General Foundation Programme

About this programme

The General Foundation Programme (GFP), which consists of modules in English, Mathematics, Information Technology, and study skills is designed to equip students with the skills needed to cope with the demands of higher education. The content and delivery of the GFP offered at IMCO are being continuously reviewed and redesigned to address the recommendations of the Oman Authority for Academic Accreditation and Quality Assurance of Education (OAAAQA). The GFP follows an outcomes-based learning approach.

Programme Goals

General Foundation Program aims to:

  1. Implement curricula of international standards by a process of continuous review and update.
  2. Provide high quality teaching and training within a rich, stimulating learning environment and aided by personalized academic support.
  3. Equip the students with knowledge, skills and personal attributes that will enable them to be productive and effective.
  4. Engage constructively and effectively with industry and the community.
  5.  Provide professional development opportunities for all academic and administrative staff.
  6. Provide appropriately constructive and professional non-academic student support services.

Entry Requirements

All Students must take the IMCO Placement Tests (IMCO PT) which are Mathematics, English and Information Technology on application to the college. Based on the results, students will be assigned to the appropriate level within the GFP or exempted from the particular subject if they have scored appropriately. Exemptions for English and IT can be considered on submission of a valid certificate. For English, an IELTS 5.0 not older than two years. For IT, a valid IC3 and ICDL.

MENU : Academics

Duration

One Academic Year

Tuition Fees

2,625 RO per academic year

Study Plan

English

Mathematics

Information Technology

FENG000 Elementary English: The main objective of Level C in the General Foundation Programme is to promote students from elementary level of English to a strong pre-intermediate. The key purpose of providing this course is participating in discussions on topics relevant to their studies by asking questions, sharing information, expressing opinions, etc.  Students will focus on preparing and delivering a talk of at least 2 minutes. They will be able to deliver the talk, speak clearly and confidently, make eye contact and use body language to support the delivery of ideas. They also need to respond confidently to questions. Great importance is given to help students improve their writing by providing texts of a minimum of 150 words, showing control of layout, organisation, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, grammar and vocabulary. Students will develop the skill of paraphrasing information orally from a spoken text or from a presented data.

Pre-requisite: none

FENG001 Pre-intermediate English: Level B in the General Foundation Programme aims to raise students from an elementary level of English to a Pre-intermediate level. Students will be encouraged to think in English and to develop motivation for learning.  Students will see a clear focus on meeting learning outcomes. Students will be given opportunities to use English as a medium of communication in all classes. Different study skills will be incorporated in all English subjects to ensure that learners develop their own learning strategies, rather than memorising information to pass an exam. Great importance is given to help students develop strategies of learning English. That is why, study skills will be incorporated in all English subjects taught in the level. By the end of the course, the students will be able to write texts of a maximum 250 words, showing control of layout, organization, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, grammar and vocabulary and to give a talk for 2-3 minutes about personal topics and respond confidently to questions.

Pre-requisite: FENG000

FENG002 Intermediate English: This is Level A in the General Foundation Programme. It aims to raise students from a pre-intermediate level of English to a strong intermediate level. We will challenge students by encouraging them to use only English in all classes, and to learn to think in English.  Students will see a clear focus on meeting learning outcomes. Great importance is given to help students find useful tools and develop strategies for learning English, rather than memorising information to pass an exam. For this reason, study skills will be incorporated in all English subjects taught in the level.  By the end of the course, the students will be able to write a report of 500 words based on their research and to give a presentation for 5 to 7 minutes.

Pre-requisite: FENG001

 

Learning Outcomes:

Having successfully completed GFP English a student will be able to:

  1. Actively participate in a discussion on a topic relevant to their studies by asking questions, agreeing/disagreeing, asking for clarification, sharing information, expressing and asking for opinions.
  2. Paraphrase information (orally or in writing) from a written or spoken text or from graphically presented data.
  3. Prepare and deliver a talk of at least 5 minutes.  Use library resources in preparing the talk, speak clearly and confidently, make eye contact and use body language to support the delivery of ideas. Respond confidently to questions.
  4. Write texts of a minimum of 250 words, showing control of layout, organisation, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, grammar and vocabulary.
  5. Produce a written report of a minimum of 500 words showing evidence of research, notetaking, review and revision of work, paraphrasing, summarising, use of quotations and use of references.
  6. Take notes and respond to questions about the topic, main ideas, details and opinions or arguments from an extended listening text (e.g. lecture, news broadcast).
  7. Follow spoken instructions in order to carry out a task with a number of stages.
  8. Listen to a conversation between two or more speakers and be able to answer questions in relation to context, relationship between speakers, register (e.g. formal or informal).
  9. Read a one to two-page text and identify the main idea(s) and extract specific information in a given period of time.
  10. Read an extensive text broadly relevant to the student’s area of study (minimum three pages) and respond to questions that require analytical skills, e.g. prediction, deduction, inference.
Code Title Lectures (hrs[1]) Activity/Practice (hrs) Duration (weeks)
FENG000 Elementary English (C) 4 20 11
FENG001 Pre-intermediate (B) 4 16 11
FENG002 Intermediate (A) 4 16 11

FMTH003 Basic Mathematics I: This is an introductory course in mathematics. Topics covered include real numbers, subsets of real numbers, properties of real numbers, use the arithmetic properties of subsets of integers, rational, irrational, and real numbers, including closure properties for the four basic arithmetic operations where applicable, exponent laws, and apply them to simplify expression and manipulate fractions, ratios, decimals, and percentages, measurements and conversion from one unit to another, rational expressions and rationalize numerators or denominators, worded problems, model simple real life problems with equations and inequalities, linear equations, equations involving radicals, fractional expression and inequalities, coordinate plane to solve algebraic and geometric problem, and understand geometric concepts such as equation of a circle, perpendicular, parallel, and tangent lines, symmetry of an equation to sketch its graph.

Pre-requisite: none

FMTH004 Basic Mathematics II: This is a continuation of FMTH003. Topics covered include operations on polynomials and manipulation of numerical and polynomial expressions and solve first degree equations, the quadratic formula to find roots of a second-degree polynomial, the relationship between degree and radian measure of an angle and find the length of a circular arc and the area of a sector, trigonometric and circular functions and use the fundamental trigonometric identities in various problems, solve a right angle triangle using angle of elevation and depression, apply knowledge of basic algebra and trigonometry in real life problems, using computer packages to plot functions.

Pre-requisite: FMTH003

FMTH005 Pure Math: This is course designed for students specializing in science and engineering related majors. Topics covered include function and its graph, quadratic equations using quadratic formula, exponential and logarithmic functions, inverse relationship between exponents and logarithms functions, different types of angles and measure them in degrees and radians analytic trigonometry and circular functions, trigonometric identities, law of sines and cosines, descriptive statistics, mean, median, mode and summarize data into tables and simple graphs (bar charts, histogram, and pie chart), basic probability concepts and compute the probability of simple events using tree diagrams and formulas for permutations and combinations.

Pre-requisite: FMTH004

FMTH006 Applied Math: This is course designed for students specializing in Business, Education (in History, Geography, Religious Studies, etc.), Linguistic Studies, Social Sciences, Arts, etc. Topics covered include two variables linear equations and inequalities and their graph, interpret a series of three simultaneous inequalities of two variables, display them graphically and determine the solution set, function and its graph, quadratic, exponential, logarithmic equations, and inequalities, zeros and maximum or minimum of a quadratic function the graphs of a quadratic, exponential, and logarithmic functions, simple and compound interest and relate compound interest to exponential growth, inverse relationship between exponents and logarithms, descriptive statistics, mean, median, mode and summarize data into tables and simple graphs (bar charts, histogram, and pie chart), basic probability concepts and compute the probability of simple events using tree diagrams and formulas for permutations and combinations

Pre-requisite: FMTH004

Duration

Each of the courses is offered in 11-week terms.

Code Title Lectures (hrs[1]) Activity/Practice (hrs) Duration (weeks)
FMTH003 Basic Mathematics I 2 2 11
FMTH004 Basic Mathematics II 2 2 11
FMTH005 Pure Math 2 2 11
FMTH006 Applied Math 2 2 11

Learning Outcomes
The learning outcomes are exactly as those specified in the GFP Standard pages 13-15.

FCOM001 Basic Information Technology I: The objectives of the course are to provide students with the basic information of computer fundamentals, hardware, software, working with computers, file management, privacy, authentication and using media. Creating presentations and slideshows are also addressed in the course.

Pre-requisite: none

FCOM002 Basic Information Technology II: The objectives of this course are to provide students with ability to create, modify, enhance and print a wide variety of spreadsheets, and to perform calculations. In the course other operations on spreadsheets including filtering, sorting, use built-in functions, working with t abs, formatting, charting is also addressed.  The course will also introduce students to networking, using emails and the world wide web.

Pre-requisite: none

FCOM003 Basic Information Technology III: The objectives of this course to provide students with skills in using a word processor. Topics covered include page layout, formatting, page numbering, use of headers and footers, search and replace, inserting images n documents, borders and shading, checking spelling and grammar, printing, inserting and drawing figures.

Pre-requisite: none

 

Code Title Lectures (hrs[1]) Activity/Practice (hrs) Duration (weeks)
FCOM001 Basic Information Technology I 2 2 11
FCOM002 Basic Information Technology II 2 2 11
FCOM003 Basic Information Technology III 2 2 11

 

[1] Contact hours per week.

[2] Contact hours per week.

[3] Contact hours per week.

Module Description- General Foundation Programme

Core-Elementary/Pre-Intermediate/Intermediate

Module Title:     Core-Elementary/Pre-Intermediate/Intermediate

Module Code:    FENG-ELM-C/ FENG-PRE-C/ FENG-INTER-C

Prerequisites:   None

Course Description:

The core focuses on developing learners’ overall grammar and vocabulary competence as well as incorporating the study of aspects of all language skills. By the end of the course, learners will be able to use a wide range of grammar structures to communicate on topics related to their career.  The course also prepares students for using learned language in real life situations.

Reading-Elementary/Pre-Intermediate/Intermediate

Module Title:     Reading-Elementary/Pre-Intermediate/Intermediate

Module Code:    FENG-ELM-R/ FENG-PRE-R/ FENG-INTER-R

Prerequisites:   None

Course Description:

By the end of the course, students will have developed reading and vocabulary-building skills such as scanning, skimming, predicting and guessing the meaning from context.

Writing-Elementary/Pre-Intermediate/Intermediate

Module Title:     Writing-Elementary/Pre-Intermediate/Intermediate

Module Code:    FENG-ELM-W/ FENG-PRE-W/ FENG-INTER-W

Prerequisites:   None

Course Description:       

By the end of the course, students will have learned the process of composing paragraphs/short essays of different genres and also will have developed their research skills in the Intermediate level.

Listening & Speaking-Elementary /Pre-Intermediate/Intermediate

Module Title:     Listening & Speaking-Elementary /Pre-Intermediate/Intermediate

Module Code:    FENG-ELM-LS/ FENG-PRE-LS/ FENG-INTER-LS

Prerequisites:   None

Course Description:       

By the end of the course, students will have enhanced their skills in listening and they will also be able to speak confidently and intelligently on a variety of issues. They will also learn to take notes to prepare and deliver short presentations or take part in pair/group discussions.

Foundation Mathematics-I

Module Title:     Foundation Mathematics-1

Module Code:    FMTH-001

Prerequisites:   None

Course Description:       

By completing the Foundation Mathematics-1 coursework students would have accomplished the following tasks:

  • Understand measurements and conversion from one unit to another
  • Describe the set of real numbers, all its subsets, and their relationship
  • Identify and use the arithmetic properties of real numbers
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the exponent laws and apply them to simplify expressions
  • Demonstrate an understanding of percentages & simple interest
  • Describe the concept of polynomials, perform operations on polynomials and solve polynomials
  • Describe and apply basic Algebraic formulas
  • Solve linear equations, equations involving radicals, fractional expressions and inequalities
  • Solve two variables linear equations
  • Solve Quadratic equations by factorization and Quadratic formula
  • Use coordinate plane to solve the algebraic and geometrical problem, and understand concepts of parallel & perpendicular lines and equation of the circle
  • Translate worded problems into mathematical expressions and model simple real-life problems with equations and Inequalities.

Foundation Mathematics-II

Module Title:    Foundation Mathematics-II

Module Code:   FMTH-002

Prerequisites:   None

Course Description:       

By completing the Foundation Mathematics-2 coursework students would have accomplished the following tasks.    

  • Summarize data into tables and simple graphs (histogram, bar graphs & pie chart)
  • Understanding basic concepts of descriptive statistics, mean, median and mode
  • Understand basic probability concepts and compute the probability of simple events using tree diagrams and formulas for permutations and combinations
  • Demonstrate understanding of the definition of a function and its graph
  • Understanding the concepts of domain and range, even and odd function, inverse function, and composition of functions
  • Define and manipulate exponential and logarithmic functions and solve problems arising from real life applications
  • Understand the inverse relationship between logarithmic functions and exponential functions and use this relationship to solve related problems
  • Understand the definition of the different types of angles and measure them in degree and radians and find the length of a circular arc
  • Describe analytically the trigonometric and circular functions
  • Demonstrate an understanding of trigonometric identities
  • Solve a right triangle using the angle of elevation and angle of depression
  • Apply knowledge of basic algebra and trigonometry in real life problems
  • Use the law of sines and cosines to solve a triangle and real-life problems

Information Technology-I

Module Title:   Information Technology-I

Module Code:  FCOM-001

Prerequisites:  None

Course Description:   

  • Computer Fundamentals

Students are required to understand the make-up of a personal computer system in terms of hardware and software, data storage and memory. Students will demonstrate an understanding of how computer-based software applications are used in everyday life. Additionally, students are also required to identify the requirements for a computer suitable to purchase for student usage, demonstrate a basic understanding of computer ergonomics and demonstrate an understanding of software copyright and Omani data protection legislation.

  • Basic Computer Operation and File Management

Students shall demonstrate an understanding of the basic principles of operation of a personal computer system and that of file management using a computer.

  • Word Processing

The general objective of this component is to equip students with the essential skills that they need to create good quality documentation during their studies.

  • Presentation

The general objectives of this component are to equip students with the essential skills that they need to create professional presentations during their studies and an understanding of presentation packages so that they can utilize them for presenting information in an effective manner during their studies and in the future.

Information Technology-II

Module Title:    Information Technology-II

Module Code:   FCOM-002

Prerequisites:  None

Course Description:   

  • Network and Internet Fundamentals

Students shall learn to identify network fundaments, types and the benefits and risk of network

computing. They shall also demonstrate an understanding of the history and jargon associated with

the Internet.

  • Browsing the Internet

Students shall navigate the World Wide Web by using a suitable web browser(s) and employing

different web browser tools. They shall search the Internet for information using a search engine(s)demonstrate an understanding of different types of viruses and method(s) to clean viruses and worm-infected systems with appropriate software and in turn identify risks to personal and organizational data. They shall learn about the protected websites, use of digital certificates,

encryption-decryption, uses of firewall and how to get protected from hackers. They shall also

describe the effect of IT on our lives and on society generally.

  • Electronic Mail

Students shall learn to use electronic mails for communicating with other people by using the latest software.

  • Spreadsheets

The general objectives of this component are to equip students with the essential skills that they

need to create good quality spreadsheets during their studies, and the understanding of Spreadsheet packages so that they can utilize it for data processing tasks during their studies and in future for job purpose