Telematics education II: Teaching, learning and assessment at foundation level

International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education, Apr 2005 by Vaezi-Nejad, S M, Olabiran, Y

Figures 1 and 2 show the HITECC management and communication structures.

Note that each student is assigned a personal tutor during induction week. The numbers on the course mean that it is impossible for those staff directly involved in teaching foundation modules to take on the burden of providing personal tutorial support unaided. Instead, the personal tutorial load is spread over the entire faculty, all teaching staff (other than those who are granted excusai by reason of their other duties) being involved. This implies that each member of staff is responsible for around five or six students. Every effort is made to assign students to a member of staff in the school to which the student intends to progress after the foundation year.

Discussion

Particular care needs to be taken with the level of the modules. It is important that foundation level modules should not simply be 'watered down' versions of preexisting degree modules. They need to be designed ab initia with the needs and capabilities of foundation entrants in mind. All modules must assume no prior familiarity with the material taught. (Mathematics I is a partial exception to this rule, but even here the module begins with a revision of basic GCSE topics). Furthermore, the initial pace of delivery needs to allow for adjustment on the part of the students to a new educational environment, and in some cases to a return to fulltime study after a lapse of time. Nevertheless, the pace needs eventually to quicken, if students are to complete the foundation year equipped to cope with degree-level study.

It might be argued: why is Computing I not 'core' for computing courses, nor Digital electronics for electronics/communications pathways? The point is that neither of these semester A courses are prerequisites for semester B modules. Thus, for example, a student who passes Analogue electronics and Applied mathematics, while satisfying the generic progression criteria, would be eligible for progression to electronics/communications degree courses. Ideally, such a student would also have passed Digital electronics, but the intention is to allow students to change direction at the end of semester A on the basis of experience gained in that semester. Also, Computing I has no necessary connection with Computing II; the former introduces students to a range of key applications software packages-including spreadsheets and databases-whereas the latter consists of an introduction to programming. It is perfectly possible for a student who may have a prior competence in the former to register for Computing II without having studied Computing I.

The assessment pattern described above is a well-established feature of the foundation year. Its continuance indicates a view that it is appropriate to the needs of the student body. One variant of the pattern, practised in some modules hitherto, has been a reliance on a number of frequent, small 'mini-tests'. This has found favour both with students and with external examiners, and is therefore being extended to other modules. The frequency of the tests is seen as a factor motivating students to attend and to keep up-to-date with the work of the module, while also providing valuable feedback both to staff and students.