General Courses
The courses offered by the General Courses (GC) Department provide students with opportunities to explore a range of academic disciplines.
The primary objectives of the GC are to arm students with a general background in science and communication skills needed to adapt to ever-changing workplace and world. The Department is committed to preparing students to succeed as workers, citizens and leaders. Students are exposed to the general courses needed to reach their educational and career goals.
In the Department addresses the two critical realities of today: 1) General courses can be learned by most students; 2) the cost of failure is often higher than the cost of success.
The Department continuously assesses its students throughout the academic
year to help them achieve their maximum potential. This continuous assessment,
in the form of almost daily quizzes, contributes to at least 15% of the final
exam mark and accurately measures the learning performance of the students.
For students who do not do well, the Department provides them with many
channels to seek help from the early stage onward. Instructors' office
hours are specifically designed for students who need help with their studies.
In addition the GC Tutorial Room is staffed by faculty members for over 30 hours
a week on a ‘walk-in’ basis.
Since the general courses used in the scientific and business world are fully integrated via calculators and computers, the general courses taught at PSU must reflect this reality. We have therefore reformulated our policy on the use of technology by introducing calculators in every appropriate context, in both courses of the Preparatory Year Program.
Student Aims and Objectives
- Acquire knowledge of general courses commensurate with career goals.
- Develop logical reasoning and creative
intuition.
- Develop problem-solving skills, including
patience and persistence.
- Use general courses as a basis for
scientific thinking and acting.
- General and specialized computing skills
to support general learning and understanding.
- Students develop into competent users of
professional statistical packages, high level programming languages, and have
good general IT skills.
- Develop the ability to communicate in
English and Arabic
- Appreciate the usefulness, power and
beauty of general courses and recognize their relationship with other
disciplines and with everyday life.
Departmental Aims and objectives
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Provide opportunity for high-quality
education to meet specialized professional needs in PSU degree programs.
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Improve the teaching and learning of
general courses at all throughout the Department.
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Promote the appreciation of the
fundamental role of the General Sciences in society.
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Emphasize logical reasoning and critical
thinking skills in all our courses.
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Offer courses that individually and
collectively enable students to appreciate both the theoretical and
problem-solving aspects of the general courses’ ethos.
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Create a teaching and learning
environment which supports all students in reaching their full potential.
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Develop, maintain and stimulate students’
curiosity, interest and enjoyment in general courses.
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Offer a program of help outside classroom
hours that strengthens students and stimulates each pupil to achieve his maximum
potential in the study of general courses.
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Enable students to develop confidence in
and mastery of the general courses they study.
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Encourage students to develop personal
qualities such as perseverance, initiative, self-confidence and independence.