GENERAL FOUNDATION
The Center for English as a Second Language & Academic Preparation (CEAP) offers the general foundation program which prepares students for higher education. The general foundation program is an academic entry program designed to bridge any potential gaps between the student’s minimum academic skills upon graduating from high school and the academic level needed to succeed at the university level. More specifically, the general foundation program intends to help students improve their skills in English, Mathematics and Computing. The Program is a one-year experience with a provision for completion in a maximum of two years. The passing grade for all the English courses is a C grade (70 %), while 60 % is considered a passing grade for the two foundation mathematics courses and the computing course.
CEAP Objectives:
Why MCBS CEAP?
There are three levels (beginner, Intermediate and advanced), and each level consists of three non-credit courses:
Level | Course | Course Code | Hours per Week |
---|---|---|---|
Beginner | Listening and Speaking | GFB001 | 6 |
Reading and Writing | GFB002 | 10.5 | |
Language Lab | GFB003 | 3 | |
Intermediate | Listening and Speaking | GFI001 | 6 |
Reading and Writing | GFI002 | 10.5 | |
General Study Skills | GFI003 | 3 | |
Advanced | Listening and Speaking | GFA001 | 6 |
Reading and Writing | GFA002 | 10.5 | |
General Study Skills | GFA003 | 3 | |
Note: Each level is 16-week-semester-long. |
Along with the English courses, student must take the following non-English (non-credit) courses:
Level | Course | Course Code | Hours per Week |
---|---|---|---|
Beginner | Fundamentals of Computing | COSC 10 | 4.5 |
Intermediate | Basic Mathematics | Math 10 | 4.5 |
Advanced | Applied Mathematics | Math 20 | 4.5 |
Pure mathematics | Math 21 | 4.5 |
Center for English as a Second Language & Academic Preparation (CEAP)
Direct Line: (+968) 24 583572
Email:ceap@mcbs.edu.om
Ahmed Al Mata’ni is the director of the Center of ESL & Academic Preparation and General Education Department at the Modern College of Business and Science. Prior to that, he was the head of general education department. He holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an ESOL/Bilingual Education specialization from the University of Florida. He has a Master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from the University of Missouri St. Louis. He has been teaching ESL, EFL, Critical Thinking, Public Speaking as well as Interpersonal Communication in Oman and USA. His areas of expertise are accreditation, applied linguistics and assessment. His transdisciplinary research agenda draws from multiple strands include Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), teacher education, curriculum development, social justice, and Critical Race Theory (CRT). More recently, his research examines topics that are centered around Raciolinguistic Perspective and Decolonial Turn. He has presented his research on numerous local and international platforms. He is also a member of some specialized professional associations such as TESOL, TESOL Arabia, Florida Association for Bilingual Education (FABE) and American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE). Last but not least, he is also a reviewer in Journal of Language, Identity and Education, who assesses research article submissions to the journal.