A one-semester course covering the tools, skills, and procedures that are required to engage meaningfully with first-year university physics students is described. The course forms part of the Science Foundation Programme at the University of Cape Town, which was set up to provide access to a science degree for students who have been educationally disadvantaged, part of the legacy of racial discrimination in South Africa. The course is comprised of three basic elements: a theoretical component, a laboratory-based experimental component, and a communication skills component. The implementation of cooperative tutorial groups, which forms an integral part of the learning environment, is also discussed.