Under the theme ‘For a Successful University Experience,’ Qatar University’s (QU) Foundation Program (FP), under the Deanship of General Studies and in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE), launched the Al-Qabas Program 2023 for the fifth year for high school students, with a total of 330 female and male high school students participating in the program.
Al-Qabas program educates high school students from grades 10 and 11 about university life and skills required to succeed in their university studies and improve their English and math skills to enhance their successful enrollment in STEM and health majors at Qatar University. It also showcases QU’s learning environment to attract students.
Al-Qabas Program 2023 was offered over a period of three weeks. Weeks 1 and 3 included QU campus school visits; while, virtual sessions were held the second week.
A total of 15 schools participated in the QU campus visits, where 165 male and female students attended different sessions. Participating schools include Al-Bayan, Asma Bint Yazed, Roudha Bint Mohammed, Ramla Bint Abu Sufyan, Al-Eman and Qatar Secondary School for Girls, Ibn Tamiya, Omar Bin Al-Khattab, Omar Bin Abdelaziz, Jassim Bin Mohammed, Al-Doha, Ali Bin Jassim Bin Mohammed Al-Thani, Tariq Bin Ziyad and Mohammed Bin Abdelwahab Secondary School for Boys.
Students participated in activities that raise awareness about math, English and critical thinking skills in ‘Braniac’ and ‘Math Café’ sessions. To simulate the work environment, students participated in relevant workshops such as ‘Let’s Design an App’ and ‘Fashion Entrepreneurs.’
Testing strategies were emphasized throughout the Al-Qabas Program. Participating students received links to sample math and English tests prior to their campus visit. On arrival, students attended sessions regarding test-taking strategies for IELTS, ACT, SAT and QU placement tests. In collaboration with Qatar University’s Career Development Center, two sessions were held to raise awareness about career planning. In addition, some students participated in class visits to experience the learning environment in QU.
Al-Qabas Virtual Program was held over a two-day period with two virtual sessions delivered per day via Microsoft Teams. FP faculty and staff members participated in organizing and delivering the program. 160 students attended Al-Qabas Virtual Program. Sessions included various interactive and engaging activities that develop math and English language skills such as ‘Young Writers’ and ‘Let’s Listen.’ In addition, students benefited from two test taking strategy sessions targeting skills required to successfully pass IELTS and math standardized tests, ACT and SAT.
To enhance successful enrollment in the university, the QU Enrollment Outreach and Engagement Department presented a session about the admission requirements, dates and policies for QU and various QU colleges. Dr. Walid Massoud, Head of Qatar University Testing Center, talked about different international exams and placement tests required for successful enrollment in STEM fields.
The Al-Qabas Program 2023 presenters were able to create active and engaging sessions for the students as evidenced by the high number of student entries, comments and answers per session. A survey that was distributed to participants showed high satisfaction rate among students regarding how much they benefited from the sessions and college visits and how Al-Qabas contributed to their knowledge about different skills development.