Tribune News Network
Doha
Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ), a Qatar Foundation partner university, recently hosted the ‘Spotlight on Teaching’ event, highlighting the branch campus’s commitment to educating exemplary engineers.
The annual event was organised by the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and featured a series of talks, panels and showcases.
Dr. César O. Malavé, Dean of Texas A&M University at Qatar, said, “Providing opportunities for our faculty to enhance their teaching skills—in and outside the classroom—is crucial to the goal of Texas A&M at Qatar: educating the engineering leaders who will drive Qatar’s future. The field of engineering education is constantly evolving, and the talks and discussions held during ‘Spotlight on Teaching’ help our faculty stay updated on innovations in teaching, inspiring them to innovate themselves. By empowering our faculty, we also empower the students they teach to achieve success.”
Dr. Bilal Mansoor, Director, CTL moderated the panel discussion, ‘Preparing the 2030 Engineer: Emphasising Excellence in Engineering Education at Texas A&M at Qatar’. The panellists, including programme chairs, delegates and Dr. Guillermo Aguilar, Department Head of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M’s flagship campus in College Station discussed the importance of students taking ownership of their education, the need for lifelong learning and multidisciplinary experiences, and the impact of providing opportunities for research and industry collaborations.
Other events during the week included presentations by recipients of the CTL’s Transformative Educational Experience (TEE) grants who showcased their projects and the progress made. TEE grants fund faculty and staff to develop innovative ways of enhancing student learning, such as using virtual or alternate reality in the classroom to simulate learning.
During her keynote address, Dr. Heidi Diefes-Dux, Professor of Engineering Education, University of Nebraska – Lincoln (USA), spoke about the need to leverage academic assessments in fostering meaningful and ongoing dialogues between instructors and students about goals for their learning, and their knowledge, skills, and abilities development. She emphasised the importance of providing support and effective feedback in the early years of a student’s learning journey.
Spotlight on Teaching 2023 concluded with a talk from Dr. Yasser Al Hamidi, mechanical engineering laboratories manager at Texas A&M at Qatar, who spoke about applying design thinking in multidisciplinary teaching and learning. In 2022, Dr. Al-Hamidi, who teaches design courses for the Mechanical Engineering Programme, received the Distinguished Achievement Award from Texas A&M University’s Association of Former Students in recognition of his achievements.
Dr. Al Hamidi said, “Engineering education is my passion and has been the compass that has guided me through my professional journey. I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my thoughts about integrating design thinking into engineering education as a tool to instil creative problem-solving and critical thinking skills in our students.’
