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Texas A&M at Qatar wins prestigious Fulbright award to enhance student learning and teaching innovation

Published Oct 04, 2018

The Center for Teaching and Learning at Texas A&M University at Qatar has been awarded a Fulbright grant to enhance student learning and teaching innovation — the first such grant for an educational institution in Qatar and believed to be the first of its kind in the entire MENA region.

The prestigious award comes under the Fulbright Specialist Program administered by the U.S. Department of State.

This recognition was made possible by Texas A&M at Qatar’s excellent reputation in the region and the hard work and dedication of the staff of the branch campus’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), said Dr. César Octavio Malavé, dean of Texas A&M at Qatar.

“Developing human capital is one of the central pillars of Qatar National Vision 2030,” Malavé said, “and our goal is to transform engineering education in Qatar to create engineering graduates who can lead teams to tackle problems we cannot yet imagine. We aim to prepare our students to not only be outstanding engineers, but also to become globally engaged citizens who are committed to lifelong learning. We are excited to have a Fulbright specialist engaged with us to encourage innovation in teaching and foster a healthy learning environment for students as we pursue our mission to create engineering leaders in Qatar.”

To secure the award, CTL developed and submitted a proposal for funding. The Fulbright Specialist Program (part of the broader Fulbright program) aims to pair highly qualified U.S. academics or professionals with foreign host institutions for short-term projects to build capacity within the host institution.

Texas A&M at Qatar will host a Fulbright Specialist for two to six weeks in the spring to help innovate a new approach to teaching and learning. The focus will be to develop high-impact initiatives and programs that will resonate with faculty and teaching staff, which in turn will enhance student learning. Of particular interest are collaborations with other partner universities in Education City to provide cross-training and other educational opportunities that can collectively enhance the value of students’ degrees.

The CTL also plans to host future visits to coincide with regional and international conferences on learning in higher education that will further develop links between the specialist and other universities in the region, as well as provide motivation for these institutions to start their own centers for teaching and learning.