UoB Starts Academic Year

Manama : University of Bahrain launched its improved orientation programme to approximately 2,500 new students yesterday.  

The orientation will now be over two semesters with major changes including doubling the amount of English language taught in addition to the introduction of Maths and ICT, the university said.  

The orientation is expected to stream students based on ability to allow the university to personalize learning and to provide more support for students. 

The introduction of both Maths and ICT will not just provide students with better knowledge but also provide them with improved life skills.

 The impact of the new orientation is expected to help improve student retention especially in STEM subjects, reduce graduation time and give students the skills needed for life in addition to their studies. 

All students completing the ICT module will gain Microsoft certification, which is professionally certified.  

Prof Riyad Hamzah President of UOB said, “A lot of hard work has gone into revising the orientation programme and we are confident that the impact will be significant in many ways, in particular by improving the students core skills to allow them to be successful in their studies and also in life.“

By focusing on Maths and ICT, the University hopes to provide students with key employability skills that will allow them to add value to employers and become competitive in the labour market. 

“The orientation programme will play a key role in the university’s sustainability programme by reducing graduation time and dropout rates,” Hamzah added.

This week students return to UoB after the summer break as the first semester begins with all students registering through the new online system, which was successfully implemented over the summer. 

The new system allows students an easier way to enrol for courses and allows the university manage student progression and support in an improved way.