General Education Program

The General Education Program (GEP) at Ajman University is a vital component of tertiary education associated with a range of University requirements intended to lay the ground for students’ future progress and development, academically as well as professionally.

The main purpose of the GEP is to enable all students attain the fundamental broad base of knowledge, skills and competences that all university-educated adults must have no matter what their area of specialization is. It is integrated throughout the curricula of Baccalaureate programs, and contributes in achieving the Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) as well as core competencies including, but not limited to, written and oral communication, quantitative reasoning, information literacy, and critical thinking.

In addition, the GEP seeks to develop students’ specific competences pertinent to enjoying autonomy and responsibility for their learning, interaction with others, pursuing self–development and deploying what they have acquired in real life situations.

General education courses are designed to establish strong intellectual foundation for all specializations, regardless of the degree and number of credits required. These courses are added on top of the mandatory major courses with the intent to broaden knowledge beyond what is required in the student’s specialization.

GEP courses develop skill acquisition in oral and written communication, information technology, innovation, quantitative analysis, critical thinking as well as certain aspects in the humanities, arts, social, behavioral, and natural sciences. Their selection is based on originality, modernity, relevance and coherence.

The aim of the program to achieve specific objectives

Program Objectives

Empower students to achieve competitiveness academically and professionally
Equip students with good communication skills
Provide students with creative, critical, and innovative abilities
Raise awareness for ethical and social responsibility
Provide understanding of religious and cultural diversity to encourage tolerance.

General Education Learning Outcomes (GE-LOs):

On successful completion of the general education program, the student shall be able to:

QFEmirates Strands	General Education Learning Outcomes (GE-LOs)
Knowledge	GE-LO1	Identify terminology, specific concepts, and fundamentals related to different areas of knowledge
	GE-LO2	Recognize topics in languages, history, religion, and values of diverse cultures
	GE-LO3	Discuss the reasoning of Behavioral, Humanities, and Art theories
Skill	GE-LO4	Communicate in writing specific information clearly and concisely
	GE-LO5	Demonstrate self-expression in oral communication to various audiences effectively
	GE-LO6	Apply technological and scientific tools in analysis and Interpretation
	GE-LO7	Acquire information from various sources, evaluate it appropriately, and use it effectively.
	GE-LO8	Use quantitative reasoning skills in problem solving and drawing conclusions
	GE-LO9	Apply critical thinking skills to analyze information, make evaluations and decisions
Autonomy and Responsibility	GE-LO10	Plan social responsibility initiatives that provide solutions to real-world problems.
Role in context	GE-LO11	Develop team objective and participate in team work to achieve shared goals
Self-development	GE-LO12	Relate innovation to lifelong learning and professional practices.

General Education Courses

In line with the CAA Standards 2019, every AU student is required to complete a general education program by completing one or more university-level courses in each of the following areas:

English language
Arabic language
Islamic studies
Emirates studies
Innovation and Entrepreneurship

In addition, the Ministry requires the topic of sustainability to be covered within a variety of courses.

AU GEP consists of 30 credit hours (10 courses), among which 15 credits (5 courses) are compulsory, as required by the CAA for all students, and 15 credit hours (5 courses) distributed over 4 baskets of 5 different areas of study. Every student has to study at least one course from each basket. Each program can choose to mandate their students to take a specific course from a basket or allow the student to choose a course of his/her preference.

List of compulsory courses (15 credit hours)

Area	Course Name	Course code
English language	Academic Writing Advanced English Writing English Writing	ENG113 ENG104 ENG103
Arabic language	Arabic written Expression Arabic as a foreign Language	ARB113 ARB116
Islamic studies	Islamic Culture Islamic Culture for Non-Arabs	ISL114 ISL112
Emirates studies	Emiratis Studies	EMS112
Innovation and Entrepreneurship	Innovation and Entrepreneurship	INN311

List of courses in different areas of study (15 credit hours)

Area	Course Name	Course code
Humanities and Arts	One course (3 credits) from the following list:
	Introduction to Art	ART111
	Introduction to Aesthetics	ART112
	Introduction to Performing Arts	ART 113
	Francophone World: Language and Culture	FRE212
	Human Rights	LAW106
	Islamic Civilization	ISH211
	World Literature	WLT115
Natural Sciences	At least one course from the following list:
	General Physics	PHY111
	Astronomy	AST211
	General Chemistry	CHM111
	Science of Energy and Global Environment	ENV113
	General Biology	BIO111
	Introduction to Physics	PHY112
	Physics for Daily life (Arabic)	PHY113
Social and Behavioral Sciences	At least one course from the following list:
	General Psychology	PSY111
	Critical Thinking	THI211
	Work Ethics	LAW112
	Leadership and Team Building	LED111
	Media Culture	INF112
	Social Responsibility	SSW111
Quantitative and Technology	IT Fundamentals	COM111
	Basic Programing	INT104
	Introduction to Information System	INF212
	Principles of Mathematics	MTH111
	Calculus 1	MTH112
	General Statistics	STA114
	Introduction to Data Analysis	STA113

1. Compulsory Courses:

Islamic Culture: ISL114 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

This course aims at providing students with knowledge about culture, Islamic faith and beliefs, sources of legislation and characteristics of Islam. It will also deal with some contemporary issues from an Islamic perspective such as human rights, women status, globalization and environment.

Islamic Culture (Non-Arabs): ISL112 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

This course aims to develop the student’s understanding of the Islamic Culture and Thought. It familiarizes students with the Islamic vocabulary, concepts and values as well with a clear and detailed background on the religion of Islam. This course discusses the concept of culture, introduction to Islam, Islamic faith and beliefs, sources of legislation and characteristics of Islam, and also deals with some contemporary topics such as: the concept of human rights in Islam, woman status, globalization and environment.

Arabic Written Expression: ARB113 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

This course aims to enable student in language skills depending on Text Linguistics. Thus, it will deal with different types of texts such as Holly Quran, Hadeeth, poetry, story, novel and other writing forms, which can help students to produce functional and creative writing as well.

Arabic as a Foreign Language ARB116 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

The course is intended for non-Arabic speaking students, it is concerned with enabling the students to recognize simple Arabic sentences, which help them in comprehending short and simple texts when reading and listening. In addition, it provides the students with vocabulary and trains them in using the most important structures that enable them to express themselves in general situations and conversational needs through speaking and writing.

Academic Writing: ENG113 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

The course aims to empower and develop students’ writing skills and communicative competence in order for them to communicate fluently, appropriately, and effectively in their academic life and their personal and social interactions.

It is a required course designed in order to facilitate maximum student involvement and interaction. Students will work together in groups for brainstorming, organizing, analyzing critically, editing individually and using peer correcting. This will render academic writing a popular and a cooperative process.

The course develops academic writing using a process-oriented approach. It follows smooth gradation since writing is a developmental process. Students start from the sentence, the building block of writing, to the paragraph, to the essay and then the report. Unlike the traditional manner, grammatical features are isolated quoting students’ own work to cement those features. Text coherence and cohesion are also stressed.

Advanced English Writing: ENG104 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

The course aims to empower and develop the students’ writing communicative competence so that they can communicate accurately, appropriately, and effectively in their academic, personal, and social life. The course is based on the holistic approach to writing by providing real life models/ samples and from there, students move to the micro level of planning, analyzing clinically the constituents of the paragraph, and how they combine together to produce a cohesive, coherent text. Thus, the types of sentences, topic and supporting ones, cohesive devises, punctuation, planning, writing as revising and editing are dealt with and acquired. In addition, students get online support to enhance their writing competencies.

English Writing: ENG103 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

Writing Skills is designed for Arab-medium students. It aims to introduce the process of writing and develop students’ academic writing skills. It builds students writing proficiency using a variety of rhetorical modes to produce coherent paragraphs. The course integrates the study of rhetorical patterns and the writing process with extensive practice in grammar, mechanics, and sentence structure, and paragraph writing. This course helps students develop competence in written communication by practicing writing clear sentences and paragraphs.

Emiratis Studies: EMS112 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

This course introduces students to the UAE Society and its formation, culture, geography, ongoing development and social development. The course addresses the topics of measures of social welfare, social systems, environmental issues, forms of technological development in the UAE, in addition to future aspects of the UAE.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship: INN 311 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

This course is developed for the UAE based on decades of practices and experiences of teaching innovation and entrepreneurship at Stanford University that has fueled innovation and high growth in Silicon Valley. This course aims to equip the next generation of leaders with an innovative, entrepreneurial, and sustainable mindset related to individual and leadership core skills that enable them to become life-long creative thinkers and problem solvers. The course is composed of two modules: Design Thinking and Entrepreneurship & Sustainability.

2. Humanities and Arts

Introduction to Art: ART111 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

This Course provides an exploration of various art mediums and techniques and an understanding of the art elements and principles. A vocabulary of art will be introduced to the students in order to analyze artworks individually or in-group. This art course helps students with creative thinking skills, expressive abilities, and visual problem-solving methods. Students will be aware of the art history & cultural context and interdisciplinary connections between art and other fields.

Introduction to Aesthetics: ART112 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

This course provides knowledge about aesthetic culture through history, and its relationship to fine arts and literature, by studying the definitions of aesthetics, the philosophy of art and its aesthetic value. It deals with the most important theories of aesthetic philosophers since Greek era, through the Middle Ages among Europeans and Arabs, and the problems of modern aesthetics in light of globalization.

Introduction to Performing Arts: ART113 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

This course provides a broad knowledge of the various forms and mediums of performing arts. The students are introduced to new terminology related to performing arts that will enable them (individually or through groups) to analyze artworks in a scientific and detailed manner. This course also helps students to develop creative thinking skills and the ability to express themselves through the most important stages of the history of theatre sand the cultural context of artistic work.

Francophone World: Language and Culture: FRE212(3 Cr. Hrs.)

French-speaking World: Language and Cultureis designed for students with no French language background. Through this course, we will learn to navigate simple interactions in a French-speaking environment; to converse informally on familiar topics; to express thoughts simply in French; and to read and understand a variety of texts, from menus to poems. Those skills will be developed through a sustained engagement with various aspects of Francophone cultures from around the world—including art, music, film, and food. We will learn how to think about these cultures with a critical and historical perspective.

Islamic Civilization: ISH211 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

The course introduces the most important foundations upon which civilizations are based in general and the components of Islamic civilization in particular. Likewise, it shows the most important characteristics that distinguished it, and how it was affected by other civilizations and influenced them. It also covers the most important stages of its development and contributions to the various fields of knowledge and advancement.

Human Rights: LAW106 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

This course provides a generic definition of human rights and its diverse categories (mainly presented in civil and political rights – economic, social, and cultural rights – collective societal rights/group rights). The course also examines the evolution phases of human rights, and the different mechanisms adopted to protect human rights under both statutory/man-made laws and Islamic law. Reference is made to the treatment of human rights under United Arab Emirates constitution.

World Literature: WLT115 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

World Literature is designed to give students multiple perspectives on the people and cultures that share our globe through analysis and engagement with fascinating literary texts of these cultures. Students will explore the three genres of literary works including poetry, fiction and drama by a number of writers associated with world literature. The course examines selected literary works from different regions in the world: Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, and the Far East. Students will learn to appreciate the artistry of literature, and develop the ability to reflect critically on their reading, presenting literary analysis powerfully through both oral and written communication. The course is aimed at enabling students’ competency and knowledge of world literature while introducing them to the joys of reading such works.

3. Natural Sciences

Astronomy: AST211 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

The course includes clarifying significance of astronomy, which aims at understanding mysteries of the universe. The course starts with historical context of astronomy and continues to explore later developments. The course includes the determination of coordinates of the astronomical Planetarium, and identifying the asteroids astrocytes; try to direct the ocean understand (the ground) and beyond (the Solar System and others), and the study of the moon and its relationship to the land and how calendars calculate and determine the phenomena related to his movement (tides, eclipses and eclipses, etc.). As well as the course involves realizing how to determine prayer timings and geographical trends in the nature and astronomical devices, which are used for such purposes, and also includes a study of the constellation, life of giant stars, nebulae, black holes and white dwarfs and the astronomical perplexities.

Science of Energy and Global Environment: ENV113 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

This course is designed for students who need to gain knowledge in Global environmental sciences and energy in general. Special emphasis is given to Oceanography, Atmosphere, environment and energy resources because of their importance in the Arab region and the world. The course includes four basic modules: environment, water, energy, Oceanography and atmosphere. The environment module covers the population dynamics, natural resources, pollution, remote sensing and GIS applications, protection and managing of the environment and sustainable development. The water module discusses the hydrologic cycle, basics of hydrogeology and water quality and water-related problems over the globe.

The third module covers the conventional and non-conventional energy resources and reasons of its depletion, methods of production, using, managing, and sustaining it on the long run. The fourth module focus on various oceanic and atmospheric life threating issues that internationally recognized as core persisting issues, and the proposed solutions to them.

General Chemistry: CHM111 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

This course goal is developing students’ knowledge and understanding of important concepts in chemistry. The course also aims at introducing students to various general applications of chemistry. General Chemistry course presents the fundamentals of certain topics in general and organic chemistry. This course includes atomic and electronic structure, periodic properties, type of bonds, Molecular Orbital Theory, and hybridization. It is also covering some important areas in organic chemistry, which include aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons.

General Physics: PHY111 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

This course is designed to cover the basic concepts in most branches of classical physics including linear motion, Newton’s laws, rotational motion, work-energy conservation, light, electricity and thermodynamics. Besides, some of modern physics concepts applicable to X-Ray, lasers, radioactivity, isotopes lifetime and applications of these concepts will also be covered.

Introduction to Physics: PHY112 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

The course is designed to cover the basic concepts in kinematics and dynamics, geometrical optics as well as light interference, general principles of acoustics, such as the propagation, transmission, attenuation and reverberation of sound, and finally introduction of heat and energy.

General Biology: BIO111 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

The course provides the basic knowledge of biology, necessary for the studentsunderstanding of how the major groups of living organisms are related to each other and of their adaptations for survival. It involves studying the concept of life and living organisms, from single-celled organisms to multiple-celled plants, animals and humans. In addition to the mechanisms that are involved inmaintaining integrity and homeostasis. Some basic biology topics demonstrate cellular structure and functions, heredity and genetics and ecosystems.The coursedemonstrates an understanding of the functions of the organ systems of the human body. Moreover, gives the students the opportunity of exploring modern experimental techniques.

Physics for Daily Life: PHY113 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

This course deals with an appropriate amount of explanation of basic physical concepts such as mechanics, thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, sound and light in a reasonable manner that helps students with non-scientific disciplines to realize, understand and explain many applications and physical phenomena in daily life. This course discusses the study of major applications that have come into play in everyday life, with a focus on how to use logic and analogies to find physical solutions. The course topics will include a number of subjects, such as, how to obtain and use electricity, the physics of heat, food and movement. The course will explain the technology of radio, television, microwave ovens, cell phones, computers and GPS as well.

4. Social and Behavioral Sciences

Critical Thinking: THI 211 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

This course explores various issues and topics about the nature and techniques of critical thinking, which are a strong foundation on which individuals rely to build their claims, beliefs, and attitudes toward the world around them. The course deals with the facts, theories and actual practices related to critical thinking, as well as activating the most important skills of critical thinking during the treatment and judging of opinions such as logical thinking, deduction, induction, evaluation, judgment, and evaluation of sources of knowledge in its social context. This is in addition to developing applications for the skills learned in the student's real life, such as academic, personal and social life.

General Psychology: PSY111 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

General Psychology course is focused on the definition of general psychology and it’s theoretical and applied areas and used research methods, this course will introduce you to major theories, the biology of behavior, sensation and perception, memory and learning, intelligence, emotions, personality and mental health, and includes a strong emphasis on developing and applying critical thinking. Completion of this course will provide a solid foundation for future courses in advanced areas of psychology and students will learn to think more critically and scientifically about what makes people think, feel, and behave

Work Ethics: LAW112 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

The course examines work-place ethics and the whole ideology of positive personal, societal, organizational professional morals. Such examination takes place through the study of both public sector and private sector professions to include a multitudinous investigation of work ethics. The course also focuses on certain work-ethics’ practices such as integrity, justice, equity, transparency, righteousness, team-work, charity work, tolerance, originality, creativity, and environmental protection. All to be considered as valuable necessities for our day-to-day lives. Finally, this course encourages analytical and critical thinking with a practical application in relation to UAE practices and legal realities.

Media Culture: INF112 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

This course aims to raise students’ awareness of the positive usage of media. It focuses on the critical consumption of media content (to analyze, evaluate and discuss different types and forms of media content) on traditional and interactive platforms.

The course offers subjects that cover several critical thinking skills include: how to analyze media messages contexts, how to recognize different ideologies in media content, and how to distinguish between factual and opinion content, to recognize accurate and false (fake) news.

Social Responsibility: SSW111 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

This course discusses the creation and development of the concept of social responsibility, its definition, characteristics, importance and its composition, in addition to the ten international principles in the field of social responsibility and the features of its programs. This course also discusses the steps, design and application of social initiatives in the United Arab Emirates. Moreover, the course discusses the most important international samples and experiences that are related to the course’s subject. In addition, the course includes a practical side that is related to volunteering in a variety of institutions in different fields in the UAE.

Leadership and Team Building: LED111 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

Leadership and Team Building course focuses on the concepts related to leadership and team building, it also presents the theories of leadership, as well as principles and factors of leadership, Moreover, the course focuses on: clarifying the difference between leadership and management. In addition, the course gives students a chance to create a sustainable practice and apply critical thinking to provide solutions for different problems in leadership and team building.

5. Quantitative and Technology

IT Fundamentals: COM 111 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

This course provides a basic introduction to the field of Information Technology. Student will explore the two fundamentals of Information Technology: computers and communications. Computers types, their components and how they operate on data will be reviewed. Through different IT-enhanced activities where collaborations, communications and security are central, students will evaluate and apply IT concepts, products and services in their personal, academic and professional lives. Societal, privates and ethical issues will be exemplified. At the end of the course students will master the necessary skills and knowledge to reason clearly, to communicate effectively, and to contribute to society.

Introduction to Information Systems: INF212 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

This course offers the traditional coverage of computer concepts, but places the material within the context of meeting business and organizational needs. It aims to introduce students to the fundamentals of information systems and to demonstrate how these are used in small, medium and large organizations. The course focuses on how people, technology and information are managed and integrated for decision making, business operations, collaboration, communication and competitiveness. Topics include Information TechnologyConcepts, Business Information Systems, System Acquisition and development, Information Systems in Business and Society.

Basic Programming: INT104 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

The primary objective of this course is to introduce the basic concepts of algorithmic thinking, problem solving, software programming: flowcharting, pseudo-code, and computer language statements such as, assignment operations, conditional statements, and loops using Scratch platform.

Principles of Mathematics: MTH111 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

This course is designed to strengthen basic mathematical skills within problem-solving contexts. This course covers fundamental concepts in mathematics. topics are chosen from algebra and calculus such as: the real number system, basic arithmetic, polynomials, equations, inequalities, matrices and different types of functions and their applications. An emphasis is placed on the impact of mathematics in various disciplines.

Calculus 1: MTH112 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

This course Introduce and develops understanding of the basic concepts in calculus and linear algebra. The topics covered include limits, derivatives and integration of algebraic and transcendental functions, matrix calculation and linear systems. Engineering applications of these concepts are emphasized.

General Statistics: STA114 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

The course deals with data organization, presentation and calculation of descriptive measures. It also covers probability concepts and probability rules. This course includes discrete and continuous probability distributions where the emphasis is on the binomial, the Poisson and the normal distribution. This course introduces students to inferential statistics: it includes confidence intervals and hypothesis testing of a population parameters. The last part of this course includes simple linear regression analysis and its applications.

Introduction to Analytics: STA113 (3 Cr. Hrs.)

This course introduces students to collect, describe and analyze data. It includes types of data, sampling techniques, descriptive methods, an introduction to probability theory and probability distributions, with the emphasis on the Binomial, the Poisson and the Normal distribution. It covers the correlation between variables, the regression analysis. The course practices the use of computers to collect and analyze data.