Courseware for University Student

Every Nigerian undergraduate takes GES 101, Use of English. It's the most universal course in the system, and it's also the one students underestimate most. Here's what's in the CNS version.

Module overview

Twelve units across the semester:

1. Listening for academic purposes
2. Reading strategies, skimming, scanning, intensive reading
3. Sentence structure and clause types
4. Common grammar pitfalls in Nigerian English
5. Vocabulary building, Latin and Greek roots
6. Paragraph development and topic sentences
7. Essay structure, introduction, body, conclusion
8. Argumentation and rhetorical techniques
9. Academic register vs. informal writing
10. Citation and academic honesty
11. Note-taking and summary writing
12. Oral presentation skills

What's new in the CNS version

Each unit includes:

• A short pre-reading exercise to calibrate your starting level
• Worked examples drawn from Nigerian academic writing, not generic British or American passages
• A practice essay prompt with a rubric, so you can self-mark
• An audio version of key sections for revision on the move

Available now to students enrolled at CNS member institutions.

CNS isn't designed to replace lecturers, it's designed to give you back time. Here's how academic staff at our partner institutions are using the platform.

1. Pre-reading assignments

Many lecturers assign the corresponding CNS unit as pre-reading before their own lectures. Students arrive familiar with the basics, freeing the lecture for examples, discussion, and harder material.

2. Practice set generation

CNS units end with practice problems. Lecturers who don't have time to write fresh tutorial sheets every week pull problems from CNS, then add their own institution-specific variations.

3. Make-up content for missed lectures

If you have to cancel a lecture for a conference or fieldwork, point students at the relevant CNS unit. They cover the material, you cover what only you can deliver when class resumes.

4. Reference for new TAs / GAs

New teaching assistants benefit from a structured reference. CNS units are CCMAS-aligned, so they're a safe baseline for what a course "should" cover.

How to get access

Lecturers at NUC-recognised universities get free access. Contact us at info@cns.edu.ng with your staff ID and institutional email.

Here's what the CNS team is working on for the rest of 2026. This is a rolling plan, dates can shift as we learn from real student usage.

Q2, Foundation

• Full 100-level catalogue across all faculties
• Mobile-optimised reader (currently in beta)
• Course progress tracking and bookmarks

Q3, Expand upward

• 200-level courses, starting with high-enrolment faculties (Engineering, Sciences, Business)
• Discussion forums tied to each course unit
• Faculty-authored case studies as supplementary modules

Q4, Beyond tertiary

• First pilot of secondary school materials (SS1–SS3) for selected subjects
• Polytechnic-aligned courses, mapped to NBTE standards
• Lecturer dashboards for course authoring at partner institutions

Always

• Faster page loads
• Better mobile experience
• More course material updates based on student feedback

If there's a specific course or feature you want prioritised, write to us, we read everything.

Before CNS, I had to photocopy notes from senior students and hope they were accurate. Now I read every topic ahead of the lecture and ask sharper questions in class. My CGPA jumped from 3.45 to 4.12 in one semester.

Coming from a state school, I felt I was always playing catch-up. CNS gave me structured Python and data-structures material I could work through at my own pace. By second year I was contributing to my project group instead of being the one asking 'what does this mean?'

Use of English is the course everyone underestimates. The CNS unit on argumentation and academic register changed how I write essays, not just for GES 101, but for every Law course I've taken since.

I commute over an hour to school. The mobile reader and downloadable formula sheets meant I could actually study on the bus. That alone is the difference between passing thermodynamics and failing it.

Anatomy in 200 level was overwhelming. CNS broke each system into shorter units with practice questions at the end, I could see exactly where my gaps were. By the end of the semester I was tutoring two of my classmates.

Our department doesn't have enough lecturers for the number of students. Without CNS I would have learnt half of what I needed for ECO 101. Now I'm preparing for econometrics in 300 level feeling actually prepared.