Course considerations | Academic Calendar & Curriculum Management Resources

Getting ready to create a new course, or make changes to one?

The following should first be considered. Use the links below to skip to the desired section faster.

Subject codes

A subject code (or course abbreviations) is the identifier, to a maximum of six letters (no spaces, numbers, or special characters), for course subjects. E.g., BIOL, THPERF.

See subject code creation process.

Course numbers

Changing course numbers (e.g., SYDE 382 to SYDE 582)

There is a large campus-wide impact when changing course numbers and they should be done sparingly and with a good rationale. There will be transition between the old number (i.e., students who have taken courses using the current number) and the new, and this could create confusion for students, advisors, and other interested parties.

Possible impacts (within and outside of originating faculty):

Submissions: Requisites, cross-listings, sometimes other courses' descriptions
Calendar: Academic plan requirements
Scheduling: Reserve caps, instructor association, course build, and the following would not work for three terms: prior term copy, copy forward of constraints
Quest coding: Academic progression (average lists and rules), queries, academic requirements reports, grade security
Other work on campus: Transfer credit database

For consideration:

Will any courses continue to be offered using the original course number?
- If yes: Need to cross-list with the original subject for a given time frame. Consult the Office of the Registrar before proceeding.
Are any courses being renumbered at the same time?
What other academic units/disciplines are impacted?
Is the number changing to reflect a change in course level (e.g., 3XX to 2XX)?
- If so, the Course Level field needs to be updated to match.
Is the number changing for academic unit organizational purposes (e.g., 35X to 34X)?
- Note: This type of change is not seen as favourable, due to impacts.
Has the proposed new number been previously used?
- Note: Preference is always to use a number that has never been used previously.
- If so, how much time has elapsed since the new number was last used?
  - If over five years since last used, safe to reuse.
  - If it has not been five years:
    - Can a different number be used instead?
    - Creates an extra layer of confusion with communicating the change (e.g., antirequisites, plan requirements).
  - Faculty contacts can assist with this determination.
Is the course being changed currently cross-listed?
- If so, consultation with the other discipline is required, as they may also want to change their course's number (and/or level) or may need to make changes to their plan requirement lists.
Have other disciplines which list this course in their plan requirements been informed?
Communicate the change via antirequisites.
- The former number is added as an antirequisite (to all offerings if the course is cross-listed) to prevent students from re-enrolling into the renumbered course. This antirequisite must be coded using the free form text box as the course under the old number, will no longer display in the future calendar.

Submission:

Are considered course changes, even if the course number is new.

Components

Component is a term used to refer to the various course meet types. Components do not display in the academic calendars as of fall 2024, but approval to add/remove components attached to a course is required. The list of available course components as approved by Senate (November 27, 2023):

Component code	Title	Description
CLN	Clinic	Teaching is devoted to the analysis, treatment, and management of direct care for clinical cases. Students operate in various specialty fields typically in a clinical setting.
DIS	Discussion	Teaching is based primarily on engaging the students in instructor-guided group discussions.
ENS	Ensemble	Teaching is conducted by means of evaluating musical performance amongst a group of supporting players.
ESS	Essay	Evaluation is normally based on a formal written piece of work that contains a thesis, substantiated by an argument that is properly referenced. Students work independently in consultation with an instructor.
FLD	Field Studies	Teaching is conducted outside the classroom. Work is with the primary materials in their original setting.
FLT	Flight	The flight component is held off campus at the Region of Waterloo International Airport, and is the practical application of flight material learned in the course.
LAB	Laboratory	Teaching takes place in a room containing special purpose equipment required for student observation, participation, experimentation, or practice.
LEC	Lecture	Teaching is usually in the form of a series of lectures. The total class size should be normally more than three students; therefore, when a lecture section is combined with another lecture section (undergraduate or graduate), enrolment may be limited to fewer than three students in either one of the class sections.
OLN	Online activities	Teaching and learning occur online for a fully online course or as part of a blended course. This component indicates that a range of instructional approaches are used online such as lectures, readings, discussions, and assessments. For blended courses, usually there are weekly online activities that help students prepare for or otherwise complement the in-person learning component of the course.
ORL	Oral Conversation	Teaching is based primarily on engaging the students in instructor-guided group discussions and verbal interaction, usually in a language other than English.
PRA	Practicum	Teaching involves supervised placement time in a work setting exercising practical routines and techniques related to a particular academic plan. Research and analytical skills are demonstrated based on the practical application of material learned as part of the academic program. Usually, a formal report summarizing the skills learned is required. Faculty requirements will vary by discipline. In some disciplines the course may need a specially equipped room and may meet off campus. For graduate courses: To meet criteria for a PRA component, there must be an identified external partner that students engage with; courses identified with PRA must always offer a practicum experience, even if delivered with other course components.
PRJ	Project	Similar to the reading component, learning usually takes place as a result of independent study/research. However, in this case it makes use of special purpose equipment for student observation, participation, experimentation, or practice.
RDG	Reading	Learning takes place as a result of student independent study under the supervision of an instructor.
SEM	Seminar	Teaching involves students collectively exploring a topic or field of study. May be led all or in part by the students.
STU	Studio	Teaching consists of instructor coaching focused on practical skills execution, normally in a room with special purpose equipment, such as audio-visual recording equipment, theatre technical equipment, etc.
TST	Test Slot	Used only to designate a time slot for holding mid-term exams. A specific calendar date for each test slot must be included with each TST component section.
TUT	Tutorial	Teaching provides students with additional information, assistance, and practice applying the course material. The format is typically in the form of an open discussion or problem-solving session.
WRK	Work Term	This component is only used on a co-operative education course to represent an official work-term placement.
WSP	Workshop	Teaching includes intensive instructor/student contact as well as independent project work. It may be held in a theatre, studio, or a specially equipped room such as a flexible or active learning classroom to support groupwork.

Notes:

A component must have been approved to be offered.
If multiple components have been added and approved to a course, not all components need to be offered when a course is scheduled.
A course can only be scheduled with one primary meet (i.e., CLN, ENS, ESS, FLD, LEC, SEM, STU, WRK, WSP), no matter how many are approved to be used. This is a required field in Quest and must be collected during the approval process.
It is not best practice to have all components approved/listed for the sole purpose of "just in case".

Descriptions

Course descriptions give the student a glance at the course’s content; they are not a promotional tool.

Some tips and guidelines for writing course descriptions:

be succinct (recommendation: no more than 50 words)
use present verb tense
full sentences are preferred over a listing of topics
- Good: An introduction to applications of algebra to business, the behavioural sciences, and the social sciences. Topics will be chosen from linear equations, systems of linear equations, linear inequalities, functions, set theory, permutations and combinations, binomial theorem, probability theory.
- Avoid: Linear equations, matrices, and determinants. Introduction to vector spaces. Eigenvalues and diagonalization. Applications. Complex numbers.
leave out descriptions of the discipline itself (e.g., no need to describe “anthropology”)
leave out specific digital software packages (changes too often and description changes can't be updated fast enough)
leave out references to faculty member’s area of expertise
leave out various planned course assessment methods if instructors have the freedom to choose how to evaluate student work
try to avoid referencing other course numbers (or titles) where possible

Helpful tips:

Use the Waterloo Writing Style Guide for spelling, capitalizations, and other conventions
Review existing descriptions within that same course subject, or across the University, to add consistency, keeping the style guide in mind.
- For example, has the academic unit always referred to the United States as “US” or “U.S.”?
- All descriptions are available in the Undergraduate Calendar – don’t be shy to use it as a reference tool.

Notes

Notes are used to give students additional pertinent information about the course that cannot be coded in another area of the course. It is not appropriate to include information that should reside on a departmental/program website.

Below is a sample listing of the types of notes that can be added and actual wording examples:

Language of instruction:
- Taught in English.
- Conducted in ASL.
Managing student expectations:
- Lab is not scheduled and students are expected to find time in open hours to complete their work
- This is a non-paid position and may not be combined with sponsored research positions. Previous or external research
  experiences will not meet the criteria for this course.
- Completion of student assessment required.
- Students are advised that this course involves computer and numerical applications.
Special grading information:
- A numeric grade for SOC499A will be submitted only after the completion of SOC499B.

Requisites

There are three different types of requisites, that determine enrolment access to a course:

Prerequisites: The requirement(s) that must be met in order to be eligible to enrol in a course. Prerequisites may include passed courses, registration in a specific program or plan, and an academic level or academic standing. Examples:
- ENVE123 - Prereq: Level at least 1B Environmental Engineering
- FR365 - Prereq: FR197/296, 297
- HIST450 - Prereq: Level at least 3B; at least 1.5 units in HIST; 0.5 unit at the 300-level or above
- REC151 - Prereq: REC100; Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies students
- STAT322 - Prereq: STAT221 or 231 or 241
Corequisites: A course that must be taken at the same time, if it has not been taken in a prior term. Examples:
- ACTSC362 - Coreq: STAT231 or 241
- KIN121 - Coreq: KIN121L (for Kinesiology Majors only)
Antirequisites: A condition preventing enrolment or credit in a course. The most common antirequisites are courses that have significant overlap. Note: Courses do not need to list each other as antirequisites (allowing students to take both courses, if taken in a particular order), but agreement/mutual listings is highly desirable. Examples:
- AFM131 - Antireq: Not open to Arts and Business students. AFM132, BUS111W
- EARTH355 - Antireq: EARTH491 (Topic: Data to Decisions) taken winter 2021
- PSYCH349R - Antireq: PSYCH222R, 352

See guidelines for formatting requisites.

Notes:

For cross-listed courses: requisites can be different for each offering.
Some requisites cannot be coded in Quest, as an enrolment control, but will be listed in these areas.
Reserves are not the same thing as requisites. Reserves are used to slot students into class sections, requisites allow students into the course.
Generally, inactivated requisites are kept on a given course for a minimum of five years (the typical student cohort cycle). Removing these is considered editorial.

Cross-listings

See cross-listed courses.

Topic courses/repeat rules

A course is a “topics course” if a unit offers different content under a single course code and number (e.g., PACS 301) and are usually identified by having "topics" in the title. Topic titles are added for the purposes of the Schedule of Classes and do not require approval to be created. Topic titles will also appear on a student’s transcript; they do not appear in the course listings of the academic calendars. A topics course can be repeatable but does not need to be.

Repeat rules

When a course is deemed to be repeatable, this means a student can take the same course multiple times or can enrol in multiple sections of one course simultaneously, normally subject to different content. A course set up as repeatable is automatically considered a topics course.