Foundation Year 2015/16: Overview and Regulations

Transcription

1 Foundation Year 2015/16: Overview and Regulations All students of VGU s Bachelor programs Finance and Accounting (FA), Electrical Engineering and Information Technology (EEIT), Computer Science (CS) and Mechanical Engineering (ME) have to study the VGU Foundation Year first. 1. Target of Foundation Year: The Foundation Year runs as a full-time course and has the following specific goals: o Improve students' English reading, writing, listening and speaking abilities, as well as their vocabulary, so they are able to achieve an IELTS score of at least 6.0. o Improve students' study skills so they will be able to perform well in an English-only classroom environment. o Improve students' skills in public speaking and self-confidence so they will be able to give effective, persuasive presentation in English. o Develop effective writing skills and strategies to prepare them for the varied and challenging tasks of academic writing. o Start to provide a foundation in German to build upon in the following years. o Review and enhance previous high school knowledge of mathematics and other science subjects, in English. o Provide students with an introduction to software relevant to studying and working in their specific fields. o Promote camaraderie among Foundation Year students through extracurricular activities such as: academic contests, movie shows, music fests, clubs, etc. 2. Structure of Foundation Year: In order to offer a diverse and flexible program for all students, the Foundation Year is divided into four eight-week long periods which are called phases. o Semester 1 Phase 1 and Phase 2 o Semester 2 Phase 3 and Phase 4 o At the end of each phase a one week examination week is held which is used to make up classes and to organize examinations for most modules. In each phase students study a customized program of usually periods per week and earn up to 16 Foundation Year Credit Points (FY-CP). FY-CPs are calculated in the following way: o 12-period modules 6 FY-CP o 4-period modules 2 FY-CP In total all FY students study 60 FY-CP during the four phases of the Foundation Year. Foundation Year

2 3. The Language Groups: For the majority of modules in the Foundation Year, the students of FA, EEIT, CS and ME study together. They are divided into four different Language Levels (Level A, B, C, D) depending on their English Level proved on the VGU Onscreen Test in June and August In each level, 2-3 groups are offered. In Foundation Year there will be 10 groups for 237 students: o Level A: Groups A1+A2+A3: students with an Onscreen result of o Level B: Group B1+B2: students with an Onscreen result of o Level C: Groups C1+C2: students with an Onscreen result of 79 or higher o Level D: Groups D1+D2+D3: students who have reached IELTS 6.0 already These results are based on the version of the Onscreen Test (based on 120 points) used during the VGU Entrance Exam in June Results of students who took the onset Test (based on 160 points) in August 2015 have already been converted into this scale. The main target of Foundation Year is to reach the level IELTS 6.0 within this academic year. o Students with a lower level of English (Level A+B) therefore will have a stronger focus on IELTS Preparation to reach this goal. Different from the past years, all students study the same number of Academic English, English for Special Purposes and Science Courses, but students from Level A+B study in some cases different modules. o Students with a higher level of English (Level C+D) start earlier to learn German language. The decision about those groups is made by VGU. This group can only be changed under special circumstances and with permission of the Head of Foundation Year. o If a student has got an IELTS degree at 6.0 by the start of the program, he can be moved to Level D immediately after showing the degree. If IELTS is reached after the start of FY, a change of levels is not possible anymore. o If a teacher realizes that the language level of an individual student is significantly different from the level of the group, he can recommend moving the student to another level (up or down). A first assessment is done two weeks after the start of Semester 1. In the Language groups, students of FA, EEIT and CS are studying together in a program customized to their needs and levels. Two different types of English Courses are on offer: o IELTS Preparation is preparing students in all four skills for the IELTS exam, teaching them skills and strategies to pass the exam with a result of at least 6.0 during the Foundation Year. There are in total five different modules (Pre-IELTS, IELTS 1, IELTS 2, IELTS 3 and IELTS 4), and depending on their level, students study 2-4 modules of this series. Foundation Year

3 At the end of each module, a mock exam is organized so students can know which level they have reached already. Following these results, the FY Office in cooperation with the teachers will recommend a suitable period to take the IELTS exam, since it makes sense to have the result before the next phase is starting. Please do not book a date for the exam on your own! o Academic English 1-6 is teaching essential study skills such as note-taking skills, presentation skills, academic writing and others in order to prepare students for the courses with international professors in the future. Currently the following Academic English (AE) courses are offered: AE 1: Note-taking AE 2: Presentation Skills AE 3: Essential Writing (only Level A + B) AE 4: Academic Writing 1 AE 5: Academic Writing 2 (only Level C+D) AE 6: Debating AE 7: Project o General German Language: Students of Level B, C and D will start to study German language in the Foundation Year. Other students will start at the beginning of the Bachelor program. All Bachelor students of VGU are required to study at least 4 modules of German language (total 400 periods) during the four years of their Bachelor studies. German classes will be offered each semester. In order to have a chance to get a scholarship for a possible stay in Germany during the study program, higher German skills are a clear advantage. 4. The Science Groups: o Beside language classes, all students study special Preparation Courses in English Language as well as in basic sciences and IT. These courses are taught in so-called Science Groups. A science group combines all students of a study program from the language levels A+B and C+D. For example all FA students in the language groups A1, A2, A3 and B1 and B2 are studying together in a Science Group. In some cases, 3-4 science groups are offered for a study program. o English for Special Purposes: This series of English courses focuses on vocabulary and language used in the study programs and provides a practical hands-on experience. There are four different courses with four modules each. BE 1-4: Business English for FA students EE 1-4: English for Electrical Engineers for EEIT students ME 1-4: English for Mechanical Engineers for ME students CE 1-4: Computer Science English for CS students Foundation Year

4 o Besides that, eight different modules of Sciences courses will be offered for all students o The goal of those courses is to refresh the high school knowledge in basic science subjects to train students to deal with the subjects in English language to improve independent thinking, problem solving skills and teamwork to familiarize students with helpful software skills for their study program to give them a first insight into contents which are taught afterwards in the bachelor program Courses for FA students: Business Mathematics 1+2 Business IT 1+2 Statistic + Statistic IT Introduction into Economics Further courses in development Courses for EEIT students: Engineering Mathematics 1+2 Physics Engineering IT 1+2 Robotic Workshop Further courses in development Courses for ME students: Engineering Mathematics 1+2 Physics Engineering IT 1+2 Further courses in development Courses for CS students: Computer Science Mathematics 1+2 Unix Skills 1+2 Computer Science IT 1+2 Foundation of Computer Science Further courses in development 5. Grading of Foundation Year modules: At the end of each module in the Foundation Year the students will get a grade, either determined by o an exam and/or o an assignment and/or o a project Foundation Year

5 A classroom attendance rate of 80% is expected. Otherwise the teacher can refuse to give the student a grade at the end of the module. Attendance will be checked in every FY module. Any longer absence has to be reported and explained to the Foundation Year Office. Foundation Year modules don t count for the real Bachelor program, but they are used to determine the ranking to calculate the scholarships for the next academic year. 6. Completion of Foundation Year The Foundation Year is successfully finished if a student passes at least 80% of the modules of the Foundation Year. o From a maximum of 60 FY-CP a student has to pass modules with a value of at least 48 FY-CP. o Repeat exams will not be offered. Students can continue to study in the Bachelor program if they a) have successfully finished the Foundation Year (see above) b) have passed the IELTS Exam with at least 6.0 (Academic Test) until There will be no exceptions to that deadline. It is strongly recommended to take the test significantly earlier! c) have successfully finished the 8 weeks internship or the 6 weeks internship course organized by VGU in the summer break after the Foundation Year (only applies to EEIT + ME students) In case a student does not fulfill the conditions for completion of the Foundation Year the following rules are applied: a) Foundation Year not passed: Students who do not pass the Foundation Year have to study the relevant modules of FY again and pass them. Tuition fees have to be paid for the repeated modules only. b) IELTS not passed: Students who do not reach IELTS 6.0 by have two choices: Option 1: Provide evidence that he/she will take an IELTS course from an external language center and apply with student affairs department to postpone studies for one year. The student then must attain an IELTS score of 6.0 or higher by to continue to study. No tuition fees have to be paid. Option 2: Take the relevant courses of Foundation Year again and attain an IELTS score of 6.0 or higher by Tuition Fees have to be paid for relevant modules. Students who cannot fulfill these requirements by the above mentioned deadlines cannot continue studying at VGU! Foundation Year

6 7. Scholarship for 2016/17 The scholarship for the next academic year 2016/17 will be calculated on the basis of the results of the Foundation Year 2015/16: o The calculation of the scholarship will be done on the basis of 60 FY-CPs for all students. o Only students who hand in the IELTS certificate before can be considered for a scholarship. We strongly recommend that students study all suggested modules of their group in order to widen their knowledge and acquire as many skills as possible, to be well-prepared for studies in an international Bachelor program. The staff in the Foundation Year Office is always ready to help you. Please find us in room A-106 or write an to fy@vgu.edu.vn. Henning Hilbert Head of Foundation Year and Language Department Ha Thi Kim Chung Assistant at Foundation Year and Language Department Office hours: Mon., Wed., Fri.: Tue., Thu.: The whole Foundation Year Team wishes you an effective, successful and enjoyable study time at VGU. Foundation Year