Vision
The Khalifa University Preparatory Program aims to prepare students for their journey to become world leaders and critical thinkers in applied sciences and engineering.
Mission
At Khalifa University (KU), the Preparatory Program equips student with both academic and non-academic life-long learning skills to successfully embark on undergraduate courses.
The combined physics, mathematics, and chemistry courses prepare students to excel in the College of Arts and Sciences and later in the College of Engineering. The courses use lectures, laboratories, a web-based, artificially intelligent assessment and learning system (ALEKS) and a common project as an introduction to the material, with active learning and problem solving to emphasize concepts. The focus of the course is on applying learnt skills, as well as relevant math- and science-related concepts.
The English courses equip students to meet the linguistic demands of undergraduate study. They build each student’s capacity to understand and produce general and academic discourse on a range of topics, including applied sciences and engineering. The Preparatory Program also fosters the behavior, attitudes, and academic skills necessary for active participation in the university environment.
On successful completion of the program, students will exhibit skills in problem solving, critical thinking, digital literacy, autonomous learning, communication, creativity, and effective collaboration. Students will also demonstrate growing competence in time management, utilization of university support resources, and effective communication with other members of the KU community.
Description of the Student
Candidates who do not meet the requirements for full admission as freshmen, but are judged to have the potential to reach these standards, may be offered conditional admission. Conditionally admitted students participate in the university’s Preparatory Program. The Preparatory Program is an intensive full-time program of developmental study in academic and technical English, mathematics, physics and chemistry, required for success in a KU degree program.
No two cohorts are exactly the same in the Preparatory Program and numbers and demographics can vary from year to year; however, the Fall intake of 2017 is fairly representative, with 61% of the intake coming from government secondary schools and 39% from private schools. 99% were Emirati nationals and there was an approximately 3:2 split between males and females. The minimum age on entry is 17 and the maximum age is 20. All seven Emirates are represented in the KU Preparatory Program, but the majority of students come from Abu Dhabi.
Admission, Placement and Progression
Admission
Students are admitted to the Preparatory Program if they have met the minimum requirements in math and English, but have not yet qualified to enter the university directly.
Placement
Students are placed in one of nine different “tracks” when entering the university, with eight of the “tracks” being in the Preparatory Program. In the Preparatory Program, there are two levels of English and two levels of math. Based on their English competency and performance on the mathematics placement exam administered by the Admissions Department, students are placed accordingly. The table below details all the possible scenarios.
Progression
To progress to the next level (from English 1 to English 2; from STEM 1 to STEM 2; or to the Undergraduate Program), students must pass each course with a grade of “C” or better. Students must achieve IELTS 6 or higher, EMSAT 1400 or higher, or TOEFL 79 or higher in order to qualify for full entry to the Undergraduate Program.
Program Duration
Depending on placement level, students will be in the Preparatory Program for a minimum of one semester and a maximum of two semesters and an additional summer course, if needed.
Students must meet all requirements to move into the Undergraduate Program in one calendar year.
Mandatory Summer Session
If a student has not met all requirements by the end of their second semester, they must attend the summer session in an effort to meet the requirements.
Dismissal from the Program and the University
If a student has either failed the same course twice or not completed all of the requirements in one calendar year, they will be dismissed from the program and the university.
STEM 1
The STEM 1 course includes three separate modules, comprising Chemistry, Math, and Physics.
Chemistry 1
This course provides students with an introductory chemical foundation in preparation for their freshman studies. The course surveys the basic properties of matter and laws of matter, and focuses on developing the numerical problem-solving skills using the basic tools of quantitative chemistry. The tutorial/laboratory activities offer early hands-on training experience in visualizing, analyzing and understanding the basic properties of matter.
Math 1
This course is a developmental college algebra-level course involving basic algebraic operations, solving equations and inequalities, an introduction to complex numbers, problem solving, lines, graphing linear equations and models, functions, exponents and polynomials, factoring and quadratic equations, rational expressions and related equations. The course delivers content using a hands-on hybrid flipped model with an emphasis on self-study, context-rich problem solving, and study skills for university students.
Physics 1
This course is an introduction to university physics. It is a developmental pre-calculus-level course involving algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and physics (mechanics), with an emphasis on their integration and application to engineering. The course is offered to prepare students for their level one freshman courses. The course delivers content using recent technology and hands-on techniques with an emphasis on self-study, context-rich problem solving, and study skills for university students.
STEM 2
The STEM 2 course includes three separate modules, comprising Chemistry, Math, and Physics.
Chemistry 2
This course provides students with the entry requirements in chemistry in preparation for their freshman studies. Topics include chemical measurements, properties of matter, chemical reactions, stoichiometry, acidic and basic solutions, in addition to chemistry-related environmental issues. The course focuses on developing numerical problem-solving skills using the basic tools of quantitative chemistry. The laboratory component develops students’ practical skills in handling basic chemical measurements and reactions.
Math 2
This course is a developmental pre-calculus-level course involving solving systems of linear equations, polynomials, rational functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, trigonometric equations and functions, and trigonometric identities and their use. The course delivers content using a hands-on hybrid flipped model with an emphasis on independent and self-study, context-rich problem solving, and study skills for university students.
Physics 2
This course is an introduction to university physics. It is a developmental pre-calculus-level course involving algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and physics (electromagnetism) with an emphasis on their integration and application to engineering. The course is offered to prepare students for their level one freshman courses. The course delivers content using recent technology and hands-on techniques with an emphasis on self-study, context-rich problem solving, and study skills for university students.
English 1
In this course, students will develop the English language skills needed to meet the requirements of ENGL 002. During the course, students will read general and academic texts and will listen to a variety of short conversations and lectures to help improve comprehension skills. Students will be expected to take notes and annotate academic texts, write short texts which require critical thinking based on course readings and lectures, present information orally, and develop test-taking skills.
English 2
In this course, students will develop the required English language proficiency for freshman year entry. During the course, students will read a variety of texts to help improve their reading skills. They will also listen to different types of conversations and lectures to develop listening and note-taking skills. In addition to the various types of input to which students will be exposed, they will be required to produce written texts of various genres and give oral presentations. This course will also provide students with specific training on how to adequately meet the task demands presented in the IELTS or EmSAT exams.
ENGLISH 3
This course is designed for students who have passed the ENGL002 course, but have yet to reach the required proficiency exam score. It provides students with the language skills, enhanced knowledge of common topics, and test-taking strategies required to achieve the necessary requirements for transfer into freshman year courses.
SDAS 1
This course delivers a blended learning experience designed to help students apply positive behavioral principles to their present and future studies. Students will develop the academic skills necessary to use university resources, critically assess their personal study habits, time management, and take responsibility for their own academic habits.
SDAS 2
In order to reinforce the principles taught in the 1st semester course through practical application, the course extends to support the second semester for students in the Preparatory program. More time will be spent teaching students about habits and the practical application of principles that would secure their success through their undergraduate career and beyond. In this second-semester course, instructors will monitor students’ day to day activities more intensively.
Destination of Students after the Preparatory Program
Once students have completed all the requirements of the Preparatory Program, they need to fulfill general education requirements and then enter the College of Arts and Sciences or the College of Engineering. They have a wide array programs accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET to choose from:
College of Engineering
- Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering
- Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering
- Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering
- Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering
- Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering
- Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
- Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering
- Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
College of Arts and Sciences
- Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Geosciences
- Bachelor of Science in Chemistry
- Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics and Statistics
- Bachelor of Science in Physics
- Bachelor of Science in Earth and Planetary Sciences
- Bachelor of Science in Cell and Molecular Biology
Inventory of Resources
Resources are available to ensure students’ success from entry into the Preparatory Program to completion of their undergraduate study. The Math Learning Center and the Writing Center offer one-on-one academic support, and the library offers computers, study rooms, and instruction on the use of resources and finding information. Laboratories are available for the application of practical learning in the sciences, online academic materials are available on Moodle course webpages and the library webpage, and for mathematics the students have ALEKS to support the independent learning process. Student services provide support outside the classroom in the form of counseling services, career services, and an offering of various student clubs and organizations.
Academic Skills and Learning Outcomes
Academic Skills
Time management: Apply knowledge and skills to demonstrate effective time management
|
Students will be able to:
- Prioritize their responsibilities and estimate the time needed to complete their responsibilities
- Create a diary which incorporates a weekly class and study schedule
- Use their diary to plan ahead and schedule regular study sessions in preparation for quizzes and exams
- Use lecturers’ office hours regularly for support
|
Study Skills: Use educational skills and tools to enhance their independent learning |
Students will be able to:
- Read, skim and scan from pages in their textbooks
- Extract important information from texts to help solve questions
- Annotate and utilize relevant information in their textbooks
- Take effective notes during class sessions
- Create revision notes to help solve problems
- Identify their learning style(s) and use different learning strategies to revise
- Understand how to solve and practice questions
- Work together in diverse groups
- Organize digital and physical materials and resources: files, folders, binders, course materials, books, etc.
- Be prepared for class: from engaging with content prior to class to bringing the requisite supplies for class/workshop sessions
|
Stress Management: Use techniques to help manage stress and anxiety |
- Students will be able to:
- Recognize their need for help and ask for it
- Use breathing exercises to help relax
- Take regular exercise, eat a balanced diet, and maintain good sleeping habits to ensure and promote a healthy lifestyle
- Use a study timetable to reduce exam stress
|
Digital literacy: Use technology to research information and demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways
|
- Students will be able to:
- Use research strategies to locate information
- Use and format word processed documents
- Use other technology applications to present information, write content, and collaborate with others
- Write appropriate emails
|
STEM Learning Outcomes
By the end of Chemistry Module 1 of STEM 1, students will be able to:
|
By the end of Chemistry Module 2 of STEM 2, students will be able to:
|
- Recognize the basic technical vocabulary and introductory concepts of chemistry
- Demonstrate competence in reading and understanding of mathematical and scientific text
- Apply basic chemistry concepts and methods to solve quantitative questions using the scientific approach
- Safely conduct introductory chemistry experiments, collect data and analyze practical results
|
- Demonstrate competence in reading and understanding of mathematical and scientific text, make, justify, and communicate conclusions
- Apply mathematical relationships and integrate chemical concepts to answer and solve chemical problems
- Engage in independent study and the subsequent development of life-long learning skills
- Safely conduct introductory chemistry experiments, collect data and analyze practical results
|
By the end of Math Module 1 of STEM 1, students will be able to:
|
By the end of Math Module 2 of STEM 2, students will be able to:
|
- Recognize basic algebraic operations
- Solve equations, inequalities, and problems
- Recognize lines and distances
- Graph Linear equations and inequalities in two variables
- Recognize basic concepts of exponents and polynomials
- Factor polynomials and solve quadratic equations
- Simplify rational expressions and solve related equations
- Engage in independent study and the subsequent development of life-long learning skills
- Recognize functions and their operations and graphs
|
- Solve systems of Linear equations with applications
- Recognize polynomials and graph polynomials
- Divide polynomials and apply remainder and factor theorems
- Recognize trigonometric functions and identities
- Solve trigonometric equations
- Recognize exponential and logarithmic functions and their manipulation
- Solve exponential and logarithmic equations
- Sketch polynomial functions and their transformations
|
By the end of Physics Module 1 of STEM 1, students will be able to:
|
By the end of Physics Module 2 of STEM 2, students will be able to:
|
- Apply major fundamental concepts of physics as presented in the textbook
- Translate realistic physics problems into the equations which describe them
- Use appropriate units for physics quantities and use quantitative reasoning and basic mathematics skills in the solution of problems
- Show that they have learned laboratory skills enabling them to take measurements in a physics laboratory and analyze the measurements to draw valid conclusions
- Engage in independent study and effectively communicate an understanding of physics concepts
|
- Demonstrate the knowledge, skills, competence in critical thinking and professionalism to apply physics concepts
- Demonstrate their understanding of fundamental concepts of electricity and magnetism
- Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, and prove that they can think critically and work independently while performing their laboratory work
- Engage in independent study and the subsequent development of life-long learning skills
|
English Learning Outcomes
Approach to Teaching and Learning
The courses follow a communicative approach to language learning, whereby students engage with different types of academic texts to understand, analyze, and produce authentic communication. Students are also encouraged to interact with other students and the teacher to better understand and produce meaningful communication. This approach includes the integration of different language skills to help students utilize multiple linguistic resources to understand concepts and produce academic discourse. Within this communicative and integrated language-learning approach, vocabulary, grammar, and academic skills are taught to help students more successfully understand and produce academic texts.
Learning Outcomes
Writing
|
By the end of English 1 , students will be able to:
|
By the end of English 2, students will be able to:
|
- Use pre-writing strategies to plan writing, such as brainstorming and guided-outline templates
- Organize paragraphs with accurate topic sentences, supporting points, and concluding sentences
- Analyze, identify and respond to an essay prompt with appropriate communicative purposes
- Utilize teacher feedback and peer feedback to edit multiple drafts of writing
- Write short academic texts such as essays and reports
- Use simple and compound sentence structures with control and begin to use complex sentences
- Use simple grammatical structures with control and begin to recognize complex grammatical structures
- Take notes on a simple presentation, lecture, or academic text aimed at a general audience
- Begin to understand summarizing and paraphrasing
- Understand a limited number of essay genres
- Begin to recognize referencing and citations with regard to academic honesty in writing
- Be able to format a word-processed document consistently and according to academic conventions
|
As in ENGL 001 and:
- Prepare a simple outline to organize ideas and information
- Organize an essay with an accurate thesis statement, supporting paragraphs, and concluding statement
- Give and utilize critical peer feedback to edit multiple drafts of writing
- Use complex sentence structures with control
- Begin to use complex grammatical structures with control
- Take notes on a simple presentation or lecture aimed at an academic audience
- Take notes on multi-paged academic texts
- Effectively summarize and paraphrase academic texts
- Understand a wider variety of essay genres
- Begin to use referencing and citations with regard to academic honesty in writing
- Understand the importance of academic honesty in writing
|
Reading
|
By the end of English 1, students will be able to:
|
By the end of English 2, students will be able to:
|
- Use titles, headings, subheadings, and visuals to predict content
- Scan a text to look for key words and specific information
- Skim a text to identify the main purpose and key concepts
- Identify key information in academic texts:
- Main ideas
- Topic sentences
- Supporting sentences
- Identify the function and meaning of basic discourse markers, punctuation, and referents within a text
- Deduce meaning of vocabulary from context
- Make annotations and take notes from a text
- Begin to understand the author’s purpose and intended audience
- Begin to make inferences based on comprehension of a text
- Understand and breakdown the most important parts of science-related questions or tasks
|
As in ENGL 001 and:
- Use paragraph structure/organization (e.g. topic sentences) to predict content
- Scan a text to look for specific information in more complex texts
- Identify key information in more complex texts, including
- cause/effect and compare/contrast
- Identify more complex discourse markers and more complex referents within a text
- Deduce meaning of more complex vocabulary from context
- Make inferences based on comprehension of a text
- Understand the author’s purpose (to educate, inform, persuade, or entertain) and the intended audience
- Understand information contained in one or two graphics of different or similar types, including line graphs, bar charts, pie charts, tables, diagrams, processes, maps, and infographics
|
Listening
|
By the end of English 1, in the context of a lecture, presentation, discussion, etc., students will be able to:
|
By the end of English 2, students will be able to:
|
- Recognize the basic organizational structure of different types of presentations and lectures
- Distinguish between main ideas and supporting details, and recognize examples and their relation to the idea they support on a familiar topic
- Extract key details on a familiar topic, if delivered slowly and clearly
- Recognize and identify the function and meaning of basic discourse markers, punctuation, and referents within a text
- Take effective notes while listening to a simple, straightforward, and authentic presentation or lecture on a familiar topic
- Recognize paraphrasing and repetition
- Demonstrate understanding by sketching, labeling, filling a table, classifying, ordering, etc.
- Follow and be able to participate in a group discussion
|
- As in ENGL 001 and, in the context of a lecture, presentation, discussion, etc.:
- Recognize the basic organizational structure of more complex types of presentations and lectures
- Extract key details on less familiar topics delivered at a natural pace
- Take effective notes while listening to an authentic or semi-authentic presentation or lecture on a less familiar topic
- Identify a speaker’s tone, purpose, feelings, attitudes, opinions, or point of view
- Discuss and respond to content of a lecture or listening passage orally and/or in writing
- Recognize a broader range of discourse markers
|
Speaking
|
By the end of English 1, students will be able to:
|
By the end of English 2, students will be able to:
|
- Discuss a range of familiar and less familiar topics (e.g. school, family, home, friends, leisure activities, hobbies, culture, films) with appropriate fluency, vocabulary, accuracy, and pronunciation
- Discuss topics related to applied science and engineering with appropriate fluency, vocabulary, accuracy, and pronunciation
- Discuss and respond to content of reading and listening passages
- Participate actively in group and class discussions
- Deliver an effective 2-3-minute presentation (individually or as part of a group presentation)
- Follow organizational conventions of academic presentations (with opening, body with supporting ideas, conclusion, basic references)
- Use basic oral paraphrasing and summarizing skills
|
As in ENGL 001 and:
- Discuss a range of increasingly complex topics (e.g. applied sciences, current events, the environment, news) with appropriate fluency, vocabulary, accuracy, and pronunciation
- Participate actively in debates
- Use communication strategies to participate in group and class discussions
- Deliver an effective 3-4-minute presentation (individually or as part of a group presentation)
- Use course-appropriate devices for coherence and cohesion
- Use more advanced oral paraphrasing and summarizing skills
|