What will I study in BASE?

In BASE, you will study one or two credit courses chosen by your faculty as well as three BASE language courses.

What to expect in your BASE language courses

In your BASE language courses, you'll learn valuable language and academic skills to help you be successful when you begin full-time studies.

If you are a two-term BASE student, you will take BASE courses at an introductory level in the fall term (September to December). The BASE courses that you will take in the winter term (January to April) are at a more advanced level.

If you are a one-term BASE student, you will take BASE courses starting at an upper level in the fall term.

	Fall term (September to December)	Winter term (January to April)
Two-term BASE courses	Introductory BASE courses 032, 034, 036	Upper level BASE courses 042, 044, 046
One-term BASE courses	Upper level BASE courses 042, 044, 046	N/A

BASE 032 & BASE 042: Skills & Strategies for University

In BASE 032 and BASE 042, you learn language and study skills such as

lecture listening and note-taking skills,
reading and test-taking strategies, and

vocabulary development.

You also develop your study skills through workshops about goal-setting, time management, and test preparation.

You demonstrate your understanding of important credit course content through a variety of written and spoken assignments. These assignments increase in complexity as you move from the 30 to 40 level.

NOTE: Your BASE 032/ 042 instructor also attends all credit course lectures and provides additional language and academic skills support for the credit course.

BASE 032 – Introduction to Skills & Strategies for University

You are introduced to reading strategies for dealing with academic text
You learn strategies for taking multiple-choice and short-answer tests used in most credit courses

BASE 042 – Enhanced Skills & Strategies for University

You continue to practice the skills learned in BASE 032
You receive more support to manage your credit course assignments as they increase and change focus

You develop your critical thinking skills and ability to analyze course-related information

BASE 034 & BASE 044: Academic Writing & Research Skills

In these courses, you learn valuable writing and research skills such as

building an awareness of audience needs,
understanding the communicative purpose,
using appropriate organization, and
applying increasingly refined research skills.

BASE 034 – Introduction to Academic Writing & Research Skills

You are introduced to important grammar concepts and writing formats found in academic writing.
You learn about the research process to produce clearly structured texts that are well supported by relevant academic research

BASE 044 – Extended Academic Writing & Research Skills

You extend your research skills and your understanding of text types and grammatical structures by completing a research report project that allows you to research an area of interest in your discipline.
You learn important co-op related skills by building your resume and writing cover letters.

BASE 036 & BASE 046: Academic Speaking & Communication Strategies

In these courses, you complete major tasks that include

participating in and leading academic discussions, and
sharpening your interviewer/interviewee skills to complete a group project.

Course materials, discussion topics, and vocabulary study incorporate a disciplinary focus whenever possible.

BASE 036 – Introduction to Academic Speaking & Communication Strategies

You become familiar with a variety of academic speaking environments and tasks and improve your speaking confidence, pronunciation, listening, academic vocabulary and academic presentation skills.
You become more effective in conversations, discussions and presentations, both in and out of the classroom.

BASE 046 – Effective Academic Speaking & Communication Strategies

You expand your speaking confidence and academic vocabulary, while refining your pronunciation and presentation skills.

What to expect in your credit course(s)

In BASE you take 1 or 2 university credit courses along with your BASE courses. Taking these courses helps you build a strong foundation for your future full-time studies. Your credit course or courses also allow you to practise the speaking, writing, and academic skills you learn in your BASE courses.

You earn .50 credits toward your degree for each credit course you successfully complete.

Faculty	Fall Term Credit Courses	Winter Term Credit Courses
Arts	PSYCH 101 - Introductory Psychology	SMF 101 – Introduction to Relationships and Families
Engineering	PHYS 115 – Mechanics OR* ECE 105 – Classical Mechanics *Depending on program	MATH 137 – Calculus 1 and ENVS 195 – Introduction to Environmental Studies
Environment	GEOG 101 – Human Geographies: People, Space and Change	ENVS 195 – Introduction to Environmental Studies
Health	PSYCH 101 - Introductory Psychology OR* CHEM 120 – General Chemistry 1 *Depending on program	SMF 101 – Introduction to Relationships and Families OR* CHEM 123 – General Chemistry 2 *Depending on program
Mathematics	MATH 137 – Calculus 1
Science	CHEM 120 – General Chemistry 1 and CHEM 120L – General Chemistry Lab 1	CHEM 123 – General Chemistry 2 and CHEM 123L – General Chemistry Lab 2

For full course descriptions, see the Undergraduate Calendar.

Information about your course schedule

Your schedule for the BASE language courses, university credit courses, tutorials, and labs (if applicable) will be available on Quest, our student information system, in mid-August.

If you are in the Faculty of Arts, Engineering, Environment, Health, or Science, your university credit courses will be selected for you. You do not need to request courses.

If you are in the Faculty of Mathematics, you will need to enroll yourself in your university credit course.

Your English language BASE courses will be scheduled around your credit courses.