Foundation Year in UK Higher Education: Challenges and Study Skills

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Study Skills for Higher Education

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction......................................................................................................................................1
a) Identify the importance of the foundation year for students from wide participation
backgrounds and explain why it is important..............................................................................2
b) Explain the key challenges facing foundation year students...................................................3
c) Discuss how study skills in higher education can help foundation year students overcome
some of these challenges.............................................................................................................4
d) Draw conclusions based on these key points..........................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................8

Introduction
Education in the current sector is most important for the students as it creates the base for
achieving the future goals. Within the education sector, foundation year is the basic years that
provide education to the students about suitable skill development or developing knowledge
about the subject. In UK foundation education system is affected by the deficit mindset that
mainly creates gaps in the minds of students. However, current report assess about understanding
the importance of foundation year for students along with the current challenges students are
facing from years. At last, suitable ways would be recommended to overcome challenges faced
by the students.
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a) Identify the importance of the foundation year for students from wide participation
backgrounds and explain why it is important.
Foundation programmes in UK is the year Zero programme that are mainly designed to have
development in the skills and ensuring subject specific knowledge is being obtained by each
student to advance the suitable kind of degree course. Such programs are organised in UK
universities and are mainly classified as per one year course or the integrated degree programs.
Foundation year is organised basically for both domestic and international level students. There
are students that belong to different backgrounds that want to have the base clear with foundation
course (Norrie et.al. 2012). The course is only offered in UK in different universities. Growing
concerns about studying at right place is the major issue for the parents. Below is the detailed
importance of foundation year every student need to take in consideration for better future.
Skill development: The foundation year acts as the suitable bridge between the current
qualification and meeting with the undergraduate entry requirements. This mainly helps students
to fill academic gaps, improve the English and students are well informed about improving
technical and professional skills. This mainly helps students to write an essay, academic
vocabulary and so on. This mainly prepare a student to have confidence regarding getting into
universities for further education.
Prepare for Honours: Foundation year mainly motivates and adds strengths to be eligible to
start an undergraduate degree in universities. Mainly for socio economic students, the foundation
year prepares to achieve development in the skills and they are eligible to meet with the
requirement of choosing the right level of education. In addition, students are eligible to learn the
basic notions, theories and elements of their chosen field of study (Midgley, S. 2002). Better
language proficiency will enhance confidence among students to compete on the international
level with using the developed skills.
Lifelong learning: Foundation year mainly act as the base year that is effective for the students
mainly to have development in skills. This year provides the basic development in skills,
knowledge, personal competencies and subject related perspective. However, such skills can be
widely applied by the students in near future on taking high course or getting employed at
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suitable workplace. Foundation year prepares student as an effective individual and help to grow
as a better person.
Cultural shock: University there would be large number of students from different backgrounds
that competes each other on international level with having different academic system.
Foundation year provide chance to students to experience local culture, behaviour and customs
of the people (Simm et.al. 2011). This helps students to adjust as per academic environment, the
new teaching system and ongoing assessments to start a new undergraduate course.
Mainly, from the above options, it can be evaluated that foundation year is important for students
to overcome the challenges that can be faced in near future to attain a high degree.
b) Explain the key challenges facing foundation year students.
From the case study, it is been reviewed that universities or colleges are not paying proper
attention on the students ideas, skills and development. They are only focused on the earning
more profits and increasing the number of student participation in their universities. In the case,
the three most important challenges have been noticed from the point of view of students that is
placed by universities are:-
Students forced to overcome weaknesses: In the UK education system, it is generally seen that
universities and colleges are putting the pressure on the student to overcome their weaknesses in
the foundation year only. It will not improve their weaknesses rather it creates difficulties for the
student to learn. The universities should give them necessary training as they are in the
foundation year they might have fear in their mind (Marsh, 2018). The training shall relate to the
lifelong learning so as to get the good degree in order to achieve future growth and development.
Entry barriers: In major universities of UK, the system is only focused towards the widening
participation. The objective of the widening participation is to increase the number of students
whether they are capable or not for the particular place or whether they are able to have such
knowledge. Moreover widening participation is ignoring the background of the student they
think that every student has inborn talent that gives basis to achieve the high education and after.
It is not wrong to say that widening participation is not the good policy of UK government but
the way universities are using out for earning more profits is wrong (Krutkowski, 2017). The
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widening participation should contribute by providing new and correct rule to the higher
education from the groups that are under-represented that supports in lifelong learning also.
Variable student fees: The universities charge differently in every year due to change in
structure of pricing by British University courses. If the government reduces the prices of the
courses it impacts negatively to the universities and due to which many universities argues to
make some of the courses expensive that discourages the students to adopt the courses as per
their interest in the subject. It is not possible that every student can afford the price rise that de-
motivates them and they will not able to create the skills which are generally developed in the
foundation year.
Proper professionals: In UK, the teachers or professors are not hired as much as the needs of
universities and due to this, students are not able to get the correct knowledge, skills and learning
from the teacher actually they should get. As in UK, foundation year is important to prepare the
students to get professionalism skills having such type of challenge can make the student not
performing accordingly as per the industries standards for future. The focus on non academic
staff is placed more that is unnecessary for the students who have more interest in raising their
academic skills (Forde et.al. 2016). For them, it is important them to take such universities where
more academic education is emphasized.
c) Discuss how study skills in higher education can help foundation year students overcome
some of these challenges.
Good study skills among the students will help to improve the ability of student to retain and
learn knowledge. Students may feel confident and will produce extra effort to attain the more
knowledge from further studies. Study skills in higher education will student confidence to
achieve knowledge in the concerned and available time. There are study skills programme
organised at higher education level that teaches about:
 Development of learning about the particular subject with the suitable time
 To be critical about having academic knowledge
 Designing notes that are important that can help in future
 Planning about choosing topics
 Having an effective writing styles
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 Having effective spelling and grammar
 Managing time, having effective communication and giving adequate presentations
These are generally the basic skills that help are important for foundation year students as they
feel fearful of competing with other students. Such skills lead to develop positive image in front
of the teachers that might spend effort to develop as the better person from foundation year.
Having study skills for foundation year student will not only help to become successful in the
university, it also helps to gain success in life (Hodgson and Spours, 2012). Foundation year
student with this will be able to be confident, competence and self esteem that mainly reduces
the anxiety about the test, exams and deadlines. For the foundation year student, study skills act
as the key to competence and it improve the ability of individual to perform the suitable task.
Universities mainly aim to provide the education about the suitable degree or the course.
Generally overall development of the individual in form of its skills and talents usually is left
behind.
On this account, higher education can be more strengthen and teachers are required to focus on
providing education about the importance of foundation year and offer development in their
study skills. Student having study skills will be able to communicate with its co members that
help to display its positive image as the good person. At the foundation year, students will have
better growth opportunity in terms achieving better job and growing in professional manner
effectively (Brown, 2013).
Higher education provides the students basic knowledge and skills. It mainly prepares individual
to have positive behaviour and etiquette to display as the better personality at the foundation
years. Moreover, student would be able to have the strong mindset in terms of following the
suitable direction of taking better decisions for achieving professional goals. On the basis of
study skills, students tend to take mature decisions about choosing the right pay and right degree
that will lead to bring overall development in them (Fallows and Steven, 2013). In addition, it is
necessary for schools at higher education to organise different study skills programmes and
courses and motivate them to show their active participation to achieve future development.
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d) Draw conclusions based on these key points
Based on the facts about the foundation year, study concludes that students can be prepared
effectively for future with the effectiveness of foundation year. UK needs to enhance and spread
awareness about the foundation year course that will help students to compete effectively with
the strengths of education students. It is not easy for students to get good grade in higher
education but providing practical knowledge about the study skills is effective. Each student
cannot be perfect in identifying its weakness; it is role of Universities and colleges to prepare and
support the students.
Also it can be concluded that students at the foundation year face different challenges that are
identified above. However, students at the early age require proper guidance and support by the
faculties. Schools need to educate students about the effectiveness and impact of the foundation
year that will enhance them to take positive decisions for their future growth. In addition,
universities are also required to change their scale in terms of giving importance to talents of the
students instead on only focussing on achieving degrees and grades.
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Conclusion
As per the analysis of the above report, it can be concluded that foundation year seems to
important years as it mainly provides the base for choosing the correct direction for attaining the
high level of education. There are different challenges faced by the students at the foundation
year as they are not able to decide the current direction and path to be achieved in near future. It
can be concluded that there are concerned study skills that can helps students to cope up with the
challenges. Only it requires students to learn about skills and apply whenever it is required.
Moreover, improvement can be brought in schools that can provide education about the
foundation year and its importance in attaining future goals.
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References
Books and Journals
 Brown, S., 2013. Large-scale innovation and change in UK higher education. Research in
Learning Technology, 21.
 Fallows, S. and Steven, C., 2013. Integrating key skills in higher education:
Employability, transferable skills and learning for life. Routledge.
 Forde, C., McMahon, M.A., Hamilton, G. and Murray, R., 2016. Rethinking professional
standards to promote professional learning. Professional development in
education, 42(1), pp.19-35.
 Hodgson, A. and Spours, K., 2012. Three versions of ‘localism’: implications for upper
secondary education and lifelong learning in the UK. Journal of education policy, 27(2),
pp.193-210.
 Krutkowski, S., 2017. A strengths-based approach to widening participation students in
higher education. Reference Services Review, 45(2), pp.227-241.
 Marsh, C.J., 2018. Key concepts for understanding the curriculum. Routledge.
 Midgley, S. 2002 ‘Why a Degree? Reaching those parts’,The Guardian, 8 October 2002,
p. 7
 Norrie, C., Hasselder, A. and Manning, C., 2012. An exploration of the experiences of
recent graduates from an interprofessional foundation degree. Journal of interprofessional
care, 26(6), pp.517-518.
 Simm, D., Marvell, A., Winlow, H. and Schaaf, R., 2011. Student experiences of
foundation degrees in further and higher education. Planet, 24(1), pp.2-9.
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