Uzma Rabbani

Dissertation Abstract

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FOUNDATION YEAR IN PAKISTAN’S ART EDUCATION INSTITUTES

Uzma Rabbani

The diverse primary and secondary education system in Pakistan results in students from very different academic and cultural backgrounds going into universities. Art institutions in Pakistan welcome a multitude of cultures and ethnicities in their first year. Therefore, to make the first year successful Pakistani Art universities introduce a Foundation Year in place of the typical first year at universities offering graduation in subjects other than Arts. What makes the foundation year different from the typical first year is the type of courses that are offered in it whose detail will be discussed later. This dissertation offers the writer’s stance on the significance of the foundation year for Pakistani Art students after conducting intensive research on the subject. All points of view are given considerable attention in this paper.

My research findings indicate that the foundation year is significant because students joining the graduation program, mostly, have no prior background in Arts. This results in students not having sufficient knowledge about the different streams of Arts and Design that they can major in. Foundation year provides students an insight into the different majors offered by the university and helps students in developing focus towards the major of their interest. Another factor for foundation year being a necessity is the cultural diversity the freshman batch brings to the class every year. This results in many students being low in confidence or having insufficient knowledge SIGNIFICANCE OF FOUNDATION YEAR to excel at the courses offered at university. The impacts of cultural diversity are explored in further detail in the dissertation. Finally, academic diversity results in several students having limited skill sets and access to different mediums. Hence, the foundation year is a necessity to enlighten students and equip them with the knowledge and skills that they need.

The research is significant as it studies the relationship between student’s foundation year learning and their progress in later years at university. Many students and universities will benefit from it when they will understand the significance of the foundation year. At this point the first line of text begins. It is double spaced with margins as indicated for the thesis. The content and form the abstract takes should be approved by your sponsor.