ICEP - International Christian ESL Program
A One Semester Program (16 weeks)

Unique Experiences and Opportunities

Prairie provides many unique opportunities including small-town, city and big country experiences. Rural Canada provides a friendly community in which to learn English while big country Canada allows for outings to see the wildlife and enjoy outdoor experiences that are unavailable in large cities.

On Saturdays there will be required cultural application activities from 1pm to 5pm.  These activities are part of the curriculum and are provided to allow opportunities for students to practice their English.  The cost of these activities is included in the tuition cost and may include: social events, shopping, hiking, canoeing, horse-riding, snowshoeing, skiing/snowboarding and sightseeing to places such as Drumheller, Calgary and Banff. On Sundays, students will attend one of the many churches in the Three Hills area.

Students will also have the unique experience of living in a safe dormitory setting with Canadian students. By living with native-English speakers, ESL students will be assisted by cultural integration. In addition, weekly small group meetings will provide further opportunities for immersion into western Christian culture.

Academic Information

Program Philosophy
Our staff provide a fun and safe Christian environment so that students can learn and develop their English skills without being “embarrassed”. ESL learning also has to be gradual, goal-oriented and systematic. PBC ICEP supports RMT learning; in other words “Repetition”, “Memorization” and “Translating” with much individual speaking practice. We provide many tools and experiences for pronunciation and usage practice both in the classroom, after hours, and in friendly, fun ‘natural’ social settings. We also provide opportunities for students to gradually develop their academic reading and writing skills so that they can prepare for ongoing College study, once ESL classes have concluded.

Program Format
ESL students will be learning English in class from 8.30am until 4.30pm, Monday to Friday, with breaks provided.  Students will work through 6 (six) classes per day.  These classes are:

Grammar & Vocabulary (GV)
Reading & Writing (RW)
Listening & Speaking (LS)
Usage & Culture (UC)
Bible Survey (BT)
Personal Discipleship (TH)

‘Bible survey and ‘Personal Discipleship are Bible courses that have been adjusted to incorporate English lessons to the appropriate level.  These courses add together over several semesters to provide Prairie College credits.  Credits are transferrable to Prairie College programs and give the ESL graduates from ICEP an advantage with college credits as well as needed TOEFL or IELTS scores.

Key Values & Outcomes
Graduates from ICEP will not only have better English skills, but will have a greater understanding of western culture and the expectations of ‘Academia’. Add to this, increased insight into biblical and spiritual matters and we see an excellent foundation for success in College and in life. Interaction with many nationalities within ICEP and the wider Prairie campus, also provides a widened world view that lends itself well to international success in career or missions.

ESL by Distance Education
Some preparatory ESL courses are also available by Distance Education. While these may allow an early start for entrance into ICEP, they cannot replace the benefits of face-to-face instruction and immersion at Prairie’s campus

Program Fees
The 2010-2011 fees for the ICEP ESL program are (fees are per semester and are subject to change):

ESL Program Fee	$4,850
Residence (double occupancy room)	$1,065
Refundable Residence Damage Deposit	$250
Meal Plan	$1,525
*To secure program placement for the fall semester, a $2,000 deposit must be paid by July 1st. Students who deposit before June 1st only pay $1,650, saving $350.

Download a Program Guide

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