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Academic
Bridge Program
Academic Bridge Program, Doha, Qatar
The Academic Bridge Program is a preparatory program for
enhancing the academic background and experience of high
school graduates from Qatar and other countries in the Gulf
region, for future study at English-language-based world-class
universities, including the new university being developed
in Doha by the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and
Community Development. The ABP addresses the universal problem
of student academic and cultural transition from high school
to the university, but has been designed to specifically
address the needs of students in the Gulf region. ABP students
will identify their natural talents, select appropriate
fields of study to match those talents, and develop the
academic and personal skills necessary to succeed in an
undergraduate degree program within one of those fields.
ABP distinguishes itself from other bridge programs by
being learner-centered, utilizing a unique pedagogical approach,
an innovative curriculum, and outstanding student support
services.
The program is highly intensive, involving a commitment
of 35 hours per week of assigned learning activities. It
provides a high degree of control and guidance to students
in the early stages, with gradual reduction of supervision
to ensure a high degree of independence and individual responsibility
by the end of the program.
In addition to developing English language skills for
university study, the program curriculum aims at:
 •
Developing the logic, study habits and
reasoning skills appropriate for success in the new university
in Doha or other highly competitive universities;
•
Developing computer-use skills appropriate
for students entering the new university or other universities
at the leading edge of information technology applications;
•
Developing mathematics skills appropriate
for entrance into a specific field of study such as engineering
or business at the new university or elsewhere; and
•
Developing science skills appropriate for
entrance into a specific field of study such as engineering
or medicine at the new university or elsewhere.
Students are continuously assessed throughout the program.
Initial student assessment provides the basis upon which
advising coordinators develop an individual learning plan,
which outlines the individualized educational program most
suited to each student’s aptitudes and interests.
Throughout the program of study, the advising coordinators
monitor students’ progress toward achieving their
individual learning plans and counsel them regularly.
Students are placed in small learning groups, based on
the skills and knowledge revealed by the assessments, in
order to learn how to use study teams effectively, to foster
a sense of community and to increase motivation.
Career counseling and guidance services are provided to
students and build on the continuous assessment program
to identify and match students’ aptitudes, interests,
and performance to an educational program for further study.
Each student is advised regarding the broad fields of study,
such as medicine, engineering, business, design art, and
other fields, appropriate for individuals with his or her
particular aptitudes. Similarly, students are advised regarding
broad fields of study in which success is not as likely.
With on-site faculty support, advanced students have an
opportunity to earn university credit via distance education
courses from institutions in the U.S.
Click here to link to official Qatar
Academic Bridge Program website
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