1. 810 - Integrated Language Skills:
This course is focused on helping students acquire and develop basic skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English. It aims to teach students how to understand and use simple vocabulary, sentences, expressions, and basic phrases needed for basic communication in everyday life. It provides students with a wide exposure to a variety of situations and conversations rooted in everyday experience so that they gradually become familiar with the tone and pace of the language. The course materials contain functional language that is ideal for beginners in English, besides a solid foundation in grammar and vocabulary needed for students to communicate effectively and confidently in English. This course develops the students’ English proficiency to prepare them for the next level of English.
2. 811 - Internet and Computing Skills:
This course is designed to ensure that students are digitally literate and to illustrate what can be accomplished using a computer. The participant progresses to having skills necessary to source, process and communicate information related to their postsecondary or higher education studies in a variety of disciplines. The course helps the students in using popular software application programs to process typical documents found in a college or working environment. It deals with basic computing fundamentals namely working of a computer system, computer hardware (namely CPU, RAM, ROM, Auxiliary storage, Input and Output Units), computer software (Operating systems, and application programs), Windows 10 dealing with desktop files & folders (cut, copy, paste and rename creating short cut), and processes (such as log in, stand by, restart, switch user, log off, and turn off. The Key Applications include MS Word 2016 which deals with basic skills required to create simple documents like letters, reports or brochures. The course also introduces the students to the basic skills for working with MS Excel 2016 which includes how to enter and format text, numbers, formulas and navigate and manage worksheets, filter and sort data, create and modify charts and printing options. The Key application also includes MS PowerPoint 2016 that makes the students equipped with the basic skills for working with an application designed to manage, set up presentations and create and edit slides that include text, images and charts. The Living Online module covers the basic knowledge of the Internet, skills in specific applications such as E-mail, web browsers, searching for information and the numerous advantages and disadvantages of Internet and its applications.
3. 812 - Academic Reading and Writing:
This course is designed to develop the students’ reading and writing skills in English. It offers students an opportunity to achieve fluency and accuracy in these language skills through the use of stimulating and informative passages and appropriate writing assignments. It helps students understand the relation between reading purpose and reading efficiency via ample practice in the sub-skills and strategies of academic reading such as skimming and scanning, and using text structure to identify main ideas and supporting ideas. The student will be encouraged to read local English newspapers and magazines and file them in her portfolio. It includes writing activities like regular free writing to develop fluency, peer corrective feedback, and group writing. Reading activities are linked with writing practice using a range of text structures and appropriate conventions in line with the academic purposes for writing. This course will also enhance the students’ autonomy through regular and assessed self-study as well as their critical thinking by encouraging them to express their point of view in writing.
4. 813 - Academic Listening and Speaking:
This course is designed to develop the students’ listening and speaking skills in English. It offers students an opportunity to achieve adequate levels of fluency and accuracy in these language skills. It enhances students’ listening skill and facilitates conversational practice through listening to dialogues and informative texts. Students listen to conversations based on topics of general interest and everyday life social situations to identify specific details, opinions, ideas and infer meanings for completing listening tasks. Speaking activities in the classroom include culturally relevant group discussions, role play, and individual presentations which are based on pertinent topics of academic interest. This course builds on the foundations of accurate and fluent communication already established in the previous level by extending lexical and functional skills.
5. 814 - General Study Skills:
This specific course focuses on creating a synergy between students’ English language, and to some extent computing and mathematical skills, and the major subject area that they are expected to embark on in higher education. It is designed to prepare students to fundamental study by teaching the students essential skills and strategies in conducting research, administering surveys, giving presentations and writing a report to enhance their work. These skills are expected to help students become effective learners who manage their time, develop self-study and critical thinking, accept responsibility for their own learning, and use English confidently in both formal and informal academic communication situations.
6. 815 - Basic Mathematics:
This course is compulsory for all GFP students. There are no prerequisites for this module. All secondary school graduates are entitled to enrol in this module. In this module, students are going to learn numbers and its subsets, basic arithmetic operations on fractional and decimal numbers, calculate percentage, how to solve linear and quadratic equations, modeling with linear equation and inequalities and changing intervals to inequality and real line and vice versa. They also learn about coordinate geometry, circular function and unit conversion from one form to another. Once the students finish this course they will also have the knowledge of exponents, rational expression, polynomial, rationalization of numerator and denominator and trigonometric functions, trigonometric identities and its application in real life as angle of elevation and depression. Ample practice is provided to help students acquire an adequate working competence in these areas.
7. 816 - IELTS Preparation:
This course is designed to prepare post-secondary students for the IELTS test band of 4.5 to 5 proficiency level in the English language, which is the target level recommended for the General Foundation Programme by the OAAA. It aims to enhance students’ developing competencies in academic language skills through stimulating texts, dialogues and appropriate writing assignments on topics of academic interest. It provides functional language input and related intensive practice in each of the four modules of (1) Listening (2) Speaking (3) Reading and (4) Writing in the IELTS paper besides equipping students with the necessary test-taking skills and strategies.
8. 817 - Applied Mathematics:
This course is designed for post-secondary school students with an Applied Mathematics background. The course covers functions (Linear, Quadratic, exponential, Log, polynomial, Rational, etc.), quadratic equation, exponential and log equations, modeling with quadratic equation, simultaneous equations, frequency distribution, permutation and combinations, compound inequalities, compound and simple interest, statistics and probability and provides ample practice in these areas to enable students to progress to the academic major of their choice. According to the Oman Academic Standards for General Foundation Programme, successful students of this course are entitled to pursue their higher education studies in Business, Education (in History, Geography, Religious Studies, etc.), Linguistic Studies, Social Sciences, Arts, etc. Students are entitled to enroll in this course only after successfully passing Basic Mathematics (815).
9. 818 - Pure Mathematics:
This course is designed for post-secondary school students with Pure Mathematics background. The course covers functions (Linear, Quadratic, Exponential, Log, polynomial, Rational, etc.), Sketch of the graph using software and other methods, quadratic equation, exponential and log equation, statistics, permutation and combination, measurement of unit circle, proving the trigonometric identities, sine and cosine law, frequency distribution and probability and provides ample practice in these areas to enable students to progress to the academic major of their choice. According to the Oman Academic Standards for General Foundation Programme, successful students of this course are entitled to pursue their higher education studies in Engineering, Sciences, Agriculture, Medicine and Health Sciences, Education (Science and Mathematics), Law, etc. Students are entitled to enroll in this course only after successfully passing Basic Mathematics (815).