Greetings. On behalf of the Foundation Program Department of English at Qatar University, the ENGL 252 team would like to welcome everyone to first ever Virtual Showcase of business ideas from the course Entrepreneurship Project. The purpose of this project is to create new business ideas for the Qatari market.

This is the penultimate step in a multi-stage process. For the project, students had to...

1. Learn about definitions of entrepreneurship,

2. Pitch their ideas for a business,

3. Work with a team to complete a business report,

4. Conduct research from potential customers, and then

5. Present their idea for a business.

The Virtual Showcase exhibits the websites of business ideas that students created for ENGL 252.

ENGL 252: English for Business Communication is an upper intermediate English communication course for students who are preparing for a career in business. The course focuses on high level reading, writing, listening and speaking,

In addition, the course takes a project-based approach with its assessments in order to be more learner centric and entreprenurial with its content. The Virtual Showcase represents a digitally enhanced step of the Entrepreneurship Project. Prior to the Covid pandemic, the showcase used to be in person.

Since the beginning of the course, the ENGL 252 team organized a showcase event each semester to allow students to present their businesses ideas to a wider audience from the university.

These were tremendous opportunities for students. However, Coronavirus happened, and now the idea of hundreds of people gathering in one room seems reckless. But like we ask students in our course, the 252 team had to think like entrepreneurs. For every challenge, there is an opportunity that can be unlocked by innovative thinking.

So, we are very pleased to be hosting this event virtually for first time, in order to provide students with learning opportunities like in previous semesters.

All of this would not be possible if not for the support and encouragement of the Foundation Program management: Dr. Hezam Al-Awah, Director of Foundation Program, and Dr. Nadeem Hashem, Associate Director.

Additionally, thank you to Dr. Mohammad Manasreh, the Head of Department for Foundation Program Department of English, who has provided continual behind-the-scene support for the course and its events.