History
Arkın University of Creative Arts and Design (ARUCAD) is a private, non-profit higher education institution which was established in 2017 in the center of the ancient port city of Kyrenia, Northern Cyprus. ARUCAD provides education in the fields of Art, Design and Communication and started offering courses in the Academic Year 2018-2019. Since then, ARUCAD has continually been improving its quality standards and aiming to obtain new memberships of international accreditation organizations to help its students to be a part of the global Art, Design and Communication network.
English Preparatory School was established and started offering English language courses in 2018 along with the establishment of ARUCAD. The student intake to the English Preparatory School has increased each academic year over the three-year period and currently, over 100 students are registered for English language courses at EPS. In line with ARUCAD’s vision, EPS aims to continuously develop to achieve a high quality English language education which meets the international foreign language teaching standards to help ARUCAD students to succeed in their academic studies, professions and social lives. Overall, EPS, as one of its important units of ARUCAD has a diverse cultural learning environment where students can share their own cultures in a friendly academic environment and develop multicultural understanding to integrate into the global world successfully.
Overview
Arkın University of Creative Arts and Design is an English medium university and English Preparatory School is a unit within ARUCAD which is directly attached to the Rectorate. The English Language proficiency requirement for students to be able to directly commence their academic studies at the Faculty is CEFR B1 for undergraduate and CEFR B2 for master’s and Ph. D students. EPS was established with the aim of providing English language courses for newly admitted ARUCAD students who are not at the required English language proficiency levels to successfully pursue their academic studies at the Faculty. EPS offers English language courses to these students at four different levels of English; Prep A1, Prep A2, Prep B1 and Prep B2 levels to enhance their English language knowledge and skills to the required English language levels in order to enable them to succeed in their academic studies at the Faculty. Students can complete their studies at each level in minimum one semester. The exit levels for undergraduate students is CEFR B1 whereas CEFR B2 for master’s and Ph. D students is required. The duration of standard education at EPS is minimum one year and maximum 2 years.
Mission Statement
The mission of the EPS at ARUCAD is to support ARUCAD students with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds to attain proficiency in English language to excel in their interdisciplinary academic studies by adhering to the following basic principles:
- High quality English language education which is aligned to international foreign language teaching standards
- Provision of a cooperative and collaborative, and supportive environment
- Promoting student autonomy
- Professional Development
- Respect
- Integrity
Objectives
EPS adheres to a set of objectives to accomplish its mission, and these are as follows:
- To support ARUCAD students to continuously develop their English language proficiency level equivalent to the Common European Framework Reference for Languages (CEFR),
- To integrate a set of effective pedagogical methods and techniques to facilitate students’ English language learning and study skills,
- To facilitate the EPS staff’s continuous professional development,
- To integrate the state-of-the-art technology into English language instruction to facilitate ARUCAD students’ English language learning,
- To inculcate the basic values of integrity, cooperation, teamwork and respect for diversity.
Vision Statement
To excel in English language education by sustaining a continuous development for a high quality of English language education to live up to the international standards as well as developing as a well-respected and well-recognized institute locally and worldwide.
Values, Aims and Learning Outcomes
Values
The core values at EPS are as follows:
- Transparency
- Trust
- Equality and respect to diversity
- Commitment to professionalism
- Respect for ethical values
- Team-work, cooperation and mutual understanding
- Opportunities for professional development
- Creativity
General Aims
- Our principle aim is to bring students’ English language knowledge, skills and competencies to a level which will enable them to succeed academically, professionally and socially.
- It is our mission to prepare our students for success in the global environment. Our aim is to promote the benefits of plurilingualism and multi-culturalism in language teaching and learning.
Learning Outcomes in Relation to General Aims
- To implement, monitor and evaluate established and new approaches in the classroom.
- To get students actively engaged into their learning by using state-of-the-art technology and self-assessment.
- To increase student investment in the learning processes both in and out of the classroom.
- To design course content and ensure that course delivery caters for all learning styles, students’ interests and needs.
- To keep the level of the language being taught relevant to the student’s levels and needs.
