Transcript Slide 1

QU’s Core Curriculum Program
About Qatar University’s
Core Curriculum Program
What is QU’s Core Curriculum
Program? What are Its Main Features?
 Why the Core Curriculum Program?
 Where are We in the Process of
Revising the Core Curriculum Program?
 What are the Responsibilities of New
Faculty Toward the Core Curriculum?

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What is QU’s Core Curriculum Program?
What is QU’s
Core Curriculum Program?
The QU’s Core Curriculum Program (CCP)
is
a General Education Program (Gen Ed P).
It includes courses drawn from
humanities/fine arts, social/behavioral
sciences, and natural science/math.
CCP = Gen ED P
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What is QU’s
Core Curriculum Program?
It is a substantial component in all
undergraduate programs
It is a building block of any bachelor's
degree programs
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Study Plan
(120 Credits)
Major
Minor
Free Electives
(51 Credits)
(24 Credits)
(11 Credits)
University Core
Requirements
(34 Credits)
Common Package
(15 Credits)
General Knowledge
Package
(2-3 Credits)
Research Skills
Package
(3 Credits)
Placement of Core
Curriculum
Within a Typical Study Plan
Humanities &
Social Sciences for
Science Track
(4-5 Credits)
Critical Thinking
Package
(3 Credits)
OR
Communication
Skills Package
(3 Credits)
Science & Math for
Humanities
Track
(4-5 Credits)
History
Package
(3 Credits)
Current Structure
What is QU’s
Core Curriculum Program?
 Generally,
undergraduate students must
take a minimum of 34 credits in 7
different areas/packages in order to
graduate.
 Some study plans might have Core
requirements which require different
numbers of credit hours.
 The Core Curriculum component should
constitute a minimum of 30 credit
hours.
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What is QU’s
Core Curriculum Program?
The CCP is much more than just a set of
requirements and courses; it has:
 A mission;
 A set of objectives & specific learning
outcomes to be attained;
 A student-centered learning environment to
be implemented;
 An assessment plan for continuous
development;
 Clear cut policy & procedures to guide the its
administration;
 A strategic plan to ensure high quality Core
education.
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What are the Main Features of
QU’s CCP?
Main Features of QU’s CCP
QU’ CCP:
Has a coherent conceptual framework that rests on
the University's mission;
 Is broad enough to provide undergraduate students
with a diverse foundation of knowledge, skills, and
dispositions;

Is flexible enough to allow QU students to choose
courses that expose them to different disciplines
other than their major;
 Is spread out across students' full tenure at the
University. The Core requirements must be
completed only prior to graduation.

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Main Features of QU’s CCP
 All courses in the
Core Curriculum are
college-level courses not entry-level courses;
they have University credits to be counted for
graduation.
 Core Curriculum courses are included in
current and approved study plans.
 Core Curriculum Courses don’t have
prerequisites except for the Arabic languagecourses & English language-courses of the
Common Package;
 Courses offered in a student’s major or
minor program cannot be counted for credit
in the Core Curriculum.
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Main Features of QU’s CCP
Grading and workload in Core Curriculum
courses are as rigorous as courses offered to
majors. However, course work and teaching
methods should be designed to open the
discipline to non-specialists.
 In line with its overarching mission, the
Core Curriculum fosters active learning,
student participation, and hands-on
approaches in the classroom. These
approaches are central components of the
Core Curriculum’s pedagogic philosophy.

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Why the Core Curriculum Program?
Why the
Core Curriculum Program?

The inclusion of the Core Curriculum in
all academic programs has been based
on the assumption that it wouldn't be
enough for QU’s students to take
courses only in their major.
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Mission Statement
• The mission of the CCP is to prepare competent
undergraduate students who are:
- Broadly Knowledgeable,
- Well-rounded;
- Multi-skillful; and
- Effective global citizens.
• Through an interactive- motivating and researchoriented learning environment, the program
seeks to prepare highly distinguished learners
capable of succeeding in different disciplines and
who can contribute positively to the society.
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Learning Outcomes
At the completion of the Core Curriculum Program, a
student will be able to:
 Demonstrate proficiency in written and oral Arabic.
 Communicate competently with others using oral and
written English skills.
 Think critically and creatively in a variety of methods in
order to make decisions and solve problems.
 Demonstrate competency in the use of research skills
and various information sources.
 Identify the general concepts of humanities and natural
sciences in a manner that reveals their value in life.
 Appreciate the Islamic values and morals in a way that
prepares him/her to accept others.
 Recognize the nature of Qatari society historically,
geographically and socially to reinforce allegiance to the
country.
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Why the Core Curriculum Program?
QU’s CCP is designed to enable students to:
 Acquire & integrate knowledge from a variety of
sources and fields , independently and in
collaboration with others;
 Analyze and evaluate, where appropriate in a
quantitative manner, the acquired knowledge;
 Make critical judgments in a logical and rational
manner;
 Communicate effectively, both in writing and orally,
and using the accepted methods for presentation,
organization, and debate; and
 Gain understanding of cultural diversity and develop
consideration for values, lifestyles, and traditions.
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Overall Benefits of the CCP
To sum up, QU Core Curriculum
provides some commonality across
majors; it provides the common core
of:
 knowledge,
 skill,
 Dispositions; and
 academic experience
required for all QU undergraduates
regardless of their majors.
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what Makes a Course a Core
Curriculum Course?
Courses in the Core Curriculum must directly
reflect the objectives and learning outcomes of
the Core Curriculum. All Core courses should
provide students with widely and universally
applicable knowledge, skills, and dispositions as
opposed to courses designed to prepare students
for a specific profession or narrow academic
major.
 Courses to be added on the CCP list have to be
recommended by College Curriculum Committee,
Core Coordination Council, Academic Program
and Curriculum Enhancement Committee and
approved by the Vice President and Chief
Academic Officer as having met the Core
requirements.
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
Where are We in the Process of Revising
the Core Curriculum Program?
Where are We in the Process of
Revising the QU’s CCP?
The strategic objective for the AY 20102011 are:
 To benchmark the Core Curriculum
Program against accreditation or
international standards. The focus is:
to ensure that CCP in compliance with
SACS Accreditation Standards for
General Education.
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Typical Study Plan
(120 Credits)
Major
(51 Credits)
Common Package
“Mandatory Courses”
(18 Credits)
Minor
(24 Credits)
Social/Behavioral
Sciences Package
(3 Credits)
Free Electives
(12 Credits)
Humanities & Fine
Arts Package
(3 Credits)
General Skills
Package
(3 Credits)
Core Curriculum
(33 Credits)
Natural Sciences &
Math Package
(3 Credits)
General Knowledge
Package
(3 Credits)
New CCP Structure
Where are We in the Process of
Revising the QU’s CCP?
To increase the capacity of faculty teaching
Core Curriculum courses for high quality
teaching and learning.
 To conduct quality research that enhances the
performance of the Core Curriculum Program
and its faculty.
 To raise the profile of the Core Curriculum
Program among faculty members.
 To increase students’ awareness of the role
and value of the Core Curriculum Program in
their education.

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What are the Responsibilities of New
Faculty Toward the Core Curriculum?
What are the Responsibilities of New
Faculty Toward the Core Curriculum?
 Get
involved in the professional
development activities (organized by OFID)
that are related to the CCP.
 Exchange their previous experiences related
to Core courses with faculty in their Dept.,
other programs, and the Core Council.
 New Faculty teaching Core courses should
integrate as many of the core proficiency
skills within the course as applicable and
possible.
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What are the Responsibilities of New
Faculty Toward the Core Curriculum?
 Identifying the Core Curriculum objectives & learning
outcomes promoted by the courses that they teach on
their syllabi;
 Explaining the role and the value of the Core Curriculum
and how these courses relate to their students’ academic
majors and to their personal and professional lives after
graduation;
 Collaborating with other faculty teaching Core courses
and with the CCP Assessment Committee in identifying
and applying effective methods of assessment; and
 Reporting assessment results and sharing use of results
with faculty in their discipline, department heads, and
assessment coordinators, and with the CCP Assessment
Committee.
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Let’s Work Together to Ensure
High Quality Core Education