researcher to explore the view of the study community about the 1000-point electronic system. On the other hand, the use of content analysis helped the researcher to understand the full picture of the project, especially in the term of the meaning of the 1000 points, the main categories, and the challenges that face SQU in applying the 1000-point electronic system.

The content analysis is used to answer the following questions:

1. What is the “1000” points system?

2. What are the main categories of the 1000-point system?

3. What are the colleges that have implemented the 1000-point system?

4. What are the challenges that face SQU in applying the 1000-point electronic system?

The study depended on the document of the 1000-point system that was approved by the SQU Academic Council in 2018, as well as the committee reports signed in 2021.

The following two questions were answered through the survey sent to the targeted samples at the College of Education (CE) and College of Nursing (CN) and through the evaluation of the uploaded activities on the system.

1. Are the students at SQU aware of 1000-point electronic system?

2. What are the students at SQU’s attitudes toward 1000-point electronic system?

7. Study community and sample

The community of the study consisted of the members of students Groups (CE) and (CN); however, the sample of the study was the students members who answered the survey and uploaded their activities on the electronic 1000-point system.

Table 2 shows the study community was 967 students from both students groups, with an overwhelming majority from CE students’ group (857 = 89%), while the highest participation in the study, that is, those who responded to the survey, was from CN students’ group (54 = 59.4%).

Study community
No.	Name of the students’ group	Number of students
1	College of Education Students Group	857 (89%)
2	College of Nursing Students Group	110 (11.3%)
Total number 967
Study sample
1	College of Education Students Group	2 (17.1%)
2	College of Nursing Students Group	54 (59.4%)
56 (5%)

Table 2.

The total number of study community and sample.

SQU selected two colleges for the project’s pilot phase, one of which was a science college (CN), and the other a humanities institution (CE). Out of 967 students, 56 (5%) responded to the survey, which was given to the CE and CN student organizations. The survey was sent to both student groups via their email addresses. It consisted of six closed-ended questions and used a Likert 5-point scale. The participants were asked to indicate how much they agreed with each of the five claims. The scale had five categories: (1) strongly disagree, (2) disagree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (4) agree, and (5) strongly agree. To get authorization to distribute the survey, an email was sent to the assistant of each college with a link to the survey (Table 3).

No.	Variables	Number of students
1	Gender	Female	41 (73.2%)
		Male	15(26.8%)
2	Academic year	1st year	2 (3.6%)
		2nd year	3 (5.3%)
		3rd year	14 (25%)
		4th year	22 (39.3%)
		5th year	15 (26.8%)

Table 3.

The details of the sample.

Table 3 shows that 41 (73.2%) female students responded to the survey compared to only 15 (26.8%) male students. Additionally, the table reveals that among the respondents, first-year students had the lowest number (2 = 3.6%), while four-year students had the largest number (22 = 39.3%).

8. Results

8.1 The “1000” points system and its main categories

According to the documents of introducing the 1000-point system that was approved by the SQU Academic Council in 2018, the 1000-point system reflects the student’s non-curricular performance into four categories, which are:

1. Knowledge: - 340 Ps.

2. Skills: - Total 190 Ps.

3. Service: - 370 Ps.

4. College-related items and miscellaneous: - 100 Ps.

Each main category has subcategories, and the total number of the main four categories is 1000 points. Actually, the system is a semiquantitative expression.

The electronic 1000-point system is a way for SQU students to claim and accumulate points from extracurricular activities they organize or attend while enrolled at SQU. In actuality, the system serves as a storehouse that aids SQU students in organizing, planning, and selecting the best extracurricular activities. Students from SQU will be distinguished from those attending other higher education institutions in the Sultanate of Oman by the certificate they will get. Only SQU offers this certificate and has this framework in place for higher education. Along with the scientific knowledge certificate, this confirms that SQU students possess the skills required for the job market.

Students and the administrative panel are asked to access the system’s electronic page from the following address: https://squ1000.squ.edu.om/login.php (Figure 1).

• The 1000-point electronic system consists of three main screens:

• Home

• ADMIN PANEL

• Log out (Figure 2)

Figure 1.

Log in to the 1000-points project webpage.

Figure 2.

The main screen of the 1000-point project.

Each of the three main screens has sub-screens. Figure 2 shows that there were 10 events scheduled for August 2022, 5 were still pending, and 15 had been approved.

8.2 The colleges that implemented the 1000-point system

In 2021, SQU issued decree number 994 to form the team of the 1000-point project. The decree determined the colleges that will be included in the implementation of the project in its pilot phase, those college are as follows:

1. College of Education (CE)

2. College of Nursing (CN)

The 1000-point system was piloted from spring 2021 to the end of fall 2022 at the above-mentioned colleges.

8.3 The challenges that face SQU in applying the 1000-point electronic system

According to the reports received in Spring and Fall 2022, from the committee, two challenges face the implementation of the 1000-point electronic system:

1. Technical

2. Human

Following are the technical challenges:

• Some students fail to access the electronic system of the 1000 points,

• The slowness of the system,

• Difficulty in finding the specific event, as there is no field for sporting events, whether by college, date, or type of event,

• The student’s group supervisor/assistant dean is unable to edit or delete any activity,

• There is no main window showing the number of students who have entered the system, or the number of students who have accumulated points in the system,

• The student’s group supervisor/assistant dean’s unable to know the statistics for each activity, and

• The electronic system of the 1000-point does not have a notification feature that might alert the student’s group supervisor/assistant dean in case if a student is adding an event or claiming points.

The human challenges can be summarized in the following points:

• The company that built-up the system was from outside the SQU, this made it a bit difficult and slow for the 1000-point team in case they needed to modify or update to the electronic system of the 1000 points,

• The responses from the targeted students at CE and CN from spring 2022–fall 2022 were very low and they were not accepting the system easily,

• Most of the targeted students from CE and CN were in their final year, and they were busy with the practical training that took 4 days of a week,

• The 1000-point electronic system was launched at the beginning of spring 2022 semester, the targeted students at CE and CN were busy with registration and with adding and dropping subjects,

• The electronic system of the 1000 points is still new and has not been popular among the students themselves, and

• Unfortunately, the majority of SQU students do not care about the announcements that are published through email.

8.4 SQU students’ awareness of the 1000-point electronic system

The report of the committee referred to above showed that the team used different methods to raise awareness among SQU students in general and particularly among the targeted students at CE and CN. The used methods were:

• Workshops for the targeted students and their supervisors at CE and CN,

• An introductory video about the project,

• A booklet prepared about the project, and

• Interviews with the team members about the project.

In spite of the committee members’ efforts to raise students’ awareness, responses from students in terms of attending workshops or uploading events on the system to accumulate points were low. The survey showed that only 39 participants (69.6%) were aware of the electronic system of the 1000 points.

8.5 SQU students’ attitudes toward the 1000-point electronic system

Out of the 56 responses we received from both student groups, 50 (89.3%) said they were satisfied with the electronic system of the 1000 points, while 49 (87.5%) clarified that the 1000 points motivated them to participate in students’ activities Moreover, 45 (80.4%) viewed the electronic system of the 1000 points as the repository that helped them to document their activities.

9. Conclusions

As we can see from the above results, 1000 points were designed to encourage SQU students to participate in extracurricular activities by documenting their activities and organizing them under four main categories. Furthermore, SQU connected the structure of the project with an electronic system that allows students to plan their activities under the four major categories and choose the points they would like to earn. The 1000-point electronic system enables each student to monitor his/her progress over the years while they are at SQU in the main categories mentioned earlier. During the course of a student’s stay at SQU, all points earned from activities other than coursework and degree programs will count toward their overall grade point average. Each of the four main categories is divided into several subcategories that represent the ways in which a student can earn points toward meeting the requirements of the SQU graduate attributes. If a student undertakes multiple activities that fall under more than one category/subcategory, he or she must choose only one category/subcategory for that activity in order to collect points. Points can only be earned from one category or subcategory. When the graduate students obtain two certificates, one for academic achievement and one for extracurricular activities. The current study has found that SQU is the first to use this system in the Middle East. It is used nowhere else in the region.

As is the case with other extracurricular activities, this 1000-point program is a voluntary noncredit points system for students to accumulate as many points out of 1000 as they wish during their time at SQU. This is in agreement with Ref. [19], who defines extracurricular activities as those activities that take place outside the regular school curriculum and are usually voluntary and non-creditable. A pilot program has been set up at SQU, so that the system can be tested and modified before it is implemented across all colleges at the university. SQU was able to overcome all the challenges, especially the technical ones.

In order to increase students’ awareness of the system and its use, the system will be made mandatory. Despite the small number of students who participated in the survey, results show there is acceptance from them of the electronic system. This program was developed by SQU after noticing students’ reluctance to participate in extracurricular activities and to meet the market’s growing demands for graduates who are multiskilled, especially in soft skills and management abilities.