Vancouver Island University (VIU) will offer two new programs this fall to make it easier for students to obtain a post-secondary education.
English Academic Skills Education (EASE) is a university preparation program for international students who have completed Canadian high school. The program is designed to help develop necessary academic and language skills to succeed in university classes. The EASE classes are taken concurrently with university transfer or ABE (Adult Basic Education) classes, either full time or part time.
Powell River Board of Education identified that international students graduating from Brooks Secondary School were having difficulty being accepted into larger universities, like University of British Columbia or Simon Fraser University, and could benefit from a transition year at VIU. “When the school made the proposal to VIU,” said Wendy Thomas, who coordinates the EASE program in Powell River, “it made sense to taylor the program to include Adult Basic Education students.”
The program is helpful for permanent residents who are taking VIU ABE courses, Thomas explained. “They’re university educated in their countries and they are looking to attend university down the road in Canada and they need something that is a little more focused on university success. So we are combining them together so it’s all university success skills with language skills.”
The program focuses on student and core language skills with classes in academic writing and grammar, listening and speaking, research and advanced reading. The program is geared toward middle and advanced students.
This kind of specialized program will help the international students with their own difficulties in adjusting to university classes which is often different than the difficulties that native English speaking students face. Classes will help students improve their note-taking, presentations, essay writing, studying and test-taking skills.
For more information about the program or to apply, readers can contact Thomas at [email protected], call 604.485.2878 extension 8134 or visit the EASE program website.
For Powell River students interested in studying ancient classics this fall, VIU is offering a pilot program for second and third year Liberal Studies classes.
“We’re offering remote seminars for students at the Powell River and Cowichan campus,” said Maureen Okun, chair of VIU Liberal Studies program. “We’ll sit the Powell River and Cowichan students down in a room with a lot of technology and have them participate electronically in seminars with students in Nanaimo.”
If students prefer a little more traditional approach, VIU has partnered up with North Island College (NIC) this fall to offer third and fourth year Liberal Studies classes at NIC’s Comox Valley campus. Students will be able to complete the whole program in Comox and receive a VIU bachelor degree.
For more information about the Liberal Studies program readers can contact Okun at 250.753.3245, extension 2174 or visit the program’s website.
