Curriculum Information

Document Version

QAA Benchmarks

Educational Aim

Learning Outcomes

Course Structure

Level 3 Modules

Teaching and Assessment

Learning and Teaching Methods

Employer Engagement

Academic staff will engage in peer observation, team moderation, and annual course review to ensure consistency and quality across modules. External Examiners will provide independent evaluation of assessment design, academic standards, and student achievement, contributing to the continuous improvement cycle through annual reports and feedback discussions. 

Industry and employer perspectives will be sought through ongoing consultation with professional practitioners, guest contributors, and advisory contacts. These insights will inform curriculum development to ensure ongoing relevance, employability alignment, and responsiveness to sector expectations. 

Means of Assessment

The assessment strategy for the Foundation Year programme is designed to support students’ transition into Higher Education by fostering confidence, academic capability, and professional awareness. Assessments are developmental, inclusive, and scaffolded to ensure that students gradually build the knowledge, skills, and behaviours required for successful progression to Level 4 study. 

A variety of assessment types are used across the programme to address different learning outcomes and learning styles. Early low-stakes formative assessments, such as reflective logs, short presentations, or quizzes, provide feedback on progress and help students evidence and evaluate their development as Higher Education learners. Coursework-based summative assessments - including research reports, case studies, and digital posters, enable students to demonstrate and apply academic skills such as research, referencing, critical thinking, and written communication. 

Discipline-focused tasks, such as subject-specific investigations, encourage students to develop awareness of their chosen field and its academic and professional contexts. Group-based projects, presentations, and peer review activities promote collaboration and teamwork, while also allowing students to practise effective communication and interpersonal skills. 

Students are supported to engage fully with university learning systems and digital tools, such as virtual learning environments, library databases, and academic skills resources through assessed tasks that require their use. Reflective components embedded throughout the programme enable students to recognise their own progress and articulate their developing learner identity. 

Assessment feedback is timely, developmental, and dialogic, helping students to understand how to improve and apply feedback across modules. Overall, the strategy ensures that assessment is an integral part of the learning journey supporting student growth, engagement, and readiness for undergraduate study.  

Learning Support

The course is distinctive in its explicit focus on transition, confidence building, and academic identity formation within a challenge-based and inclusive curriculum. It is purposefully designed to bridge the gap to higher education, embedding the principles of the University of South Wales’ Challenge-Based Curriculum to foster autonomy, engagement, and employability from the outset. 

Innovation lies in the integration of learning to learn within authentic, discipline-relevant contexts. Rather than treating academic skills as discrete or preparatory, these are embedded within meaningful challenges that mirror real-world inquiry. Students engage in tasks that develop critical thinking, teamwork, and self-management through scenarios grounded in their intended discipline area, ensuring immediate relevance and application. 

The pedagogical design prioritises inclusivity and belonging, supporting diverse entry points through scaffolded activities that build academic and personal resilience. Reflective practice is woven throughout the course, encouraging students to identify their strengths, manage challenges, and recognise progress. This structured self-awareness underpins both academic success and wellbeing, aligning with institutional commitments to compassionate, student-centred education. 

Technology-enhanced learning is integral, with digital platforms such as Teams, Padlet, and online planners used to promote collaboration, digital fluency, and independent study skills. Students develop familiarity with tools and practices that mirror professional and higher-level learning environments, supporting their transition to Level 4 study. 

The course also benefits from ongoing dialogue with academic and professional communities, drawing on cross-disciplinary collaboration and sector insights to ensure continued relevance. By embedding the development of autonomy, professionalism, and digital capability through authentic, challenge-based learning, the course offers a distinctive preparatory experience that is academically rigorous, inclusive, and transformative. 

Confidence building is embedded as a central principle throughout the course, recognising that successful transition to higher education depends on students’ belief in their own capability to learn and belong. Learning activities are structured to provide early, low-stakes opportunities for success, gradually increasing in complexity as students’ skills and self-assurance develop. Reflective journaling, peer collaboration, and scaffolded feedback enable students to recognise their progress and normalise the experience of challenge. The curriculum explicitly addresses academic imposter syndrome and fosters a growth mindset through open discussion of learning barriers and strategies for overcoming them. This deliberate emphasis on confidence as a developmental outcome ensures that students not only acquire the skills required for higher-level study but also cultivate the personal resilience and self-efficacy necessary to engage fully and persist in their academic journey. 

In combining innovation in pedagogy, technology, and inclusive design, the course represents a sector-leading model for Level 3 higher education preparation.  

Course Exit Points

Progression Route

Entry Requirements

Admission to the course is typically through the following qualifications:

The Foundation Year is designed to provide an inclusive and accessible entry route into higher education for students who may not yet meet the standard entry requirements for Level 4 study or who require additional academic, personal, or contextual preparation. It directly supports the University’s Critical Success Factors (CSFs) by widening participation, improving retention and progression, and embedding compassionate, student-centred practice. The course aligns with the University’s Academic Blueprint. 

Inclusive Curriculum Statement

The University of South Wales operates a policy of inclusive learning, teaching and assessment to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to fulfil their educational potential. Course teams will have considered ways of designing out any potentially disadvantageous element of courses during the course design process. However some specific needs may remain, details about how to apply to have your needs assessed can be found at: http://unilife.southwales.ac.uk/pages/3040-disability-and-dyslexia-service/

Addendum for Delivery at a Partner Institution

N/A