The Academic Preparatory Program (APP) prepares non-native English speaking high school graduates to enter the AUIS undergraduate program by teaching them academic English, critical thinking skills and study habits.
All applicants to the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani must take an English placement test upon admission. Scores on these exams, based on the English requirements, determine placement. About 90 percent of students will require English training before joining the academic program and they receive this training from the Academic Preparatory Program. The program strengthens students' English language skills and provides them with the student success training and intellectual tools needed not only to do well but to thrive in the academic program.
Mission
The mission of the Academic Preparatory Program (APP) at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS) is to prepare non-native English-speaking high school graduates to enter the AUIS undergraduate program by teaching them academic English, critical thinking skills and study habits, as well as math skills. Our goal is to insure that upon completion of the Program, students have the necessary proficiency in English reading, speaking, and writing, as well as university-level math skills and awareness of academic cultural norms and expectations to succeed in their first year of undergraduate studies at AUIS.
All APP instructors are native English speakers with experience in teaching second-language learners. Classes allow for one-on-one work with teachers and pair and group work with other students. Instruction style varies depending on the subject being taught.
APP Program Student Learning Outcomes
Students who complete APP will be able to demonstrate competency in the following areas:
Reading: Students will be able to read and analyze chapter to unit length authentic academic texts on a variety of topics through the application of reading strategies, including surveying the text, identifying and summarizing key points, connecting information across texts, and repairing comprehension problems via contextual vocabulary analysis and identification of contextual function of clauses and phrases.
Writing: Students will be able to use the writing process to generate and organize multi-paragraph arguments, opinions, and reports, with usage of appropriate grammar, structure, and format.
Math: Students will have a solid foundation in mathematics and problem solving. They will use basic arithmetic topics, including algebraic and rational expressions, equations and inequalities, polynomials, factoring, graphing, and word applications.
Supporting Skills:
- Listening/Speaking: Listen to lectures while simultaneously taking notes that identify key and supporting ideas; participate in class discussions by asking questions for clarification and offering answers or ideas to questions posed by others.
- Study Skills: Organize information from readings and lectures into notes and study guides to be used individually and in study groups; apply basic time management skills to individual courses; demonstrate technological literacy through the use of MS Office, Google drive and documents, Moodle, Topschool, email, the World Wide Web, and other relevant academic technologies for language learning and practice.
