Foundation Year in UK Higher Education: A Comprehensive Report

This report provides a comprehensive overview of the foundation year in UK higher education, highlighting its significance in preparing students for degree courses. It investigates the importance of foundation year programs for students from diverse backgrounds, emphasizing how these programs enhance academic skills and increase admission chances in prestigious UK universities. The report also addresses the challenges faced by foundation year students, such as time constraints, resource limitations, and issues related to course scheduling and classroom facilities. Furthermore, it explains how study skills, including time management, communication, and multi-tasking, can help students overcome these challenges and succeed in higher education. The report concludes by emphasizing the vital role of foundation courses in improving skills and subject knowledge, ultimately enabling students to compete effectively and achieve their academic goals.

Foundation Year
In UK Higher
Education

ABSTRACT
Foundation year in UK is well known by gateway programmes which is designed to
develop subject related knowledge and skills so that student can attain degree course. It is the
ladder through which student can enter into the top universities of UK. The importance of
foundation year for students are studied from wide participation so that best results can be
achieved. It aid the students to improve their skills and subject knowledge so that seat in top
universities can be garbed easily. There are key challenges faced by foundation year students
and various study skills like, communication, time management, multi-tasking etc. are used to
overcome them. This skills helps foundation year students to over the challenges and make their
career in higher education. Study skills assist the students to take degree from the reputed
universities in the UK.

Table of Contents
ABSTRACT.....................................................................................................................................2
..........................................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
a) Investigate the importance of foundation year student from wide participation backgrounds.
.....................................................................................................................................................1
b) Challenges faced by foundation year students while taking admission in top universities....2
c) Explain how study skills in higher education can assist foundation year students to
overcome some of these challenges. ..........................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Foundation year programmes in United Kingdom (UK) are formulated to upgrade or
develop subject specific knowledge to assure students to get a degree course. This programmes
is well known by the name of gateway or year zero programmes among students in UK. The
main objective of this foundation courses to provide students with life long learning and
progression route to get a degree. However, this programmes assist people to take admission in
best universities so that skills lacking behind can be improved accordingly. By doing so this
programmes directly aid the students to compete with “A” level people so that best performance
can demonstrated. This report is based on a article which covers why foundation year for
students is important in order to perform better. Also, it focus on challenges faced by foundation
year students in taking admission. However, it throw-light on the study skills in higher education
and how it can help to resolve the challenges of foundation year students (Bowes and Lewis,
2016).
a) Investigate the importance of foundation year student from wide participation backgrounds.
Foundation Year courses provides the platform to the students to be a part of top
universities in UK. The main aim of foundation program is to enhance the subject-knowledge
and skills of those students who are weak in particular areas so that they can qualify the
admission process of any of top level UK universities. Here, are some of the courses like,
GNVQ, foundation or access courses guide the traditional education background students to
perform at a similar level like that of “A” students. The importance of foundation year students
from wider participation backgrounds are explained as follows:
Enhance academic skills: GNVQ, foundation or access course assists the students to
develop and improve skills and subject knowledge in order to succeed in tertiary education. They
ignore the god-gifted skills and throw-light on abilities which are lacking behind in an
individual. Students weak in any particular area or lacking in prerequisite this programmes will
uplift the knowledge acquired to compete with “A” level students.
Raises the chances of admission in prestigious universities in UK: Students who are a
part of this programmes after higher education increases the chances to be a part of top
universities in UK. When the skills and subject- knowledge are enhanced then it become easy to
crack the admission criteria and become a part of renowned universities. It provides a platform
1

for the weak students to raise their skills in order to succeeded in academic (Dalal and Taylor,
2015).
Fills the gap in knowledge between high school and university: The foundation
courses like, GNVQ are formulated accordingly to eliminate the differences in study pattern and
get all students up to standards. Students may lack in subjects say, maths, history, physics etc. or
in skills like, communication etc. are the areas where foundation course aid them to acquire that
level from where they can succeeded in career. This courses act as a bridge in context of subject-
knowledge and fill the gap between high school and university.
Get used to university-style teaching: Students as a part of foundation year courses has
the benefits over people entering directly from school. As this foundation programmes teaches
students by using university-style teaching pattern often on lectures, seminar, tutorials and on-
campus to perform better in further studies.
Specialise in chosen filed: GNVQ, foundation or access courses makes students
specialized in their particular field by improving their level of skills and subject-knowledge. The
weak area of traditional eduction background students are focused more so that can be perform at
a similar platform of “A”level students. In order to make them specialized this foundation
courses has beginner stream for freshers who have never been part of this field and advanced
stream for those students who want to nourish their knowledge before entering into higher
studies.
Additional support: Foundation courses helps students to enhance their English
language so that they can succeeded in their career growth. In UK this classes focuses on
developing those subject-knowledge and skills so that students can flourish in academic
environment. They provide English courses like, English for academic purposes (EAP) which
help students to enhance their academic and general skills abilities in their carrier (McDonald
and Strang, 2016).
b) Challenges faced by foundation year students while taking admission in top universities.
Foundation programmes or courses assist students to improve their subject related
knowledge and skills which are required to enter into the top universities in UK. Students face
several challenges while being a part of this courses in the market. Here, some of the challenges
which students come across are discussed as follows:
2

Consumes more time and resources: The foundation year courses provide teachers to
learn English language easily. But it takes lot of time and resources to teach students in effective
manner. Students face lot of difficulties to grab english language because their mother tongue is
Arabic. Lot of time is consumed by students to learn english language in order to take admission
in reputed universities for degree.
More skills need to be carried out in foundation courses: Skills like, collaboration,
communication, problem solving, critical thinking etc. should be carried out in the courses for
students. So that, overall development with academic skills can be done. Students will be able to
develop life skills such as, accountability, leadership, time management and adaptability if this
skills are adopted in the foundation courses.
Class size and classrooms: Students face finds difficulty in adjustment as the size of the
classrooms is small as well as number of classroom is less. Due to which there is chaos among
students while attending the foundation year courses. The facilities are inappropriate due to
which students are not getting proper learning environment as per their exceptions. Lacking in
facilities and class room sizes decreases the productivity and learning interest among students.
Due to which they are not able to take degree from the reputed universities.
Course scheduling issues: In foundation year courses there is no alignment of subject
courses. Randomly any courses gets started due to which concepts are not clear and confusion
regarding the topic germinate. Due to which students who have completed higher education are
not able to crack the university admission criteria. Mismanagement in course scheduling
demotivate students to go for higher education in the UK top reputed universities (McLaren,
2015).
Designed for international students: Foundation courses helps International students to
cope up with British universities . It is difficult for international students to match with study
patter, culture etc. of British universities. This courses address the needs and demands of the
students from all over the world and assure them that they are personally confident to make
students succeed at an undergraduate course at British university.
c) Explain how study skills in higher education can assist foundation year students to overcome
some of these challenges.
Students posses distinguished Study skills (Time management skills, test preparation
skills, presentation skills, reading skills, multi-tasking skills, communication skills etc.) are the
3

set of approaches applied to learning. This particular skills assist the foundation year students to
take degree of course from the reputed universities in United Kingdom. Study skills helps the
students to perform better in order to crack the top universities admission criteria. It also aid the
students to achieve degree which will be beneficial for them in their career. This skills assist to
over the challenges faced by foundation year students which are explained as follows:
Time management: The study skills like, time management helps the students to over
the challenges like, course scheduling issues and consume more time and resources. This skills
aid the students to manage the time effectively and efficiently during their course of foundation
year (Rumble and Harry, 2018). By doing so the issues related to course scheduling can be
overcome and best results can be obtained. Due to which students associated with courses will be
able to grab seat in the top universities of the United Kingdom. The problem related to
consumption of more time and resource scan be resolved by adopting the time management
study skills so that more degree can be taken from the top reputed universities.
Communication skills: Skills like, collaboration, communication, problem solving,
critical thinking etc. can be overcome by the study skill of communication. Students with
effective communication skills helps students to resolve the issues and is able to take enter into
top universities in the UK. Good command in english language helps students to adjust in to the
British universities. They are easily able to adjust with the changing environment and culture and
are able to take degree from the best universities in the United Kingdom.
Multi-tasking skills: Students with multi tasking skills is able to resolve the issues
related to classroom sizes and number of classrooms in the foundation year courses. This study
skills helps the students to adjust in any environment and succeed in academic field. This quality
in students motivates them to work and learn in any circumstances to enter into the top
universities of UK (Pietsch, 2015).
Presentation skills: Students posses presentation skills as their study skills are benefited
the most in their career growth. This particular skills aid the students to over the problem related
to designed for international students. Foundation courses in UK teaches english language to the
international students so that they can easily adjust to the British universities. This presentation
skills helps the students to easily crack the admission pattern and improve them on continuous
basis to take degree of course.
4

CONCLUSION
From the above the it can be concluded that foundation courses plays a vital role in
improving skills and subject related knowledge so that they can compete with A level students. It
also, aid students to improve their English language so that they can take part in any universities
in UK. Various challenges are faced by foundation year students in terms of facilities, class room
sizes, number of classrooms due to which interest level of students decreases to take degree.
Additionally, study skills like, communication, time management, problem solving etc. helps the
students to overcome the challenges. Additionally, students are facilitated to take degree of
course from the reputed top universities in United Kingdom.
5

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Bowes, L., Joinson, C., Wolke, D. and Lewis, G., 2016. Peer victimisation during adolescence
and its impact on depression in early adulthood: prospective cohort study in the United
Kingdom. Br J Sports Med. 50(3). pp.176-183.
Dalal, H. M., Doherty, P. and Taylor, R. S., 2015. Cardiac rehabilitation. Bmj. 351. p.h5000.
McDonald, R. and Strang, J., 2016. Are take‐home naloxone programmes effective? Systematic
review utilizing application of the Bradford Hill criteria. Addiction. 111(7). pp.1177-
1187.
McLaren, P., 2015. Life in schools: An introduction to critical pedagogy in the foundations of
education. Routledge.
Pietsch, T., 2015. Empire of scholars: Universities, networks and the British academic world
1850–1939.
Rumble, G. and Harry, K., 2018. The distance teaching universities. Routledge.
6