Academic Preparation Program

UCalgary Continuing Education Volunteers

Academic Preparation Program, Continuing Education, University of Calgary

Academic Preparation provides high school upgrading courses to students looking to reach competitive averages for acceptance into University of Calgary faculties. We offer English 30, Social 30, Indigenous Studies 30, Math 10, Math 31, and Math 30-2. We also offer Biology, Physics, and Chemistry at the 10 and 20 levels. Students self-select into the appropriate level, thereby removing the barrier of requiring students to complete pre-requisites. Students come from a variety of backgrounds. Student demographics range from 19 and up. English Language Learners, adult students with children, those transitioning into different careers, and those aging out of high school make up our student population. Many students are in the process of identifying learning disabilities and are navigating accommodations for the first time. Students come from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous backgrounds, with enrolment from Indigenous students increasing.

Who

Werklund students who have completed at least one or more Education courses.

What?

Support adult learners in foundational courses through small group tutoring, one-on-one assistance, and academic mentoring.

When?

Evenings and Weekends
Flexible scheduling dependent on the mentor and mentee availability

Where?

Online (Zoom)
University of Calgary Downtown Campus

What's Involved

Tutoring of High School Level Academic Upgrading courses (see here Academic Preparation - Undergraduate | University of Calgary Continuing Education)
Peer mentoring in navigating academics and institutions for adult students, many often facing barriers to entering post-secondary (financial, learning strategies, foundational knowledge, family/community support, etc)
Accessibility peer navigating
- Supporting students with disabilities in how to self-advocate and access university supports
Peer navigators to support students in understanding how to access university programs and needed pre-requisites
Practice facilitating online courses
Co-developing and facilitating lab experience days for science courses, so online students can visit main campus and have an exploratory learning opportunity

Requirements

Completed at least one EDUC course (e.g., EDUC 400 or EDUC 500)
Strong communication skills and a willingness to work with adult learners from diverse backgrounds
Comfort with foundational academic material (high school level)
Availability to commit for the entirety of APP course
Subject-matter knowledge in courses student is wishing to support
Lived experience with disability and/or neurodivergence if wishing to support students with disability

Training

Provided by ContEd staff:

Emily Larocque - Program Specialist - (Collaborative Programs) /Acting Academic Preparation Programs Manager
Brooklyn Rand: Program Specialist - Indigenous Programs

Time Commitment

Peer mentoring, tutoring, peer navigating:

1-3 hours per week, 10-12 weeks depending on the course
30-40 hours per semester

Lab Development and Facilitation:

8-10 hours per term
5-6 hours prep and development. 2-3 hours delivery

Program Dates:
- Fall: early October to mid- December
- Winter: early January to mid-March*

*Student who are available can choose to participate for the remainder of the course

In total, pre-service teachers agree to commit to a minimum of 30-40 hours for their service-learning experience.

Apply a variety of facilitation strategies to encourage discussion, generate ideas, and build consensus
Apply a variety of leadership strategies to develop meaningful relationships with the program and its participants
Apply a variety of mentorship strategies to support mentees’ personal, social, and academic goals
Examine a variety of approaches to teaching and learning in non-traditional educational settings
Examine how programming fosters inclusion and personal growth
Examine how teaching and learning take place in other contexts
Lead or co-lead the component of at least one project within the program

Fall Semester Timeline

Fall 2025 Applications Open: August 28, 2025
Werklund Information Sessions: September 16, 4:00 pm (Zoom)
Fall 2025 Applications Close: September 18, 2025 for smaller programs, larger placement applications are ongoing.
Fall 2025 Placements Start: early October (program dependent)
Fall 2025 Placements End: mid-December (program dependent)

Winter Semester Timeline

Winter 2026 Applications Open: November 14, 2025
Winter 2026 Information Session: November 18, 4:00 pm (Zoom)
Winter 2026 Applications Close: Ongoing, program-dependent
Winter 2026 Placements Start: early January (program dependent)
Winter 2026 Placements End: mid-March (program dependent)

Experiential Learning Check-In & Reflection Opportunities

All participants in Experiential Learning programs are welcome and encouraged to attend at least two of the check-in & reflection sessions below as part of their program. Reflection is an incredibly important part of experiential learning. It encourages students to consider their experience so far and to adjusted as needed as they go forward through the rest of their program, or into the next step of their career.

Check-In & Reflection Sessions

We've started to all registration for the check-in & reflection sessions on Elevate!

Check out and register for available sessions on here!

Other Werklund Experiential Learning Events

We have lots of other events and opportunities happening in Werklund Experiential Learning. You can see more information and register through the link below!

Check out what else is going on here!