Moi-mogan, Domnic Fernandes Anjuna/Dhahran, KSA
THE COLLEGE PREPARATORY PROGRAM OF SAUDI ARAMCO
INTRODUCTION
For decades, Saudi Aramco, the national oil company of Saudi Arabia, has sponsored the post high school pre-university education of Saudi students in Dhahran and their university education at institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and abroad. Since 1983, the company has been operating a dedicated College Preparatory Center (CPC,) which has consolidated all college preparatory programs in the company. The CPC prepares selected Saudi high school graduates for admission to and success at the King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Dhahran and at out-of-kingdom (OOK) universities.
English is the language of business at Saudi Aramco. It is also the language of instruction and communication in the College Preparatory Program (CPP.) The CPP is an intensive ten-month college prep program focusing on English language, math, chemistry, physics, and business studies courses. The program also includes instruction in computer programming and applications, library skills, academic research, and cross-educational and cross-cultural skills. Specific academic requirements are also catered for in specialized courses such as Geology and Organic Chemistry.
Proficiency in English is necessary in order for students to graduate from the CPP, succeed at university, and enter the Saudi Aramco workforce upon completion of their university studies.
During its 20 years of existence, the structure of the CPP has passed through two generations and is now in its third. The first period lasted from 1983 to 1991 and witnessed numerous changes and exciting experimentation with a neophyte college preparatory program. The second generation, which went through major revisions in the summer of 1992, began in the fall of 1992 and lasted until the spring of 1997. These revisions occurred as a result of the findings and recommendations of a group of English language, math, and science educators working under the aegis of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. They had been invited to visit the CPP in the spring of 1985, 1988, and 1992 to evaluate the program. The present generation of the CPP has undergone the most fundamental redesign. It was benchmarked against other exemplary college preparatory programs in the United States. The introduction and expansion of the Advanced Placement courses and International English Language Testing System (IELTS) program are a direct result of this desire to benchmark the program internationally. The CPP is a member of a number of internationally recognized institutions including the College Board, NAFSA and ECIS. In 2003, Educational Testing Services (ETS) added the CPP to its National Secondary School list and awarded it a source II code allowing it to administer standardized exams and receive scores.
A primary goal of the newly restructured CPP is to simulate a university environment, thus easing the transition of students from Saudi high schools to universities. The CPP is not a university program, however, and features differentiating the two have been purposely planned. For example, upon entry to the CPP, all students are placed in different training patters based on their academic profile. They are also required to attend many more classes per week than university students. The Fall Semester is divided into two eight-week sessions which are designed to assist in the transition from high school to the CPP and the program reaches out to support students during this very rigorous time of emotional, academic, and cultural change. The Spring Semester is a full-fledged16-week semester during which students are expected to meet high academic standards and exhibit the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviors predictive of university success. As at university, CPP students earn credits and maintain grade point averages for both core and elective courses in all subjects of the program.
The current curriculum has been radically redesigned to reflect, to a degree, not only the academic but also the cultural needs of students at university. Increased emphasis has been placed on cooperative approaches in language learning, critical thinking, and problem solving. Computing skills are emphasized from day one, and graduating students are expected to be competent users of common office software applications and programming languages.
Commercial texts and in-house materials, including state-of-the-art interactive multimedia software, audio and video packages, have been introduced to give student an effective preparatory experience for university studies. The core program is benchmarked internationally through the implementation of Advanced Placement courses in calculus, physics, and chemistry. IELTS and TOEFL provide an equivalent benchmark for the English language program.
Some suggestions for college preparatory and English language programs include:
• regularly revisiting screening criteria and instruments to ensure that students are well-prepared for the rigors of the program
• designing a program which simulates university requirements and includes not only academic course content preparation but also cross-cultural and cross-educational preparation
• ensuring that co-curricular activities such as guest speaker events, field trips, and a returning university graduate program play a significant role in the program
• continuously evaluating the effectiveness of the program by sharing timely feedback with all stakeholders, including students, to guarantee that high standards of quality are set and adhered to
• using internationally recognized testing instruments to measure learning outcomes and to assess program effectiveness
• integrating up-to-date technology into the various academic courses and support services of the program
• allocating adequate resources to the professional development of instructional and supervisory staff
• employing a systems approach to the design, development, evaluation, and administration of the program.
CONTEXT
Straddling the summit of a jebel on the outskirts of Dhahran, the city in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia where the corporate headquarters of Saudi Aramco is located, the campus of the College Preparatory Center consists of several attractive modern buildings. There are two classroom buildings, a well-equipped library with continually updated holdings, a self-access Learning Center, and computer, chemistry, and physics labs with the latest in hardware, software, and scientific learning equipment.
Classes are held in spacious classrooms designed for 10 to 15 students, and some science classes take place in large lecture halls. A multi-purpose room that can accommodate up to 300 students is used for receptions, large meetings, and testing sessions. The CPC facilities are air-conditioned, brightly painted, carpeted, and equipped with modern, comfortable furniture. There is an exercise center with storage lockers for students, a student lounge, and a TV room where students can take a break from their busy schedules. A clinic that provides urgent medical aid is also located on campus.
Each CPP student shares a room with a schoolmate in the Saudi Aramco Al-Munirah residence area in Dhahran. The rooms contain two beds, a bathroom, and a kitchen area. A recreational area complete with a gymnasium and a swimming pool is within walking distance as are a mosque, supermarket, post office, and cafeteria.
The mission of the CPC is to prepare “selected Saudi Arab high school graduates for admission to and success at competitive universities by providing a high quality dynamic, and challenging program in which students learn in a cooperative environment under the guidance of a highly qualified and dedicated staff.”
Candidates for the CPP are Saudi nationals who are recent high school graduates of the scientific stream of the Saudi K-12 school system. They must have a minimum 85 percent average in twelfth-year high school math and science courses, as well as an overall average of 85 percent or higher in all twelfth-year high school courses. After meeting the high school average requirements, candidates take a number of screening tests given by Saudi Aramco, including the Arabic version of the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB,) and English and math placement tests. The GATB, which was developed by the US Department of Labor (Hartigan and Wigdor, 1989) in the late 1940s and is still in use today, was translated and validated by Saudi Aramco from 1979 to 1983. It is administered to all candidates in order to derive a General Screening Score (GSS) which has demonstrated good predictive validity for scholastic achievement and academic performance within Saudi Aramco and at US universities and KFUPM. The GSS is derived from student scores on the verbal and numerical aptitude sections of the GATB, with more weight assigned to the numerical aptitude scores. Successful candidates who meet all of the screening criteria are then required to pass a medical exam. Students who are selected to join the program sign an agreement endorsed by a sponsoring department of the company. The agreement outlines the terms of Saudi Aramco sponsorship. Under this agreement, the company provides students with a monthly stipend and covers the cost of their college preparatory and university education. Candidates are made aware that the CPP will prepare them for entrance into and success at KFUPM or an OOK university.
In order for students to graduate from the CPP, they must maintain a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.5 or higher on a four-point scale, complete a minimum of 48 credit hours of coursework, and attain the minimum prescribed International TOEFL or IELTS score. Since the program began in the early 1980s, a majority of the approximately 2,500 CPP graduates have attended universities in the United States. For example, during 1993-98 academic years, 1,240 students completed their studies in the CPP. Of these, 646 (52 percent) attended OOK universities, and 594 (48 percent) enrolled in KFUPM. Most of these CPP graduates enrolled in engineering or other science-related majors (95 percent) while others pursued degrees in business (5 percent.) However, in recent years the number of business majors has been increasing as has the number of different engineering majors, an indication of the changing needs of the company’s business lines. These include majors such as petroleum, electrical, computer, and systems engineering, cartography, geophysics, nautical science and navigation. In recent years, the company has broadened the placement process to include universities in the UK, Canada, and the Middle East as well as the US.
Students come to the CPP with various strengths and weaknesses. They are well motivated, enthusiastic, committed, and interested in succeeding in their CPP and subsequent university studies. While their success in the CPP affords them a full scholarship to obtain a bachelor’s degree, their success at university can guarantee them secure jobs with the company for the rest of their careers. They are aware of the benefits of the program and work hard to do as well as they can. However, many of them come with clear weaknesses in English language, critical thinking, problem solving, computer applications, and physics and chemistry lab skills despite the rigorous selection criteria. Hence, the need for different training patterns to accommodate the different academic needs of the student population. During the first week of the program, approximately 15-20 percent of every annual intake places at an advanced level in terms of English placement, i.e., 500+ on the Institutional TOEFL. The rest of the students place at a basic to intermediate level and are not required to sit for the TOEFL before the end of the first eight to ten weeks of the program.
Traditionally, these students show major weaknesses in pronunciation, grammar, word usage, and reading and writing skills. Poor language skills can impact on a student’s performance in math and science as all subjects are taught in English. However, the program is designed to address this issue and any such problems rapidly dissipate as the year progresses.
In addition to these academic problems, students in general struggle with the transition from high school to the CPP university-simulated environment and the requirements which this entails. While some of their adjustment problems can be attributed to maturational issues, most are in fact cross-educational in nature. These problems relate to academic skill acquisition and time and self-management skills.
The CPP academic calendar consists of the Fall and Spring Semesters, and a Summer Session. The academic year normally begins in late August and continues into July of the following year. Each semester has approximately 80 teaching days. The Summer Session has 20 contact days.
Class periods of 50-minute length are spread out over a long workday starting at 7 a.m. and ending at 6 p.m. During the 11-hour CPP school day, students spend between 6 and 7 class periods taking both core and elective courses. Students who enter the program with weak English language skills receive intensive instruction in the English language program during the Fall Semester. However, this up front loading of English language courses is significantly reduced during the second semester when students’ English proficiency has reached a level that allows them to concentrate on applying their skills in content courses in mathematics, science, computer, intercultural communication, and electives. At this level of language proficiency, students are required to work on research paper writing in topical areas that are heavily related to science and technology. They are also required to produce written lab reports based on their chemistry and physics lab experiments. Students who enter the program with a reasonable command of English follow a more balanced program where course loads between the various disciplines are evenly distributed throughout the academic year.
The success of the CPP is largely dependent on the dedication and professional contributions of the CPP faculty and administration. Over 95 percent of the CPP English language teachers are native speakers of English holding professional degrees in education and Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language from respected universities in the US and UK. Approximately 50 percent of the teachers of mathematics, chemistry, physics, and computer subjects are native speakers of English, and hold professional credentials. The remaining 50 percent are equally qualified native Arabic speakers from Middle Eastern countries whose English is fluent. The daily workload for the instructional staff is four class periods of teaching and one office hour. Teachers are given technical and administrative guidance related to their subjects and students by assistant principals, senior teachers, counselors, and the CPP principal.
DESCRIPTION
The CPP approximates a university model and uses a semester system similar in length to ones at KFUPM and US universities. The courses are based on a credit system whereby the students receive a Grade Point Average (GPA) and CGPA on grade reports. The program employs a number of learning methodologies. A key goal is the development of self-reliance and personal responsibility on the part of the students and cooperative learning between teachers and students. In late 1997 and again in mid 1998, Drs. David and Roger Johnson and Dr. James Mitchell of the University of Minnesota visited Dhahran and trained CPC teachers and administrators in cooperative learning theory and methodology. Through the use of cooperative learning methodology at the CPC, individual accountability and responsibility are emphasized. Students are often required to work on cooperative learning projects in which each student must put forth his best efforts to be responsible for his part of the project as well as for the project as a whole. Under the guidance of highly qualified staff, CPC students learn to employ a high level of problem solving and critical thinking skills. There is a skills approach to learning through a curriculum incorporating intercultural and scientific topics.
Students are expected to attend lectures and do out-of-class projects entailing careful research, data gathering, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Therefore, although students are in class from six to seven periods per day five days a week, they must spend additional time on coursework to satisfy the rigorous requirements of their programs.
While studying at the CPC, students are paid when they are on scheduled holidays similar to those at universities. Breaks are also given for the Islamic holidays of Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. These are based on the lunar Arabic Hijrah calendar.
CPP classes are small, consisting of an average of 13 students, and only exceeding 16 in science lectures. Students take from six to seven classes per day with no more than four consecutive classes followed by one or two free periods. During free periods, students have the opportunity to meet with teachers, go to the lounge, attend educational club meetings, visit the library or the self-access Learning Center, or attend tutorials. Moreover, remedial classes in English, math, science, and external exam preparation are offered on Thursdays when required.
All students take required core courses. Effective 2004-05, this will involve all engineering students taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses in Calculus AB or BC, and either AP Chemistry or AP Physics B or C. Business track students take introductory courses in economics, accounting, business math, business studies, and statistics in lieu of science courses. Core courses in English grammar, reading, listening, speaking, writing, library skills, and research paper writing are offered as well as courses that prepare students for external examinations in IELTS and TOEFL.
Students may also choose elective courses to further broaden their knowledge. Among these are: Introduction to American Literature, Presentation and Debate, Critical Thinking Skills, Elementary Spanish, and advanced computer programming in Java and C++.
Up-to-date computers, language labs, and science labs help supplement a curriculum designed to prepare students for university work. The CPC is equipped with electronic library search capabilities, a Local Area Network (LAN,) and access to the Internet.
In addition to the academic programs, the CPP offers a diverse co-curricular program. Students take educational field trips to company and non-company facilities such as gas plants, oil refineries, terminals, the Saudi Aramco Exhibit Center, the computer center, and the Technical Information Center, i.e., a company library, and KFUPM. These field trips give the students an opportunity to understand the workings of the company and instill in them a sense of pride in it. In order for students to understand the operation of the company and be kept up-do-date on its progress, the CPP Guest Speaker Program has been instituted. It brings in speakers from various sponsoring departments, Saudi Aramco management, and outside sources in industrial and academic institutions from within and outside Saudi Arabia. Educational clubs for students interested in mathematics, science, computers, chess, journalism, and Scrabble exist to provide a diversion from studies and, more importantly, offer students the opportunity to interact. The CPC offers team sports such as football, basketball, and volleyball, as well as individual sports such as swimming, tennis, billiards, and weightlifting. These sports stress teamwork as well as the development of physical endurance and strength.
The CPC counseling office responds to any questions students have about their academic progress, and curricular and co-curricular programs. It also makes available information on KFUPM and OOK universities. This office provides counseling support and advice upon request from students or referral by faculty; monitors each student’s academic progress; identifies weaknesses and suggests interventions; and liaises with the Career Development Department of Saudi Aramco to facilitate the selection of suitable universities for all students and in processing their applications to those universities. The academic counselor is supported by a mentoring system that assigns each member of staff as a mentor to no more than five students.
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES
The CPP stands out among overseas post high school college preparatory programs for a number of reasons. First, it insists on high standards in regard to screening criteria, continuous assessment of student progress, feedback to all stakeholders, and ever increasing graduation requirements to meet university admission criteria. Second, it integrates the learning of English with instruction in college preparatory content and skills areas in mathematics, chemistry, physics, computer applications and programming languages, and cross-culture and cross-education. The high level of English language proficiency and academic competency is reflected in the fact that effective 2004-05 all engineering track students will take AP courses/exams in math and science as well as IELTS and TOEFL. Third, it advocates continuous quality improvement by benchmarking with exemplary external programs and by responding to the needs of its internal customers, that is, by meeting the business requirements of the corporation. Fourth, when incremental quality improvement actions do not guarantee the desired results, the CPP is subjected to dramatic business process reengineering or redesign. The guiding principle is to improve the program continually. Fifth, it maintains alliances with premier college preparatory and university-level educational institutions and professional associations. Sixth, it uses a variety of teaching methodologies such as cooperative learning methodology. This has contributed to a positive work environment as evidenced by the results of the Work Environment Scale administered in the fall of 1997. Finally, it is administered within the industrial and business context of the largest integrated oil producing company in the world.
PRACTICAL IDEAS
Gaining admission to and then successfully completing undergraduate degrees in engineering, the sciences, and business at KFUPM and US universities is an arduous task for Saudi Aramco-sponsored students. The following are some of the recommendations drawn from a recent study of the performance of graduates of the CPP at universities in the United States. As far as academic preparation for the university is concerned, university preparatory programs might consider the following recommendations:
• Ensure that the criteria for selection into the program are kept in synchrony with university requirements. Specifically, the screening instruments and candidates’ scores on these instruments should demonstrate high predictive validity for success in the pre-university and university programs.
• Continually increase general graduation requirements. For example, the CPP demanded TOEFL scores of 500 in the 1997-98 academic year. Currently, the graduation requirement for TOEFL is 520 or an IELTS score of 5.5. As universities are demanding higher and higher TOEFL scores, so should college preparatory programs. TOEFL scores, in isolation, should not be considered as the only graduation criterion. They should be corroborated by demonstrated writing and speaking skills that are predictive of successful academic performance at the university, hence the introduction of IELTS as the cornerstone of the Spring Semester English language program.
• Implement curricula in the English language program which address the development of university-level competence in writing, oral, and technical reading skills.
• Implement curricula in the math and science university preparatory programs which focus on critical thinking, problem solving, computer applications, and computer languages.
Recommendations for the cross-educational preparation of students include the following:
• Simulate a university environment in terms of course design, schedules, registration, and grades, but include program features which instill knowledge, skills, and behaviors which students will need in order to succeed at the university. Develop a program which envisions pre-university preparation as a transition period for students which bridges the gap between high school and university, and which slowly and carefully introduces students to the strange new world of higher, and for those heading overseas, international, education.
• Offer courses on cross-educational differences and teach the skills necessary for students to succeed in the university community.
• Offer classes in various styles of instruction, such as lectures and seminars, and emphasize cooperative learning and other aspects of cooperation in the classroom.
• Involve in the university preparation program former students who have graduated from universities in the United States, and other graduates of universities in the United States. This is also mentioned in the literature as an effective way for all students to learn. The CPP has a thriving return speaker program which has proven to be extremely popular with students in the program.
• Offer courses in intercultural training. Course curricula would include commercially available and program developed materials, e.g., homemade videos of graduates and university academic and social life.
• Carefully select staff members to teach intercultural training courses, and train them appropriately.
• Inform international students of ways in which they can continue their religious practices at universities in the United States. This might be done by disseminating information on mosques, and Moslem clubs and societies, for example.
In the areas of program design, development, evaluation, and administration, the following recommendations are offered:
• Institutionalize continuous quality improvement, continuous assessment of student progress, and timely feedback to all stakeholders.
• Involve faculty in program design, curriculum development, and curricular and co-curricular program activities.
• Maintain an average class size of between 10-14 students and do not exceed 16.
• Limit each teacher’s workload to a maximum of four 50-minute class periods per day and require each teacher to schedule a daily office hour for consultation with students in his classes regardless of their academic achievement. This should give the teacher an opportunity to guide students who are experiencing difficulties with their courses and, on the other hand, to challenge and encourage high achievers to do even better.
• Involve senior management in the program and create a process which links the real world of the business organization with the academic world of the program. Senior management members inspire students and serve as good role models particularly when they share their personal college experiences.
• Form alliances with universities and leading college preparatory programs.
• Maintain membership in professional organizations such as the College Board; the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Math, Science, and Technology; and TESOL.
• Invite external evaluators from respected professional institutions and associations to make site visits and seek their recommendations for program improvement.
CONCLUSION
It would be worthwhile at this point to indicate what we believe are future directions which our program is investigating and which other similar programs might pursue. These directions are consistent with our strategic thinking and reflect our vision for the CPP. They also reflect the value placed on the CPP by senior management as a major strategic investment in the human and intellectual capital of the corporation.
• TOEFL/IELTS graduation targets should reflect the continually rising English language requirements of competitive universities in the US, Canada, UK, and the Middle East. In order to achieve these ambitious targets, selection criteria along with screening procedures and instruments will be upgraded to enable the company to identify and attract candidates whose academic profiles predict high levels of achievement.
• Continue to integrate internationally recognized programs such as the Advanced Placement (AP) program into the core academic program. Such programs enhance the academic preparation of students, improve their university admission prospects, and lend international credibility and standing to the CPP.
• Educational technology will be aggressively pursued in terms of its scope and depth. This expansion will include interactive multimedia, videoconferencing, computer simulation capabilities, and the introduction of new computer programming languages. The term multimedia denotes a set of constantly and rapidly developing technologies that, at present, include, but are not limited to, CD-ROMs, the Internet and company intranet, digital video discs (DVDs,) the development and use of online knowledge databases, and online synchronous communication. The PC skills standards required of CPP students will be raised in order for graduates to cope with the technological advances in knowledge and information management. The CPP personal computing programs and facilities will need to be continually upgraded and kept in line with the accelerating pace of technological innovation.
• The intercultural and cross-educational components of the CPP will be expanded to include new courses and experiential learning activities. This will be facilitated by the higher English placement levels required of students for entry into the CPP.
• Finally, new alliances with highly competitive universities and exemplary college preparatory programs will need to be developed in order to give the CPP students the best possible university preparation and facilitate acceptance of CPP graduates by highly competitive universities.
From : Frederick Noronha (FN) <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To : goanet@goanet.org Sent : Monday, January 24, 2005 12:53:15 AM To : goanet@goanet.org CC : domnic fernandes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject : [Goanet]The College Preparatory Program of Saudi Aramco
Domnic of the Nostalgia Goa fame recently sent me details about the institution where he works in Saudi Aramco -- The College Preparatory Center.
Saudi Aramco, the national oil company of Saudi Arabia, has sponsored the post high school pre-university education of Saudi students in Dhahran and their university education at institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and abroad.
Since 1983, the company has been operating a dedicated College Preparatory Center (CPC,) which has consolidated all college preparatory programs in the company. The CPC prepares selected Saudi high school graduates for admission to and success at the King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Dhahran and at out-of-kingdom (OOK) universities.
You can get more details by writing in to domnic fernandes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
FN (Frederick Noronha), Saligao/Goa
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