CENTRE FOR FOUNDATION STUDIES

Guideline on CFS-IIUM Academic System

The learning process at Centre for Foundation Studies (CFS), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) can be exciting, challenging and worthwhile throughout the study period. At CFS, student will gain new learning culture and experience very much different from the school based learning experience. Hence, at CFS our aim is that you enjoy your learning process and expand your knowledge in many ways of thoughts, thinking skills, team working, and soft-skills of pre-university programme before advancing to undergraduate programme with the necessary knowledge and ability to take control of your academic and individual development.

Find out more about the Guideline on CFS Academic system at IIUM:

·         Credit Hour System

·         Registration

·         Academic Workload

·         Add/Drop/Withdraw Courses

·         Type of Registration

·         Lecturer Attendance Requirements

·         Leave of Absence

·         Students Performance Evaluation

·         Grade Point Average (GPA)

·         Dean's List

·         Graduation Requirement

Credit Hour System

The IIUM credit hour system is based on a quantified curriculum, whereby certain credit hours are assigned to each course. Students are required to successfully complete the total number of credit hours stipulated in the programme requirements in order to graduate.

The number of credit hours assigned to each course reflects the academic load that a student carries when registered for that course. Therefore, a course that carries three credit hours normally has three contact hours.

However, there are also courses in which lecture hours do not tally with the credit hours or for which no credit hours have been assigned. Such courses are usually not part of the main curriculum of the department, e.g. language proficiency courses.

Since the foundation programmes are a structured one year programme, students will be automatically registered for courses according to the Centre/Departments study plan. However, this situation is applicable with the condition that:

1. The courses are offered in that semester.
2. The courses taken are within the minimum/maximum credit hour per semester.
3. The student fulfills all graduation requirements within the given time-period.

The idea of the IIUM credit hour system is to treat each student as an individual with specific needs.

Registration

At the end of each semester, all continuing/returning students will be given courses to be taken in the following semester. Students who required add/drop the course may exercise it in the first week of classes of a regular semester (or the first three days of classes of a short semester).

All registration process is managed by the Office of Academic Affairs of the Centre of Foundation Studies.

The date, time and place of registration are announced prior to the exercise. Students are encouraged to communicate with their respective department and registration unit before exercising any additional information or updates.

Failure to register/attending the classes for the courses by the end of the fourth week after the commencement of a regular semester and second week for short semester shall result in the termination of studies.

Academic Workload

An average student is expected to carry between (sixteen) 16 to (twenty six) 26 credit hours. Starting from Semester , 2016/2017 (November 2016), the minimum workload for a regular semester is 16 credit hours which was endorsed in the 429^th Senate Meeting held on 25^th November 2016. Under special circumstances, students may be allowed to carry lower credit hours. Regardless of the number of credit hours, students are not allowed to exceed 36 contact hours per week (in any regular semester).

For the short semester, students are allowed to take a minimum of five (5) up to maximum of twelve (12) credit hours per week. The minimum workload for students on scholarships or financial loans may differ from those mentioned above as they are determined by the sponsoring agency.

Add/Drop/Withdraw Courses

Five (5) days prior to commencement of a semester are allotted for adding or dropping a course. Students may make necessary adjustment to their course registration

Students may also apply to withdraw from a course for which they are registered, with the application being submitted by the 10th week of a regular semester or fourth week of a short semester. The net number of courses after the adding/dropping or withdrawal of courses must be in adherence with the minimum and maximum workload specified.

Type of Registration

Courses may be registered for in two different ways:

1. Normal courses carrying specific credit hours and computed in the CGPA. Core, elective, language proficiency and other University-required courses necessary for graduation are in this category.
2. Courses assessed on a pass/fail basis. Normally, prerequisite courses, practical training, and resit examinations fall under this category. Where a pass/fail option is provided for in the kulliyyah curriculum, the credit involved will be included in the total requirement for graduation. In case a student obtains an "F" grade, the course must be repeated. The "P/F" grade does not affect the CGPA.

Lectures/Classes Attendance Requirements

Students are required to attend all lectures, tutorials, seminars etc. of courses for which they are registered. Attendance of not less than 80% is necessary to be permitted to be eligible to sit for end-of-semester examination.

Leave of Absence

Students who wish to spend a period of time away from the University may apply for a leave of absence, with valid reasons, at their respective kulliyyah.

Students Performance Evaluation (Grading System)

The Senate in its meeting No. 428, held on 30th September 2016, endorsed that the percentage to be changed for grade A from 85-100 to 80-100 and grade A- from 80-84 to 75-79 respectively for all foundation students program effective Semester 1, 2016/2017. The latest evaluation of courses offered by the University is based on the following grading scale:

Other transcript notations with Quality Points Equivalent (QPE) of zero (0) ─

Grade Point Average (GPA)

Two kinds of grade point averages are used in the IIUM grading system. The Semester GPA is computed by dividing the quality points earned (product of grade points and credit hours) by the number of credit hours attempted in a given semester.

The Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) is computed by dividing the total quality points earned by the total number of credit hours attempted at the University up to that point in time.

The system of education employed by the University encourages interaction between lecturers and students and requires active participation from students.

This provides an environment conducive for continuous assessment to take place and for students to develop consistency in learning. Grades obtained, therefore, do not just reflect their performance in the final examination but are based on a number of assignments, projects, quizzes and tests conducted throughout the semester.

Dean's List

Students from all programmes who obtain a GPA of more than 3.50 and have registered for at least eighteen (18) credit hours in a semester are eligible to be listed on the Dean’s List for that particular semester. This is recognition of the student’s achievement in his/her studies.

Graduation Requirement

Completion of study period & Graduation

1.     A student who has registered all the courses as prescribed in the programme, is considered as a candidate for graduation and shall register for graduation at the Centre in the final semester.

• The minimum number of semesters for any student to complete a foundation programme at the Centre is three (3) semesters.
• The maximum number of semesters for any student to complete a foundation programme at the Centre is six (6) semesters, excluding leave of absence.

Every foundation programme is directly under the responsibility of the Centre and the completion of each programme rests on the evaluation and recommendation of the Centre to the Senate.

A graduating student is required to have fulfilled the following:

• passed all required courses taken as prescribed in the programme curriculum;
• achieved an academic standing with a CGPA of at least 2.00; and
• fulfilled other prescribed Centre requirements.

4.     The student must be free of any debts owed to the Centre/University, monetary or otherwise (excluding approved financial loans made out to the students by the University), and free of any pending disciplinary charges.

To be recommended by the Centre for graduation and entering the Kulliyyah, a foundation student must have met the following conditions of Minimum Entry Requirement to Kulliyyah as follows:

The student must satisfactorily meet any other condition for graduation set by the Centre/University.