Staff Reporter

Carnegie Learning, a leading research-based mathematics curricula provider, has announced the implementation of the Cognitive Tutor maths curriculum at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMUQ).

Carnegie Learning’s curriculum will be taught as a supplemental, after-school course to high-achieving high school students who are enrolled in a humanities track and are interested in pursuing business administration courses at a university.

The goal of the Carnegie Learning maths course is to bring humanities track students’ maths skills to the same level as those in the country’s science track.

Admission to CMUQ’s business programme requires knowledge of calculus, and Carnegie Learning’s algebra II course helps to prepare students for calculus coursework.

“CMUQ’s business school is highly quantitative, and students are expected to have strong maths skills for entrance,” said director of admissions Bryan Zerbe.

Because Qatari students in the arts track are not required to take maths courses in their final years of high school, it has been found that many do not have the preparation in mathematics needed to succeed in the programme, he observed.

“Qatar’s new mathematics standards emphasise use of technology, and Carnegie Learning’s blended software and text curriculum is an ideal fit,” Zerbe pointed out.

CMUQ is the first international branch campus operated by Carnegie Mellon University, a private American research university that’s regularly ranked among the best in the world.

It was in August 2004 that CMUQ began offering its highly regarded undergraduate programmes in business and computer science at the invitation of the Qatar Foundation.