CERTIFICATE IN FOUNDATION STUDIES, LEVEL 3: WHITINGA
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Semester One 2016
This NZQA-approved 60-credit certificate programme comprises four courses, each worth 15 credits. Depending
on their study/career pathway (and, for new students, the results of the Skills Review), students will be offered
four courses from the list below, which must be completed successfully in order to be eligible to graduate.
Literacy and Numeracy
As literacy is embedded throughout all our courses, at Level 2 Bridgepoint does not offer specific literacy courses.
Numeracy includes the basic maths skills needed in everyday life. Basic numeracy is embedded throughout all
our courses.
ALAF3070 – Internal Business Environment
Topics covered: Entrepreneurship, product design and promotion, management, competitor analysis,
marketing, operations, distribution, accounting, human resource management and experience of running a
business as a project.
COMM3080 - Business Communications and Personal Effectiveness:
Topics covered: Teamwork, communication process and barriers, SWOT analysis, conducting questionnaires,
oral presentations, sustainability and ethics, health and safety, customer service, business writing, writing a
report.
FSTU2101 - Understanding Maths A
Course Aim: To develop students’ confidence in their own ability to think mathematically and to use and
communicate mathematics in the solving of problems in a variety of contexts, including those of everyday life
and the workplace.
Content Outline:
 Calculate using integers, fractions, decimal fractions, percentages, ratios, and powers
 Develop and use proportional reasoning skills, including ratios, rates, fractions and percentages
 Solve numerical problems in context (e.g. nursing and financial contexts), using calculators where
appropriate
 Solve measurement problems in context
 Interpret data and reason statistically
FSTU2103 - Understanding Maths B
Course Aim: To develop students’ understanding of algebra and algebraic thinking in a variety of
representations, and for them become confident in applying algebraic skills in a variety of contexts.
Content Outline:
 Make sense of and generalise number operations to develop algebraic concepts and notations
 Investigate patterns and use algebraic notation
 Substitute into and manipulate algebraic formulae including expansion of two brackets
 Use graphs to represent relations and link multiple representations
 Form and solve linear equations
 Investigate situations involving chance and uncertainty
 Investigate collected data and use it to reason statistically
FSTU3101 - Maths Algebra
Course Aim: To extend students’ confidence and understanding of algebra and trigonometry and to use
mathematical skills in the solving of problems in a variety of contexts.
Content Outline:
• Investigate non-linear patterns and use graphs to represent relations and link multiple
representations
• Develop further algebraic concepts and skills, including substitution and manipulation of expressions
with indices, and transposing formulae
• Understand linear and quadratic patterns, cubic and hyperbolic functions and link with their graphs
• Form and solve linear equations and inequations, simultaneous linear equations and simple quadratic
equations
• Solve contextual problems involving linear and quadratic functions
• Trigonometry – apply trigonometric relationships in 2 and 3 dimensions, linking simple trigonometric
functions with their graphs. Find areas of triangles, apply sine and cosine rules
FSTU3103 - Construction Maths
Course Aim: To extend students’ confidence and understanding of mathematics used in construction and to
use mathematical skills in the solving of problems.
Content Outline:
• Develop further number concepts and skills and use them to solve problems including complex
percentage calculations
• Use measurement applications including 3D contexts, right angled triangles (Pythagoras) and bearings
• Use formulae and calculators in solving complex measurement problems
• Reason proportionally including use of rates, scale factors and other ratios
• Trigonometry applying trigonometric relationships in 2 and 3 dimensions, linking simple trigonometric
functions with their graphs, finding areas of triangles, applying sine and cosine rules
FSTU3105 - Science Maths
Course Aim: To extend students’ confidence and understanding of mathematics and calculus and to use
mathematical skills in the solving of problems.
Content Outline:
• Algebra – manipulative skills including use of indices and logarithms and applying these to solving
equations and contextual problems
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Trigonometry – understanding of trig ratios and their graphs, applying these in solving trigonometric
equations; exploring angle measures including radians and use to solve contextual problems;
manipulation of simple trigonometric identities
Graphical representations of a variety of functions connecting the graphs and the structure of the
function
Calculus – developing concepts of limits, derivatives, anti-derivatives and applying calculus techniques
to practical situations which could include rates of change, graphical features, areas under a curve
and kinematics
FSTU3107 - Nursing Maths
Course Aim: To extend students’ confidence and understanding of the mathematics used in nursing and to use
mathematical thinking in the solving of contextual problems.
Content Outline:
• Carry out measurement tasks related to nursing
• Interpret data in tables and graphs – develop statistical concepts and skills needed for nursing
• Interpret and apply probabilities to make decisions involving risk and uncertainty
• Use mathematical methods to solve nursing related calculations including drug calculations, infusion
rates and solution strengths
FSTU3201 - Biology
Course Aim: To develop students’ knowledge of biological processes and concepts, and their interaction with
each other and the environment.
Content Outline:
• Cell biology
• Human and animal life processes
• Diversity and genetics
FSTU3403 - Physics – Mechanics
Course Aim: To develop students’ knowledge of basic physics processes and concepts and their interactions
and applications.
Content Outline:
• Physical phenomena: kinematics and motion, forces and density, energy and momentum
• Applications and scientific investigation
FSTU3404 - Academic and Career Development – Science
Course Aim: To relate physics to students’ personal and professional development and facilitate progress to
the next level of study in physical phenomena.
Content Outline:
• Features of scientific method and best practice in scientific investigations
• Interaction of physics and society
• Career pathways
FSTU3501 - Creative Arts 3
Course Aim: To enable students’ to confidently express themselves through chosen art forms.
Content Outline:
• Students’ explore the tensions and or contrasts of what it means to be human
• Dramatic and/or literary and/or visual techniques are explored and illustrated
• Students’ explore and illustrate key concepts from one or more of the disciplines
FSTU3502 - Creative Arts Additional 3
Course Aim: To relate creative arts to personal and professional development and to prepare them for further
study within a creative pathway.
Content Outline:
• Dramatic and/or literary and/or visual techniques are explored and illustrated
• Real world practitioners and their stories
• Opportunities available for further studies in creative arts pathways
FSTU3601 - Introduction to Social Sciences 3
Course Aim: To develop an introductory understanding of social sciences for future learning.
Content Outline:
• Understanding behaviour: nature versus nurture; determinism and free will
• Getting in and out of trouble: bio-psycho-social model; strengths-based approach; labelling
• Community programmes: social responsibilities and social policy
• Research
FSTU3602 - Academic and Career Development, Social Science 3
Course Aim: To discover and develop competencies to self-manage their life, work and learning.
Topics covered:
• Range of literacies necessary to communicate with their peers and with the wider world, including
• prospective employers, further study, broader networks and in online spaces
• Opportunities to integrate life, learning and work
• Self-reflection
• Strategies to make well-informed decisions and find alternatives when faced with obstacles
FSTU3701 - Humanities 3
Course Aim: To develop an introductory understanding of humanities for future learning.
Topics covered:
• Social inequalities and environmental protection
• United Nations conventions, the Treaty of Waitangi and New Zealand laws and commissioners:
examples such as United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child; Human Rights Act; Privacy
Act; Health and Disability Commissioner
• Advocacy: logical and persuasive argument on behalf of another person or community
FSTU3801 - Cultures in Aotearoa New Zealand 3
Course Aim: To enable students’ to further develop an intermediate knowledge of Matauranga Māori.
Content Outline:
• Intermediate Te Reo Māori
• Māori waiata
• Māori tikanga and values
• Marae protocol
• Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Waitangi Tribunal
FSTU3901 - Negotiated Pathway Project 3
Course Aim: To enable students to undertake a developmental and holistic activity as an alternative way of achieving the
graduate profile.
Content Outline:
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To be negotiated and developed with the Pathway Leader, lecturer and student before the
commencement of the project.
FSTU4000 - Sport Leadership
Course Aim: To provide students with the skills and strategies to contextualise, manage information and
communicate effectively in relation to leadership in a sport and physical activity context.
Topics covered:
 Definitions of leadership
• Leadership concepts
• Leadership styles and values
• Leader philosophies
• Self-leadership
• Exploring, discovering, navigating and empowering leadership relating to the SPARC Growing Leaders
Programme
• You – the Leader: Contributing and influencing through leadership in sport
• Leadership inventory
• The leader in the team
• The Coach Leader
• Practical activities suitable for leadership in sport or physical activity
• Leadership plan for leading of others
FSTU4001 - Sport Performance
Course Aim: To provide students with basic skills and strategies to contextualise, manage information and
communicate effectively in areas specific to sport performance.
Topics covered:
• Definitions for sport, fitness and athletic performance
• Basic components of health relating to athletes social, physical and psychological characteristics
• Issues for athletes relating to: athletic profiles, public image, sport and the media
• Components of fitness relating to athletic performance in a sporting environment
o understand goal setting and undertake a goal setting analysis
o understand and apply the principles of training
o fitness testing in endurance, speed, power and flexibility
• Nutrition components relating to health and wellness
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understand nutritional recommendations for health and performance
knowledge of common food sources
knowledge of and the ability to explain the cause and effect of nutrition imbalance in relation
to athletic performance
Psychological factors relating to sport
o Identify personal goals and goal setting strategies
o Examine the concept of athletic motivation on athletic performance
o Understand the affect of anxiety and stress on athletic performance
MAOR3999 – Toi Maori
To enable students to broaden their knowledge of Toi Maori (Maori Art), through the mediums of Whakairo
(Carving), Raranga (Weaving), Ta Moko (Tattooing) and Kowhaiwhai
Topics may include:
 Mythology
 tikanga
 customs
 traditional practices related to each discipline
 natural resources
 colonisation
 urbanisation
 cultural & intellectual property rights
 traditional & contemporary design, concepts and contexts
 workshop protocols & procedures
Materials Required:
Necessary
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A4 sketch pad for visual diary/diaries
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Pencils/pens for drawing and note taking
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Camera or something that is able to take images to support visual diaries.
Optional
Any paints, pastels, markers, paper you are interested in experimenting with, and any extra materials
required for your final presentation (ie. black material, paper, pins, colour printing, etc)