Structure of Program

The General Foundation Program encompasses broad areas of learning such as English Language, General Study Skills, Basic Mathematics, Pure Mathematics, Microsoft Office applications and Internet Research skills. These broad areas are spread across different courses called English Language & Study Skills, Mathematics and Computing Skills.

These courses, each of which is one semester in length, are normally studied at the same time over a period of one academic year, before entering Level 1 of program. The courses are available in two study modes i.e., Full Time [FT] and Special Part Time [SPT]

The academic year is divided into two semesters:  Foundation1 (F1) and Foundation2 (F2) for engineering students, and three semesters Foundation1 (F1), Foundation2 (F2) and Foundation3 (F3) for Medicine & Pharmacy students.

Foundation Courses - F1


English Language & Study Skills 1

Basic Mathematics

Computing Skills 1

Self-study

Foundation Courses - F2


English Language & Study Skills 2

Pure Mathematices

Computing Skills 2

Self-study

Foundation Course - F3


English for Specific Purpose [only for MD/B.Pharm students]

Teaching and Learning

The majority of the Foundation Program is delivered through classroom interaction where the focus is on student-centred learning. This means that instead of the teacher giving a lecture where you sit and listen, you are expected to take part by asking or answering questions, solving problems or actively engaging in group work with fellow students in the classroom. You will acquire knowledge and skills through a combination of different strategies, briefly described below.

  1. Classroom Interaction: In English Language and Study Skills (ELS), Computing Skills (CS) and Mathematics (BM & PM) courses, classroom interaction takes the form of student-centred activity with minimal ‘TTT’ (Teacher Talking Time), as per international norms for delivery of language programmes.
  2. Self-Study: You are encouraged to maximize your use of the allotted self-study time to complete coursework and project-based activities. Study skills, mostly embedded in the English Language & Study Skills courses, help you develop strategies to become an effective independent learner. Space (such as quiet areas and study carrels in the Library, the Learning Resource Centre and student study areas in the basement) is allocated within the Airport Heights campus, for your pursuit of knowledge and skills.
  3. Use of Technology to Assist Learning: We use educational technologies such as BlackBoard and Smartboard, together with Learning Management Systems [LMS] applications, to assist in the delivery of the Foundation Program.

Program Assessment Methods

You will be given lots of opportunities to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the learning outcomes of the Foundation Program. We use both formative and summative assessment tools and methods in all the courses of the program. For more details on assessment, please refer to the specific course  handbooks uploaded as soft copy in NU portal.