(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
Doha: Qatar Foundation (QF)'s higher education institutes offer wide range of community-focused classes. Together with the higher education institutes based at Education City, QF is helping to inspire curiosity, spark creativity, and stimulate critical thinking the building blocks of lifelong learning through a wide range of engaging and diverse community classes.
Since its launch in 2015, the classes have grown in popularity, with nearly 125 people signed up for the current edition that started on October 28, bringing the total number of participants up to 913. Running twice a year in fall and spring the classes last for six weeks and are offered in both English and Arabic.
The program offers a wide variety of subjects, including international relations, and classes range from life coaching and career development to web design and literature.
Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), a member of QF, launched its community classes in 2016, and, similarly to GU-Q, has seen a steady increase in participants over the last two years. Abdulla Al Emadi, Community Service Supervisor, HBKU Student Affairs, said, 'Our classes are becoming very popular approximately 80 percent of attendees are female, and approximately 70 percent of attendees are Qatari.
Offering both practical and theoretical classes, the program supports public learning and community engagement through courses specializing in leadership, co-active coaching, entrepreneurship, and public speaking.
'We are trying to support the community by offering a wide range of topics that are designed to meet the individual needs of the learners while aiding their professional development, said Al Emadi. 'Ultimately, we want HBKU to become a go-to destination for those who are trying topursue lifelong learning opportunities.
The Translation and Interpreting Institute (TII), part of HBKU's College of Humanities and Social Sciences, also offers courses in seven languages, including Arabic, French, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, and Spanish. Open to the wider community for adults of all ages and abilities the classes are designed to promote and support language learning.
'People want to learn, said Dr Cynthia J. Hebsgaard, Senior Assistant Dean and Director Executive & Professional Education, Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), a QF partner university.
'GU-Q's community classes are a great way to engage with the public. These courses are a wonderful way to make people feel welcome to the university and help them feel like they're part of the organization. And for us, this outreach is very important, said Dr Hebsgaard.
And such opportunities to discover new skills and take already-held talents to a new level are also available at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar), another QF partner university, where undergraduate student Salma Awad is studying painting and printmaking. Prior to joining the academic institute, she took four community classes at the university, including observational drawing, watercolor, basic graphic design and a portfolio development class.
'I actually took the courses because I didn't know what I wanted to study at university, said Awad. 'So the classes really helped me decide what path I wanted my future to take, which is, of course, art.
'The VCUarts Qatar classes are for everyone for all ages and abilities. They teach you that anyone can draw; whether you think you can or can't, you will make art. The teachers help you to develop your own style. I think it's always good to explore different areas to develop your interests.
VCUarts Qatar was the first university in Education City to offer community classes, launching the program in 2009. The program, designed to develop and support self-directed lifelong learners and creative innovators, is offered quarterly, with classes running in fall, spring, late spring, and summer. Open to all, the program regularly attracts up to 1,000 participants each year.
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