Designing and Implementing Foundation Programs for Colleges and Universities Introduction The vast majority of school-leaving students entering into higher education in many countries in the world undertake some form of English-medium foundation programs designed to help prepare them for their academic university studies either locally or internationally or both. Millions of dollars are spent annually on these Foundation Programs which are supposed to enhance students’ abilities in at least four areas of study: English, Mathematics, Computing and IT, and General and Academic Study Skills. However, a large number of people have a very simple idea about the Foundation Programs in colleges and universities and other higher education institutions. They know that all new students are required by higher education regulations should go through, and pass, this preparatory program before they can register for their academic study. Few knows any details of the foundation programs and still fewer who understand the importance, the philosophy and the logic behind these programs. It is a bitter irony that some senior managers look down on the Foundation Program even in their universities. They say to you about the Program, whenever there is a serious discussion or talk about it, “Well, it is only a Foundation Program.” showing a very high level of ignorance, incompetence, and stupidity! They forget the simple fact in life: if you want to build a house or any sort of building, you have to start with its “foundation” and take extreme care of it: the stronger, as per the engineering rules, the better. This simple fact, and it is only a common-sense observation, can be extended to apply to the foundation programs in higher education: the more robust the program is, the more solid is the students’ basis when they join their academic studies. College teachers feel relieved when they find that their new students in the academic courses possess a very good, or at least a satisfactory, level of competence in the language of instruction, Math, and IT. This is the first essential requirement for high academic achievement. That makes for more satisfied faculty members, more prepared students, and a more achieving university.
What is a Foundation Program? English-medium Foundation Programs can be classified into two main categories: International Foundation Programs and Local Foundation Programs. Let us take each one in turn.
International Foundation Programs (IFP) This category covers the preparatory programs that are specially designed to help students meet the entry requirements of international colleges and universities. Page 1 of 12
“The use of these programs has become especially prevalent in today’s world of internationalization and cross-border academic mobility. International students undertaking these programs – known variously as bridge, pathway or foundation – are looking to improve their language skills to a level appropriate for higher academic study, as defined by a particular threshold on a standardized foreign-language test. Additionally, international foundation programs are designed to help students meet minimum academic requirements for entry to an undergraduate or graduate degree program, while also preparing them culturally for life and study in a new study environment.” (Clark and Gzella 2013). The Pathway Programs are very well-known foundation programs recommended by many international higher education institutions. They are based in the UK but are available in many parts of the world. They have been around for a decade now but they count for an $825 million global market and they are expected to expand due to international student mobility ( Mathewson 2015). “The English-medium foundation programme market is worth an estimated US$825m per year, according to a report from StudyPortals and Cambridge English. The UK dominates the market in terms of course numbers but continental Europe is expected to see considerable growth in the coming years, the report found.” (Smith 2015) There are two types of English-medium foundation course. Campus-based Foundations are taught on campus at the university where you wish to study. On successful completion, progression to selected degree programmes is usually guaranteed. College-based Foundations are taught in a highly supportive, college environment. On successful completion, students can apply to a wide range of universities which recognize the foundation course. Worldwide, StudyPortals listed 1,192 English-medium foundation programmes on its site in January 2015 when data was collected. Since then the number has grown by 20% to 1,427. The UK currently dominates the market, with 748, or 63% of the programmes on offer. Oceania had 193 programmes – a 16% share – followed by North America with 145 programmes, Europe with 75 and 29 in Asia. (Mitchell 2015). International Foundation Programs have become an educational and academic necessity for a large number of students all over the world, especially from the developing countries. Educational systems around the world greatly differ from one another. It is almost impossible to ensure that students from the developing countries can cope with the educational, academic, and cultural requirements and pressures in international colleges and universities. That is why universities have started looking at ways to bridge this divide and narrow the gap, to also ensure that students have a higher chance of completion, even if their previous education was not on par with that of their fellow colleagues (Neghina 2016).
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Increasing numbers of international students are thus undertaking these programs – known variously as bridge, pathway or foundation – nowadays in different parts of the world. They are looking to improve their language skills to a level appropriate for higher academic study, as defined by a particular threshold on a standardized language test. Additionally, international foundation programs are designed to help students meet minimum academic requirements for entry to an undergraduate or graduate degree program, while also preparing them culturally for life and study in a new educational environment. Some international universities offer Integrated Foundation Programs in which students can study both the familiar Foundation Program components and a limited number of academic courses. This will apply to students who have some English but generally not enough to qualify them to get into a particular university (e.g. Western Kentucky University) directly. For instance, to qualify for "mixed entry" into such an integrated program in the University, students would need Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores of 173, 500 or 61 (on the computer-, paper- and Internet-based versions of the test, respectively), or an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 5.0. By way of comparison, to be admitted directly into undergraduate programs at Western Kentucky University, students would need scores of 197, 525 or 71 on the various TOEFL tests, or 6.0 on the IELTS ( Redden 2015). It is generally agreed that any successful foundation program must be based on at least four basic principles: 1. Rigorous academic content 2. Intense English language preparation 3. General study skills 4. Cultural adaptation (Neghina 2015).
General Foundation Programs (GFP) A large number of colleges and universities around the world are making use of foundation programs to provide the students with the necessary language and study skills together with the Math and IT basics to help them meet the entry requirements of academic study in these colleges and universities or in similar higher education institutions. These foundation programs are usually referred to as General Foundation Programs (GFP).
GFP: Basic Design It is very inappropriate to offer here the design of the General Foundation Program (GFP) in detail. Our aim is to offer only the general framework of the basic design in order to give the reader an idea about how complicated the GFP is and to refer to this complicated nature in our discussion. The GFP consists in general of Four main components:
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1. English Language Component There must be at least four learning levels in any viable foundation program designed for a local college or university due to the students’ low level of English-Language abilities all over the world. Any foundation program of less than four levels is of doubtful validity. 1. Pre-Foundation Level This is the Pre-Foundation Level and is designed to help students achieve the required learning level for the Foundation Program. It focuses on the General English Language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. These four skills are integrated in a step-by-step development approach suitable for the students’ level of learning. 2. Pre-Intermediate Level This is the first level in the English Component of the GFP. It is designed to develop and expand the elementary knowledge the students have in the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in an interactive and communicative way. These four skills are integrated in step-by-step development approaches that take students’ level of learning into account. There is a Study Skills course introduced in this level to meet students’ needs for general and academic skills. 3. Intermediate Level This is the second level in the English Component of the General Foundation Program. It is designed to expand what the students have learned in the previous two levels and use the acquired language knowledge and skills communicatively inside and outside the classroom. The four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing are extensively integrated in such a way as to make the students develop their use of these skills in different activities and situations. The Study Skills course at this level is reinforced and expanded to take into account the fact that students’ acquired language in the previous two levels enables them now to pursue more complicated academic study tasks. 4. Advanced Level This is the last level in the English Component of the General Foundation Program. It is designed to enlarge and expand what the students have learned in the previous levels and prepare them for exit tests and academic studies. The four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing are integrated and developed for new uses like writing reports, doing a group or individual research, and presentation. There are two advanced Page 4 of 12
test preparation courses at this level: one is for the TOEFL Test and the other for the IELTS Test. Students will be assigned to either of these two preparation courses on the basis of their final performance on the Intermediate Level and also on their own personal wishes and past experiences. The Study Skills course at this level is substantially reinforced and expanded to enable students to carry out language and study tasks in anticipation of their real needs in specialized academic studies.
Language Immersion It is generally accepted now by ELT experts and specialists that exposure to a large amount of data in the target language plays a great role in the acquisition of that language. The exposure to language in the classroom is always limited in terms of time and quantity. It is essential therefore to have the students exposed to language data outside the regular classes whenever this exposure is possible and manageable by the teacher s and the students. This extra exposure can take a variety of forms: educational, environmental, cultural films, plays; news, games, programs, etc. The following are some of the ways that can be used in the GFP: - A variety of language programs that are intended to tackle weaknesses in students' performance, directly or indirectly, to be downloaded in the computer labs or even in students' laptops e.g. Rosetta Stone Program. - A variety of educational, cultural and news recordings (CDs and videos) are to be used in extra practical lessons for listening comprehension and for discussion and debate inside the classrooms and as extra activities. Special arrangements can be made for students to access these recordings in "Audio Visual Lab / Room" for learning through CDs and videos. One of the best Materials I have found very useful and motivating to EFL students in Foundation Programs and would like to recommend here are the World English Videos and Language Program. - A Writing Lab can be established to offer opportunities for students to write on general topics and topics relevant to the TOEFL and IELTS Tests. The aim is to offer students opportunities to improve their writing skills and enhance their chances of doing well in the TOEFL and IELTS Tests.
2. Mathematics Component To ensure that students are equipped with the mathematical background, knowledge and skills necessary to meet the cognitive and practical requirements of higher education studies in a variety of academic disciplines where mathematics plays a vital role. Learning Outcomes The learning outcomes are designed and categorized into three sets in accordance with international standards and recommendations: Page 5 of 12
Set 1 Basic Mathematics Set 2 Applied Mathematics Set 3 Pure Mathematics The Mathematics Foundation curricula are designed to cover 2 sets of learning outcomes, being either: Set 1 and Set 2 for colleges dealing with business, management, MIS (Management Information Systems) specializations, etc. or Set 1 and Set 3 for colleges dealing with medical, engineering and science specializations, etc. (i) Basic Mathematics This component is compulsory for all GFP students. There are no prerequisites for this set. All newly-registered students of the University are entitled to enrol in this set. Successful completion of this set is a prerequisite for Set 2 (Applied Mathematics) and Set 3 (Pure Mathematics). These learning outcomes are assessed without the use of any type of calculators in order to develop the mental mathematical skills of the students. (ii) Applied Mathematics This component is designed for the students who have passed Basic Mathematics with an accumulated final average of 70% or higher and would like to join the College of Commerce and Humanities at the University. (iii) Pure Mathematics This component is designed for the students who have passed Basic Mathematics with an accumulated final average of 70% or higher and would like to join the College of Applied Sciences or the College of Engineering at the University. Students are entitled to enrol in this set only after successfully passing Test 1.
3. Computing and IT Component Aims The Computing and IT Component of the GFP at A'Sharqiyah University aims to ensure that the Foundation Program students are equipped with the computing and IT knowledge and skills necessary to source, process and communicate information and data related to their higher education studies at the University or in another university or community college. The Page 6 of 12
Component will cover the same seven modules of the ICDL (Version 5) as students are required to obtain the ICDL certificate as an exit requirement of the Component. The following is a brief description of the modules and items to be covered.
Learning Outcomes Module 1: Concepts of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Students are required to understand the make-up of t h e personal computer system in terms of hardware and software, data storage and memory. Students shall also understand how information networks are used within computing and be aware of the uses of computer- based software applications. Module 2: Using the Computer and Managing Files Students are required to understand and be familiar with the basic principles of operation of a personal computer system and with basic principles of file management using a computer. Module 3: Word Processing The general objective of this component is to equip students with the essential skills that they need to create good quality documentation during their studies. Module 4: Spreadsheets The general objectives of this component are to equip students with the essential skills that they need to create good quality spreadsheets during their studies, and the understanding of Spreadsheet packages so that they can utilize it for data processing tasks during their studies and in future. Module 5: Using Databases This module requires the student to understand the concept of a database and demonstrate competence in using a database. Module 6: Presentation The general objectives of this component are to equip students with the essential skills that they need to create professional presentations during their studies and an understanding of presentation packages so that they can utilize them for presenting information in an effective manner during their studies and in the future. Module 7: Web Browsing and Communication Page 7 of 12
The general objective of this component is to introduce students to the fundamentals of computer networks and communication systems which assist in providing the students with the tools for searching and accessing information remotely and using electronic mails for communicating with other people. a) Network and Internet Fundamentals b) Browsing the Internet c) Electronic Mail d) Identify how computers are used in different areas of work, school and home
4. General Skills Component Aims The General Study Skills Component of the GFP at A’Sharqiyah University aims to equip students with fundamental study and academic skills that are considered essential to achieve good academic standards in their university studies including high grades in the IELTS and TOEFL Tests. The Component will thus include an array of study skills, which may tackle the process of organizing and taking in new information, retaining information, or dealing with assessments. They also include mnemonics, which aid the retention of information, effective reading and concentration techniques as well as efficient note-taking and time management. This component will be taught both as a specific course in the English Language Component and as an embedded learning area in the other two components (Mathematics and Computing) of the General Foundation Program. Learning Outcomes 1.Managing time and accepting responsibility 2. Research Skills 3. Taking Notes 4.Giving Presentation
Implementation The implementation of a Foundation Program in a college or a university is a formidable task and a challenging enterprise. It entails a lot of hard work and a good number of committed, dedicated and experienced members of staff. As challenging as it must have been to design a Foundation Program, that task is nothing compared with the work of implementing the program in ways that bring all students to their ambitious expectations out of it. As Calkins, Ehrenworth and Lehman (2012:14) have put it: Page 8 of 12
“The most important reforms that a school system can make will be those that involve creating systems that support continuous improvement of instruction and increased personal and shared accountability for raising levels of student achievement”. We will summarize here the most important points of implementing a successful foundation program in colleges and universities. 1. Director/Head of Department/ Head of Foundation Program This is the central figure in the GFP implementation process. S/he must possess high academic qualifications, extensive experience in managing and leading a multinational, multicultural team. S/he must be a work enthusiast and a strong believer in the importance of the Foundation Program for the college or the university. S/he must have enough courage to take operational decisive decision and be able to solve all sorts of problems between the teachers and students or among the students themselves. S/he must not be timid or “coward” who would give in very easily to anyone who presses him for something or behaves in an aggressive way towards the students or other colleagues. It is absolute stupidity, therefore, to pick up someone who lacks all the essential qualifications and attributes and assign to him/her, in an arbitrary fashion, the task of managing the Foundation Program. This is a grave error of judgment involving a great deal of stupidity, waste of time, money and resources. 2. Academic GFP Coordinators The academic coordinators have a pivotal role to play in the successful implementation of any foundation program, and for that matter, any academic program in a higher education institution. Without them, the Foundation Program will be chaotic and lacks coherence and consistent operations. The academic coordinators make sure that all teachers follow the program as planned and would not divert from its objectives and from its short-term and long-terms strategies. Without academic coordinators, teachers will teach as they want, the materials they find easy for the students rather than useful or part of the program. This is why some lazy and dishonest teachers will make problems for the coordinators and would like to make do without them in order to “play” like clowns and sabotage the program. It is almost impossible for a Foundation Program to succeed without academic coordinators. 3. GFP Teachers GFP teachers are to be highly selected on the basis of academic and educational qualifications and rich experiences in English Language Teaching (ELT), Math, and IT. They are the first teachers the students will deal with when they join the college or the university. They must be honest and possess integrity and work ethics. They should be well-acquainted with the Foundation Program in terms of its philosophy, structure, objectives, strategies and the required operations to implement these strategies. It will be important for teachers across the different Page 9 of 12
Foundation Program Levels to work together to ratchet up the level of instruction and, in so doing, to develop strategies and systems for engaging in the continuous improvement of the program. It is very unfortunate that sometimes GFP teachers are not up to the task and all they can do is to go to the classroom and, at best, teach the textbook not the program and, at worst, waste the class time on chatting and narrating their “miserable life stories” and other sorts of nonsense, especially when the person in charge of the Foundation Program and the senior management are dishonest, corrupt, and care only about making money rather than quality teaching. 4. GFP Textbooks and Teaching Materials The textbooks and teaching materials recommended for any foundation program need to be wellwritten and arranged in line with the objectives of the foundation program. They should use authentic language and follow international standards. They should be attractively designed to appeal to the students and motivate them to study and learn. Locally-produced textbooks must not be used in any foundation program for whatever reason, especially when the only reason for their use is to save money! This is a disgusting policy and will lead only to distorted language teaching and learning. Locally-produced textbooks are usually defective in language and very dull in design, content and useless exercises. Most of the time they are written by incompetent teachers who do not respect their academic specializations and who have no expertise or experience in writing textbooks. Such textbooks are really intended for cheating rather than teaching. 5. Interaction with Students Almost all the Foundation Program students are school-graduates who have just left schools and joined the foundation program. Students should be looked as knowledge – seekers who would like to get quality education. We should not look at them just as numbers in order to increase the revenue of the college or university. As Hans de Wit (2015:2) has remarked: “For all students, international and national, to be successful and to receive the best education, we should avoid seeing them as “cash cows,” but rather as motivated students in search of a quality education who may need special consideration and support from the institution and professors who receive them.” However, many of them still have their school mentality and joining the college or the university is a great challenge to them. Some of them do not even know how to behave themselves on the campus and they even find the classroom etiquette a strange code to understand or follow. Hence the great educational burden being laid on the shoulders of the GFP teachers and the Director. Foundation Program students need a great deal of time and attention, something which many senior officers in colleges and universities are unable to grasp or admit either because they are
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careless and incompetent or because they are simply stupid and they have cheated their way into the higher education field due to being wealthy and social creepers! 5. Interaction within the Institution A Foundation Program is a multidimensional project, the Director must have a well-defined plan of interaction with other departments and entities in the college or university in addition to the central plan of the institution. What happens sometimes is that some senior managers break all the academic and ethical rules and impede the smooth and coherent interaction. Sometimes this is done in a vulgar, wicked and dishonest way. They negatively intervene into the academic aspects of the foundation program in violation of academic specialization, integrity and the code of ethics. 7. Interaction with the Community A successful Foundation Program needs to build bridges with the community. Most of the students and their parents have little or no idea what the Foundation Program is or how important it is. Many of them, mistakenly, think the program is an obstacle to their university studies. The Foundation Program Administration must have the capacity to interact fruitfully with the community members. Without this interaction, the institution will lose the much-needed support of the students and their parents. A significant number of students may drop out or leave the institution for another college or university.
Conclusions As is seen from the general framework and the brief details given above about the Foundation Programs, it is of paramount importance to give the foundation program the worth it deserves. To downgrade it or to regard it as a “peripheral” program is utter nonsense and absolute stupidity. A college or a university or any other sort of higher education institution cannot achieve success without a successful foundation program. This is a fact felt by anybody who has the slightest experience in teaching in higher education. Of course, it cannot be felt by a woodcutter in Uganda or a porter who spent most of his life working in an embassy in Australia!
References Calkins, L., Ehrenworth, M. and Lehman, C. (2012). Pathways to the Common Core. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Clark, N. and Gzella, E. (2013). “An Evaluation of Britain’s University Pathway Programs”, Word Education News and Reviews (WENR) (September 1, 2013 ). Hans de Wit (2015). “The International Classroom”, Inside Higher Education (October 25, 2015). Page 11 of 12
Mathewson, T.G. (2015). “Pathway Programs Help International Students Prepare for University Rigor”, D Education Drive (September 18, 2015). Mitchell, N. (2016). “Growing Pathways to Study Abroad”, University World News (25 March 2016). Neghina, C. (2015). “Setting Up a Successful Foundation Programme”, Study Portals: Taking You Further (December, 2015). Neghina, C. (2016). “New Routes to Higher Education: The Global Rise of Foundation Programmes”, Study Portals: Taking You Further (Jan, 2016). Redden, E. (2015). “Privatized Pathways for Foreign Students”, Inside Higher Education (November 3, 2015). Smith, B. (2015). “Worldwide Pathways Worth $825m a Year; Europe to See Growth”, The Pie News: News and Business Analysis for Professionals in International Education (September 17, 2015).
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