Tribune News Network
Doha
Qatar University’s (QU) College of Education, represented by the National Centre for Educational Development (NCED), as well as QU’s College of Engineering and QU’s Office of Strategic Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, in collaboration with ExxonMobil Qatar, held a press conference to announce the details of the arrangements for the Innovators in Education Closing Ceremony, which will be held on Tuesday, May 16.
The press conference was held in the presence of Dr. Hessa bint Hamad Al-Thani, dean of the College of Education; Dr. Sneed Salem Al Daiya Al Marri, acting director of the National Centre for Educational Development; Saleh bin Saad Al Mana, Vice-President and Director of Government and Public Affairs at ExxonMobil Qatar; Dr. Wadha Labda, Head of Technology Innovation and Engineering Education Unit at QU; and Dr. Mahmoud Abdulwahed; Director of QU’s Strategic Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Economic Development Office.
This project seeks to develop viable teaching methods to improve student learning opportunities, encourage educators and university students to innovate and design educational resources, provide effective solutions to educational and vocational challenges, and create professional learning communities in which educators inside and outside Qatar exchange ideas and educational solutions.
In her statement, Dr. Hessa bint Hamad Al-Thani, dean of the College of Education said, “‘Innovators in Education’ is a pioneering project that instils a culture of excellence and encourages creative workers in the educational field to present pioneering initiatives that promote education, improve performance and raise values, to go beyond the boundaries of the classroom to educational communities, to benefit those communities, and exchange them among themselves, which enriches the learning process.”
Vice-President and Director of Government and Public Affairs at ExxonMobil Qatar, Saleh bin Saad Al Mana said at the press conference, “The Innovators in Education programme is one of many collaborations we have shared with Qatar University throughout the history of our partnership, that have succeeded in developing a pool of STEM-literate individuals who will play a key role in the sustained growth of Qatar’s economy. We live in a world of unprecedented challenges, but also unparalleled potential. The key to meeting these challenges is to create and strengthen a system of scientific discovery and technological innovation.”
Dr. Sneed Salem Al Daiya Al Marri, acting director of the National Centre for Educational Development said, “The project targets school teachers and faculty members in order to develop their spirit of innovation and creativity, encourage them to develop applicable educational methods to improve student learning opportunities, innovate and design educational resources, provide effective solutions to educational and professional challenges, and form professional learning communities in which educators inside and outside Qatar exchange ideas and solutions. It also targets university students to motivate them to provide distinctive ideas that support the learning and teaching process to reach a society in which educators and students contribute to building an effective educational society and sustainable learning.”
He noted three stages of work for the project. In the first stage, the application for participation is submitted using the registration form on the project page, which can be found on the QU website. Here the participant will receive an initial confirmation of acceptance of their participation. In the second stage, which is the implementation stage, the participant works on the implementation of the product according to the standards, and according to the schedule, with the committee supervising the project concurrently, providing them with the necessary feedback. Following completion, the participant submits the project in its final form to the organizing committee, and in the third stage, the judging stage, the entries are evaluated. The results would then be announced, and awards will be distributed at the closing ceremony.
Director of QU’s Strategic Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Economic Development Office, Dr. Mahmoud Abdulwahed, thanked the College of Education and the College of Engineering for inviting the Office to participate in this initiative.
