The School of Undergraduate Studies (SUS) aims to offer its students a unique liberal arts education that acquaints them with diverse approaches to knowledge. The undergraduate programmes at AUD encourage students to think critically and creatively, to analyse and reason, to communicate effectively, and to draw evidencebased conclusions. It aims to achieve a balance between the range and depth of the subjects studied.
The unique aspect of Undergraduate programmes at AUD is that there are common modules for foundational skills comprising language, writing skills, communication skills, analytical reasoning and a core module in social sciences. This is done through a blend of common foundational courses, languages, core discipline courses and a wide range of elective courses. Students experience the flexibility of choosing courses from more than one disciplinary area in order to develop a broader perspective on social sciences and humanities. They also have the opportunity to seek transfer from one programme to another, provided they meet certain criteria. The teaching method in AUD is interactive and learner centric. The pedagogy comprises lectures, tutorials, lab classes, field work, workshops and seminars.
The School of Undergraduate Studies follows a mandatory attendance policy. Students are expected to attend all learning situations. The penalties for low attendance are applied in the form of ‘grade cuts’ based on a sliding scale of attendance shortfall. Assessment is continuous, with regular feedback. The aim of continuous assessment is to ensure that the work done during the semester carries more weight than a single end-semester examination. The medium of instruction at AUD is English. The university provides a range of support systems for English language education through its Centre for English Language Education. Mentoring is an important feature of all programmes in AUD.
