CNA-Q innovation centre to adopt system used by parent institution

The College of the North Atlantic in Qatar (CNA-Q) will soon establish a Teaching, Learning and Educational Innovation Centre, which will adopt the use of a Learning Management System (LMS) that is currently being used by the campus’ parent institution in Canada.The announcement for the initiative was made during the 24th bi-annual Joint Oversight Board (JOB) of the institution, which was presided over by its Executive Committee vice-chair Dr Latifa al-Houty.The LMS will be coupled with a learning materials repository system that was developed at CNA-Q, providing for the seamless collaboration and use of common electronic resources and processes among instructors at the college.The LMS being adopted by CNA-Q is called Desire2Learn (D2L). It was created in Canada and has been used by the College of the North Atlantic (CNA) in Newfoundland and Labrador for five years. “The beauty of the seamless collaboration and use of common tools is the enhanced availability of common curriculum and educational technology tools that will bring that curriculum to the classroom – not just within our institution but with CNA in Newfoundland,” CNA-Q president Dr Ken MacLeod said.The JOB is responsible for decisions affecting the future development and strategic direction of CNA-Q, as well as approving the ‘Annual Plan’ and budget.The board is comprised of members of Qatar and Canadian business and government organisations and oversees the management of the College. Other significant initiatives approved by the JOB are the development and implementation of a two-year Petroleum Technician programme to be introduced in September 2013 and the development of new Health Sciences programes — particularly Dental Hygiene and Patient Education that are being created to support the needs of Hamad Medical Corporation and Health and Wellness Management that can further the agendas of organisations such as the Qatar Olympic Committee and FIFA 2022. “I am pleased the Joint Oversight Board has confirmed that our strategic and integrated planning processes are aligned with QNV 2030,” Dr MacLeod said, adding: “Our new strategic directions and new programming will support government agencies, businesses and industries in achieving their training and education goals.”This is a significant year for CNA-Q, as they celebrate a decade of providing quality technical training in Qatar. Throughout the year, special events including a family day, national skills competition, international education conference and grand finale will honour the visionaries of CNA-Q, as well as the students and the alumni.While presenting the president’s report to the Board, Dr MacLeod noted that CNA-Q, already Qatar’s second largest post-secondary institution, continues to grow with a record number of students and graduates.Present at the JOB meeting were Qatari members HH the Emir’s legal adviser Adel al-Sherbini and Qatar Petroleum administration director Ahmed Ali al-Mowlawi, as well as Qatar Foundation president Dr Mohamed Fathy Saoud, who is a member of the CNA-Q Executive Committee.The board members from Canada included College of the North Atlantic (CNA) president and chief executive officer Ann Marie Vaughan and CNA Board of Governors chair Cheryl Stagg, as well as CNA board members Troy Mitchell and Leona Webb. Dr MacLeod and VP Academics Norris Eaton were also present as ex-officio members as well as CNA Executive Committee associate director Hissa al-Aali.