The focus is student success with topics including goal setting, time management, participation, active reading, note-taking, study skills, presentations, stress, and wellness.
Course Descriptions
Select a course below to see full descriptions. (#) Indicates amount of credits per course
This full-time course (16 hours per week) teaches the tools students need to be successful in post-secondary education. Topics include: goal setting, time management, studying, note-taking, reading, writing, and oral communication.
Students who are suspended from the College due to academic performance (low GPA) may be reinstated on successful completion of UPRE 099.
Prerequisite(s):
ENGL 088 (formerly EASL 089, ENGL 097)
Other Requirements:
To be eligible to enroll in UPRE 099, a student must be on academic suspension from Alexander College due to low GPA or suspended for Academic or Behavioural Misconduct
Gerry Tillman received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario.
He has been teaching ESL in the lower mainland since 1999. He joined Alexander College in 2008 as an instructor of 098 and 099 in the EAP program.
Since joining Alexander College Gerry has established himself as a direct and interactive instructor. He has a traditional yet innovative style in the classroom.
Cheryl has a BA in Contemporary English Literature from Thompson Rivers University and an MA in TESOL from Trinity Western University. She has taught English at multiple institutions across China and Western Canada since 2008. Cheryl has been at Alexander College since 2020, teaching in the EAP department and tutoring in the WLC. Her literary interests include poetry and post-colonial literature. As an instructor, her desire is to help students build academic skills that will help them succeed in their future studies.
Greg has been teaching English for almost thirty years, as a classroom instructor and tutor. Before joining the EAP department at Alexander College in 2015 and the English department in 2021, Greg taught at Vancouver Community College for four years.
He also taught workplace writing skills to the staff of various UN agencies including the UN High Commission for Refugees, the World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization.
Greg received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English Literature from York University, and his Bachelor of Education from the University of Toronto. Greg is interested in African American, Indigenous and post-colonial literature and he uses an interactive, student-centered teaching approach.
Kim brings extensive tutoring and teaching experience to her role as an Instructor of English for Academic Purposes. She has taught learners from around the world and is dedicated to helping them achieve their language goals.
Before transitioning to teaching, Kim developed a diverse skill set through roles in administrative coordination in higher education, IT management in telecommunications, and corporate governance in the energy sector. She combines this professional experience with her passion for education.
As a teacherpreneur, Kim founded her tutoring business in 2020. She believes in the potential for greatness in every learner and is continuously inspired by her students’ determination to master the English language.
Kevin Buckley holds a B.Mus from UBC and a MA TESOL from the University of Manchester. After teaching academic and business English overseas for over 20 years (mostly in corporate and academic settings in Japan and Spain), he returned to Canada in Jan 2021. He has worked at Alexander College since 2022. In addition to this, he has a small but growing English-learning YouTube channel.
Mohsen Hosseinpour Moghaddam is a PhD candidate in the Education program at Simon Fraser University, where he previously completed a Master of Education. He also holds an MA and BA in English Language Teaching. His research interests include academic writing, identity in educational contexts, and the integration experiences of immigrants in Canada. His doctoral work investigates how neoliberalism shapes immigrant employment opportunities and how limited access to social capital constrains success in the labor market.
Mohsen has extensive postsecondary teaching experience. He has taught undergraduate courses as a sessional instructor at SFU and Alexander College and has taught as a Teaching Assistant in over 20 semesters across education courses. He is also a Writing and Learning Advisor at SFU’s Student Learning Commons, where he helps students enhance their writing and learning skills.
He has presented his work at national and international conferences and published in academic journals, including a recently released book chapter.
A multilingual educator with transnational teaching experience, Mohsen brings a critical and cross-cultural perspective to his academic work. He is committed to inclusive, student-centered pedagogy and to supporting diverse learners in higher education.
With his first degree in English Language and Literature, Raheb completed his post-graduate at UBC where he studied TESL.
He has diverse teaching experience in EAP, Academic writing, Rhetoric, and communication (Capilano University, University Canada West, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Acsenda School of Management, Canadian College).
He has post-graduate certificates in Rhetoric from the Faculty of Arts & Sciences at Harvard University and varied assessment credentials from Cambridge University and Stanford Center for Professional Development.
His academic sphere of interest includes Rhetoric and Composition, Second Language Writing, English for Specific Purposes, Educational Assessment and Program Evaluation, and Research Methods.
Learning Methods
This course uses a wide variety of methods to be relevant for different areas of study. A strong emphasis is placed on active participation and communication skills.
Career Outlook
Students will examine employability skills desired by Canadian employers and learn how skills developed in the classroom are transferable to a wide variety of careers.
Resources
Pearson
University Success (Transition Level). This three-book set uses real academic subject material to support skills in reading, writing, and oral communication. This resource is provided to all UPRE students and can be picked up at the AC Bookstore.
Alexander College acknowledges that the land on which we usually gather is the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We are grateful to have the opportunity to work in this territory.
Alexander College acknowledges that the land on which we usually gather is the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We are grateful to have the opportunity to work in this territory.
