Georgetown and Qatar University Launch First Student Learning Support Symposium: Gathering Strengthens QF’s Education Mission

Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q)  and Qatar University (QU) co-organized the first Student Learning Support Symposium, bringing together Qatar’s academic support community for a day of constructive discussion and exchange on the topic of student academic success at the college level.

Held in the Ibn Khaldoun Hall at QU, the Symposium was the first of its kind in Qatar, and provided a valuable forum for networking, sharing ideas, research and good practices around learning support in Qatar. Panel discussions, which were held in both English and Arabic,  featured education specialists from GU-Q, QU, Texas A&M at Qatar, and Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar.

The symposium is a reflection of the continued growth and expansion of Qatar Foundation’s higher education mission, according to Laura Hiatt, the associate director of academic services at GU-Q. “The goal of academic support programs at Georgetown is to help students hone their skills and increase their confidence to become independent thinkers and learners. This approach is shared by Qatar University and our colleagues across Qatar Foundation and our collaboration provides an opportunity to build sustainable knowledge sharing practices in Qatar, for the benefit of all.”

Attendees represented a wide range of support services, and included directors of learning centers at Qatar’s major universities, as well as learning specialists, tutors, writing center staff, and education professionals interested in finding practical solutions and strategies for a variety of learning needs, and to foster nurturing learning environments that produce the best education outcomes for students.

“We were very pleased to host such an important and successful first symposium for the learning support community in Qatar,” said Dr. Yasser Hussein, Director of Student Learning Support Center at QU. “Student services that ensure students meet their academic, personal, and professional goals are a shared priority, and a core value of every university’s education mission.”

Prior to the symposium, the opportunity for Qatar’s learning support community to come together was offered through the Doha Writing Center Network (DWCN), an informal working group focused primarily on writing center support. The success of that group led to the development of the expanded symposium, which organizers hope to turn into an annual event.