Pre-Foundation English/Foundation English/English for Academic Purposes

Pre-Foundation English

10 weeks (3.5 - 4.0 IELTS or equivalent required with no score below 3.5)

Dates
February 27 - May 4, 2012
July 3 - September 7, 2012
September 4 - November 9, 2012
October 9 - December 14, 2012

Foundation English

8 weeks (4.5 - 5.0 IELTS or equivalent required with no score below 4.5)

Course Description
See below.

Dates
March 19 - May 11, 2012
May 14 - July 6, 2012
July 16 - September 7, 2012
September 17 - November 9, 2012

English for Academic Purposes (EAP)
Level 1 and 2

Course Description
See below.

Dates
Level 1: 8 weeks (5.5 IELTS or equivalent required with no score below 5.0)
March 19 - May 11, 2012
May 22 - July 13, 2012
July 16 - September 7, 2012
September 17 - November 9, 2012

Level 2: 12 weeks (6.0 IELTS or equivalent required with no score below 5.5)
March 19 - June 8, 2012
May 22 - August 10, 2012
July 23 - October 12, 2012
September 17 - December 7, 2012

Time for all courses

8:30 am - 3:30 pm daily

Location for all courses

College of Continuing Education
1459 LeMarchant Street, Suite 2201
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Tuition (text included, tax exempt)

Pre-Foundation English: $3000
Foundation English: $2400
EAP Level 1: $2400
EAP Level 2: $3600
Placement Test: $100 (See Test page)

Please note: All tuition must be paid before the course begins. Scholarship students sponsored by programs administered by the Saudi Bureau of Cultural Affairs, the Libyan Government and others are asked to contact the Director, Mary Meidell mary.meidell@dal.ca before registering for a course.

Dalhousie ESL Placement Test

This test is required of all students who have not recently taken one of the recognized language proficiency tests such as CanTEST, CAEL, TOEFL, IELTS, MELAB.

The results of the Dalhousie ESL Placement or recent results from a recognized language proficiency test will determine placement in Foundation English or Level 1 or Level 2 EAP or to measure the student for direct entry into an undergraduate or graduate program. This test is a TOEFL based IBT format and it is used for internal assessment purposes within Dalhousie University only.

Please note: Students who will not be taking the Dalhousie ESL Placement Test must submit recent official test results from the above list of approved proficiency tests to the Director before registering for a course.

Course Descriptions

It is not necessary to be accepted into a Dalhousie academic program to participate in ESL courses.

Foundation English: An Overview

This is an 8 week, 240 hour, full time course in General English with an academic skills focus. This is an intermediate level course consisting of six units of study. Through your study of these units, you will gain a thorough understanding of English grammar, and develop your reading, listening, writing, speaking skills and your academic study skills in preparation for further studies in the Global Assessment Certificate (GAC) or the English for Academic Purposes course (EAP).

Please note: GAC is designed for 17-19 year old students recently graduated from secondary school who wish to enter first year of an undergraduate program.

EAP is designed for students 19 years and older who wish to enter either an undergraduate or a graduate program.

Foundation English objectives:
By the end of Foundation English you will be able to:

• Apply a range of listening skills to follow natural listening discourse on familiar and study related topics and to participate in conversations and discussions
• Apply a range of reading skills to comprehend extended reading texts drawn from a variety of genres and based on familiar and study related topics
• Speak on a range of familiar topics using adequate vocabulary, a sufficient range of grammatical structures, appropriate register and pronunciation
• Produce a range of general and academic written texts, with attention to language, conventions of format, discourse structure and register
• Apply basic study skills, including the use of dictionaries, organisation of private study, and study notes

• Students who have been conditionally accepted into a Dalhousie program but do not meet the University’s English language requirements.
• Students who have passed the language requirements and been accepted into a Dalhousie program but know that they could benefit from an intensive course in academic English.
• Individuals who wish to improve their English beyond the general skills level.

This 20 week, 600 hour course, is a comprehensive skill based approach to strengthening academic and communication skills. It is designed to consolidate and further develop your existing skills so that you will better succeed in your study at university. The Course Books will systematically encourage progressive skill building with the assistance of your instructor and will be a useful reference for you during the rest of your studies. As students, it is expected that you already have developed research and writing skills; however, in order to be highly successful in university study you will need a wider range of academic skills and a higher level of academic English. This course aims to provide you with those skills.

Specifically, you will be taken through the stages of essay writing, including planning, researching, collecting, and organising information. You will be working with authentic academic articles and concentrating on efficient reading strategies. Equal emphases are placed on advanced writing, listening, speaking, and reading skills development. You will enhance your skills in paraphrasing and summarizing and increase your confidence and comprehensibility when delivering seminar presentations.

By the end of levels 1 and 2 you will be able to:

• Write a range of texts, such as academic research essays, appropriate to purpose, audience, register and tone
• Collect, organize and evaluate information for writing purposes
• Identify plagiarism in the Canadian educational context and use strategies to avoid it in your writing
• Critically read and analyze academic articles by using note-making and summarizing skills
• Identify and distinguish between facts and opinions in written and aural texts
• Participate more effectively in tutorials and seminars
• Listen to lectures and take notes effectively
• Deliver an oral presentation (based on an academic research essay you have written)
• Communicate in a range of interactive situations on a variety of topics
• Apply academic study skills, including time management skills, independent learning techniques, and study planning.

Getting Started

Students are required to bring an English-English dictionary. English-Chinese, Arabic, Spanish, etc are not allowed. Also please bring a notebook and pen.

Course Contact

Mary Meidell, Director ESL Programs, 902-494-6060, mary.meidell@dal.ca