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The Preparation Program begins the transformation of students into members of an energetic, goal-oriented, intellectual community. This community is comprised of self-directed, analytical learners who use a variety of effective academic skills and strategies and are committed to the learning process. Although it carries no academic credit, this intensive program establishes a crucial academic foundation – especially in English – necessary for students to succeed in the intellectually rigorous degree programs at PMU. Essentially, this program lays the groundwork for students’ ultimate achievement of the six PMU core competencies in communication, technical competence, critical thinking and problem solving, professional competence, leadership, and teamwork.
Classrooms are student-centered, highly interactive, and communicative. A well-trained, English-speaking faculty function as supportive organizers and facilitators as students learn EFL, mathematics, and study skills and learning strategies. All courses incorporate the use of technology; the study skills and learning strategies courses provide instruction in specific software programs and in technology skills that are important to learning.
The environment of the entire program is infused with the PMU’s unique “learning outcomes approach” to education. This approach is manifested in non-traditional pedagogy, methodology, techniques, and classroom management style. The result is student-learners and teacher-facilitators who share a commitment to developing higher order intellectual abilities. These students will grow into university graduates who are life-long learners who are able to function and adapt in an ever-changing, technologically interconnected, global community.
During the intensive, highly structured Preparatory Program, students are required to attend both daily classes and workshops, where they complete out-of-class assignments. Each of these environments is an experience in new ways to learn. In the workshops, faculty and staff oversee sessions to ensure that students understand the content, employ appropriate learning skills and strategies, and complete all assignments. These experiences are vital to accomplishing the goals of the Preparatory Program.
The subject matter, methodology, and structure of the PMU’s unique Preparatory Program equip entering students with the academic and personal skills necessary to succeed in a university that sets high standards for all its graduates.
To ensure that the students the university admits will be prepared to succeed in PMU’s challenging academic environment, a non-credit Preparatory Program is provided to assist entering students in developing their skills in English, mathematics, and learning and study methods.
The Preparatory Program provides students with non-credit instruction in learning skills, mathematics, and a level of proficiency in English that will enable students to succeed in a university where all courses (with the exception of Arabic language and Islamic Studies) will be taught in English. The time required to attain this level of English abilities will vary depending on the student’s level of achievement upon entering the program. Courses are taught in half-semester blocks. It is expected that most students will attain the required level in two full semesters, though some may require additional instruction.
Upon successful completion of the Preparatory Program, students will be ready for acceptance into one of the three colleges of PMU.
GATEWAY TO FRESHMAN
From the Preparatory Program, students enter degree studies in one of the three colleges at PMU: Engineering, Information Technology, or Business Administration. During their first year in the university and before beginning their major course work, however, students pursue work principally in a series of core courses.
The courses in the PMU Core Curriculum are the logical extension of work that begins in the Preparatory Program. It is therefore vital that the Chair, the Associate Chair and the faculty of the Preparatory Program understand the direction their students will take once they enter degree studies and work closely with their counterparts in the Core Curriculum. It is also important to coordinate all their efforts through the Dean of Core Curriculum and Preparatory Program and, ultimately, through the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs.
The PMU University Core courses, which are required of all students, include University Core and Assessment Capstone courses.
The University Core includes the following:
- Written Communication
- Writing and Research
- Oral Communication
- Technical and Professional Communication
- Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
- Professional Development and Competencies
- Leadership and Teamwork
The Assessment Capstone series contains three courses designed to measure students’ success in achieving the designated PMU learning outcomes.
- First semester, second year – an orientation to learning outcomes expectations, the development of a learning portfolio, and the assessment process.
- First semester, third year – a more intensive treatment of learning outcomes, the portfolio, and assessment leading students to the final capstone experience.
- First or second semester, fourth year – a comprehensive project covering all PMU learning outcomes under the direction of the student’s college faculty.
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