This speaking course is designed to prepare introductory level students for Level 200. Students’ ability to use everyday polite forms of greeting, address, farewell, invitation, apology, and basic agreement/disagreement, and to express and respond to simple formal and informal requests, apologies, caution, warnings, and commands is improved. Furthermore, students are taught to give a simple description of people, family, places, objects, educational background, working conditions, daily routines, likes/dislikes, future needs, wants and plans, and feelings as a short series of simple phrases and sentences linked into a list. Additionally, students learn to link groups of words with simple connectors such as and, but, because, then to narrate a short story or to describe something in a simple list of points, and to initiate, maintain, and close short and simple face-to-face social exchanges on familiar and routine matters. During the semester, students create, ask and answer simple questions (in complete sentences) and respond to simple statements in a short interview. A key component of Speaking 100 is giving a short 2-3 minute presentation about a place they visit on a tour of the neighbourhood/area around BCIT. Their ability to use phrases and gestures to clarify what the speaker is saying is improved. The course has a strong focus on accuracy with students getting practice and instruction in the use of a variety of grammatical structures, and therefore, upon finishing the semester, learners can use simple grammatical structures correctly. Throughout the course, special attention is paid to the students’ production of vowels, consonants, word stress, word endings, and intonation in questions, as well as the learners’ ability to apply dictionary skills to correct some of their own basic pronunciation problems. Prerequisite: Level 0090.

This listening course is designed to prepare introductory level students for Level 200. Ample instruction and listening practice assist students in becoming familiar with everyday polite forms, and with the differences between formal and casual style and register. Participants learn to identify topics of discussions, main points, key words, and simple connectors in short listening clips such as short talks, stories, short basic presentations, simple interviews, descriptions, introductions, invitations, face-to-face exchanges, formal/informal requests, instructions, directions, apologies, caution, warnings, and commands, phone calls, and conversations of about 3 minutes in length on familiar topics - provided the subject matter is familiar and articulated slowly and clearly. Special attention is paid to the learners' ability to reproduce key words, phrases, and short sentences from short listening texts, and to formulate basic questions in areas of most immediate priority. Top-down and bottom-up listening strategies, as well as activating existing background knowledge, and using context and grammar cues are elements of listening that are explicitly taught and practiced throughout the course. Students also listen for grammatical items, they begin to recognize intonation in questions and they can identify word forms, parts of speech, word endings, short vowels, some voiced/unvoiced consonants, word stress and the number of syllables in words. Prerequisite: Level 0090.

This reading course is designed to prepare lower introductory students for Level 200. At the end of the course, students are able to identify, isolate and understand specific, predictable information and content in short, simple texts (maximum 1 page in length), such as short stories, short simple personal letters, postcards, advertisements, flyers, lists, menus, timetables, brochures, coupons, directories, everyday signs, descriptions, directions, instructions, schedules and warnings on familiar matters which contain the highest frequency vocabulary. Throughout the course, the students are given ample instruction and practice to recognize and identify specific information in short newspaper articles (maximum 1 page in length) describing events, and to begin to summarize texts in both written and oral form. The course also focuses on students' ability to apply pre-reading skills (using title, headings, and visuals to predict content, and activating background knowledge) to improve reading comprehension, and to scan texts to identify main ideas, as well as different types of clauses, word classes and simple connectors. Moreover, the course helps participants to use context to guess some new vocabulary and find more complex words in a dictionary. Students learn to recognize simple prefixes and suffixes, and comprehend and use new vocabulary from the General Service List (K1). Prerequisite: Level 0090.

This writing course is designed to prepare introductory level students for Level 200. The students learn to write - with correct word order - short, simple texts, stories, invitation notes and messages relating to matters in areas of immediate need, relevance and interest, and use simple connectors like and, but, then and because to connect a series of simple phrases and sentences. Students also write - legibly - simple personal letters and notes (3-5 sentences in length) expressing thanks, apology, congratulations, get well wishes, goodbyes, sympathy and basic agreement/disagreement while beginning to demonstrate familiarity with everyday polite forms and the differences between formal and casual register. Furthermore, students learn to fill out simple forms, create simple questions with correct word order, write about family and describe people, objects, places, personal situation and events in 5-8 sentences. Throughout the entire course, learners are taught to apply basic self--diting and revision techniques. Students learn to take simple notes as a list of key points, identify topics of discussions, main points, key words and simple connectors in short presentations, listening and reading texts to create short, simple summaries. The course has a strong focus on accuracy with students receiving practice and instruction in the use of a variety of grammatical structures (see Grammar Outline). Upon completion of the course, learners are able to maintain grammar (simple, compound, and complex sentences: coordination), punctuation and capitalization accurately enough to be followed. Moreover, students know and can apply basic spelling rules for suffixes such as -s, -es, -ed, -ing, and they are able to write - with reasonable phonetic accuracy - short words that are in student's oral vocabulary. Prerequisite: Level 0090 or Placement Test.

This speaking course is designed to prepare higher introductory level students for Level 300. Students’ ability to give reasons and explanations- in pairs and small groups - for opinions, plans, personal views and actions is improved. Furthermore, students are taught to give account of personal experiences, describe feelings, hopes and ambitions, ask for and give directions, express satisfaction and dissatisfaction, beliefs, agreement and disagreement politely, make comparisons/contrasts and respond to suggestions and apologies. Additionally, students learn to use connectors to link simple sentences in order to narrate a story or describe something as a simple list of points, and to initiate, maintain and close simple, face-to-face conversations on familiar topics or of personal interest. During the semester, students design and conduct a simple questionnaire (including an overarching research question) based on a tour of a public facility (e.g. Vancouver Public Library, Art Gallery etc), carry out survey of a staff person at the public facility, summarize and present findings to the class. A key component of Speaking 200 is giving a short 3-4 minute presentation, supported by PowerPoint, on a topic pertinent to students' life. Students present information as a linear sequence of points, and their ability to ask for repetition and clarification when they don’t understand is improved. The course has a strong focus on accuracy with students getting practice and instruction in the use of a variety of grammatical structures. Upon finishing the course, learners can use simple grammatical structures correctly, although they still make basic mistakes such as mixing up tenses and forgetting to mark agreement. Nevertheless, it is usually clear what speakers are trying to say. Throughout the course, attention is paid to the students' production of vowels, consonants, word stress, word endings, and intonation in questions, as well as the learners' ability to apply dictionary skills to correct some of their own pronunciation problems. Prerequisite: Level 100 or Placement Test.

This listening course is designed to prepare higher introductory level students for Level 300. Ample instruction and listening practice assist students in becoming familiar with cultural references, differences between formal and informal register, emotional state of speakers from tone and intonation, and relationships of speakers involved in discourse. Participants learn to take simple notes in guided activities. With support, students can identify main points, some supporting details, key words and phrases, and some inference in short, clear listening contexts such as short talks, small talk, narratives, short presentations, simple interviews, discussions, conversations, introductions, instructions, descriptions and radio news bulletins of about 5 minutes in length - provided the subject matter is familiar and articulated relatively slowly and clearly, and the talks contain clear sign-posts and linear sequence of points. Special attention is paid to the learners' ability to summarize and paraphrase information in simple fashion and to formulate basic questions after short presentations, discussions and conversations to ask for repetition and clarification when students don't understand. Top-down and bottom-up listening strategies, as well as activating existing background knowledge, analyzing non-verbal cues of speaker, using context and grammar cues, and basic inference are all elements of listening that are explicitly taught and practiced throughout the course. Students also listen for grammatical items and they begin to recognize intonation in questions and they can identify word endings, short and long vowels, voiced/unvoiced consonants, and word stress. Prerequisite: Level 100 or Placement Test.

This reading course is designed to prepare higher introductory level students for Level 300. At the end of the course, students are able to demonstrate comprehension of relevant information in straightforward texts, such as stories, narratives, descriptions, forms, letters, email messages, tables, graphs, diagrams, simple interview data, timelines, schedules, and brochures, on familiar matters which consist of high frequency everyday language. Throughout the course, the students are given ample instruction and practice to recognize significant points in straightforward newspaper articles - 1-2 pages in length - on familiar subjects, and to summarize and paraphrase texts (in simple fashion) in both written and oral form. The course also focuses on students’ ability to apply pre-reading skills (using title, headings, and visuals to predict content, activating background knowledge) to improve reading comprehension, and to skim and scan texts to identify main ideas, some supporting details, key words and phrases. Moreover, the course helps participants to identify ideas, some inferred meanings, facts, and writer's attitude stated in texts. Students learn to guess the meaning of some unknown vocabulary from context, recognize simple prefixes and suffixes, and comprehend and use new vocabulary from the General Service List (K2). Prerequisite: Level 100 or Placement Test.

This writing course is designed to prepare higher introductory level students for Level 300. The students learn to write short, straightforward connected texts on familiar subjects, such as personal stories, by using and linking simple, compound and complex sentences into a linear sequence. Students also write short, personal letters describing a person, object, place, situation, event, experiences, reasons, problems, feeling and events in some detail, and expressing and responding to invitations, thanks, and basic agreement/disagreement, regrets, cancellations, and apologies while beginning to demonstrate familiarity with cultural awareness and differences between formal and informal register. Furthermore, students learn to fill out simple forms and write notes and emails giving news and relating to matters in areas of immediate need and relevance. Throughout the entire course, learners are taught to apply basic self-editing and revision techniques, as well as paraphrasing in simple fashion. Students learn to take simple notes as a list of key points, identify main points, some supporting details, key words and phrases in short presentations, listening and reading texts to create short, coherent summaries. Towards the end of the course, students learn to identify structure and coherence in paragraphs and then begin to write simple narrative and descriptive paragraphs. The course has a strong focus on accuracy with students receiving practice and instruction in the use of a variety of grammatical structures (see Grammar Outline). Upon completion of the course, learners are able to maintain grammar (simple, compound, and complex sentences: coordination, subordination in cause & effect, opposition, and condition), spelling, capitalization and punctuation accurately enough to be followed most of the time. Prerequisite: Level 100 or Placement Test.

This academic speaking course is designed to prepare low intermediate students for Level 400. Students' ability to take part in discussions on familiar topics, which involves exchanging factual information, expressing opinion, giving reason for opinion, interrupting politely, receiving instructions, discussing solutions to practical problems, and agreeing and disagreeing, is improved. Furthermore, students are taught to intervene in discussions, and to use appropriate phrases and suitable non-verbal signals to get the floor. During the semester, students design a short questionnaire, carry out a survey (external subjects, such as friends and/or strangers must be used; not ISEP students) and summarize and report the findings to the class or group in a short presentation. A key component of Speaking 300 is giving—with ample preparation time - 1-2 minute informal and structured presentations on familiar topics, and a formal 8-10 minute presentation, supported by Power Point, on a business/technology-related topic at the end of the semester. Students present in groups of 3, with each student speaking for 4-5 minutes. Students present information as a linear sequence of points, include introduction, body, conclusion, connectors (first, next, finally etc), and use appropriate eye contact, body language and voice volume. Students' ability to ask follow-up questions to clarify what a presenter is saying is improved. The course has a strong focus on accuracy with students getting practice and instruction in the use of a variety of grammatical structures. Upon finishing the course, learners can communicate reasonably accurately a set of frequently used routines, patterns and structures associated with predictable and familiar situations. Throughout the course, attention is paid to the students' recognition and clear production of word endings and basic intonation and focal stress patterns, as well as the learners' ability to correct some problems with vowels, consonants, consonant clusters, and word stress. Prerequisite: Level 200 or Placement Test.

This academic listening course is designed to prepare low intermediate students for Level 400. Ample instruction and listening practice assist students in becoming familiar with cultural references, differences between formal and informal register, emotional state of speakers from tone and intonation, and relationships of speakers involved in discourse. Participants learn to take notes which are organized and precise enough for writing short answers and for use at a later date. With support, students can identify main points, supporting details, key words and phrases, inference, speaker viewpoints and attitudes in listening contexts such as a 10-15 minute speech, lecture, interview, descriptive and narrative text, short news report, and broadcast audio material - provided the subject matter is familiar, the information presented straightforward and clearly structured, and the delivery relatively slow and clear. Special attention is paid to the learners' ability to summarize and paraphrase information in simple fashion, and to formulate questions after short presentations, lectures and discussions to clarify information content and to signal lack of comprehension. Top-down and bottom-up listening strategies, as well as activating existing background knowledge, analyzing non-verbal cues of speaker, using context and grammar cues, and inference are all elements of listening that are explicitly taught and practiced throughout the course in order for participants to become more effective note-takers. Students also listen for grammatical items and they begin to recognize basic prosodic patterns (intonation, focal stress) commonly employed in discourse, and can identify word endings, voiced/unvoiced consonants, and consonant clusters. Prerequisite: Level 200 or Placement Test.

This academic reading course is designed to prepare low intermediate students for Level 400. At the end of the course, students are able to demonstrate comprehension of straightforward factual texts - 2-4 pages in length - such as short news articles and reports, email messages and letters, tables, graphs, diagrams, flow charts, simple interview data, timelines and schedules related to students’ areas of interest and speciality. Throughout the course, the students are given ample instruction and practice to skim and scan texts to identify content, main ideas, important/supporting details, topic and concluding sentences and key words. The course also focuses on students’ ability to identify organizational patterns in paragraph genres, such as cause and effect, and compare and contrast, and to summarize and paraphrase reading texts in both written and oral form (e.g. informal ‘think aloud’ presentations). Moreover, the course helps participants to recognize the line of argument in an issue presented (although not necessarily in detail), and to identify ideas, some inferred meanings, facts, writer's attitude, purpose and point of view stated in texts. Students learn to guess the meaning of unknown vocabulary from context and word forms, and to comprehend and use new vocabulary from the Academic Word List (sublists 1 & 2). Prerequisite: Level 200 or Placement Test.

This academic writing course is designed to prepare low intermediate students for Level 400. The students learn to write a clear, coherent paragraph including correct format, topic sentence (topic + controlling idea), supporting points, relevant examples, connectors/linking words and cohesive devices, and a concluding sentence; following established conventions of the following genres: cause and effect, compare and contrast. The learners are taught and given ample practice in drafting, editing, revising and proofreading their paragraphs, as well as paraphrasing information in simple fashion. Throughout the entire course, students learn to take well-organized notes and identify main points, supporting details and viewpoints in presentations, listening and reading texts to create outlines and 1-paragraph summaries. Students also learn to give opinion about accumulated factual information on routine and non-routine matters with some confidence. The course has a strong focus on accuracy with students receiving practice and instruction in the use of a variety of grammatical structures (see Grammar Outline). Upon completion of the course, learners are able to maintain grammar (simple, compound and complex sentences), spelling and punctuation accurately enough to be followed most of the time. Prerequisite: Level 200 or Placement Test.

This academic speaking course is designed to prepare intermediate students for Level 500. Students' ability to participate actively in discussions, while expressing opinion, evaluating alternative proposals, and stating and responding to hypotheses is improved. Furthermore, students are taught to initiate, maintain, and end discourse in appropriate register, and at the same time, to use appropriate phrases to gain time and keep the turn whilst formulating what to say. During the semester, students design and conduct a survey (external subjects, such as friends and/or strangers must be used; not ISEP students) in order to collect and analyze data to be included in a short presentation. A key component of Speaking 400 is giving short, spontaneous 1-2 minute informal and well-structured presentations on familiar topics, and a formal 10-12 minute presentation, supported by PowerPoint, on a business/technology-related topic at the end of the semester. Students present in pairs, and they include an introduction, supporting details, relevant examples, conclusion, cohesive devices, and apply appropriate eye contact, body language and voice volume. They also give reasons in support of or against a point of view and state advantages and disadvantages of various options. Students’ ability to ask clear follow-up questions to check understanding of what a presenter intended to say and to clarify ambiguous points is improved. The course has a strong focus on accuracy with students getting practice and instruction in the use of a variety of grammatical structures. Upon finishing the course, learners communicate with reasonable accuracy, but with noticeable mother tongue influence. Some grammatical errors occur, but generally it is clear what the speaker is trying to express. Throughout the course, attention is paid to the intelligible production of intonation, focal stress, word stress, consonants, and vowel sounds. Prerequisite: Level 300 or Placement Test.

This academic listening course is designed to prepare intermediate students for Level 500. Ample instruction and listening practice assist students in identifying cultural references, differences between formal and informal register, accents, attitudes, moods, tones and relationships of speakers involved in discourse. Participants learn to take well-structured notes, and they begin to identify main ideas, supporting details, inference, speaker viewpoints and attitudes in listening contexts such as a 15-20 presentation/speech, lecture, news, report, announcement, message, broadcast audio material on familiar and unfamiliar topics. Special attention is paid to the learners' ability to comprehend and evaluate listening texts, to summarize and paraphrase information, and to formulate questions during and after short lectures, presentations, reports, and discussions to confirm meaning and to signal ambiguity and lack of comprehension. Top-down and bottom-up listening strategies, as well as activating existing background knowledge, analyzing non-verbal cues of speaker, using context and grammar cues, and inference are all elements of listening that are explicitly taught and practiced throughout the course in order for participants to become more effective note-takers. Students also listen for grammatical items and they begin to identify prosodic aspects, such as rhythm, intonation, and focal stress, in discourse. Prerequisite: Level 300 or Placement Test.

This academic reading course is designed to prepare intermediate students for Level 500. At the end of the course, students are able to demonstrate comprehension of moderately complex texts—4-6 pages in length—such as electronic or printed news articles, reports concerned with contemporary problems, stories, editorials, tables, graphs, diagrams, flow charts, interview data, timelines and schedules, mostly relating to business and technology subjects and to students’ areas of interest and speciality. Throughout the course, the students are given ample instruction and practice to adapt their speed of reading to different texts and purposes, and to skim and scan texts to identify content, main ideas, important/supporting details and key words. The course also focuses on students’ ability to identify organizational patterns of texts, such as cause and effect, and compare and contrast, and to summarize and paraphrase reading texts in both written and oral form (e.g. informal ‘think aloud’ presentations). Moreover, the course helps participants employ critical thinking skills while reading to identify ideas, some inferred meanings, facts, cultural references, details on conditions and warnings, attitudes, writer’s tone, purpose and point of view stated in texts. Students learn to find and use context clues (such as synonyms, antonyms and examples) to guess and determine meaning of unknown vocabulary in context, and to recognize roots, prefixes and suffixes, and comprehend and use new vocabulary from the Academic Word List (sublists 1, 2, 3). Prerequisite: Level 300 or Placement Test.

This academic writing course is designed to prepare intermediate students for Level 500. The students learn to write a clear, coherent 3-5 paragraph essay including introduction, thesis statement, sub-themes and supporting points, relevant examples, organizational patterns, connectors/linking words and cohesive devices, and conclusion; following established conventions of the following genres: cause and effect, compare and contrast. The learners are taught and given ample practice in brainstorming, outlining, drafting, editing, revising and proofreading their essays, as well as paraphrasing to maintain meaning. Throughout the entire course, students learn to take well-structured notes and identify main ideas, supporting details, and viewpoints in presentations, listening and reading texts to create outlines and summaries. Students are provided with opportunities to improve paragraph structure by writing clear and well-structured compare and contract, process, and cause and effect paragraphs, and they are taught to write good introductory paragraphs with an effective hook, relevant background and a strong thesis statement. Students also learn to develop and support and idea, show cultural, academic awareness and use appropriate register. The course has a strong focus on accuracy with students receiving practice and instruction in the use of a variety of grammatical structures (see Grammar Outline). Students are given time to continue to improve sentence structure of simple, compound and complex sentences. Upon completion of the course, learners are able to maintain reasonable grammatical accuracy, spelling and punctuation (some mother tongue influence may still be noticeable but generally it should be clear what the writer is trying to express). Prerequisite: Level 300 or Placement Test.

This academic speaking course is designed to prepare lower advanced level students for Level 600 or for postsecondary studies at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Students' ability to function in a group and project-based learning environment is improved. Participants learn to provide, obtain and discuss detailed information and opinions with group members to coordinate projects. Furthermore, students are taught to use a variety of communicative strategies to keep conversations going and they learn to express themselves confidently, clearly, politely in formal and informal register, culturally appropriate to the context and group members involved. During the semester, students design and conduct a survey (external subjects, such as friends and/or strangers must be used; not ISEP students) in order to collect data to be included in a presentation. A key component of Speaking 500 is giving several short formal presentations during the semester, and a formal 15-minute presentation, supported by PowerPoint, on a business/technology-related topic at the end of the semester. Students present in groups of 2-3, appropriately highlighting main points and relevant supporting details. Students' ability to formulate clear follow-up questions to check understanding of what a speaker/presenter intended to say or present and to clarify ambiguous points is improved. The course has a strong focus on accuracy with students getting practice and instruction in the use of a variety of grammatical structures. Upon finishing the course, learners show a relatively high degree of intelligibility and grammatical control in discourse, and they begin to self-monitor and correct slips and errors if misunderstanding occurs. Throughout the course, attention is paid to intelligible production of prosodic elements (rhythm, intonation, focal stress) and word stress, consonants, and vowels. Prerequisite: Level 400 or Placement Test.

This academic listening course is designed to prepare lower advanced level students for Level 600 or for postsecondary studies at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Ample instruction and listening practice assist students in beginning to recognize idiomatic expressions, cultural references, register shifts, different accents, attitudes, moods and relationships of speakers involved in discourse. Participants learn to take well-organized notes to identify main ideas, implied main ideas, supporting details and facts, inference, speaker viewpoints and attitudes in listening contexts such as a 30-60 minute presentation/speech, lecture, report, and broadcast audio material on familiar and unfamiliar topics, mostly related to business and technology. Special attention is paid to the learners' ability to summarize and paraphrase information, as well as to formulate questions during and after lectures, presentations, reports, and discussions as a way to confirm meaning, and to signal ambiguity and lack of comprehension. Top-down and bottom-up listening strategies, as well as activating existing background knowledge, analyzing non-verbal cues of speaker, using context and grammar cues, and inference are all elements of listening that are explicitly taught and practiced throughout the course in order for participants to become more effective note-takers. Students also listen for grammatical items and they can identify and understand the importance of prosodic aspects, such as rhythm, intonation and focal stress, in discourse. Prerequisite: Level 400 or Placement Test.

This academic reading course is designed to prepare lower advanced level students for Level 600 or for postsecondary studies at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. At the end of the course, students are able to demonstrate comprehension of complex texts—7-8 pages in length—such as electronic or printed news articles, reports, stories, editorials, tables, graphs, diagrams, flow charts, interview data, timelines and schedules, mostly relating to business and technology subjects and to students’ areas of interest and speciality. Throughout the course, the students are given ample instruction and practice to improve their ability to adapt their speed of reading to different texts and purposes, and to refine their reading skills such as skimming and scanning to identify content, main ideas, important/supporting details and key words. The course also focuses on students’ ability to identify organizational patterns of genres, such as expository and argumentative, and to summarize and paraphrase reading texts in both written and oral form. Moreover, the course assists participants in their critical thinking skills and cultural awareness, and teaches students to identify ideas, inference, facts, details on conditions and warnings, attitudes, writer’s tone, purpose and point of view, as well as distinguish fact from opinion stated in texts. Students learn to guess and determine the meaning of vocabulary from context, and to use prefixes and suffixes to decode, comprehend and use new vocabulary from the Academic Word List (sublists 1, 2, 3, 4).

This academic writing course is designed to prepare lower advanced level students for Level 600 or for postsecondary studies at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. The students learn to write a clear, coherent and well-structured 5-paragraph essay, including introduction, thesis statement, sub-themes and supporting points, relevant examples, organizational patterns, connectors/linking words and cohesive devices, and conclusion; following established conventions of the following genres: expository and argumentative. The learners are taught and given ample practice in drafting, editing, revising, and proofreading their papers, as well as citing and including sources, summarizing listening and reading texts, and paraphrasing to maintain meaning. During the semester, based on a survey designed and conducted in Speaking 500, students write a concise 1-page summary report with adequate paragraph structure, topic support and conclusion. Throughout the entire writing course, students learn to take detailed notes and identify main ideas, supporting details/facts and viewpoints in presentations, lectures and reading texts to create outlines, summaries and 1-page reports, showing cultural, academic awareness and using appropriate register. Students learn to develop an argument systematically with appropriate highlighting of significant points and relevant supporting detail. The course has a strong focus on accuracy with students receiving practice and instruction in the use of a variety of grammatical structures (see Grammar Guideline). Upon completion of the course, learners have acquired a good understanding of Canadian culture and academic standards, they demonstrate good control over complex structures and maintain a reasonable degree of grammatical accuracy, spelling and punctuation, but may show signs of mother tongue influence.

This advanced academic speaking course is designed to prepare 600 level students for postsecondary studies at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Students’ ability to function in group and project-based settings is refined. The course teaches participants to use concrete, idiomatic and conceptual language as a means of functioning more effectively in a collaborative learning environment. In mid-semester, students create and conduct a survey with the focus being on fluent interaction with the public (i.e. external subjects, such as friends and/or strangers, not ISEP students), keeping appropriate record of the data gathered, and analyzing the data for it to be included in the final presentation. During the course, students learn the skills necessary to actively and confidently participate in seminar discussions, negotiations and debates on abstract, complex, and unfamiliar topics. A key component of Speaking 600 is giving a formal 20-minute research-based presentation, supported by PowerPoint, at the end of the semester. The purpose of the presentation is for students to present their research essay they are required to compose in Writing 600. Students receive instruction and ample practice in integrating sub-themes, organizational patterns, cohesive devices and a conclusion. Students' ability to synthesize information and formulate questions and comments to provide presenters and speakers in group discussions with feedback is further improved. The course has a strong focus on accuracy with students receiving practice and instruction in the use of a variety of grammatical structures. Upon finishing the course, learners have a good understanding of Canadian culture and academic standards. They also possess near-native fluency and are able to self-monitor their speech to maintain accuracy and intelligibility in discourse. Throughout the course, attention is paid to correct usage of prosody (rhythm, intonation, focal stress) to express meaning and to exercise linking and reduction with some success. Prerequisite: Level 500 or Placement Test.

This advanced academic listening course is designed to prepare 600 level students for postsecondary studies at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Students receive instruction and practice in recognizing idiomatic expressions, cultural references, register shifts, different accents, attitudes, moods and relationships of speakers involved in discourse. Students learn to synthesize information presented in a variety of listening genres, such as a one-hour speech, presentation, lecture, discussion, broadcast audio materials on familiar and unfamiliar topics (including business and technology-related subjects), and to take well-organized, structured, accurate, and coherent notes on a range of topics that learners could employ for exam preparation, for other people to utilize as resources, or for inclusion in students' own research papers they are required to write in their 600 Writing course. Top-down and bottom-up listening strategies, as well as activating existing background knowledge, analyzing non-verbal cues of speakers, using context and grammar cues, and inference are all elements of listening that are refined throughout the course in order for participants to become more effective note-takers. Students also listen for various grammatical items (see Grammar Outline) and they identify, understand, and begin to use natural speech reductions and linking. Prerequisites: ISEP 0521

This advanced academic reading course is designed to prepare 600 level students for postsecondary studies at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. At the end of the course, students are able to demonstrate comprehension of complex texts - 10-12 pages in length - such as electronic or printed newspaper articles, news reports, stories, sections of textbooks, technical manuals, tables, graphs, diagrams, flow charts, and survey data, whether or not they relate to students' areas of speciality. Throughout the course, the students are given ample instruction and practice to refine their reading skills such as skimming and scanning lengthy texts, locating relevant details to decide whether closer study or consulting secondary/additional sources is worthwhile, using prediction and inference, and locating specific pieces of abstract information. The course also focuses on students' ability to synthesize information quickly, and to summarize and paraphrase lengthy texts in both written and oral form. Moreover, the course fosters participants' critical thinking skills and cultural awareness, and teaches learners strategies to identify finer points or details, including cohesion clues, facts, attitudes, inferred meanings, writer's bias, author's point of view, tone and purpose stated in texts. Students learn to guess and determine the meaning of vocabulary from context, and to use prefixes, suffixes and roots to decode, comprehend and use new vocabulary from the Academic Word List (sublists 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Prerequisite: Level 500 or Placement Test.

This advanced academic writing course is designed to prepare 600 level students for postsecondary studies at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. The students learn to write a clear, coherent and well-structured research paper of 7-10 double-spaced pages, including introduction, thesis statement, sub-themes and supporting points, relevant examples, organizational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices, appropriate conclusion and bibliography including a minimum of 5 credible and referenced sources. The learners are taught and given ample practice in drafting, editing, revising, proofreading, and formatting their research papers, as well as synthesizing information from different sources on the same topic, paraphrasing to maintain meaning, referencing and quoting sources in their papers. Mid-semester, based on a survey designed and conducted in Speaking 600, students write a concise 1-2 page summary report with accurate paragraph structure, topic support and conclusion. Throughout the entire writing course, students learn to take detailed, accurate and well-structured notes from lengthy presentations, lectures and reading texts to create outlines and summaries as a means to support and expand points of view and to convey information in reports, showing cultural, academic awareness and using appropriate register. The course has a strong focus on accuracy with students receiving practice and instruction in the use of a variety of grammatical structures (see Grammar Outline). Upon completion of the course, learners have acquired a good understanding of Canadian culture and academic standards, they demonstrate a good command of complex structures and maintain a relatively high degree of grammatical accuracy, although minor spelling, punctuation and grammar errors still occur. Prerequisite: Level 500 or Placement Test.

This course is designed to prepare beginner level students for ISEP 0960 IELTS Pre-Preparation, and consequently for internationally recognized standardized exams such as IELTS. Students are introduced to the principles and components of this large scale standardized test. The four skill areas are explained and students learn what to expect in this test. Students are given instruction and practice in the productive skills (speaking & writing), with a focus on utilizing basic vocabulary and grammar with accuracy and improved structure. Students receive practice and are assessed on four IELTS-related skills, which include: (1) Speaking - Short Presentations, discuss familiar topics, ask & answer questions, etc. (2) Listening - Basic note taking skills, short answer responses on brief presentations, etc. (3) Reading - Sentence completion, identify specific info, recognize simple vocab & ideas, etc. (4) Writing - drafting, writing and editing, simple, complex and compound sentences, etc. Prerequisite: Successful completion of ISEP Level 1 courses

This course is designed to prepare intermediate level students for 0961 IELTS Preparation, and consequently for internationally recognized standardized exams such as IELTS. Students receive practice and are assessed on four IELTS-related skills: (1) Speaking: discussing familiar topics, two-minute speaking with minimal preparation, and one-on-one discussion on familiar and unfamiliar topics; (2) Listening: note-taking skills, short-answer questions, table/flow-chart completion and labelling simple diagrams; (3) Reading: short-answer questions, sentence completion, summary completion and classification; (4) Writing: describing simple graphic data/diagrams, and drafting, writing and editing, simple, complex and compound sentences, paragraphs and short essays. Prerequisite: Completed ISEP Level 200.

This course is designed to prepare advanced level students for internationally recognized standardized exams such as IELTS. Students receive practice and are assessed on four IELTS-related skills: (1) Speaking: discussing familiar topics, two-minute speaking with minimal preparation and one-on-one discussion on topics of abstract nature; (2) Listening: note-taking skills, short-answer questions, table/flow-chart completion and labelling diagrams; (3) Reading: short-answer questions, sentence completion, summary completion and classification; (4) Writing: drafting, writing, and editing reports and essays, and describing graphic data/diagrams. Prerequisites: ISEP 0411 and ISEP 0421 and ISEP 0431 and ISEP 0441