A preparatory course is a preparatory workshop that aims to instruct participants before formally beginning studies on a specific area of knowledge. Its name comes from the term "propaedeutics", which refers to the instruction or training necessary to anticipate the study of a subject, science or discipline.
It is the stage prior to learning the methodology; that is, it precedes the implementation of the subject or discipline of study. It is very common to take preparatory courses before starting undergraduate studies (university career) or postgraduate studies (specialization, masters and doctorates). It serves as an appetizer for detailed instruction on a specific topic.
The preparatory courses provide the necessary, essential and basic theoretical and practical knowledge on a subject. That is, they provide the verbal, numerical and logical notions that the student requires to understand the deep study of a discipline, and to exercise it successfully later.
In some cases they are called corrective studies, since they are very useful when it comes to catching up with a specific subject, or overcoming academic weaknesses in this regard.
What are the preparatory courses for?
This type of program provides the necessary tools so that the student is prepared to face the new educational challenge without setbacks.
The purpose of the preparatory courses is to provide comprehensive preparation for students, encompassing the development of personal and technical skills. These skills and techniques will be extremely useful to facilitate the process of adaptation and development during the exercise of university life.
In most cases, taking a preparatory workshop allows students to become familiar with those who will be part of their immediate environment: classmates, teachers and other workers at the educational institution.
The above provides a fairly clear idea of what the study environment will be like when starting classes on a regular basis.
By taking a preparatory course, the student will also have the opportunity to prepare and obtain advice directly from specialists in the subjects of interest, with which the probability of having a good academic start is very high.
Knowledge approval
The preparatory courses are also intended to standardize the knowledge and skills of a group of students.
In this way, the start of classes will not be affected by specific explanations required by some students who are not level with the rest of the students.
These types of preparatory workshops encourage constant practice by students; in this way, the retention of knowledge increases considerably, and students will be better prepared to take on the university challenge that is presented to them.
In addition, if the student has doubts about his vocational inclination, the preparatory courses are the right place to clear up any concerns in this regard, and re-discover the vocational preferences, as the case may be.
References
- Amaris, G. (2016). Preparatory courses: Why enroll in one? Caracas Venezuela. Recovered from: ve.emedemujer.com
- What is the true purpose of a Propedeutic Course? (2015). Saint Luke, School of Medicine. Mexico DF, Mexico. Recovered from: saintluke.edu.mx
- Pérez, J., and Merino, M. (2013). Definition of Propedeutics. Recovered from: definicion.de
- What is a preparatory course (2013). Docsity.Com. Rome Italy. Recovered from: docsity.com
- Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (2017). Propedeutics. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org.