Journal of the Foundation Year Network

Introduction

Sarah Hale, Anna Barney, Alex Pryce, Peter Watts — Fri, 22 May 2026 09:35:05 +0000

Introduction to Issue 8 of the Journal of the Foundation Year Network.

Motivations, Rationale and Expected Outcomes of Foundation Bioscience Students Pursuing a Bioscience Degree

Shelini Surendran, Sarah Dolman, Andrea Markou, Sam Hopkins, Kikki Bodman-Smith — Thu, 21 May 2026 12:42:46 +0000

Numerous UK higher education institutions (HEIs) offer bioscience foundation years to assist students who may not meet standard entry requirements, thereby aiding widening participation initiatives. This paper aims to explore the motivations, rationale, and expectations of students in a biosciences foundation programme, to support understanding and subsequent development of this student group. The study revealed that students are primarily driven to pursue a bioscience foundation year to enhance their career prospects and foster intellectual development. These motivations were also evident in their decision to choose a foundation bioscience degree, where career opportunities and genuine interest in the subject matter played significant roles. The findings from this study may assist educators and institutions in providing better support to help students achieve their academic and career aspirations.

Syllabus Design Grounded in the Scientific Method in Foundation Year STEM for Authenticity and Engagement

Charles Lam — Thu, 21 May 2026 12:49:50 +0000

Students engage best with materials directly relevant to their disciplines and clearly supporting undergraduate study preparation. Authenticity in EAP enhances student engagement and disciplinary literacy for STEM foundation students. Learning is enhanced when EAP teaching aligns with actual disciplinary texts, genres and practices. This study proposes a syllabus framework centred on the scientific method, involving systematic observation, hypothesis formation, testing, and analysis. Using this framework, students explore how their disciplines apply the scientific method as a common thread. The framework treats each discipline as a distinct culture of practice and integrates accessible popular science content. It examines pseudoscientific myths, enhancing critical analysis while connecting science literacy to everyday life.

Enhancing Digital Skills as Part of an Integrated Curriculum in a STEM Foundation Year

Lewis A. Baker, Carol Spencely, Alifah Rahman, Richard Harrison — Thu, 21 May 2026 12:52:54 +0000

This study provides an overview of a structured approach to digital skill development in a transitional university programme and offers insights into student perceptions of these learning activities, which can inform future curriculum design and support mechanisms. Specifically, we review the deliberate design of a digital skills curriculum for a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Foundation Year programme, aimed at equipping students from diverse educational backgrounds with essential computational and academic competencies. The curriculum integrates foundational skills in Microsoft Excel, programming with MATLAB, and web development using HTML/JavaScript. To evaluate the curriculum's effectiveness and the student experience, a mixed-methods approach was employed, gathering survey data from 147 students across two academic years. The findings reveal that while students found learning new programming concepts, particularly in MATLAB, to be the most challenging aspect of the module, they also identified it as one of the most valuable skills they acquired. Students self-reported improvement across a range of digital skills, including programming, data analysis, and website development.

Improving Lesson Preparation Among Foundation Year Students

Simon Leppington — Thu, 21 May 2026 13:00:52 +0000

This article presents an initiative to improve lesson preparation among foundation year students through the implementation of targeted pre-seminar readings and online quizzes, making lesson preparation part of the summative assessment mark. It details the design of lesson-specific, targeted pre-seminar reading and online quizzes and discusses the use of tools to address logistical issues. It considers how seminars which were refined through evidence-based insights from submission answers resulted in a remarkable improvement in student engagement with the module readings and with the subsequent seminar activities, with a substantial majority of students demonstrating consistent completion of readings and quizzes. Finally, an analysis of student responses is presented alongside a reflection on modifications following the initial implementation of the initiative.

Toolkit for Educational Dialogue: Integration into a Foundation Year STEM Curriculum

Lewis A Baker, Estefania Gamarra, Marion Heron, Harriet R Tenenbaum — Thu, 21 May 2026 13:02:41 +0000

This paper details the integration of a Toolkit for Educational Dialogue (TED) within a foundation year STEM curriculum. Educational dialogue, the ability to articulate reasoning and build on others’ ideas, is important for academic success. In this project, we developed the TED to provide structured opportunities for students to develop these skills through paired discussion sessions centred on multiple-choice questions with targeted feedback. The TED provides structured support and skills training for foundation year students in preparing for the oracy requirements of their undergraduate degree. The development and integration of the TED was part of a larger Nuffield Foundation-funded project involving six university partners and three subject disciplines. This paper aims to present the practical implementation of the TED within an engineering and physical science context, including the design of discussion materials, the training activities for students, and a reflection on the challenges encountered, providing practical insights for other teachers who may want to support students’ educational dialogue in their disciplinary contexts.

Using Scenario-Based Learning in Foundation Year Teaching

Sarah Hale — Thu, 21 May 2026 13:10:42 +0000

This example of practice article makes the case for scenario-based learning (SBL) as a valuable method in foundation year teaching. Using two detailed social science case studies, it shows how SBL can enhance engagement, bring unique benefits to a wide range of students, and meet the needs of foundation year practitioners and institutions now and in the future. It considers the practicalities of introducing SBL and provides examples and practical tips for implementing the approach.