Tribune News NetworkDohaThe Open Campus initiative, a unique initiative by Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Pre University Education (PUE) schools, enables students from Qatar Academy Doha (QAD) and Qatar Academy Sidra (QAS) to take classes at one of the QF’s schools, which is a great opportunity to experience university life and personalize the student’s education.Through the initiative, grade 11 and Grade 12 students from QAD and QAS are now taking their classes at the new EDI building, where they will have access to courses that might not have been offered at their school. “The open campus project is an exciting example of the benefits that being part of the wider QF schools,” said Carolyn Parker, director of QAS. “Students are now able to access a wider selection of courses, have access to both global and local perspectives around relevant issues, engage in more service-learning opportunities, and continue to be taught by high-quality teachers.We continue to support individual learning pathways to support success for all of our students.” Parker added. Anna Byrne, Grade 12 Level Manager and Teacher of MYP and Diploma Design and Technology, at QAD noted that merging expertise across both schools is huge for the students of both QAD and QAS. Saying: “It will give the opportunity to use facilities that they may not have access to and also gain access to courses that may not be run in their respective schools.”“First and foremost, it is crucial that our students are collaborative learners and leaders. I think that is what this opportunity is offering to our students. The students currently here now are Qatar’s CEOs, Directors, leaders, and innovators of Qatar’s future. The skills and understanding they gain from courses such as this will make them world thinkers who are informed and learned in their field of interest.” Byrne continued.Talking about the Initiative, Batool Mahmoud, Grade 11 at QAD, said: “I actually think the Open Campus Initiative was a really smart idea, since it brought us new opportunities to make friends and socialize.” Ahmed Iqbal, Grade 11 at QAS says: “I think the initiative will benefit me a lot as a student because I’m able to be more collaborative with my peers and with my teachers, and I’ll have access to new facilities such as a science club, or the big library that they have in QAD and I will just have access to more resources, which will benefit my knowledge.”Iqbal believes that the initiative is a good idea for students because it could expose students to different cultures, as students come from all around the world, they can experience different cultures, they can experience different teaching styles, and have access to more resources, which will be more beneficial for the students.Adam Rooney, Academic Coordinator at QAD, said about the initiative: “It’s an excellent idea to have students from different schools come together and have multiple subject selections available for them, allowing them to broaden their horizons, and hopefully give them the subject choices that they desire to learn.”“As part of the Open Campus initiative, some of our students are able to collaborate with the QAS students, and that allows them to make new connections and see new student new students in different environments. And it also allows for the QAS students to come over to QAD and sit with some of our teachers, learning new subjects that maybe they might not have been afforded.”Although it is in the early days of the initiative, Rooney believes it has the potential to be really successful, saying: “I believe in the success of the initiative especially when teachers in QAD and QAS collaborate on a daily basis, they realize that they are more alike, , rather than different, and hopefully it helps unite them.”Rooney pointed out that especially in grades 11 and 12, students take a pathway which is unique to them. They have specific subjects which they need to take in Diploma Programme.
