The University of Auckland Tertiary Foundation Certificate Programme: what it is and how we teach it.

Abstract

This paper and associated workshop focus on the role of a foundation programme in a university setting. Presenters will discuss the objectives, the structure and the success of the Tertiary Foundation Certificate Programme (TFCP), in its twentieth year of operation at The University of Auckland. There will also be an opportunity to experience some of the practical activities used within the Programme. The TFCP is conducted by the University as a means for outreach to the community and the provision of equal educational opportunities. The Programme is unusual in its decentralised situation within individual departments of the University. Staff are appointed by and run discipine-based courses within their respective departments, simultaneously cooperating as members of a TFCP team. Students are required to complete two semesters of study in both English and Mathematics, along with two other subjects selected from History, Geography, Chemistry, Physics and Biological Sciences. As the programme is over-subscribed with applicants, a selection process is required to choose those students considered to have the most potential to benefit from a pre-degree experience in a university setting. As a basis for discussion, a smorgasbord of activities from some of the subject areas will be showcased. The common thread in these activities in English, Mathematics and Geography is the engagement of students in a way that helps them to develop a critical awareness of their own learning.