Refugees to Teach GU-Q Students

Press release

Published January 21st, 2020 - 12:20 GMT

During the event

Highlights

Learning a new language is part of most students’ academic curriculum.

Learning a new language is part of most students’ academic curriculum. But, this year, those studying at Georgetown University in Qatar will take part in a language learning program unlike any other, one taught by refugees from around the world.

The pilot phase of the language learning platform will take place during the 2019-2020 academic year. It is designed to help participants improve their conversation skills and prepare for language proficiency exams, while the instructors will practice their native language, such as Arabic, Mandarin, or Urdu.

The program is a partnership between WISE, Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), and Chatterbox, a UK-based startup, and is the first step in the establishment of an education technology (edtech) testbed in Qatar.

“The collaboration between WISE, GU-Q, and Chatterbox represents the first attempt towards building an edtech testbed in Qatar in order to understand what works, why, and under what circumstances,” said Dr. Ameena Hussain, Director of Programs and Content at WISE.

The edtech testbed will provide an opportunity for professionals and experts within schools and universities, such as administrators and teachers, to support startups to improve their solutions via testing and experimentation.

“Our partnership with WISE and Chatterbox allows us to offer our students an innovative platform to support language learning, and, at the same time, help an exciting edtech start up to expand and evolve in new ways,” said Dr. Anne Nebel, Associate Dean for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment at GU-Q.

The establishment of an edtech testbed also aims to tackle educational challenges faced by schools and universities in Qatar by leveraging innovations developed by startups from around the world. These startups were selected and supported for a year by WISE – an initiative of Qatar Foundation (QF) – through its Accelerator program.

The learnings derived from the partnership will go on to help QF scale up its edtech testbed in Education City, and throughout Qatar, in the coming years. And WISE and local academic institutions will be able to leverage the edtech testbed to conduct research, which will help improve innovation in education worldwide.

Background Information

Qatar Foundation

Qatar Foundation (QF) is a non-profit organization made up of more than 50 entities working in education, research, and community development.

Our unique ecosystem—supported by partnerships with leading international institutions—is built on initiatives that address our most pressing challenges, create global opportunities, and empower people to shape our present and future.

Company Profile

Georgetown University in Qatar

Established in 1789 in Washington, DC, Georgetown University is one of the world’s leading academic and research institutions. Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), founded in 2005 in partnership with Qatar Foundation, seeks to build upon the world-class reputation of the university through education, research, and service. Inspired by the university’s mission of promoting intellectual, ethical, and spiritual understanding, GU-Q aims to advance knowledge and provide students and the community with a holistic educational experience that produces global citizens committed to the service of humankind.

Located in Doha’s Education City, GU-Q offers the same internationally recognized Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service degree as Georgetown’s Capitol Campus in Washington, DC. This unique, interdisciplinary program prepares students to tackle the most important and pressing global issues by helping them develop critical thinking, analytic, and communication skills within an international context. GU-Q alumni work in leading local and international organizations across industries ranging from finance to energy, education, and media. The Qatar campus also serves as a residency and delivery location for the Executive Master’s in Emergency and Disaster Management along with the Executive Master’s in Leadership.