College Access Courses

In today's increasingly complex world, reading comprehension, critical reading, and critical thinking skills constitute essential tools for functioning successfully in future post-secondary studies and in the workplace. Through exposure to a diverse range of reading sources, you will be encouraged to extend your reading comprehension, critical reading, and critical thinking skills; an exploration of different reading strategies and sub-skills will provide you the opportunity to develop the attributes of an active, critical reader, and thinker.

This course provides opportunities for students to examine and develop foundational mathematical skills needed in the workforce and in other post-secondary programs. Students will reason mathematically and are encouraged to use critical thinking skills to review, consolidate, extend, communicate, and apply their understanding of numeracy and operations involving whole numbers, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio and proportion, and business and consumer mathematical problems.

This course provides opportunities for students to develop the personal and interpersonal skills needed to succeed in future post-secondary studies. Working within a framework of goal-directed learning and self-evaluation, students are encouraged to become active participants in the learning process and, ultimately, to become empowered, independent learners. An examination of learning styles, preferences, personal interests, student rights and responsibilities, effective personal management strategies, interpersonal communication skills, and personal wellness provides students with a foundation for pursuing their future studies confidently.

This course emphasizes the development of the communications skills needed in other post-secondary programs and in the workplace. An examination of the writing process is complemented by an exploration of proofreading and revising strategies. Students will extend their reading skills, utilize specific text reading and develop their note taking strategies.

This course introduces students to the use of Office 365 applications and Windows 10. Specifically, students will use introductory features of Windows 10, Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint to perform tasks commonly expected in the workplace. The lectures are delivered in a laboratory environment using textbook exercises and assignments. Home assignments will require the learner to acquire the MS Office suite of programs in order to complete and submit their assignments.

This course continues with examining the role of the critical reader and thinker as an active participant in the learning process. An exploration of literal and interpretive reading strategies and academic vocabulary is complemented by an investigation of practical approaches to reading and critical thinking for academic purposes and within various academic disciplines. This course provides opportunities for students to develop the skills necessary to read and think critically and purposefully in academia, other post-secondary programs, and in the workforce.

In this course, students will continue to examine, develop, and extend their understanding of fundamental mathematics. Applying the skills developed in CA 102, Essential College Mathematics I, students will be invited to explore a range of mathematical theories, concepts, and applications to consolidate various approaches to solving mathematical problems. Students will examine the interpretations of graphs, statistics and probability, units of measurement, rational numbers, algebraic problems, and geometric figures. Students are also introduced to the basic functions of the scientific calculator.

This course provides opportunities for students to develop an informed, critical awareness of the role the media plays in shaping societal views and develop a broader understanding of the role media plays in our lives. Students will explore the history and evolution of media technology from its early years to contemporary media issues. Students will be invited to consider the commercial implications of media production, the values associated with media messages, the current state of each medium, and the credibility of media sources. A range of media issues will be examined within a framework of applied critical thinking and ethics, and the continuing implications of a more connected world.

This course invites students to relate a personal understanding of values, beliefs, worldview, and identity both to an examination of the social, cultural, and political aspects of communities and how knowledge of interpersonal communication is the foundation for creating a healthier community. An exploration of how communities are bound by the individual and how effective interpersonal communication strategies such as personal choice, politeness, ethical behaviour, and conflict resolution provide a framework for interacting with others in course-related activities, in future post-secondary studies, and in the workplace.

This course provides students opportunities to extend and consolidate their editing and proofreading skills. Through an examination of the research process, students develop their research and critical thinking skills; an introduction to APA style provides students with a basis for producing properly formatted research essays.