Foundations Development Program and Major Declaration
M.Ali Alpar, Director, FDP -
21.04.05 - EUA-EC0P at Sabancı University
Turkish students enter institutions of higher education based on scores on nation-wide
Student Selection Examination (ÖSS) consisting of a series of multiple–choice tests. Rote
learning habits geared to scoring on the exam result in serious challenges on university
education.
Most students are not happy with their chosen programs, which are geared to very specific
professions. There is little chance of changing programs after enrollment.
At Sabancı University students declare their major programs at the end of their sophomore
year.
The curriculum is deliberately at odds with the dominant mode of secondary education,
which is plagued by the preparation for the university entrance exam. Many students enter
university without analytical reading or problem solving habits, having been trained for
success at a single multiple choice exam. We aim at unlearning some of the attitudes
acquired in school and exam prep courses
FASS
MAJOR DECLARATION
2003-2004 / Cumulative until the end of the 2nd semester
Initial Declaration
Final Decision
255
158
81
58
45
32
18
10
CULT
FINAL DECISION
PROG.
CULT
ECON
SPS
VACD
TOPLAM
08.07.2004
NUMBER OF
STUDENTS
32
158
81
45
316
ECON
SPS
VACD
INITIALLY DECLARED MAJOR
CULT ECON SPS VACD BIO
8
9
4
1
1
131
12
1
2
1
38
31
3
12
6
11
2
10
190
53
16
4
CS
2
4
5
7
18
EL
1
2
3
MAT ME
3
1
3
1
1
1
8
MS
4
3
TE
1
1
4
11
2
DIFFERENT
CHOICE
(% )
%
%
%
%
%
75
17
62
76
43
FENS
MAJOR DECLARATION
2003-2004 / Cumulative until the end of 2nd semester
Initial Decleration
Final Decision
195
162
138
131
126
102
66
56
32
39
33
23
32
6
BIO
CS
EL
FINAL DECISION
NUMBER OF
PROG.
STUDENTS BIO CS
BIO
39
21
3
CS
126
76
EL
66
10
MAT
23
2
2
ME
102
22
MS
195
5
28
TE
32
3
TOPLAM
583
28 144
08.07.2004
MAT
ME
MS
TE
INITIALLY DECLARED MAJOR
EL
1
4
22
1
9
8
8
53
MAT ME
4
12
23
2
6
1
55
2
15
8
5
123
MS
7
14
7
7
8
79
5
127
TE CULTECON SPS VACD
1
1
1
7
11
1
1
4
2
1
2
4
1
7
49
2
8
31
65
5
2
DIFFERENT
CHOICE
(% )
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
46
40
67
91
46
59
75
55
&
FENS
FASS
TRANSFERS BETWEEN THE FACULTIES
Students switching to FASS
FASS
ACADEMIC YEAR /
SEMESTER
CULT ECON SPS
2000-2001 Spring
1
VACD TOTAL
1
Spring
2
2
Fall
1
2
1
Spring
1
2
1
1
5
10
1
2
3
7
2001-2002
Fall
08.07.2004
CS
EL
MAT
ME
MS
TE
L
1
1
0
1
1
1
1
5
5
2
3
6
1
5
4
8
22
1
7
13
8
16
47
2
13
2003-2004
TOTAL
BIO
4
2002-2003
FENS
TOTA
1
Fall
Spring
Students switching to FENS
1
0
2
12
19
1
2
4
1
2
35
46
1
5
51
0
72
The mandatory core curriculum at Sabancı University is called “the
Foundations Development Program/University Courses”.
Students who do not meet the standards of English language proficiency
enroll in the School of Languages (SL) for a preliminary Foundations
Development Year or Semester.
This is more than an English Language prep year. Students take a coıurse in
the Turkish Language to improve their writing and reading skills. The
English language assessment is based on course work rather than oriented
towards language proficiency tests alone.
Like most of the University Courses there is a systematically accumulated
body of in house produced course materials. The Foundations Development
Year English course textbooks and materials (“Beyond the Boundaries”) are
now published and used in other universities worldwide .
The rest of the Foundations Development Program is a series of
“University Courses” taken by all Sabancı University undergraduates.
These are:
All of the first year courses,
A choice of second year courses on Major Works of art,
A course on Law and Ethics, taken in the third or fourth years.
A project course taken by
first year students aims at introducing students to independent team work.
An important part of our system, the Civic Involvement Projects, will be
described in a separate presentation (T. Hopkins)
All first year students take the same courses, at the same
level. (More detailed information on course contents is given in the Annex.)
• Humanity and Society: the development of human societies, the structures of society and
civilization, the development of concepts in the perspective of world history.
• The Making of Modern Turkey: 19th and early 20th Century Ottoman Empire, the
foundation and development of the Republic of Turkey, up to the present .
• Turkish Language and Literature: The development of Turkish literature in parallel with
the history, in close correlation with the Making of Modern Turkey course .
• Science of Nature : Basic concepts in physics, chemistry, and biology; our understanding
of Nature, through the development of Science.
• Functions Discrete and Continuous: The language and concepts of Mathematics,
at a level including the calculus.
• Freshman English: Enhancing reading, communication, critical thinking, public speaking
and writing skills through the study of modern fiction and other texts (essays, newspaper
articles etc.)
University courses are at an introductory level and require little previous
knowledge.
These courses prepare the students for subsequent “Faculty Courses” and
provide guidance for their choice of degree program.
In each area the most fundamental concepts are highlighted; only the most
important concepts are chosen to be treated in a basic way with depth.
As a minimum standard, university courses aim at developing the basic
concepts and methods that students will need for their subsequent courses.
Secondary and detailed subjects are left out.
University courses emphasize that there is a ‘real’ subject
matter of study and learning in different areas of intellectual
effort, mathematics, natural and social sciences, history,
language, literature and art, and aim to open up the links
between content and ideas, and conduct with ethical
sensibility.
We hope that students, as individuals, develop and use their
intellects in self-confidence. We are working to integrate
University Courses in a way that will allow time and
possibilities for each person to discover, choose and develop
his or her talents, tastes and preferences.