The Academic Excellence Program of the Deanship of General Studies at Qatar University (QU) organized a special meeting on the advantages of teaching academic excellence programs called Honors programs and affiliated with the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) on Wednesday, September 1.
The meeting began with a welcoming speech from the Dean of General Studies, Professor Dr. Ibrahim Al-Kaabi, in which he demonstrated his pride in launching the new study plan, which is characterized by flexibility and keeping pace with global developments 13 years after the launch of the program at Qatar University in 2009.
Then the guests shed light on the advantages of teaching academic excellence, the specificity of the relationship between students and professors of courses in excellence, and the distinctive impact that the education framework achieves in excellence programs in enhancing critical thinking skills and innovative thinking skills, developing students’ ability to analyze and communicate, complete their graduate studies, and achieve success in their personal and professional careers. .
Prof. Dr. Abd Rabbo Suleiman, Director of the Academic Excellence Program at Qatar University, said that holding this event at the beginning of the academic year comes to highlight the advantages of global academic excellence programs, especially with the participation of distinguished personalities from the American National Council to share with us the most important practices and the most important opportunities that students and communities can enhance. The new plan comes within the major development movement that the university is witnessing towards transformation in higher education in the State of Qatar. The university plays a leading role in shaping and enabling the transformation process in the higher education system in Qatar. The new plan comes within the university’s goal towards excellence in education, with the university being known regionally for providing transformational education centered on the learner, based on practical application, based on scientific research, based on a competency system, enhanced by digitization, and supportive of leadership.
The new study plan has been developed to include an Introduction to Excellence course, which prepares students for the foundations of learning and teaching academic excellence, and then embarks on a journey with 8 units of study provided in a flexible, practical and applied manner such as design thinking, entrepreneurship and leadership in an era of variables and professors’ experiences in multidisciplinary scientific research methodologies
These materials are provided in Arabic and English in accordance with the policy of Qatar University and is keen to promote values, identity and conscious openness to the world.
Qatar University offers this program free of charge to students, in addition to linking students with institutions and specialized agencies that provide training opportunities and qualify them for community innovation and development of their societies. Despite the recent launch of the study plan (Spring 2021), it witnessed an unprecedented turnout of students, as only 100 students were selected from around 600 students. A candidate and interested in enrolling in the program, as the program requires 6 semesters remaining for his graduation to be able to join the academic units and benefit from the opportunities offered, and the student must obtain a grade of 90% or above in high school if he is a recent university student, or a grade of 3.3 if he is enrolled in before.
There is no doubt that this is a unique opportunity for high school students when they enter the university to discover their passion and achieve their ambitions, even if he did not get admission in the college he wanted as a first choice in innovative ways.
The launch of the program in the spring of 2021 also witnessed partnerships and cooperation from various parties. The Qatar Center for Career Guidance offers a program specifically designed for students of the program to manage professional awareness and enhance their financial and professional culture, in addition to a partnership with the Innovation Café, the Qatari Women’s Association, Talaq Company, Education Center and Microsoft.
The Academic Excellence Program, in its new form, seeks to spread the culture of excellence and innovation, link the local and global community, and invest the energies of young people by introducing new methods of education that comply with the requirements of excellence programs around the world. Which enhances Qatar University’s strategy for excellence in education to achieve the vision of the university and the vision of the State of Qatar. He added that the university places great hopes on this program to graduate a selected sample of students armed with the skills of the twenty-first century.
The new plan of the Academic Excellence Program aims to prepare a promising generation of distinguished students, armed with modern skills that suit the needs of the local and global market. The new plan was prepared compared to the plans of the academic excellence programs in prestigious international universities. It is worth noting that just as there are strict conditions for selecting students for academic excellence, there are also strict conditions for selecting the best faculty members to teach in the program, whether from inside or outside the university.
Note that Qatar University is the only Arab university that is a member of this council, as the council’s website shows universities that offer excellence programs globally.
The student, Noura Al Thani, also spoke on behalf of the Academic Excellence Students Association, one of Qatar University’s clubs, which is an exceptional platform for student representation, offering events and activities that achieve the program’s vision and mission, and networking relationships between excellence students around the world, and mentioned examples of what she and her colleagues studied in the courses and units of the program.
The Academic Excellence Program aims to attract exceptional students who are passionate about learning, innovation and mastering the skills of the twenty-first century. It also aims to provide a qualitative and distinguished program according to the foundations of teaching international academic excellence programs based on experiential education, research and investigation, critical thinking, forward thinking, creative and innovative thinking. The program is also keen on developing communication skills, promoting a culture of research and producing knowledge in innovative ways that enhance learning and knowledge societies.
The speakers expressed their thanks and praise for designing the program in such a distinctive way, and thanked the student, Dana Al-Sulaiti, the presenter of the event, for her words that came from the heart, as she answered a number of questions related to the students’ experiences.
Al-Dana also expressed her pride that this program is being offered in Qatar, and that Qatar competes with international countries with its programs, and Qatar always deserves the best.
Source: QATAR UNIVERSITY
