GST 111 (Communication in English): UNIUYO Outline

GST 111 is a 2-unit compulsory course every UNIUYO fresher takes in first semester. Under the current NUC Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS), it is titled Communication in English – the same course older students knew as Use of English. It builds the reading, writing, speaking and study skills you need for university work, and is now sat as a computer-based test through the University’s GST portal.

The course content below is the standard GST 111 outline. The title changed with CCMAS, but what you study has not.

GST 111 – Communication in English (2 credit units)

Effective communication and writing in English: study skills, language skills, writing of essay answers, lexis, sentence construction, outlines and paragraphs, collection and organisation of material, punctuation and logical presentation of papers, use of the library, phonetics, the art of public speaking, and oral communication.

Full course outline

1. Study skills: note taking and note making, taking notes from lectures and from books, and the role of keywords, concepts and abbreviations in note-taking.
2. Reading skills: reading purposes and speed levels, skimming, scanning, fast/normal/study reading, the OK4R, 3S3R and SQ3R mnemonic devices, and poor reading habits such as vocalisation, sub-vocalisation, excessive eye fixation, pointing to words and head movement.
3. Use of the dictionary: entry and parts of speech, count and non-count nouns, denotative and connotative meanings, pronunciation and etymology, phonetic transcription and usage.
4. Vocabulary development: roots, affixes and prefixes, and word formation through affixation, conversion and compounding.
5. Speaking skills: English consonant sounds, vowel sounds, diphthongs and monophthongs, pitch, stress, intonation and rhythm.
6. Listening skills: listening versus hearing, listening techniques (posture, attention), verbal cues such as theme, intonation and transition markers, and non-verbal cues such as facial expression and gesture.
7. Use of the library: kinds of library, organisation of information, information sources, and a practical library visit.

How GST 111 is examined at UNIUYO

GST courses at UNIUYO are registered and written as computer-based tests through the University’s GST portal each session. Watch your department and the portal for the registration window and test timetable, and clear your GST registration early – a missed GST paper is a compulsory course you will have to carry over.

The other 100-level GST course

The companion course is GST 112 – Nigerian Peoples and Culture (2 units), taken in second semester. Both are university-required courses, so every student must pass them before graduation regardless of faculty.

Also useful: the documents you need for UNIUYO clearance and how GST courses count towards your GPA and CGPA.