Term Description
Academic plan A set of courses, a number of which may be mandatory and of a specialized nature, leading toward a particular degree.
Antirequisites A condition preventing enrolment in a course. The most common antirequisites are courses that have significant overlap. Degree credit will not be granted for both the antirequisite course and a course naming it as such.
Blended class A class in which instruction or activity is distributed between scheduled in-person and required online activities, resulting in fewer scheduled in-class hours.
Class enrolment The process of selecting courses prior to final date for fee arrangement, having them approved and recorded with Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA).
Clinic (CLN) 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.
Community and Industry Research Projects (CIR) This is a secondary or tertiary component that involves student engagement in research that occurs primarily in or with external organizations (including consulting projects, design projects, program evaluations). This component is only used at the graduate-level.
Corequisite A course that must be taken concurrently, if it has not been taken in a prior term.
Course A unit of study relating to a specific academic discipline, and identified by a course name and number.
Course values Most courses cover one academic term and carry the weight of 0.5 units. On occasion, a course covering one term may have a unit weight of 1.0 and will meet during that term for more hours per week than does a 0.5 unit course. In some instances, a course may have a 0.25 unit weight.
Cross-listed courses Courses which are listed under two departments and which can be taken for credit from either department, but not both.
Discussion (DIS) Teaching is based primarily on engaging the students in instructor-guided group discussions.
Elective A course not specifically required for a degree but counting towards it, to be chosen freely by the student either from within a specified group of courses or more broadly from courses offered anywhere across the University.
Ensemble (ENS) Teaching is conducted by means of evaluating musical performance amongst a group of supporting players.
Essay (ESS) 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.
Field studies (FLD) Teaching is conducted outside the classroom. Work is with the primary materials in their original setting.
Flight (FLT) 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.
In-person class A class with scheduled instruction or activity occurring in-person.
Lab (LAB) Teaching takes place in a room containing special purpose equipment required for student observation, participation, experimentation, or practice.
Lecture (LEC) 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.
Milestone Milestones are non-course degree requirements (e.g., thesis, comprehensives, master's research paper) that a student must complete toward degree progress in order to graduate.
Online activities (OLN) 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.
Online class A class scheduled to be fully online that requires no in-person instruction or activity (may require in-person exam(s)); may be exclusively asynchronous (no scheduled meets), synchronous (scheduled meets), or a combination of the two.
Oral conversation (ORL) Teaching is based primarily on engaging the students in instructor-guided group discussions and verbal interaction, usually in a language other than English.
Practicum (PRA) Teaching involves supervised placement time in a work setting exercising practical routines and techniques related to a particular academic program. 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. Facility 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.
Prerequisite The requirement(s) that must be met in order to be eligible to enrol in a course [i.e., passed or in-progress courses(s), registration in a specific program or plan, academic level or academic standing].
Project (PRJ) 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.
Reading (RDG) Learning takes place as a result of student independent study under the supervision of an instructor.
Seminar (SEM) Teaching involves students collectively exploring a topic, or field of study. May be led all or in part by the students.
Studio (STU) 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.
Term A particular four-month period within which sessions are defined and fees are arranged: Fall term - September to December; Winter term - January to April; spring term - May to August. Also used with reference to work terms for students in the Co-operative system of study.
Term activation Term activation occurs when the student's selection of courses has been approved and the student has made the appropriate arrangements with the University to pay the required fees.
Test slot (TST) 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.
Tutorial (TUT) 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.
Unit The credit value associated with a course. Unit weights are used in the calculation of averages for academic standing. Most courses have unit weights of 0.5, but some have weights such as 0.25, 1.0, 2.0.
Work term (WRK) This component is only used on a co-operative education course to represent an official work-term placement.
Workshop (WSP) 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.