Christmas on campus

Here at FoundationCampus UCLan we are celebrating Christmas early; the lights are up, the tree is decorated and the Christmas music is playing for all to enjoy in the office. 

Most of our students will be returning to their home country over the Christmas period to enjoy a 4 week break before returning in the New Year.

With students from all over the world and coming from different cultural and religious backgrounds, many of them have never experienced a traditional Western Christmas before. 


Last night many of our students went out to enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner of turkey with all the trimmings.  Even some of our past students returned to join in the festivities so it was also a great opportunity for our current students to talk to them about how to make the most of their foundation year and what studying at UCLan is like.

From all of us here at FoundationCampus UCLan, we would like to wish a very Merry Christmas to all!

Revision week

Now we are officially counting down at UCLan FoundationCampus; only one week to go before the start of Module 1 exams. 

This week in all of our UFP classes students are having revision lessons to prepare them for these exams which will count towards their final grade and MFP students are busy completing their first round of courseworks which are due in a week today.

Good luck to all of our students with exams next week, work hard and do your best!

Skiing and snowboarding lessons on real snow!

Wrap up warm!

On Monday a group of our students took part in skiing and snowboarding taster sessions at Manchester's Chill Factore, which is an indoor ski slope only 40 minutes drive from UCLan and at 180 metres long it is the UK's longest indoor real snow slope.

Students on the beginners slope

The group split into 4; snowboarders, absolute beginner skiers, some who had skied before and more experienced skiers.  The experienced skiers went off to enjoy the UK's longest indoor real snow slope and the rest stayed on the beginners slope to learn some techniques.

Many of the students had never seen snow before so it was a real experience.  They had a great time and many of the group are now looking forward to taking a level 1 beginners lesson in January. 

The Opportunities Centre

One of the greatest benefits to being a FoundationCampus student at UCLan is that our students have access to all of the University's facilities, like the library, sports centre and Student's Union, just like any other UCLan student.

The Opportunites Centre is a new venture for 2012/13 students and is situated in the Student's Union.  It is student run and offers advice on volunteering, careers and both academic and personal development.

Many of our students are interested in volunteering to enhance their CV and to encourage them to immerse themselves in an English speaking environment.  It is a great way for students to get some hands on experience in their chosen degree field, even before they progress onto the course, putting them at a huge advantage as they enter Year 1 of their degrees.

You can find out more about the Student's Union and see how to get involved at http://www.uclansu.co.uk/.

Harris Museum Trip for ELM students

For students who need extra English language support before joining one of our Undergraduate or Masters Foundation Programmes, or for those just wishing to study English in the UK on a University campus, we offer an English Language only module.  Students study English for 22 hours per week from IELTS level 3.0 and can study for up to 3 terms.

On Friday, English Language Module (ELM) Group 1 students visited a local museum, the Harris Museum, where they enjoyed a cultural experience in the UK in an English language learning environment - here's what they had to say about the trip;

"On Friday, 9th November, we visited the Harris Museum with our teacher Joanne.  The museum has 3 floors and a learning centre, library and small cafe downstairs.  As we went round the museum we had questions to answer and things to look out for.  It was good to practise English outseide of our usual classroom and read the information around us.

We discovered a lot of information about Preston's heritage and the local history and saw many intersting things, such as the beautiful stained glass Henry window, a model of an old factory in Preston, a doll's house, skulls and even a collection of old mobile phones!

One of the best things was the skeleton of 'The Poulton Elk', which was discovered buried under a house in Preston.

We also saw some historical costumes and had a talk in the art gallery with a museum assisstant.  He explained a lot to us about the works of art we saw.

We really enjoyed the trip and we are looking forward to visiting somewhere else to find out more about Preston."

For more information and photos please take a look at this short presentation; The Harris Museum, prepared by one of our ELM students, Hatim Aloqalaa.  Thank you Hatim!

Biscuits in business: learning with food in UFP business!

This week as part of the Undergraduate Foundation Programme (UFP), Business students took part in a focus group to explore how their academic topic – market research – is carried out in the real world.
 

The students applied their learning to a practical problem; they carried out a focus group to decide which biscuits would be best to be sold in their on campus Café.

They worked in small teams with other students from around the world to evaluate different types of biscuits in a blind product test. They decided which brand was best to be sold to customers if they were in charge of the café’s purchasing.

The business students reported that it allowed them to link the academic theory of market research to the real world, using an on campus business example that they were familiar with; as well as being a fun and engaging activity to do!

To see what else students in UFP Business get up to look at their blog http://septuclan.blogspot.com

To find out more about the UFP programme see http://www.foundationcampus.com/en/uclan/degrees/ug/

A visit from the Physiotherapy department

Students meet with Heather Stewart (right)

Today UCLan's Course Leader for BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy came out to meet a group of Undergraduate Foundation Programme students who are due to progress onto Physiotherapy next year. 

Heather Stewart gave a presentation about studying Physiotherapy at UCLan and what the course will involve.  Physiotherapy has a mixture of classroom based theoretical learning and practical placements in local hospitals.  Upon completion of the degree programme, students will be eligible to register as a Physiotherapist with the Health Professions Council.

Students were able to ask questions and discuss their ideas with Heather.  Physiotherapy is a very competitive course and all students applying for a Physiotherapy degree at UCLan must pass an interview before being offered a place.  This interview will take place later in the academic year and we are keen to ensure our students have the best possible chance of success.

You can find out more about studying Physiotherapy at UCLan here; http://www.uclan.ac.uk/information/courses/bsc_hons_physiotherapy.php and more about our programmes and the range of opportunities that they can bring on our website; http://www.foundationcampus.com/en/uclan/static/home/.

How to carve a Halloween pumpkin, by Yohei Yasui

I've spent halloween in my home country Japan, the US and now England.  We don't really celebrate Halloween in Japan but in the US it is completely crazy, there are kids everywhere running around shouting 'trick or treat.'  Halloween in England is very quiet.....until the night time when all the parties start.

In the UK it is tradition to carve pumpkins with scary faces for Halloween, here's how you do it;

STEP 1:  First, I looked carefully and decided which side to use.

STEP 2: Secondly I cut up the lid off of the back of the pumpkin. I did this because the face looked better than cutting the top.

STEP 3: Then comes the sticky smelly part which is to scrape out the seeds. People often start throwing seeds to each other in this step.

STEP 4: Next, I draw a face for my lantern. I will recommend not using white board markers  because my hand became all black in the end.

STEP 5: Finally, you start carving the face. However, the pumpkin was very soft and thicker than I have imagined and was very difficult to curve small parts.

STEP 6: At the end you put in a candle inside and here I got my very own scarry Jack-o-lantern.

The finished product! 

There has been a lot of Halloween fun happening in the college including pumpkin carving competitions, pop-up cards, decorations and dressing up.  For pictures and more information on what's been happening at UCLan FoC take a look at our facebook page.

Mid-Term Assessments

This week at FoC the students from all our pathways are having mid-term assessments. 

Mid-term assessments are an opportunity for tutors to review the progress being made by students and to check their knowledge.  Tutors can also see which areas classes need to work on as a whole and where individual students are struggling but also excelling.  These assessments are a great way of letting students know which areas they need to work harder on but not forgetting a good opportunity to praise them for their hard work which is also very important in the learning process.

Every student will also have the benefit of receiving personal, written feedback from their teacher for every academic subject that they are taking.

In doing these assessments, students also have a chance to assess themselves and get a good idea of which areas they need to work hard on at home.  It's also great practice for students who will be studying in the UK for a number of years as they can get used to the style of assessments that they will see many of in the future.

Best of luck to all our students.  For a bit of light relief outside the classroom students will be going to see the new Bond film, Skyfall, in cinema tonight. 

The Social Programme, by Aimee-Louise Smith

Hello my name is Aimee and I work with the students at UCLan FoundationCampus on a day to day basis with welfare issues.  I am the first person students see when they come into the office and I am happy to help with anything that they need.  I deal with things such as police registration, accommodation, registering with the doctors, getting around Preston and much more.  A huge part of my role is also to help organise student social events which is really fun!

The social events are usually every Tuesday and Saturday at FoundationCampus and I try to get the students involved in making the decisions about what they want to do and how they want to do it! This gives me a good idea of what events I can plan and when I can fit them in. I love talking to the students during their break times because it gives me a good insight as to who they are, which also gives me a good idea of the types of events they would be interested in attending throughout the year.

I start my week by advertising the events around campus and talking to the students to see who is interested in attending, I then book any tickets and transportation needed for the day and confirm it all towards the end of the week. I also go in to tutorial sessions to try and get more students to come along to the trips.

I feel the trips are extremely important to the students as there are many things the student can benefit from getting involved in the social events we offer throughout the year. The benefits I see from the students who attend the events are as follows:

• I have strict rules that on the trips that all students are only allowed to speak in English so it is fair on all the students who don’t speak the same languages as some of the other students. This means that their English skills will improve throughout the year both in and outside the classroom.
• It gives the students a chance to socialise with other students who are studying on their course and to make friends with people from different courses across FoundationCampus – Most of the students from previous years who attended a majority of the social events during the year have remained friends throughout their time at UCLan.  As an example we have a group of students who now live together and have done since leaving UCLan FoundationCampus!  I do feel it gives them the opportunity to feel more at home by already having friends around them before they start their degree course.
• The students get to travel around the UK while they are here instead of staying in one place.  They get a chance to really make the most of their time in the UK, seeing many different places and experiencing British culture.
• It is a great opportunity for the students to learn about England and most of the trips are educational.
• Getting involved with social events that are run by the university itself is also good because it means that the students will make friends with other students at UCLan and will have a group of friends before they even begin their degree which is a great way to make sure you have friends wherever you go!




Me with student, Man Ue
outside the Trafford Centre

So far this year the students have already taken part in some amazing events!
Such as;

·         Manchester Trafford Centre

·         Lake District – Lake Windermere

·         Paintballing

·         Blackpool Illuminations with Fish and Chips

·         Bowling

·         A meal out at Nando’s

We are looking forward to the following events which are coming up in the next few weeks;

·         A trip to Liverpool – Albert Docks

·         Bonfire night

·         Traditional pumpkin carving for Halloween

·         A beginners skiing lesson at Chill Factor in Manchester

·         Manchester’s annual German Christmas Markets

·         A tour of Manchester United’s football ground

·         A trip to Blackpool’s scary house for Halloween

·         Cinema Trips

·         Meals out in different restaurants such as Chinese, Indian, English, Italian and much more.

We always have a lot of social events to keep the students entertained over the weekends and during their half term breaks.  It is my job to ensure that all the students feel at home here at UCLan FoundationCampus and to give them the opportunity to experience English culture and have fun while they are with us for a year!

I really enjoy my role and love working with students as it is always exciting.   

Spotlight on Computing

Term 1 is now well under way and our students are hard at work preparing for their mid term assessments.  Students on the Undergraduate Foundation Programme (UFP) study English along with 3 academic subjects of their choice to best prepare them for the Undergraduate degree that they will progress onto next year at UCLan.

This week our UFP Computing class have been learning about Different Programming Languages.  To help them understand computer programming languages groups of students acted out different parts of a language and presented it to the class. 

To support the theoretical classroom based learning, Computing students also have practical lessons in a University Computer Lab 4 hours per week. 

Computing students are set to progress onto a variety of degree courses next year including BSc (Hons) Computer Games Development, BSc (Hons) Computer Network Technology, BEng (Hons) Robotics and Mechatronics and BEng (Hons) Electronic Engineering.

Computing Tutor Susan Clark said; "My aim in teaching Computing is to encourage each student to work to the best of their ability.  When students work hard, I try to be really kind.  Work can always be improved - there is no such thing as having finished with nothing more to do.  I believe in aiming high but I like the class to laugh and find learning fun.  As long as students study the work and pass their examinations, I don't mind if they think I am slightly crazy."

Keep up the good work class!

A Day Out in the Lake District

After the students' first week in lessons they had the chance to take a trip to one of England's most revered beauty spots with Foundation on Campus.  The Lake District is an area of natural beauty famous for it's lakes, forests and mountains and is only an hours drive north of Preston. 

Students spent the day around Lake Windermere, enjoying the local town, food and views.  They took a boat trip and had the option to visit the Beatrix Potter museum or take a trip to the Lakes Aquarium. 

Take a look at this video clip filmed by Talal Jallaf, one of our aspiring Physiotherapy students;

 

Here's what he had to say about the day; "We stepped off the bus and arrived to a magical place.  Most of us had never experienced anything like this before, such a beautiful place.  The glistening clear blue lake, trees so green spreading beyond the horizon, shiny polished boats and local wildlife.  We stepped on a boat to take us on a voyage around the lake, greeted with a smile and a warm welcome we took our seats and began our journey.  It was just brilliant.  It took us all by surprise to hear that Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh had been on the same boat, we suddenly all felt like royalty.

Our journey home was a disappointing one, we didn't want to leave our new heaven.  Fresh air, fresh food and friendly people.  It was a trip like no other."

A warm welcome to 2012/13, by Centre Head Mary Wade

Welcome to the 2012/13 academic year! 

 

It is so nice to have students in the centre again after our short summer break.  Induction week began on Monday 1^st October and you can find photographs of our students meeting each other, the teachers and receiving talks from the Student’s Union, the Health Centre, the Police and the Fire Service as well as FoundationCampus staff on our Facebook and Flickr page.  It also included our usual trip to Blackpool to have fish and chips and enjoy the Blackpool illuminations – a traditional British institution. 

 

Today is the last day of their first week of study and the students are really starting to settle down.  They will have met their personal tutors for the first time this week.  The personal tutors are a very important part of the student journey through FoundationCampus and lead a programme throughout the year that gives an introduction to study in the UK, helping the students with study strategies, but also gives the students an opportunity to talk about any personal problems and to reflect on living life in another culture. 

 

It’s important to recognise that students on our Foundation programmes are not only here to study but are also experiencing enormous changes outside the classroom, getting used to living away from their family and in a new culture.  Studying on a foundation year gives the students the opportunity to experience these challenges outside the classroom before they start their degree or masters, ensuring they will be able to focus on their study to achieve the best qualification possible.  It also gives them a chance to share their learning with people who are going through the same changes.  Most of our students stay friends throughout their time at university. 

 

Please keep checking our blog to share the 2012/13 year with us.  We’ll have regular postings from staff and students and photographs and videos to keep you up to date.

Best wishes.

 

Mary

Induction week 2012/13

Welcome back to UCLan FoC for what we are sure will be another exciting and successful year.  The year is well and truly under way with 106 new arrivals and another 20 or so still to come.



Students take a campus tour

Induction week was, as always, extremely busy.  Students enrolled on their programmes and chose their options, registered with the police, met with the fire service to discuss safety and were introduced to a lot of the rules and regulations that they will need to know as international students living and studying in England. 

Endrit enjoys traditional fish and chips

Students were treated to a free trip to Blackpool, a town only 45 minutes drive away from Preston, to see the famous Blackpool Illuminations and enjoy traditional English fish and chips.  They also had a chance to go bowling and to take a trip to Manchester's Trafford Centre, the largest shopping centre in the UK.

A great start to 2012/13.

Olympic Torch Relay - Preston 2012

Olympic Torch Relay - Preston 2012, a set on Flickr.

Our photos of when the London 2012 Olympic torch relay came to Preston (June 2012)